Case Study on "Iran Political"

Quoted Instructions for "Iran Political" Assignment:

***This will be the first assessment on Iran's Political power in the 21st Century. There will be four other assessments to be written spanned out over the next five weeks (roughly 1 per week). I will continue to request the same ***** for each assessment. There will be an example of a completed country assessment on Pakistan that you will need to use as a guidline for the papers. A. The purpose of the Country Study Assessment is to analyze a country’s political, societal, economic, military, and vulnerability factors in order to assess their relative level of power within the 21st Century. Assessing the degree of a country’s national power is as much an art as it is a science. B. This is the first assessment in a five assessment requirement; week one (political), two (societal), three (economic), four (military), and five(vulnerabilities) will be prepared on Iran. C. Assessment Format. The format for completing each of the five assessments will be uploaded to the resource folder. The country study must follow this specific format (to include the respective number/letters, headings and subheadings). Information highlighted in yellow (example: [Title]) should be replaced with your specific information. D. Quantitative (Length) Criteria. Although there is no set minimum length criteria for each of the five assessments, experience has shown that students submitting less than 72 lines (using the previously defined MS Word document, single spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 pitch, with 1” margins) typically lack the depth and detail needed to earn a passing grade. Note, the 72 lines does not include the Bibliography. There is a maximum of 150 lines (not including the Bibliography) for each assessment. E. Qualitative Criteria. A rubrics criteria will also be uploaded into the resource folder so you can see what will be considered for each assessment. Each of the six criteria contained in the rubric are related meaning a low score in one area (such as organization of ideas) can impact the score in another area (such as demonstrated critical thinking). F Analysis Vs Information. You must incorporate analysis into the papers. The goal of the country study is to assess a series of factors (i.e. analyze), not to regurgitate raw or basic information. Analysis conveys the significance of the information and must be presented in a context the reader can understand. For example, when assessing Iran's country capabilities compare their data to an adjacent country and/or their primary adversary and highlight the significant information (such as gaps, trends, etc.). The key concept of analysis is to determine the significance (i.e. the “so what does this mean”) of the information they’ve collected. Take for example the following excerpt from a student’s political assessment: “It is apparent that Pakistan has goals, not only for its advancement, but for its sustainment. Politically Pakistan must create unity, which should be its number one goal. During this time Pakistan also needs to increase its social development. To do this Pakistan tried unsuccessfully to increase social investment and basic services ; however this should continue to be an objective of the government. If the citizens of Pakistan are to ever unite they must feel like there is equality. Economically Pakistan desires to exploit some of Central Asia’s resources and cooperate regionally through the Economic Cooperation Organization . Increasing the economy and the job market may alleviate some ethnic tensions so long as these resources are spread evenly and transparently. Currently the economic outlook is grim. The CIA reports that once again political disputes as well as a lack of foreign investment are among Pakistan’s underlying problems . These problems are causing the unemployment rate to sit at 14% while 24% of the nation lives below the poverty level . Unless political cooperation is achieved these unemployed citizens may very well become employed by al-Qaida or another insurgent group, which will surely lessen foreign investment due to security issues. Militarily the goals in Pakistan have to start with the exclusion from politics , and expelling the insurgency. This of course is secondary to the military’s role in securing Pakistan against India.”

G. Citations. When citing a source, follow the quote with a superscript reference number1 with the completed citation in Turabian format at the bottom of the page. When using Microsoft Word, footnotes can be automatically formatted by going to the “References” tab and selecting “Insert Footnote.” Also required is a Bibliography as part of the paper. H. Sources. Each assessment must incorporate a minimum of five different sources, meaning a completed country assessment will have 25 different sources. This is an absolute minimum. Reviewing local media not only provides a domestic perspective of their country but also provides an opportunity for you to assess the reliability and accuracy of their reporting. I. Graphics. You are encouraged to include graphics provided they either reinforce a key point or allow the reader to more clearly understand a complex issue. J. Format. Assessments must be in a MS Word document (single spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 pitch, with 1” margins, and a Bibliography).