Digital Commons Network^™

The Importance Of Sunni-Iraqi Support In The Rise And Fall Of Isis In Iraq, Deja Meekins

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

ISIS, a Salafi-jihadist terrorist organization stationed in the Middle East, has had its fair share of "successes" and "failures," both of which have been present in Iraq. Toward the beginning of the development of ISIS, it garnered a very powerful supporter base in Iraq. However, that has changed since then; ISIS currently, in 2024, no longer has the support of the vast majority of the Iraqi people. What is the reason for this? This research paper will seek to analyze and answer two major questions: what role does the Iraqi Sunni population play in ISIS’s trajectory of successes and failures …

A Veneer Of Democracy: How El-Zu’Ama Dominate Lebanon’S Political System, Sami Banat

Political Science Honors Projects

As Lebanon has endured a never-ending cycle of crises for decades, scholars have sought explanations via the country’s intense sectarian system, and have investigated its origins extensively. However, this search has neglected the question of sectarianism’s permeance and maintenance. This paper will focus on the latter, and argues that the sectarian system is sustained by a sectarian elite class, known as el-zu’ama, via their own cults of personality enabling them to maintain control of their sects. This paper will examine pre-statehood history, the civil war, post-war reconstruction, and finally, modern failed challenges to the system to illustrate this thesis.

The Effective Of The Chinese Position Towards The Achievement Of Palestinian Political Goals, Alaa Aldeek, Jun Ding

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The political process between the Palestinians and the Israelis did not lead to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state in accordance with the settlement option that led to the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, or as stipulated in international legitimacy. Accordingly, there has been a great debate within the Palestinian arena about the effectiveness and importance of the negotiating option in achieving Palestinian political goals in the future. China supports a negotiated political solution, provided the firm and consistent implementation of international law and international resolutions towards resolving the Palestinian issue, and that Israel and …

The Last Colony: Theoretical Explanations On The Protractedness Of The Western Sahara Conflict, Elisabeth H. Austrheim

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

“There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited” (Tzu 1963: 73).

The forty-eight yearlong Western Sahara conflict over the former Spanish colony between Polisario and the Kingdom of Morocco continues its low prospects of resolution. The future of the territory, with both strategic geopolitical and financial relevance, remains uncertain in which the reasons for the continued prolongation appear to be many. Different conflict theories emphasise various factors causing protractedness, suggesting that many different causes, together, have engendered the current lack of settlement. Whilst the theory of protracted social conflicts emphasises developed high-tensioned, hostile relations between …

Face Of Terror In Gaza: Hamas’ Birth, Evolution And A Nuanced Rethink, Debangana Chatterjee

Popular Media

Excerpt:

While discussing Hamas now, with terrorism and the ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip by Israel as the backdrop, we must consider the backstory of politics and international relations. And that the growth of Hamas had a lot to do with its isolation as the ruling authority in Gaza. Isolation, which handed it unaccountable access to resources that came its way.

Why Islamism Failed In Syria, Ararat Kostanian

Journal of Terrorism Studies

The Arab Spring has not fulfilled the desires of millions of demonstrators in Middle East. The desires to see the expanded role of the civil society has been muted by the Islamists and particularly by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Article puts the focus on the failure of Islamism in Syria during the uprising for several reasons, such as the inability of the Muslim Brotherhood to shape a new leadership, and its rejectionist agenda that had nurtured skepticism by the opposition factions. Furthermore, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood had been unable to change its political motivation and kept insisted on shifting the …

Tunisia: The Colonized Road To A Democratic Identity, Kara Broene

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

The death of one Tunisian man by self-immolation in 2010 created uprisings in 18 other Arab countries in what is known as the 2011 Arab Spring. As a result, Tunisia managed to overthrow its long-standing autocratic government and establish a democracy; it is the only nation who has managed to maintain those changes since 2011. As the first point of protest and the only success story, what makes Tunisia different from the other 18 nations? While there has been research on why Tunisia has succeeded, there is little on how Tunisia’s colonial history under France for 75 years might have …

S-400s, Disinformation, And Anti-American Sentiment In Turkey, Russell "Alex" Korb, Saltuk Karahan, Gowri Prathap, Ekrem Kaya, Luke Palmieri, Hamdi Kavak, Richard L. Wilson (Ed.), Major Brendan Curran (Ed.)

