Practical Exercise for Splendid Little Wars

Scenario: President William Jefferson Clinton has just taken office and outgoing President George Herbert Walker Bush has left him with a nasty problem -- Somalia. Bill Clinton's NSC Director, Anthony Lake has formed an ad hoc NSC Working Group and tasked them (i.e., has given them an order) to develop a policy for the Horn of Africa. The Working Group (WG) includes representatives from State, Defense, D.I.A., CIA, and the White House staff to work on the problem. What policy will your group recommend to Tony Lake? The presentation can be given in PowerPoint with a hand copy presented to the Mr. Lake on July 24, 1993 (really 2003).

Resources: Students can use the Internet as well as the material found in Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down and Ward Carroll's Punk's War for operations on a nuclear aircraft carrier.

The Working Group: Students will work in groups of five or six. They will select a team leader who will make the presentation; however, all students in the group are expected to work on the project together. They can meet before class or use a chat room on the Yahoo Group organized for this class. Go to the appropriate hyperlink for Presidential Directive, links, Maps, Order of Battle Information, and a Time Line.

Grading: The project will be worth 100 points and is on par with the take home examination and the book review. All students regardless of their level, i.e., undergraduates and graduates, will work on the project together. Students will evaluate each other and their evaluation  will be worth 50% of the project, the instructor will evaluate the overall presentation for the final 50% of the grade.

TO&E for the Working Group: