Term Paper on "Canadian Foreign Policy a Policy Memo on the Arctic"

Quoted Instructions for "Canadian Foreign Policy a Policy Memo on the Arctic" Assignment:

Components of The Policy Memo

Writing a policy requires certain elements and sections in addition to the traditional

thesis, introduction, and conclusion. Policy memos typically have one main agenda:

address a current issue or policy and propose/evaluate alternative policies which seek

to improve the current state. Policy papers tend to be very methodical, as a similar

process is used each time to evaluate the different policies you are advocating to your

audience. While traditional research papers focus primarily on textual analysis and

building one's argument, policy papers focus much more on organization, thoroughness,

and execution. Basically, if your audience only has 15 minutes to read your policy memo

during his/her commute from the office to Parliament, you want to make it easy for him/

her to navigate through your memo.

Introduction:

Explains to your reader why the issue/policy you've chosen to investigate is important

and relevant and what the current policy is. In this section, you should also make

reference to the backgrounder/ literature review for the Deputy Minister to follow up if

they require more information.

!

Criteria:

Let the reader know what criteria you are using to evaluate your policies. Economic

feasibility, political feasibility, and environmental impact are common criteria. Criteria

should also be unique to your chosen policy/issue.

Alternatives:

These are the policies you are analyzing and evaluating in your paper. Alternative

policies seek to improve on current policy and/or approach issues from different

perspectives. These alternatives are evaluated on the criteria you've listed out above.

Projected Outcomes and Tradeoffs:

This section can be included in the evaluation of each alternative policy or set apart on

its own. Much of your individual analysis and opinion falls under this section, as you are

called upon to not only predict the effects and efficiency of your policies, but also assess

the negatives and positives of your alternatives.

Recommendation and Discussion:

Here is where you finally decide among your alternatives and advocate your policy!

Remember not to simply repeat what you have covered under Alternatives and

Projected Outcomes and Tradeoffs, but explain why your client should follow your

analysis and enact the policy you have chosen.

Writing Tips and Strategies

Your memo should be easy to follow and easy to read. The following guidelines should

be kept in mind in writing the memo:

1. Stay on point and keep it short. The typical memo should make a single point or a

handful of related points. Drop any argument that does not support your main point/s.

Concise memos earn wider readership and higher praise than long memos no one

ever finishes. You should be direct, choose your words carefully, and edit rigorously.

There should be no extraneous words in your memo.

2. Organize your memo around meaningful sections. Repeat the memo*****s most salient

points and conclusions in the section headers. These will help guide the reader

quickly through your memo.

! Examples: Alternatives: Law Enforcement or Military Intervention?

! Criteria for Decision Making

! Fewer Attacks, But Greater Lethality

! From Exile to Terrorism: The Evolution of Hamas

! (Appendix) Terrorist Threat Profile

Start each section with a mini roadmap. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence

that summarizes its main point. A reader should be able to follow the flow of your

memo just by reading the first sentence of each paragraph.

! Examples:

! Section: In this section I review Hamas***** evolution from a splinter faction of the

Muslim ! Brotherhood into a full-fledged terrorist organization.

! Paragraph: Abimael Guzman provided the main ideological spark behind the

! development of the Shining Path organization in the 1960s.

3. The fundamental purpose of a policy memo is to help people make decisions. Your

memo should provide exactly as much description as is required to allow you reader

to understand your analysis and no more.

Remember, even within the backgrounder--where you will be providing a broader

background or over of your issue--your goal is to analyze, not merely describe. When

necessary, descriptions of historical periods should aim to illustrate the key themes

relevant to current policy debates. Likewise, when you are making a case for a policy

option, your memo must persuade through logical argument, not simple recitation of

facts and assertions.

! Example:

! Descriptive style: 1. Sheik Ahmed Yassin founded Hamas in 1987 to create an

Islamic ! state in Palestine.

! Analytical style: Three major factors led Sheik Ahmed Yassin to found Hamas in

1987. !First,*****¦

4. Use formatting to enhance the informational content of your memo. An important way

to improve ease of readership is the use of tables, figures, and bullet points. The goal

in all cases is to say more with less. Make sure when you use these that they actually

enhance understanding and don*****t just look cool. Use bullets for lists and simple ideas.

Avoid long lists. Use paragraphs for complex ideas. Tables and figures should allow

the reader to understand more while reading fewer words ***** if you have to spend a

page explaining a figure you probably should drop it.

5. Write for a broad audience. Don*****t write a memo that only you and three other experts

can understand. Avoid technical jargon and bureaucratese. Make your memo selfcontained

and comprehensive enough (while keeping it short!) to enable others to

understand the basis for your conclusions.

6. Provide citations to your sources of information within the text of the memo and the

backgrounder (Thrall 2006) and ensure that you include a bibliography at the end of

your backgrounder. Please remember The citation format required in this class is the

Author-Date system of the Chicago Manual of Style.