My research is 2003 war in Iraq. 

explore the process of a U.S. foreign policy decision, e.g. How did the Bush Administration make the decision to attack Iraq in 2003?

The format of the paper should be as follows:

Part one introduces the research question, provides the argument/thesis/hypothesis, and lays out the logic of the model of foreign policy analysis used in the paper.

What is the main question that you would like to examine? I would like to know if the students know and can convey clearly what it is that they are trying to explain.

The hypothesis should be a concise, clear, and effective summary of the main argument of the paper. Since your paper is designed to respond to a specific question, your hypothesis should contain the succinct but complete answer to that question. If I have to wonder what the thesis is, or where the thesis is, then the thesis is not strong and clear.

Finally, the assumptions and claims of the model of foreign policy decision-making used in the paper should be laid down clearly and concisely (refer to Decision Point for a summary of each model of foreign policy analysis).

Part two provides the context or a brief history of the case-study explored in the paper.

Part three provides the evidence to support the assumptions and claims of the model used in the paper. Does the evidence (you claim supports your argument), in fact, support your argument?

Part four concludes. In this section you effectively sum up all different elements of the paper from part one to part three.