ICJ 401 Assignment #6- Hernandez, Iraiz PDF

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This capstone course is a synthesis of key issues, trends and topics within the emerging field of international criminal justice. Topics to be considered include: cross-cultural dimensions of international criminal justice; major theoretical issues and methodological problems in international crimin...

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Wednesday, March 17, 2021 Exercise 6.1 Directions: This composition should come from the top of your head. Do not use any notes or supporting materials. Write a paper of no more than five pages responding to the following questions. What is your topic? My topic is the relationship between high demands of ivory in the international market and declining elephant populations in Tanzania. What do you know about the topic? I know that my topic has been well researched and that policies have been introduced to legally protect the elephant species. I also know that current efforts in local and regional communities are working to introduce drones to monitor and protect elephants from getting into human crops. When elephants eat human crops, the locals find it justifiable to continue poaching them and want to make their ends meet; therefore selling ivory seems like a good option. DNA samples from elephants have been collected through their fecal matter to identify herd and genetic identity in order to have information to which tusks can be compared to. Addressing the DNA sequence of the animals allows researchers and activities to properly address the issue with trafficking illegally poached ivory by comparing the DNA of a tusk to the collected samples from previous research. Installing tracking devices by tranquilizing the animals and installing monitors so that elephant herds can be monitored and protected. What is the context or background surrounding the topic? The context is that ivory is in high demand in international markets because of the symbol that ivory represents and the declining elephant populations. Ivory poaching was viewed as a “man’s sport” in the early 1800’s as European nations had “explorers” visit unknown terrain in which the explorers would then hunt and bring ivory back to demonstrate their hunting trophies. Since only high class individuals could travel in and out of the regions in expensive and long trips, the ivory brought back was seen as exclusive. The ivory then was turned into piano keys, hair brushes, and other trinkets and ornaments. Today, travelling to the continent of Africa isn’t as rare, and the terrain is now identified as countries and inhabited zones. This along with the introduction of travel technology and digital technology makes it easier for sellers and buyers of ivory to communicate with each other to continue providing ivory into the market. In China, iory is more than a symbol of wealth, it is also a big part of their culture and what is deemed as acceptable within their community. Growing populations of the human race continues to increase, so does the demand for ivory. However, since protection for the elephant species is fairly recent compared to how long elephants have been praised and objectified for their ivory, the elephant populations have not been able to recover as quickly as the species experienced dramatic decline. How is this topic significant? This topic is significant because it is concerning environmental crime and the participation of the global market’s demand for ivory which continues to contribute to the declining elephant populations. While ivory may be legalized once they’ve reached their final destination, it is not legalized in all parts of Tanzania. Therefore, protective groups have been established to protect the elephants in regions where elephants continue to be poached even though it is illegal. This is difficult to do because of the limited funding, and few people orking towards protecting the species. There is a larger market that would prefer that the elephants not be protected and instead continue to be targeted for their ivory. This is difficult to combat and rectify without government intervention. What is your central claim or thesis? My central claim states that high demand of ivory in the

international markets (legal or not) contributes to the illegal poaching and population decline of Tanzanian elephants. How can you prove it? I am going to prove it by introducing research statements that amplify the seriousness of this issue. Statistical data have to be reduced in order to fit the mini-thesis, but including efforts to protect the elephant species such as treaties and clauses will be necessary as well. I intend to include how current efforts to protect elephants have or hasn’t been successful and why. What conclusions have you drawn, and what reasons support them? I have come to the conclusion that the international market isn’t necessarily interested in protecting the elephant populations so tta the species can thrive, but so that the production and availability of ivory can thrive. This would essentially continue contributing to the profits made in the markets. The reasons to support this is the “one-time sales'' that occurred twice in which countries could legally sell their ivory stockpile supply. This generated an impactful demand for ivory, so once the stockpiles ran out of ivory, poachers began providing the markets with more ivory and passing it off as legally poached ivory. The sellers haven’t really questioned the origin of the ivory sold of them since they are more interested in the profit they can make. What are the implications of your research for the academic field? An implication that has popped up in a few research documents is that the overall sales of ivory should no longer be permitted in order to allow the elephant populations to grow. When you have completed this paper, put it down and leave it for several days. After returning to the paper, check your readiness for writing a literature review. Use the following audit questions to discover your familiarity with the subject. If you need to review the materials, refer to the chapters as noted. Have you accurately defined the topic and its core concepts? (Chapter 1) Yes it has, my core concepts are well structured and do not stray into other unnecessary concepts. This topic is centered on crimes against the environment, including what is being done to address this issue as of now. Is the topic clear and concise? (Chapter 1) Now, yes, my topic is clear and concise. Originally I had not chosen one country of focus and wanted to address all elephants. Choosing Tanzania and illegal trade really narrows down what I am researching. Have you described the general issue or concern that inspired the topic? (Chapter 1) I have. The general issue is the declining elephant populations. In the statement above I did not state why I was inspired to address this topic. But I can definitely say that my inspiration for this comes from a global interest in the demands the international economy has and at whose expense. Have you identified the academic area of your approach, and is your language recognizably the language used in that academic field? (Chapter 1) My academic area of choice is published peer reviewed articles that address the correlations of elephant, ivory and the economy. I would say that the language is recognizable and that it is not extremely difficult to comprehend, but it is extensive to read through all of the material. Does this topic clarify your original interest? How does the topic respond to the interest? (Chapter 1) Absolutely! My original interest was very broad and was meant to address all elephants, but after narrowing down my topic, it still responds to my topic of interest.