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

As social and political discourse in most countries becomes more polarized, anti-Americanism has risen not only in the Middle East and Latin America but also among the U.S. allies in Europe. Social media is one platform used to disseminate anti-American views in NATO countries, and its effectiveness can be magnified when mass media, public officials, and popular figures adopt these views. Disinformation, in particular, has gained recognition as a cybersecurity issue from 2016 onward, but disinformation can be manufactured domestically in addition to being part of a foreign influence campaign. In this paper, we analyze Turkish tweets using sentiment analysis …

Aftermaths Of Opposition: Effectiveness Of Repression Against Reformist Islamists In Saudi Arabia, Londyn Lorenz

Honors Theses

Saudi Arabia has long been considered a religious, political, and economic hub of the Middle East and North Africa as the home of the two holiest cities in Islam: Mecca and Medina. The kingdom’s leaders, the Al Saud family, have relied on their Islamic clout to remain in power since the 1700s, but their Islamic credentials were called into question following their allowance of American troops on Saudi soil and alliance with Western ideals during and following the Gulf War of the 1990s. Islamist outrage against the throne poured out across the nation, bringing demands for political change and increased …

Irregular Migration In Morocco: A Case For Constructionism, Mourad Khalil

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Separated by only 14 kilometers of water from Spain, Morocco has become a common destination for many sub-Saharan irregular migrants trying to reach Europe. With a large population of these migrants, Morocco has had to make important decisions on how to manage its irregular migrant population. However, the terrible conditions and regular violations of human rights that irregular migrants in Morocco are subject to lead one to ponder the role that international relations has and the extent to which human rights is a consideration in the policymaking of irregular migration. Applied to the three primary theories of international relations, liberalism, …

The Occupier's Autocracy: A Contextual Analysis Of The Consolidation Of Authoritarianism In The Palestinian Authority, Adam Simpson

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gender Equality And Democratization: How Greater Gender Equality Helps Explain Tunisian Success In The Arab Spring, Hannah Miller

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

'Here We Start And In Jerusalem We Meet:' The Motivational And Organizational Influences Of Israel's Statehood Ontransnational Salafi Jihad, Charlotte Armistead

Honors Theses

The Israeli occupation of Palestine and its impact on the proliferation and longevity of transnational Salafi jihad is largely underestimated in current literature. In this thesis, I argue that Palestine, defined as both the nation and physical borders before the Balfour Declaration, largely contributed to the twentieth century revival of transnational Salafi jihad and is used by both Al Qaeda and ISIS as liberation and annihilation movements, respectively. In order to assess the motivational and organizational influences of the Israeli occupation of Palestine on transnational Salafi jihad, I examine the works of Abdullah Azzam, a selection of Osama Bin Laden’s …

Aid Memoir, Larry Hollingworth

International Affairs

Larry Hollingworth, current visiting Professor of Humanitarian Studies at Fordham University in New York City, served as head of the UNHCR’s efforts in Bosnia throughout the lengthy conflict that plagued the former Yugoslavia in the early to mid ’90s. Aid Memoir follows Larry and his UN colleagues throughout multiple efforts to provide much-needed relief for besieged, isolated, and desperate communities riddled by senseless killing and aggression. The characters encountered throughout are at times thrilling, at times frightening. Larry spares no details, however troubling, and therefore shines a telling light on the reality of the situation that most will remember to …

ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างอียิปต์กับจีนระหว่าง ค.ศ 2018-2021: ศึกษากรณีโครงการหนึ่งแถบหนึ่งเส้นทาง, ประดับพร วงศ์ปัญญา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

บทความวิจัยฉบับนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์ที่จะศึกษาและวิเคราะห์ถึงผลประโยชน์ของอียิปต์ผ่านโครงการหนึ่งแถบหนึ่งเส้นทางของจีน (The Belt and Road Initiative: BRI) โดยใช้แนวคิดภูมิรัฐศาสตร์แบบดั้งเดิม จากการศึกษาพบว่า อียิปต์ตระหนักดีว่า ลักษณะภูมิประเทศของอียิปต์เป็นพื้นที่ยุทธศาสตร์สำคัญที่จะช่วยผลักดันโครงการ BRI ให้สำเร็จ รวมถึงได้ปฏิรูปมาตรการทางเศรษฐกิจเพื่อดึงดูดการลงทุนจากจีนและต่างประเทศเพิ่มมากขึ้น นอกจากนี้ จีนและอียิปต์เห็นพ้องต้องกันว่า โครงการ BRI กับการพัฒนาตามวิสัยทัศน์อียิปต์ ค.ศ. 2030 (Egypt Vision 2030) เป็นไปในทิศทางเดียวกัน ซึ่งจีนได้เข้ามาลงทุนในเศรษฐกิจอียิปต์ โดยเฉพาะการพัฒนาโครงสร้างพื้นฐานในโครงการสำคัญของ BRI และวิสัยทัศน์อียิปต์ ค.ศ. 2030 เช่น เขตความร่วมมือทางเศรษฐกิจและการค้าคลองสุเอซ เขตพัฒนาอุตสาหกรรมคลองสุเอซ และโครงการเมืองหลวงแห่งใหม่ ทำให้ได้รับผลประโยชน์ทางด้านเศรษฐกิจและการเมือง สามารถสร้างงานให้กับประชาชน แต่อียิปต์ไม่ได้รับผลประโยชน์ทางด้านเศรษฐกิจและการเมืองจากโครงการ BRI มากเท่าที่ควร เพราะตลอดระยะเวลา 8 ปีที่อียิปต์เข้าร่วมโครงการ BRI จีนลงทุน ในอียิปต์ภายใต้โครงการ BRI เพียง 4 โครงการ และไม่ได้เป็นประเทศผู้ลงทุนหลักในอียิปต์ รวมถึงอียิปต์ยังคง มีข้อท้าทายความสัมพันธ์กับจีนในเรื่องเขื่อนแกรนด์เอธิโอเปียเรเนซองส์ ในเอธิโอเปีย นอกจากนี้ อียิปต์ยังต้องรักษาความสัมพันธ์กับสหรัฐอเมริกา เพราะหากพึ่งพาจีนมากเกินไป สหรัฐอเมริกาอาจจะพิจารณาลดหรือระงับงบประมาณความช่วยเหลือทางการทหาร

Arab Media's Representation Of Arab-Israeli Normalization Agreements, Rylan L. Forester

Honors Theses

When, on August 13, 2020, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it was normalizing relations with the state of Israel, few could have predicted the effects it would have. However, since the Emirati decision, three other Arab countries - Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco - have reached agreements with Tel Aviv to normalize relations. Such events are a sharp divergence from the status quo and thus, this thesis examines, through the application of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and analyzed through a constructivist framework, how three Arab media sources - Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, and Al-Mayadeen - discuss and represent these normalization agreements. By …

How Palestinian Aid Organizations Adapt To The Possibility Of Further Annexation And Rights Abuses In The Wake Of "The Deal Of The Century", Nadia L. Wiggins

Capstone Collection

This research explores the question, “To what extent has the ‘Deal of the Century’ impacted Palestinian aid organizations, and how might it impact them in the future?” The significance of this question lies in the fact that the “Deal of the Century” claims to solve one of the longest and most complex conflicts, yet it has not been sufficiently analyzed from a Palestinian perspective nor a humanitarian perspective. Furthermore, by presenting scholarly critiques of the deal and aid worker’s concerns, my hope is that an American audience may be convinced of the complicity of our government in devising a failed …

On The Basis Of Sex: Personal Status Law Reforms And Economic Growth, Kylie Bring

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how law reform toward gender equity has an impact on economic growth in Arab countries in the Middle East. Personal status law reform granting women economic, social, and personal freedoms is spreading across the region and showing substantial change. Using case studies of major PSL reforms in Tunisia and Morocco, this thesis outlines qualitative and quantitative evidence to support the case that gender equity benefits the economic growth of the given country.

