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MSU Graduate Theses

Foreign policy

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Saudi Arabia's Nuclear Decision-Making In The Era Of Mohammad Bin Salman, Andrew Brown Jan 2024

Saudi Arabia's Nuclear Decision-Making In The Era Of Mohammad Bin Salman, Andrew Brown

MSU Graduate Theses

Strategic culture plays a crucial role in shaping countries’ decision-making in regard to security and foreign policy. In the context of nuclear proliferation, strategic culture can significantly impact a country’s willingness to pursue nuclear weapons and how it calculates the risks and benefits of such a decision. This thesis examines Saudi Arabia’s decision-making under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who has brought about significant changes in the country's strategic culture through aggressive top-down reform. While much of Saudi Arabia's traditional strategic culture has remained intact under MBS and his father, King Salman, some elements have shifted …


Roots And Goals Of The State Of Qatar's Contradictory Foreign Policy: Implications For U.S. National Security Interests, Osarodion Odosamamwen Izevbigie Dec 2019

Roots And Goals Of The State Of Qatar's Contradictory Foreign Policy: Implications For U.S. National Security Interests, Osarodion Odosamamwen Izevbigie

MSU Graduate Theses

Qatar‟s foreign policies and the tools used in achieving them pose various risks and dangers to the interests of the United States, and its allies. These tools involve the use of the media, terrorist organizations, hedging, investments, hyperactive diplomacy, and strategic alliances. Through these tools, Qatar aims to achieve influence and objectives, which are normally beyond the political circumference of small states. For instance, as a tool of influence, Qatar maintains relationships with terrorist organizations, which has serious implications for the U.S. fight against terrorism. However, as an ally, Qatar has advantages for the U.S. through its purchase of U.S. …


Rivalry In The Middle East: The History Of Saudi-Iranian Relations And Its Implications On American Foreign Policy, Derika Weddington Aug 2017

Rivalry In The Middle East: The History Of Saudi-Iranian Relations And Its Implications On American Foreign Policy, Derika Weddington

MSU Graduate Theses

The history of Saudi-Iranian relations has been fraught. This relationship has impacted the United States’ role in the Persian Gulf. Prior to the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran could be characterized in terms of mutual understanding which allowed them to become integral parts of the American foreign policy in the1970s. This policy was intended to safeguard Western interests in the Persian Gulf after the British left. Saudi-Iranian cooperation during this time was in stark contrast to the hostile relationship that developed between them following the Iranian Revolution in 1979. …


“Frames” And Bias: How A Lack Of Context In Middle East News Coverage Can Impact U.S. Foreign Policy, Jennifer Lois Moore Dec 2016

“Frames” And Bias: How A Lack Of Context In Middle East News Coverage Can Impact U.S. Foreign Policy, Jennifer Lois Moore

MSU Graduate Theses

This thesis is a critical examination into how American mainstream news media outlets often neglect to incorporate religious, cultural and historical context into their coverage of the Middle East. I show through my research and analysis that the news coverage of the Middle East, even at the highest echelons of American journalism, is often lacking in sophistication in terms of cultural and religious context, sometimes to the point of affecting its fairness and accuracy. The danger of this is that it has the power to grossly simplify and reduce to an “us versus them” frame an entire contingent of the …


Linguistic Changes In Foreign Policy Discourse, Kayla Nicole Jordan May 2015

Linguistic Changes In Foreign Policy Discourse, Kayla Nicole Jordan

MSU Graduate Theses

In an ever-changing world of foreign relations, understanding how world leaders process and interpret events will be useful in predicting potential official reactions. The focus of the current study is on the U.S. Congress, who, despite the power they can exert on world politics, is an understudied population. Language, more specifically word frequency in congressional speeches, is one way to measure how people approach situations. Therefore, I examined speeches on foreign policy issues (Iraq, Iran, and North Korea) to elucidate Congressional thinking. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) developed by (Pennebaker, Booth, & Francis, 2007), the linguistic constructs …