PURPOSE
This assignment asks you to demonstrate the course competency of Global Perspective by constructing an evidence-based argument that integrates multiple perspectives on an issue in Modern US History. The ability to understand different perspectives is not only a critical skill for historians, it is a skill that is essential to functioning as a well-informed citizen in society today. This assignment asks you to consider the view points of opponents and supporters of Kennedy’s foreign policy decision making during the Cuban Missile Crisis and construct an argument about what these diverse historical perspectives reveal about US foreign relations in the mid-20th century.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential to your success in this course / in school / in this field / in professional life beyond school:
Reconstruct U.S. foreign policy perspectives on the issue of the Cuban Missile Crisis and distill key arguments in favor and against it.
Draw conclusions about U.S. foreign policy decision making during the Cold War period.
Use primary sources together with prior knowledge to engage in critical thinking about key players and the topics.
ASSINGMENT TASKS
In between 1,200 to 1,500 words, based on your knowledge of the Cold War period and nuclear proliferation, answer the following prompt:
After reading Allison, G. (2012) article, “The Cuban missile crisis at 50”, what conclusions can be made about President Kennedy’s foreign policy decision towards Cuban during the crisis? Additionally, what continuous challenges do countries such as Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea pose to U.S. policy makers today? What new challenges does the Russia-Ukraine conflict put forth in a new Cold War Era? (use Julia Loffe’s interview as one of your sources to help you answer the last portion of this question).
Allison, G. (2012). The Cuban missile crisis at 50: lessons for US foreign policy today. Foreign Affairs, 11-16.
https://psi329.cankaya.edu.tr/uploads/files/Allison%2C%20Cuban%20Missile%20Crisis%20at%2050.pdfLinks to an external site.
Putin’s Road to War: Julia Ioffe (interview) | FRONTLINE:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSNo2FPQDQw&t=643sLinks to an external site.
CRITERIA
Your submission will be evaluated based on the following:
· Strong thesis that answers the question and addresses the views of both supporters and opponents of Kennedy’s decision and its legacy in today’s foreign policy decision making process.
· Paragraphs with topic sentence, evidence, conclusion.
· Paragraphs that make an argument.
· Understanding of the historical context and particularly different viewpoints on the Cuban missile crisis in the late 19th c.
· Intro and conclusion.
· Required a number of sources (minimum of four).
use of sources that both support and oppose the decision made by President Kennedy to resolve the crisis of the missiles and future foreign policy challenges.
