Pick a larger European country and provide a summary of its political system. Is the general situation in your country of choice stable? Do its i

Research and do a 7-9 page research paper on one of the following topics:

Address ONE (1) of the following topics in your paper:

Topic #1: Pick a larger European country and provide a summary of its political system. Is the general situation in your country of choice stable? Do its institutions appear to be functioning in the manner that Gallagher, Laver and Mair would suggest? Why or why not (be specific)?

Topic #2: The democracies of Eastern Europe have displayed an uneven record in terms of how the promises of democracy and capitalism have been fulfilled since the fall of Communism 20+ years ago.  Pick an Eastern European country and provide an analysis of how things are going and why.

Topic #3: A century ago, Europe was full of autocratic governments, worrisome and potentially dangerous ideologies, militaries set on hair trigger, and poorly functioning governments. Much has changed since then, but troubling trends remain. Are you optimistic about the future of democracy in Europe? Why or why not? Be specific and use insights from the text and from outside research

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Requirements: This assignment must have the following characteristics:

1.  Be 7-9 pages in length. Title and reference page do not count towards the total.

2.  Be in a common font, 11 to 12 points.

3.  Be double-spaced.

4.  Pictures are graphs are welcome, but must be described in the text.

5.  Will cite references internally and provide a list of references in a common citation style (whatever you are familiar with; if you aren’t familiar with a style, visit the following website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/

6.  Will answer the question or provide information and analysis on the topic. Assignment  composed of recited facts without critical thought will not be looked upon favorably.