Digital Commons Network^™

Discourse And Controversy In The Israel-Palestine Conflict - A Review Of The Literature, Irteza Atique

Major Papers

The Israel-Palestine conflict has been ongoing for more than 75 years and has many historical, geographical, religious, and ethnic components. Despite several attempts at resolution, the war persists, resulting in continued violence, human misery, and regional instability. This study dives into the highly contentious dispute over labelling Israel as an apartheid state, a subject that has prompted heated debate in academic literature, college campuses, the media, and diplomacy. Using a wide range of scholarly literature and trustworthy news sources, we investigate the origins of the war, important historical events, and the numerous factors that have shaped the current conflict. Beginning …

In Search Of A United Regional Front: Asean Roadblocks And Conflicting Foreign Policies In Addressing The South China Sea Dispute(S), Christian Fortich

Major Papers

The South China Sea has been a major geopolitical flashpoint of the 21st century due to maritime disputes. At stake are billions worth of aquatic resources and untapped energy reserves. Beyond these, larger issues of sovereignty, maritime rights, and the freedom of navigation are in question. The involved parties in the disputes are China, which asserts its historical ownership of more than 80% of the maritime features, and the ASEAN states of Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia, which heavily bank on the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea, in ascertaining their claims. ASEAN is supposed to …

Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy And Hedging: Playing Its Cards Right, Jaclyn Alexandra Kouleas

Major Papers

This paper illustrates Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy through the lens of hedging theory. Under the neoclassical realism umbrella, hedging is a foreign policy strategy that middle power states use to accommodate for future risks of a declining hegemonic global power. Saudi Arabia endorses strategic hedging in its external relations to accommodate both the United States and China, reaping the benefits of both relationships. This paper addresses the following two questions: 1) What is Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy through the lens of strategic hedging theory? And 2) How will strategic hedging help Saudi Arabia prepare for a multipolar world? How countries …

More Than A Game: Sports Branding In Canadian Politics And The Canadian-American Relationship, Tyler Joseph Rohleder

Major Papers

The topic of sports and politics is extremely relevant in today's world. This paper looks at how sports branding within Canadian politics provides a tangible advantage to former athletes turned politicians, while these branding efforts also provide politicians who associate themselves with the phenomenon of sport a strategic advantage, termed the “Athlete Advantage.” These advantages are in a multitude of areas such as name recognition, higher approval ratings, and further political aspirations. This “athlete advantage” of sports branding is then expanded on in the form of sport diplomacy. With sport diplomacy and branding the concept of the “Athlete Advantage” is …

Cuban Embargo: An Insufficient Measure To Encourage Us Foreign Policy Interests, Esme Jm Prowse

Major Papers

This major paper examines the Cuban embargo as an ineffective hard power policy and explores the potential of soft, hard, and smart power as alternative approaches to resolve the failures of the 60-year-old blockade. The paper analyzes the historical context and rationale behind the embargo and assesses its impact on Cuban-American relations, regional stability, and U.S. national interests. The study argues that the embargo has failed to achieve its intended goals and has instead perpetuated a cycle of hostility, isolation, and human rights abuses. By drawing on the theoretical frameworks of soft, hard, and smart power, the paper presents policy …

Globalization And Trade Liberalization: The Impact On Bangladesh's Textile Industry, Jamie Dimenna

Major Papers

Globalization has resulted in permeable borders and economic integration between states. Global integration has led to unevenness in development where the Global North has exploited the Global South for resources, labour and capital gain. Within this paper, the dynamics between the Global North and the Global South as a result of globalization will be analyzed and discussed using the state of Bangladesh as a case study. As a result of globalization, uneven economic growth has negatively affected the textile industry in Bangladesh while fuelling the growth of the global economy. An argument will be made against the current state of …

Foreign Interventionism In The Sahel Against Violent Extremism: The French Dilemma, Andrews Nii Amaah Amartey

