Term Paper on "Contemporary Issues in International Relations"

Term Paper 5 pages (1425 words) Sources: 1+ Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

International Relations

At this point, Iraq and obtaining political and military stability in Iraq is the most important challenge for the U.S. foreign policy. Ranging from leaving the country altogether or staying in until achieving a complete stabilization, the options of the U.S. government are still quite diverse, as are the challenges and provocations in Iraq and the pressures back in the U.S.

In the present, Iraq remains a country where interethnic and religious violence is predominant, with Sunni and Shiite Muslims fighting each other in religious faction conflicts, but, at the same time, fighting the U.S. And allied forces, perceived as a force of invasion. At the same time, Iraq is a proper training ground for terrorists and terrorist organizations, but the continuous U.S. presence in the country remains a subject of controversy around the world, damaging U.S. credibility.

The U.S. options at this time fall under two main categories, but each with numerous ramifications and implications of their own. The U.S. can either leave the country or remain, at the same time maintaining or increasing the number of troops present in Iraq. Let's start off with the former, which is also easier to approach in terms of implications.

The advantages of leaving Iraq are obviously in the form of reducing the casualties that the U.S. army is suffering in Iraqi combat. Additionally, it will also resolve, to some degree, the pressure back in the U.S. Nevertheless, such a solution gives way to different interpretations. First of all, leaving Iraq would most likely be perceived as a defeat and this is something that the U.S. prestige would find difficult to accept: the U.S., the only global superpower, defeated in a third world country by guerillas and terrorist groups.

On the other hand, leaving Iraq would send a dangerous message for future pacifying interventions like the one in Iraq was initially thought out to be: battle the invading forces, as hard as you can, and they will eventually accept defeat and leave. It would give out a message to the world, including to the U.S. partners, that the Iraqi invasion was wrong in the first place and that the last four years have virtually meant nothing and have brought nothing along except a long list of casualties. Leaving Iraq poses a significant question of creditability on the part of the U.S. In front of the entire world.

Besides this, leaving Iraq would leave the country as destabilized as ever, with the chances of the religious and ethnic conflicts to continue after the U.S. army leaves as great as ever. It is unlikely that the U.S. leaving the country would suddenly produce a national emulation that would end strives and encourage reconstruction.

Staying in Iraq comes with several operational alternatives, each with advantages and disadvantages, depending on the solutions that the U.S. proposes for the country's future. One of the solutions proposed involved the partition of Iraq into three separate states, according to ethnic and religious factions populating the new states. While this solution might prove advantageous from a conflict finalization perspective, it is less feasible when it comes to actually putting it in practice, which is probably is most important disadvantage.

However negotiated, it is less likely that the partition will be able to make good with all the parties involved. After the partition, conflict between the newly created states is also likely to continue and a continuous readjustment of the countries' borders is expected. Further more, a partition simply does not seem to be the type of solution that would boost American prestige, but rather the way-out solution, a solution that is just handy, while not being very applicable.

The solution that seems to be the action plan the U.S. government has thought out so far involves the use of force to pacify the country, stop fighting between factions and eventually reach a compromise with all players involved. This would be the kind of solution towards which the U.S. government strives and a final objective to be reached for the campaign.

However, this solution has several disadvantages. First of all, it does not have historical evidence on its side. Ever since the invasion in 2003, this is what the U.S. government has attempted and the progress made so far… READ MORE

How to Reference "Contemporary Issues in International Relations" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

International Relations- Australia: Some Perspectives Essay

International Relations- Australia

Australia: some perspectives on the position in international affairs

More than a couple of years ago, Australia welcomed her new Prime Minister -- P.M. Kevin Rudd. Kevin… read more

Essay 4 pages (1462 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Government / Politics

---

International Relations Making Poverty History Term Paper

International Relations

Making Poverty History

For more than fifty years now, it has been recognized that the nations of the world are divided between the "haves" and the "have nots."… read more

Term Paper 10 pages (3082 words) Sources: 20 Style: Harvard Topic: Economics / Finance / Banking

---

International Political Economics the Impact of UN Peacekeeper Corruption Term Paper

International Political Economics: The Impacts of UN Peacekeeper Corruption

International political economy tries to understand global and international problems through a diverse interdisciplinary arrangement of theoretical perspectives and analytical tools.… read more

Term Paper 15 pages (4412 words) Sources: 15 Topic: Government / Politics

---

International Relations Discuss the Origins and Evolution Thesis

International Relations

Discuss the origins and evolution of modern international & world system

Theorist Irving Wallerstein proposed that the new capitalist world system created an international division of labor "that… read more

Thesis 4 pages (1380 words) Sources: 5 Topic: World History

---

Problems of Scientific Forecasting in International Relations Term Paper

Scintific Forecasting in Internanional Relations

Problems of Scientific Forecasting in International Relations

With the advent of globalization, the field of international relations is gaining incremental momentum. And scientific forecasting plays… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (971 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Government / Politics

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>