Response Paper Assignment: Imperial Life in the Emerald City

Introduction to the reading:

You are to read Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. The book is about the early post-invasion period of the American occupation of Iraq, 2003-2004. It focuses on the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) led by L. Paul Bremer. Chandrasekaran was the Baghdad bureau chief of the Washington Post at the time.

Task

Write a 3-4 page response paper on Imperial Life in the Emerald City. Address the following questions, and use SPECIFIC examples from the book to support your answers:

• How did American politics affect the CPA's performance in the first year of the American occupation?

• How did the CPA's economic decisions have political consequences, and how did these affect outcomes on the ground in Baghdad?

• How did the whole administrative set-up of the CPA and the Green Zone affect relationships between Americans and Iraqis?

Format

1. FONT: All papers are to be double-spaced, typed, black 12 font.

2. PAGING: Pages are to be NUMBERED, and STAPLED.

3. TITLE PAGE: Do not use fancy covers. Provide a simple cover page with your name, the title of the paper, the name and number of the course, and the date.

4. CITATION: Proper citation is required. For this book, you may cite in the following manner: quote or paraphrase (Chandrasekaran, page number).

5. Submit to Isidore as [your last name]-short paper #2. Example: Fleischmann-short paper 2.

How the paper will be evaluated:

• Your use of specific examples from the book to illustrate and support your points.
• The clarity of your writing. SPELLING, GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION COUNT.
• The organization of your paper. (Thesis, supporting evidence, conclusion.)
• The originality of your thinking.
• The discernible effort you expend, including proof that you read the book.
• Following directions.