Political Science

PS193 – Fall 2017

Country Profile Assignment

In order to prepare properly for the conference, you need to learn as much as possible about the country you will be representing. The assignment is due on Friday, October 13th. The assignment is worth 100 points. Your assignment is to research your assigned country and compile a 4-5 page paper that provides a description of the country (you may use lists and bullet points for many of the answers) but you must cite your sources and include a reference list at the end of the paper (this is information you will need at the conference).

The Profile should include the following points:

Overview of Country:

· Map (where is it located, who are its neighbors)

· Flag

· Official Country Name

· Type of Government

· Political Structure

· Current Leaders

· Official Language (connections with other states based on language?)

· Major Religions

· Major Cities & Geography (location, transportation, terrain, amount of arable land, etc.)

· Population size and make up (young society or aging?)

· Ethnic/Cultural Composition

· History (conflicts/wars, status in world, etc.)

· Major issues/problems confronting the country

Political Record

· Human Rights Record (Have they signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Have they ever been condemned by the Human Rights Council?)

· Political stability (democratic elections? dictatorship? political prisoners?)

· Allies/Adversaries

· Was it a colony (if so, to whom?) / was it a colonizer (if so, where and over whom?)

· Military Organization and Expenditures

· **Values of Political Culture (what does it value, why? What has shaped these values?)

· Example: South Sudan has fought a bloody civil war for over 25 years. The two sides have attempted to find a peaceful settlement several times but do not trust each other, thus the government is unstable, and little economic and political progress has been made.

· What are the state’s political rankings for: Transparency International, Freedom House

Economics

· Economic System (what type)

· GNP/GDP (amount)

· Major Imports / Exports

· Major Trading Partners/Trading Bloc

· Standard of Living

· Environmental Stance

· Agriculture Products, Industries, Natural Resources, Energy Sources

· What are the state’s economic rankings for: the World bank, HDI

United Nations Policy

· Date admitted to UN

· Reputation and Role within the UN

· Amount of UN dues & Current with due payments?

· Country Voting bloc

· Overall Strategy in the UN

The United Nations Policy is the most important part of the profile as it will provide you the greatest information to use for the conference.

Example: The United States was one of the founding members of the United Nations. It has a mixed reputation in the UN. Sometimes it has pushed efforts to increase peace and prosperity, and other times it has acted to advance its own interests in ways that appear to undermine the UN. It is the largest contributor to the UN (approximately 22% of the entire UN budget). It is not current with all due payments partially because the U.S. Congress often blocks funding portions of the organization for political purposes. The U.S. tends to vote with Western/European states but often follows its own interests in voting. The overall U.S. strategy is to protect and promote the interests of the US at all times in the UN, and to require other states to come to the US for support if it is needed.

Current Events

Issues reported by the media in the last 2-3 years (what are the main problems/goals/actions taken by the state as reported by the media?)

**The political culture and UN policy may be difficult to find, but are the most important part of understanding your country. Ask me for help if you cannot find information.

Foreign Policy Matrix

Complete the Matrix (page 56) for your country