At the beginning of each year the Council on Foreign Relations, arguably the most influential American think-tank in the foreign policy arena, publishes the results of its Preventive Priorities Survey Links to an external site.(PPS) highlighting the most acute crises for the U.S. to watch in the coming year.  The identification of these crises is based on feedback from leading foreign policy experts and practitioners. 

Choose one of the following Tier One crisis that the PPS highlights and, based your understanding of the material in George and Rishikof’s The National Security Enterprise, write a 2,500 words assessing which agencies and institutions in the U.S. national security apparatus would be most active in dealing with this challenge and outlining some of the specific roles that they might play in addressing a crisis like this. While extensive outside reading for this project is not necessarily required, some may be necessary.  Information must be accurate in terms of current U.S. policy positions and take into account any international alliances or international organizations that might be involved.  All sources, including George and Rishikof, must be cited appropriately.  

1. An escalation of coercive pressure by China toward Taiwan, including heightened military activity, precipitates a severe cross-strait crisis involving the United States and other countries in the region

2. An escalation of the armed conflict in Ukraine resulting from the employment of unconventional weapons, spillover into neighboring countries (including cyberattacks on critical infrastructure), and/or the direct involvement of NATO members

3. A highly disruptive cyberattack targeting U.S. critical infrastructure by a state or nonstate entity

4. Popular dissatisfaction with the war in Ukraine and worsening economic conditions lead to growing civil unrest in Russia and a power struggle in Moscow