POS 399 Midterm Exam

Due March 13^th in class at 5:35 p.m.

Scenario: You have just been selected as a special adviser to the President of the United States on terrorism and have to write a presidential briefing report. You have decided to invite prominent terrorist specialists to dinner at the White House in order to get their perspectives on the causes of September 11^th and the best way for the US to respond. You find the following individuals seated around the table when you arrive:

#1: Martha Crenshaw, Professor of Political Science, Weslyan University

#2: Samuel Huntington, Professor of Political Science, Harvard University

#3: Benjamin Barber, Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland

#4: Fareed Zakaria, Special Correspondent, Newsweek

#5: Karen Armstrong, Islamic Specialist

#6: Karina Rollins, Senior Editor, American Enterprise Institute

You begin the dinner conversation by asking two simple questions: "Why do they hate us?" and "What can we do about it?"

Eager to get the first word in, Karina Rollins exclaims as she leans forward in her chair, "That's easy. The reason they hate us is that it is a moral clash."

"What do you mean?" You ask.

She continues, "As I explained in my recent article entitled 'Why They Hate Us: It's a Moral Clash' (The American Enterprise, Dec. 2001), the international environment has radically changed since the end of the Cold War. The leaders and supporters of the Soviet Union, as glaring and massive a threat to world freedom as they were, still held the basic and moral assumptions of human life. The most vile Communists, indifferent to the human tragedies they helped create, still cared whether their family members lived or died. That's why Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) during the Cold War worked. MAD won't work with our latest enemies. There is nothing with which to threaten them, because there is nothing they fear. They want to die for the sacred cause of exterminating Americans, Jews, and Westerners. They know no mercy. The Islamic terror campaign is different from any enemy the West has ever faced, and, because there is no conventional way to fight it, more dangerous. The Cold War is over, but the battle of good vs. evil rages stronger than ever. It is a moral clash. It is us against them. A fresh enemy is at civilization's gate, and it's time to recognize him."

"I see," you say feeling somewhat frightened by the hatred in her eyes. "Well, what do you think US policy should be in this case?"

"That is easy too," she says as she leans back in her chair. "I suggest that you hunt down the terrorists and assassinate each and every one of them using the US Delta Force."

Assignment Directions: Write a paper (approx. 10 pages or so) that describes the rest of the dinner conversation ending with your presidential briefing report. All midterms should be typed and double-spaced. Rules of grammar and citation apply. See POLITICAL SCIENCE STYLE GUIDE FOR WRITING PAPERS (http://www.usm.maine.edu/~kuzma/ir/styleguide.html) if you have any questions on the proper format. Good Luck!