This is a five part essay, with parts two, three, and four individually tied directly to the

argument and discussion in part one. Part Five is a concluding paragraph. All of the material you

need is either attached directly to this assignment as a PDF or was assigned reading during the

quarter. You may not use additional sources or include outside research.

Read the prompt in its entirety with attention detail to make certain that you understand what

you are being asked to do. If you need clarification, please ask. As with the midterm, your grade

will be based on how well and thoroughly you craft an argument in response to the questions

posed here. What you argue for is far less important than how you argue for it. I am looking for

how thoroughly you conceptualize and analyze an issue area and, then, argue about

appropriate state action.

Your essay should be no longer than seven pages, typed double-spaced in 12 point font and

with standard one-inch margins. Your name, PID, and TA name should be on the top left of page

one. No title page, please.

Part One:

In the first part of the course, we spent a great deal of time talking about state sovereignty,

legitimate government as governance of a people, and the obligations that states have for

everything from winning wars to making certain that the institutions of society in all areas are

promoted, protected, and made available to all. To remind yourself of the way we talked about

these things:

1) Go back to your lecture notes from Weeks Three through Week Five.

2) Review your reading notes from the chapters assigned in the Donnelly and Whelan—

especially chapters 2, 3, 4, 10 and 11.

3) Review the argument that Miles Kahler makes about sovereignty in his piece on

humanitarian interventions.

4) Also, attached to this prompt are two pieces by Stephen Krasner about the evolution of

thinking about state sovereignty. The piece titled Think Again is the most recent and is a less

academic version of the attached journal version, titled Abiding Sovereignty. This latter

influenced class lectures on the evolution of states and the international system.

Construct an argument about the characteristics of legitimate governance. Think in terms of the

following:

1) What is a state for and what should it do?

2) What are the constraints under which it operates both domestically and internationally?

3) What are the normative requirements of legitimacy both domestically and

internationally?

4) How do we best measure good governance? In other words, what makes a government a

good government and why?

Parts Two, Three and Four: A Free Press, Environmental Rights, LGBTQI Rights

You MUST address ALL three of these issue areas, each in a separate section of your essay.

Each presents a different kind of policy challenge for even the best government. The rights

argued for and the opposition they face are both specific and multidimensional. The attached

articles (and readings assigned in class) are designed to help you think through the inherent

multidimensionality of these rights areas. You may address the details of these articles in your

answer, but a good essay will use them mostly to widen the discussion. The articles are

resources, not the point of your essay.

In each section, you must do at least the following:

1) To the fullest extent you are able, explain the specific rights argument. How does the

fulfillment of the right and the denial of the right affect an individual human being? In

other words, what is at stake?

2) What are the policy challenges faced by governments in addressing these rights claims?

3) How should governments balance these claims against other obligations that it carries?4) Are there legitimate governance reasons for denying these rights in part or in their

entirety, and, if so, what are they?

Part Five: Conclusion

Your concluding paragraph should return to the topic of legitimate governance—What makes it

legitimate? How does it weigh the rights of minorities over majorities? What is the role of open

debate and inclusive participation?