Why do We Fight?

Pick a contemporary inter-state conflict between a ‘western state’ (i.e. the UK, US, Canada) and a ‘non-western’ state (excluding China) and critically assess two competing explanations to the question ‘Why do we fight?’. This question can be interpreted more generally as follows: Why did State A (and/or an international coalition or alliance) engage in hostile activities of a military OR economic nature (perhaps involving sanctions) against State B? Of the two explanations you provide, you must assess which is the most convincing and why. For the purposes of this assignment you must: 1.) Illustrate two competing explanations with references to their sources (e.g. the news media, academic sources, or a politician’s speech). 2.) Compare and contrast the explanations in terms of a broader debate within IR about the merits or limitations of any particular IR theory. This demands that you reflect not only upon the explanations themselves (and their evident logic and evidence), but also upon the ways in which they reflect or challenge a particular world view/theoretical perspective. Continued on following page…7 3.) Develop your own argument – outline why you think one explanation is more convincing and why – and situate it within broader IR theory debates. (Alternatively, you may provide an argument to convince the reader as to the merits of another alternative entirely – i.e., arguing that neither explanation is satisfying – so long as you situate your argument within or against any particular IR theory.) Outside research should consist of the following (please note, students are expected to meaningfully engage with these sources): ? a minimum of two independently located journal articles on the topic. Independently located journal articles are those that are not listed in the module handbook. The study skills session in Week 9 will teach you how to independently locate and access academic journal articles relevant to your topic. ? a minimum of four additional independently located research resources relevant to the topic. These may be academic journal articles, but they may also be books, book chapters, government or NGO reports or documents, speeches, news media sources, etc. PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT :)