IPL 320: Second Semester 2023

ASSIGNMENT ONE TOPIC AND INSTRUCTIONS

Topic:
Write a policy brief that addresses the possibility of war in the Asia-Pacific region due to the
tensions between China, Taiwan and the United States in the region. You should direct the
brief to ONE of the below actors, keeping in mind their global position, goals and interests:

• China
• Taiwan
• United States
• Japan

NB: In your policy brief, you should demonstrate an understanding of some of the relevant
and key concepts covered in the course material that are related to the context/situation in
the assignment topic. For example you may use, but are not restricted to: Strategy, strategic
theory, grand strategy, threat perception, balance of threat, deterrence, security dilemma,
geopolitics, jus ad bellum and jus in bello, etc.

Format:
Policy Brief

Resources on how to write a policy brief: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/policy-

briefs/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DozPzIOiYYk&ab_channel=UBSCenter

Readings:
You must conduct your own research through an independent search using the library and
other resources available to you. You may use sources in the study guide but note that these
are not sufficient to complete this assignment. Academic sources are preferred and it is your
responsibility to ensure your sources are reliable.

Instructions:
• No title page required
• Structure
o Title and student name (not included in word count)
o Executive summary of no more than 150 words (not included in word count)
o Introduction
o Context or scope of the problem
o Policy alternatives
o Policy recommendations
o Bibliography (not included in word count)

1
 • It is compulsory to have in-text referencing and a bibliography.
• You must provide evidence and citations to support your argument
• You must demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of a policy brief
• Word Count: 1000 words

Submission:
Submit the assignment electronically via Turnitin on clickUP. Failure to submit electronically
constitutes non-submission.

The submission date is 25 August 2023: 16H00 (4:00pm). No late submissions are allowed or
accepted. You are advised to upload your assignments before the cut-off dates. Preferably,
do not submit minutes before the cut-off time.

Please note, it may take up to 24 hours or more to generate the originality report. Take
further note of the following:
• Upload your entire assignment as one document.
• Once the cut-off dates/times have expired, you will be unable to make any further
submissions or resubmissions.
• The e-mail notification you receive to acknowledge that you have submitted is not
an originality report.
• The functioning of Turnitin on clickUP may be affected by service requirements.
• In some cases, it is possible that your score may increase after the submission
deadline if similarity is detected with other assignments.

Regarding the originality (plagiarism) score: The goal is always to have a score of 0%. Anything
higher than 0% must be scrutinised for possible plagiarism and the draft assignment should
be reworked if necessary. Students may be penalised for plagiarism even if their score is less
than 10%. A score of 10% or higher is of serious concern and the lecturer may refuse to
accept the assignment. However, it is possible that Turnitin detects text that has not actually
been ‘plagiarised’. Your text could also be identified as plagiarism if you do not use quotation
marks correctly.

You are further warned against the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) bots to assist you in
writing your assignment. Papers with more than 10% of AI scores will face penalties

Length and word count:

Total length of main content: 1000 words. (Excluding executive summary and bibliography)

Technical Requirements:
Your assignment must be typed in 12 point at 1.5 spacing on A4-size pages and must comply
with the requirements of scientific writing (regarding referencing and the format of the
Bibliography entries – where applicable, see the Assignment Writing Guidelines 2022).

Number the pages and headings, and justify your paragraphs.