Merchants Without Borders: Qusman Traders In The Arabian Gulf And Indian Ocean, C. 1850-1950, Mansour Alsharidah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a history of the economic, social, and political life in Arabia, the Arabian Gulf, and the Indian Subcontinent from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. It draws on materials from al-Qasim, Kuwait, Bahrain, Karachi, Bombay, Calcutta, and London, in addition to travelers’ accounts. These materials and accounts are used to explore the extent and significance of al-Qasim’s international trade between Arabia and India through the Arabian Gulf. It further examines how Qasimi merchants mobilized commodities and traded in the port cities of the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, taking advantage of changing regional and global political …

Spring 2020

Insights

Dean's Column: Here We Continue to Do ... By Giving Back; Blueprint for LAS Alumni Engagement; Homecoming: Lance Pelletier comes back to the Honors Program as an honored guest; LAS Alumni: Out in the World; What Must Be Done?: A unique Honors Program seminar tackles the wicked problem of homelessness from many perspectives; Rooted in Peace: DePaul's Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies Program celebrates its 10th anniversary; Faculty Publications; In Brief; Making Headlines; The Art School at LAS; Human Rights Advocate and Entrepreneur Credits His Success to DePaul; Global Citizen: For Michaela Milligan, China is her home away from home

บทบาทของเพนตากอนในภาพยนตร์ฮอลลีวูดกับนโยบายต่อต้านการก่อการร้ายภายใต้สมัยประธานาธิบดีจอร์จ ดับเบิ้ลยู บุช, นุดาภา เดชทรัพย์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ มีวัตถุประสงค์ในการศึกษาบทบาทของเพนตากอนในอุตสาหกรรมภาพยนตร์ฮอลลีวูดที่มีความเกี่ยวเนื่องกับนโยบายต่อต้านการก่อการร้ายสืบเนื่องจากเหตุการณ์ 9/11 ภายใต้สมัยประธานาธิบดีจอร์จ ดับเบิ้ลยู บุช โดยเป็นการศึกษาเพื่อตอบคำถามว่า "ในยุคหลังเหตุการณ์ 9/11 เพนตากอนดำเนินงานกับฮอลลีวูดอย่างไร และทำไมเพนตากอนถึงให้การสนับสนุนภาพยนตร์ฮอลลีวูด" ผู้วิจัยได้นำกรอบแนวคิด "กลุ่มอุตสาหกรรมบันเทิงทางทหาร" (Military-Entertainment Complex) เข้ามาใช้ในการวิเคราะห์เพื่อหาคำตอบสำหรับคำถามข้างต้น ซึ่งผลการศึกษาพบว่า หลังเกิดเหตุการณ์ 9/11 เพนตากอนดำเนินงานกับฮอลลีวูดโดยการเข้าไปกำกับบทและเนื้อหาในภาพยนตร์ที่ผู้สร้างยินยอมที่จะปรับบทตามที่เพนตากอนต้องการเพื่อควบคุมภาพลักษณ์ (Controlling Images) ของกองทัพให้ออกมาในเชิงบวกรวมถึงให้เนื้อหามีความสอดคล้องกับนโยบายและบริบททางการเมืองที่เกิดขึ้นในช่วงหลังเหตุการณ์ 9/11 โดยทางทีมผู้ผลิตภาพยนตร์จะได้รับการสนับสนุนยุทธภัณฑ์ทางทหาร และกำลังคนเป็นการตอบแทน

Persistence Of Jewish-Muslim Reconciliatory Activism In The Face Of Threats And “Terrorism” (Real And Perceived) From All Sides, Micah B.D.C. Naziri

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation concerns how Jewish-Muslim and Israel-Palestine grassroots activism can persist in the face of threats to the safety, freedom, lives, or even simply the income and employment of those engaged in acts of sustained resistance. At the heart of the study are the experiences of participants in the Hashlamah Project, an inter-religious collaboration project, involving Jews and Muslims. Across chapters and even nations, chapters of this organization faced similar threats and found universally-applicable solutions emerging for confronting those threats and persisting in the face of them. This raised the question of whether revolutionaries and activists in general can persevere …

Fragmentation, Frustrated Revolt, And Off-Shore Opportunity: A Comparative Examination Of Jihadi Mobilization In Central Asia And The South Caucasus, William B. Farrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research presents analysis for identifying common risk and resilience factors that contributed to or hindered Salafi jihadi mobilization of citizens of Central Asia and the South Caucasus and examines the extent to which these factors had differing internal and external outcomes on Salafi jihadi mobilization. Three levels of analysis provide examination of regime characteristics, behavior of jihadi organizations that mobilized individuals from the region, and case studies through interviews in communities affected by jihadi mobilization in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia.

