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Take-Home Essay #2ESSAY TOPIC: A key aspect of a functioning representative democracy is respect for the use of direct (and indirect) elections as the sole means of determining who holds certain major public offices in a polity. Yet – in Brazil, in Nigeria, and in many other countries around the world – on several occasions people have changed the chief executive (and often dissolved the legislature) without recourse to elections. Why have military coups occurred? In turn, what could be done to prevent future coups from occurring? These concerns frame this essay question. Do you think that a military coup is likely (i.e. a greater than 50-50 proposition) to remove one or more elected national officials in Nigeria between now and the year 2011? Regardless of your position on this question, in building your argument you must include an analysis of three elements of Nigerian political life:
There is no single, “correct” answer to this question; none of us can make infallible predictions about future political events. I want you to build a concise yet detailed argument for your point of view. You must take a position on one side or the other of the question posed. No matter which way you argue in your essay, be sure to include at least three major points in favor of your position and three GOOD counterarguments. Do not waste everyone’s time by including the counterarguments that are the easiest to attack while avoiding more persuasive positions. Your essay should make it clear why your reasons are more convincing than the counterarguments. Use specific information from course materials on Nigeria to build your analysis. DUE DATE: 1:25pm on Friday, November 16th **Submit
both the electronic file and the paper copy to me by the due date.**
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