Winning Essays

2003 national winning essay, "Kuwait and Kosovo: The Harm Principle and Humanitarian War," is by Kevin Kiley from Granite Bay High School, Granite Bay, California. Kevin examines the 1990 Gulf War and NATO's intervention in Kosovo to see how they measure up against the criteria of just war.

2002 national winning essay, "Safeguarding Human Rights and Preventing Conflict through U.S. Peacekeeping," is by David Epstein from Pikesville High School, Baltimore, Maryland. David cites several examples of appropriate use of American power aimed at putting a stop to crimes against humanity and ending conflict.

2001 national winning essay, "Somalia and Sudan: Sovereignty and Humanitarianism," is by Stefanie Nelson from Bountiful High School in Bountiful, Utah. Stephanie examined the dynamics of the competing philosophies of sovereignty and humanitarianism in third-party intervention found in civil conflicts in the Sudan and Somalia.

2000 national winning essay, "Promoting Global and Regional Security in the Post-Cold War World," is by Elspeth Simpson from Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. Elspeth looked at the U.S. policies that led to intervention in Colombia and North Korea and considered the effectiveness of actions based on humanitarian assistance and national and global security.

1999 national winning essay, "Preventive Diplomacy in the Iraq-Kuwait Dispute and in the Venezuela Border Dispute," by Jean Marie Hicks of St. Thomas More High School in Rapid City, South Dakota. Not available online.Jean Marie explored the cases of preventive diplomacy seen in disputes between Iraq and Kuwait and border disputes involving Venezuela. Not available online.

1998 national winning essay, "How Should Nations be Reconciled," is by Tim Shenk from Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Tim used South Africa and Bosnia as examples to examine the manner in which war crimes should be accounted for to ensure a stable and lasting peace.

1997 national winning essay, "A Just and Lasting Peace," is by Joseph Bernabucci from St. Alban's School in Washington, DC. Joseph examined the steps that can be taken to support the successful implementation of a peace agreement and addresses the causes of the conflicts by exploring what can be done to discourage renewed violence.

1996 national winning essay, "America and the New World Order," is by Richard Lee from Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina. Richard defined U.S. national security interests and gave his criteria for U.S. intervention by examining past cases of intervention.