This research reveals that early distinctions in Islamist subnational struggles had oriented violence towards governments within Central Asia, while neighboring …

Nationalism And Multi-Dimensional Identities: Ba'ath Propaganda During The Iran-Iraq War, Jennie Matuschak

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I examine the content of and mechanisms of disseminating propaganda originating from Saddam Hussein’s regime during the Iran-Iraq War. This research specifically looks at how and why the regime targeted Iraqi Shi’as during the war, and how that contributed to the ways in which the regime engaged with rhetoric. Moreover, this thesis attempts to make sense of the diverse, and sometimes seemingly opposing, amalgam of the rhetoric’s subject matter and methods of circulation. More broadly, it speaks to the difficulty of fostering an environment that can produce patriotism and lead to the construction of a strong national …

No Lost Generations: Refugee Children And Their Human Right To Education, From The Holocaust To The Syrian Civil War, Jessica Warner

MAIS Projects and Theses

International law protects the right to education for refugee children, as is stated in multiple treaties and documents, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951), the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (1966), and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990). The purpose of this research is to highlight the historical development of education for refugee children, through programs led by Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), as well as to emphasize the importance of education as part of current humanitarian interventions. This thesis examines a past example …

Ong Keng Yong [Singapore, Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, Civil Service], Keng Yong Ong

Digital Narratives of Asia

Ong Keng Yong, a law graduate who worked in MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) specialising in Middle East, recalls his initial years working under S. Rajaratnam, and SR Nathan. Having served as the Secretary General of ASEAN, he shares with DNA the strategic contributions of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) to Singapore, highlighting the uniqueness of ASEAN socialisation at the leadership level.

The Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan And Its Role In Middle Eastern Geopolitics, Elizabeth Heckmann

International and Global Studies Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Middle East is notorious for the seemingly endless series of conflicts, instances of internal unrest, and political insurrections it witnesses. From the Gulf Wars in the late 20th Century, to the Arab Spring that began in 2010, to the rise of the Islamic State in 2013, it appears that almost every state in the region is inescapably engulfed in violence and instability. However, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has proven itself to be the exception to that rule over the years. While Jordan is not unfamiliar with domestic conflict and political unrest, the kingdom has demonstrated a remarkable resilience …

Jordan: A Negative Case In A Tumultuous Region, Ann Marie Margaret Hager

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

International media brings attention to the worst conflicts worldwide. When ISIS beheads journalists, like Foley and Sotloff (Vourvoulias, 2014) journalists around the globe turn their editorial dockets to these heinous actions. Yet, it is easy to pay attention to conflict when it becomes severe, i.e., escalates to the level of war. It’s no wonder that the Arab/Israeli conflict has such a plethora of literature and media attention while tensions in places like Jordan, right next door, have not. However, Jordan is an example of a negative case: a country that has, despite its significant tensions, not experienced large-scale violence in …

Human Torches: The Genesis Of Self-Immolation In The Sociopolitical Context, Ryan Michael Nixon

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In 2012 there was a record number of self-immolations globally. This phenomenon has been associated with the civil unrest and the collapse of regimes. Most recently, self-immolations in Tunisia sparked a revolution that led to the collapse of the Tunisian government. In the study of politics, self-immolations frequently appear merely as footnotes in the discussion of other phenomena. Where research has been previously conducted, focus has rested mainly on how it initially became a tool of contention and how it spreads. This paper seeks to understand the conditions that lead individuals to choose this method of protest. To do so, …

As Stable As The Dollar Stretches: The Impact Of Us Foreign Aid On Social Stability In Jordan, Jasmine Renee Jordan

Honors Theses

After the fall out of the Arab Spring in 2010, most of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region suffered from extreme political, social, and economical instability. Usually, the citizens of these counties were revolting against the authoritarian regimes that have held power for decades. Jordan stands as the only obvious exception. How has Jordan maintained relative economic stability where others have failed? I have found that it is hard to judge the economic or social stability of Jordan without recognizing the large amounts of foreign aid Jordan has received from the US. This thesis asks what …