weapons proliferation issue:

/in /by

Take on the role of a policy analyst at a weapons proliferation think tank, e.g., the Arms Control Association, and write a 2 page policy brief based on the weapons proliferation issue portrayed below.

“A policy brief is an advocacy and policy-making tool which communicates information to policy-makers and advocates for a certain course of action.  Persuasive, evidence-based, and structured writing of this type represents one of the most powerful ways of contributing to policy debates and influencing the policy-making process.”

Typical Characteristics of a Policy Brief

  • focused, succinct & limited
  • problem & policy-oriented
  • understandable, practical & feasible
  • analysis-driven
  • evidence-based
  • offers viable recommendations
  • appealing layout

Your policy brief should include the following components:

  • executive summary
  • introduction (context and importance of the issue
  • approach and results (critique of the policy options)
  • implications and recommendations
    Conclusion

Be creative and feel free to “invent” information to lend credibility to the brief, and to cite your sources.  Remember to submit in MS Word.  My expectation is a well written policy brief.

Be sure to review the sample policy briefs in the appropriate folder under the Resources area, and to review the two documents on writing a policy brief.

Base your policy brief on this weapons proliferation issue:

In 2000, Iran exported rockets and several ballistic missile components to Libya. It also has been accused of violating a Security Council resolution barring arms transfers to the anti-Israel militia Hezbollah operating in Lebanon.

A 2007 UN Security Council resolution bars Iran from selling conventional arms and prohibits any country from importing arms from Iran. Iran has been a major supplier of weapons to the Syrian government according to a 2012 report by a designated panel of experts to the UN Security Council.

The report describes three illegal transfers that took place in the prior year, two of which were to Syria and the third to Taliban members in Afghanistan. Illegal transfers to Syria included “assault rifles, machine guns, explosives, detonators, 60mm and 120mm mortar shells and other items.”