Directions: Answer Questions #1 and #2, then pick only one additional question from 4, 5, or 6 . Each question counts 33 points. (style 13 points; substance 20 points each). Make sure you restate the question before answering, so I know which question you picked. And don't forget to cite ALL sources.

1. What is a threat? How it is determined? What types of issues are required to look at a threat? How does politics, geography, or other factors fit into the equation? What types of threats are being addressed today?

2. What does international security mean? How does it differ from national security? What agencies are responsible for international focus and participate in the developing, implementing and examining international security policy? In this class we will spend time talking about the class structure, papers, requirements and expectations.

Choose only one of these questions below

3. The War on Terror: Nearly 15 years after this "war" was launched by George W. Bush, why hasn't "the most powerful military in the world," "the finest fighting force in the history of the world" won it?

4. Given the availability of abundant oil and natural gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere and the potential future abundance of alternative energy systems, why should the Persian Gulf continue to qualify as a vital U.S. national security interest?

5. Seventy years after World War II and a quarter-century after the Cold War ended, why does European security remain an American responsibility? Given that Europeans are rich enough to defend themselves, why shouldn't they?