Does your evidence show that this study is important to the field? (Chapter 1) My evidence is relevant and reliable material to amplifying why the topic is important in the field. Do you have a sound argument of discovery for what is known about the topic? (Chapters 2 and 4) Yes, I cover the origin of the ivory trade and how it has exploded since. Addressing the importance of ivory trade to the environment and what is known as of now can help properly structure the significance of a sound argument. How does the argument of advocacy address the problem? (Chapter 5) The argument of advocacy addresses the problem as declining elephant populations in Tanzania; while the demand of ivory in international markets contributes to the problem. What is the proof or evidence for your thesis? (Chapter 5) My proof for the thesis is by analyzing the value of ivory to a human (as a buyer or seller), and to an elephant (as a form of protection or part of their face). The evidence states that ivory is valuable to both mammals, but one can live without it and another can’t. This identifies as proof because researcher have analyzed the global significance of ivory and how demands have skyrocketed Based on your thesis, do your conclusions resolve the problem or question prompted by your first interest? (Chapter 5) My conclusion is that the overall sales of ivory should be banned worldwide in order to allow elephant populations to increase. This revolves around the problem of delving elephant populations but it does not find a solution for the next product to replace ivory in the international markets. Therefore, it can be expected that illegal poachers will continue to hunt elephants for their tusks despite the global ban of ivory trade. Do your conclusions and your arguments work as a unified case—a compelling whole? (Chapter 5) My concussions and arguments are leaning more towards an unified case because while my focus is on Tanzania, there continues to be a demand for ivory in other countries. This means to me that unification among international governments in order to cooperate in global salvation. Additionally, the conclusion and arguments go hand in hand because a large problem is addressed as a potential solution for long term results. This would not only impact the elephant populations, but also legal and justified regulations for trading ivory. After studying your guided writing and the audit question responses, what more do you need to know about your topic? I would like to know more about future efforts of nations and what they intend to do with their ivory stockpiles. While I would prepare to see them all burned to keep the ivory out of market circulation, however my research may show otherwise since I am only studying Tanzania and not other nations. This is an opportunity to take stock of your efforts and to decide whether it is time to move forward or if you first need to go back and gather more information to build a better personal understanding of the research case.

Exercise 6.2 The purpose here is critical analysis of the research arguments that make up the thesis case. You will identify all the parts of the research case and evaluate them to decide the validity of the research thesis. Analysis and evaluation are your two major tasks. First, analyze your work to

check that the following conditions have been met: The main conclusions of the research are clear. The claims and evidence that support each conclusion are in place. The form and logic of each argument are stated or clearly implied. Each argument is warranted. Second, evaluate the work to decide if the following are true: The logical reasoning is defendable. Suitable warranting supports the arguments’ conclusions. The overall argumentation makes the thesis case. The correct style manual is followed. First Draft: Analysis Review the paper and look for the claim statements. Underline them. Review the paper again and look for evidence statements. Circle them. Look for the arguments’ warrant statements and their simple claims and connect them to the proper claim and evidence statements. Use connecting arrows for this task. If warrant statements are implied, state them in the margin where the claims and evidence are presented. Now that you have combined the claim, evidence, and warrant statements for each of the simple claims and the complex claims of the research piece, place a box around each argument. Review the simple claim arguments. Are they correctly formed? If not, note the problem areas and revise them. If the claims or arguments are incomplete, rewrite them. Yes, I think that my simple claim argument is clear and to the point since I have a cause and effect that directly correlates with each other. The warrant statements that were constructed by the peer-reviewed articles have helped me come to the conclusion. “High demand of ivory has detrimental effects on the elephant population in Tanzania, motivating poachers to illegally obtain and traffic ivory.” This is my thesis statement, but the proper claim and evidence statements are correlated with each other since there is a repetitiveness among the collected evidence which demonstrates a certainty in the affects the demand for ivory had on the elephant populations. These connecting arrows demonstrate a clear and polished idea that now needs to compare articles to each other; specifically what their conclusion diciat versus what my thesis implicates. After completing the analysis, evaluate the arguments. Do they make the case? Begin by evaluating the major thesis statements. Are the simple claims connected to a major thesis? Are the simple claim arguments connected? Does the logic scheme of each argument work? Are the simple claims linked as cause-and-effect statements or perhaps as daisy chains? Does the logic of the major argument make rational sense? If you find simple claim arguments that do not fit the logic scheme of the major claim, make adjustments. If you find interesting fact statements that are irrelevant to the argument, remove them. Red herring statements and rabbit-run commentary present interesting information, but their inclusion into the argument scheme weakens the argument. If you find the logical plan for the thesis argument lacking, revise it. Consider what warrant scheme can best link the simple claims into a pattern that will build the thesis arguments, then revise as necessary. Does the research piece make its case? The argument makes a case that identifies the demand for ivory as a direct cause of declining elephant populations in Tanzania. The readings make a case that the elephants are endangered and should continue receiving governmental and intergovernmental protection. Other arguments state that stricter ivory trade policies should be introduced in the economy. The correlation between the two creates the case for my thesis that demand for a product affects the economic success at the expense of Tanzanian elephants. Hence, the simple claims are connected to the major thesis since the claims clearly state the impact the ivory trade has on elephant populations, and that motivate illicit trade and justify poaching in Tanzanian communities. The

logical cause and effect is the demand for a product at the expense of an animal. I don’t think that the claim does not make sense; in fact the collected research demonstrates how the cause and effect of the use of ivory in the international markets has a direct impact on the elephant populations. Claims of current governments making efforts to protect the elephant species, the growing human population being directly correlated with the continuing increasing demand of ivory, and the value of ivory in international markets all identify my major thesis. I am happy to say that my research piece does make sense....