CJS 6125 Discussion Week 1-5 Literature & Language Essay

Answer Questions week 1-5
Each week should be separated and have its own 3 references below it.
IE: WEEK 1 Question and answers
WEEK 1 REFERENCES
WEEK 2 Question and answers
WEEK 2 REFERENCES
Each weeks question and answers should be between 250-300 words

Week 1 

1. What do you consider as the top 3 national security threats to the United States? Are any of these existential (a threat to survival)?


2. The US has a range of national power through DIME (Diplomacy, Information, Military and Economics) and the interagency process. Is military force at the forefront of our national power due to our technology and capabilities, and should it be the force of choice? Cite an example when the military was use when other elements may have been more effective


3. Define and cite an example of a current “vital US interest.” Indicate in your answer why a military response would be more effective than other elements of national power.

Week 2  

1. Without advocating for the existence of nuclear weapons, has their presence by (Russia and the US) made the world more or less safe? (Assume for your answer that we cannot “turn back time” and remove the technology from the inventory)


2. What caused the fall of the Soviet Union? Was it Kennan’s “containment policy”, NSDD-75’s economic pressure or President Gorbachev’s relationship with President Reagan? Is there another reason(s)?


3. What are the consequences of globalization for national security? Have non-state actors taken the place of sovereigns in a prioritized threat assessment?

Week 3

1. How should the US reduce its budget deficit? Raising taxes reduces consumer spending; cutting entitlements hurts lower income citizens and cutting defense spending results in greater assumption of risk. Include in your choice possible second order effects and how you would mitigate their impact.


2. Identify the national security pros and cons of globalization. Do you agree that countries with trade relationships are less likely to engage in conflict? If you agree with globalization, how do you answer the critics that the US will lose a market share (and jobs) based upon the competitive advantage of other nations?


3. Are current US force levels “heavy” or Special Operations intensive? Is there a balance of these or should the US concentrate on one or the other, and why?

Week 4

1. Were the 9-11 attacks reasonably foreseeable given the 1993 Manhattan bombings, the attacks against the embassies and the attack against the USS Cole (DDG-67)? What factors as analysts would you be looking for to determine a trend?


2. We have discussed 3 military strategists so far; Clausewitz who believes that "war is a continuation of politics by other means" and that war is a violent clash-the emphasis is on the fighting, Sun Tzu, who believed that the intent of a commander should be to win without fighting and now Mao Xedong, who believed it was necessary to retreat/defend, engage in a stalemate and then attack in a conventional manner against supply lines. You are a national security analyst in 2017, which strategy do you prefer and why?


3. Identify 3 general challenges in the transition to civil authority, and briefly give policy recommendations on how to address them.  

Week 5

 1. Is illegal immigration a national security concern? Tell me why and what your recommendations are to resolve it? If it is not a national security concern, but a local law enforcement issue, how can the police resolve this?  

2.  Should the US be concerned about global warming or is this a natural occurrence? Is global warming a national security issue or should we leave it to the scientists? If you believe it is something the US should be concerned about, how should we react?  

3.   I referenced 4 schools of thought in my concluding remarks; rational actor, organizational process, palace politics and cognitive process. Is there a particular school or school(s) of thought you subscribe to and why? What school of thought do you see being used in Washington?