Write a high quality 8-10 page research paper on a US intervention in the Third World since 1945. You are required to structure your paper as a case study that will test the theories of the leading explanations for the intervention in your case. You should begin by reading about your case and collecting different explanations for why the U.S. intervened. You will then reframe these explanations as theories, as discussed in class. Then you should do your best to collect evidence that tests these theorieswhat evidence would prove this theory/explanation false? What evidence indicates this theory might be true? Organize your theories and evidence as clearly as you can. Do not expect that you will definitively prove any theory true or falsejust go as far along this path as you can. Please use LOTS of footnotes to cite where you found the explanations and facts in your paper. (Note: if you invented an explanationGREAT!no need to cite anyone!) In addition to your 8-10 page paper, you are required to also hand in a complete bibliography. A timeline of your intervention would also be very nice and could make it possible to spend less time explaining the history. Possibly an arrow diagram of each of
the theories you are testing would also be nice.
USE the Van Evera book, Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science, to help you better understand theory testing and more. This is a very quick, very useful, little guide that should be used often to think about how to analyze your evidence.
Ways to do very well:
1.) Research a less well-known case and dig deep and explain rich detail.
2.) Analyze a more famous case in a new waybeautiful theory development and
testing.
3.) Analyze the U.S. domestic politics (in rich detail) that caused the intervention.
