Paper #1 - Information Memo
Oil Prices Spike

Due by 8 p.m. on February 24, emailed to me as a Microsoft Word document (.doc, .docx) to dhopper@marymount.edu. Students turning in papers containing plagiarism will fail the course.  Late papers will be reduced in grade depending on how late it is.

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Topic: Russian forces have flooded into Ukraine.  A major land war in Europe has erupted, and the capital, Kyiv, is likely to fall.  Western allies in the region, particularly the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, are worried they may be next.  The United States and Western Europe have imposed punishing sanctions on Russia, including cutting the country off from the international banking system and canceling the undersea Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany.  In response, Russia has cut off energy supplies to Europe.  Russia supplies a third of Europe's natural gas.  As a result, world oil prices have spiked to almost $130 per barrel, the highest in history.

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You work in the State Department, and have been asked to report to the Secretary of State on how these events are affecting U.S. interests in the Middle East.  Write an information memo detailing your analysis.

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Important tips:

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• You don't need to talk about all of the Middle East.  You may decide you work on the Saudi Arabia desk, Morocco desk, or even in an office related to climate change or human rights.  It's up to you what you want to focus on.

• This is an information memo, not an action memo.  You are not asking the Secretary to do something, you are telling him what you (and your office, and perhaps the Embassy in your country) are already doing.

• Consider in this situation: What does the Secretary already know?  What doesn't he know?  Don't tell him things he already knows.

• As an information memo, this is a maximum of three pages.  He's too busy for more!

• This is a foreign policy paper, not an academic paper.  You don't need to show references or citations.  However, you should use reference materials to develop your argument.  Do not use Wikipedia.  Use original sources, news articles, or academic papers.

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Format:  Use the template, linked here. Use 16-point Times New Roman font.  Do not modify the margins.  Each paragraph should start with (U), which stands for unclassified.  You can use graphs or maps as attachments if you like.

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You must bring a draft to class on February 16.  We will edit each other's papers as a class activity.  If you edit someone else's paper, you should be listed as a "clearer" on their paper.  You can have multiple people provide edits, but you can get only one point of extra credit for edits per assignment.  You must draft the paper yourself. Students caught turning in plagiarized work will fail the course and will be reported to the Academic Integrity process.

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Grades will be based on:

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• Writing. The paper must have a clear thesis, stated early, and grab the reader's attention. The rest of the paper should contain facts and logic that support the thesis.

• Analysis of the effects of high oil prices on the subject you choose.
   

There isn't a single right answer here; you will be graded on the thoughtfulness of your analysis.  I am aware that this is your first assigned paper -- I ask for Microsoft Word files so that I can more easily provide constructive comments throughout.