Major Papers

The Sahel region is progressively becoming a hot zone for violent extremist activities and the consistent splintering of groups keeps facilitating its spread into sub-Saharan Africa. This ever-growing threat has triggered varied responses from both states, regional and international actors respectively. As far as international response goes, France plays a leading role in the fight against violent extremism with the basis of its intervention hinged on the 'special relationship' France has with the affected countries in the Sahel which are all French-speaking states. This has eventually led many to question France's commitment to a joint multilateral response as this is …

The Role Of Neoliberal Ideology And Globalization In Limiting Citizen Access To A Quality Education In Mexico, Kayla N. Fiala

Major Papers

The aim of this study is to apply a content analysis to both ‘Keeping Kids in School’ (KKIS) and ‘The Youth Connection’ (TYC), grass-roots charities that fundraise educational resources and encourage Mexican students to stay in school, in order to identify recurring themes and collectivities of the Mexican education system. This study poses the question, “How has neoliberal globalization played a role in devaluing and minimizing citizenry access to a quality education in Mexico”? The two charities were chosen because their specific coordinating efforts—on behalf of shared interests to improve education in Mexico—reveals discursive constructions grounded …

Development Finance Institutions As Tools For Foreign Aid Distribution: A Comparative Analysis Of The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Findev Canada And Deutsche Investitions – Und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, Kamal Mann

Major Papers

An understanding of how foreign aid has changed requires a thorough examination of the efforts taken in aid to address the widening finance gap in development, alongside the often-contested issue of aid effectiveness. This is particularly the case when looking at how aid should be paid for. Yet the question of how to best program and deliver foreign aid remains unanswered.

Aid remains one of the largest aspects of international transfers of resources that occur in the world, as such it is important to study it. The rise of Development Finance Institutions, which are publicly owned, private lending institutions helps …

Challenges Faced By Non-Profit Associations In Laos: A Case Study Of Huam Jai Asasamak, Raminder Kaur

Major Papers

This paper looks at the case study of Huam Jai Asasamak, a Non-Profit Association operating in Laos in order to understand various challenges faced by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the socialist regime of the Laos. It uses participant observation as a research method based on time spent living in Laos as well as other qualitative research methods including document analysis, observation, and interviews. The paper gives a contextual overview of Laos and shows that civil society is a new phenomenon in Laos linked to social and political consequences of opening up of the Laos economy in 1980s. Furthermore, the …

Impacts Of Foreign Direct Investment (Fdi) On Rural Poverty In Developing Countries: The Case Of Mining Fdi In Ghana, Gabriel Adu

Major Papers

This study assesses the impacts of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the mining sector on rural poverty in Ghana. To this end, the study uses qualitative research techniques, and employs New Institutionalist and Marxist theoretical perspectives. The study notes that large-scale mining activities in Ghana have intensified with increased foreign capital involvement in the mining industry following the mining sector reforms in 1986. The study finds that whilst mining has the potential to reduce rural poverty by way of revenue generation, employment creation, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the weak institutional capacity in the country manifesting through the pro-investor mining …

Managing Transboundary Water Resources: A Comparative Study Of The Great Lakes Of North America And The Great Lakes Of Africa, Derrick Gyamfi

Major Papers

Water is essential to life. This essential resource is not equitably distributed throughout the world. Therefore, countries that are fortunate enough to have water resources within their jurisdiction should take prudent measures to maximize the benefits that water resources bring to the people and the many lives they support. However, when a water resource is shared by two or more countries, its management becomes very difficult. It takes cooperation between the countries to effectively manage shared water resources.

The United States and Canada have proven that cooperation is all that is needed to manage shared water resources. In 1909, the …

Security In Transition : The True Meaning Of The International Criminal Court, Golnaz Vakili

Major Papers

Since the Second World War, the international community has pursued measures to safeguard civilians from certain threats and ensure the protection of basic human liberties. It was the birth of human rights movements, which developed throughout several decades and continues to expand, that slowly led to the formal recognition of human security. This shift is recognized, in theoretical terms, as a movement from realist security perspectives to the creation of a universal phenomenon that is altering standard practices of international relations. One of the most significant changes has been the development of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has created …