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The Future Of Françafrique: Neocolonialism In Africa And The War On Terror, Jovan Avila, Brennan G. Quinn Oct 2023

The Future Of Françafrique: Neocolonialism In Africa And The War On Terror, Jovan Avila, