Please answer one of the following questions in an essay of no more than five pages. The exam is an open-book, open-discussion exam and you are not expected to do additional research to answer the question. Such research, however, is not prohibited. Keep in mind, however, that one of the purposes of this exam is to demonstrate your understanding and mastery of the material presented in this class - make sure to cite relevant literature in your arguments.

The essays are due no later than noon on 20 December 2006. Papers can be emailed to us as an attachment directly to vferraro@mtholyoke.edu or they can be turned into Prof. Ferraro's mailbox outside his office in room 103 Skinner Hall or Professor Ellis's mailbox in the History Department Office on the 3rd floor of Skinner. We will let you know if we have difficulties printing out the paper. We use Microsoft Word so we would prefer receiving papers in that format.

1) You have been asked by President Bush to draft a memorandum that assesses the strategic options in Iraq. The current options are: stay the course; increase troop strength; begin a military withdrawal. Support your recommendation with evidence drawn from at least three historical expereiences in twentieth-century U.S. foreign policy.

2) Compare and contrast executive leadership in three of the following four historical contexts: FDR in World War II; JFK in the Cuban Missile Crisis; LBJ in Vietnam; and George W. Bush in Iraq.

3) Which has served as a better guide for American foreign policy: "interests" or "values"? Using historical and contemporary examples, demonstrate the effectiveness of using either to determine US foreign policy.

4) Did American values change after the US embraced its role as a global hegemon? Did its responsibilities as a world leader introduce new values, re-order old values, or reinforce old values?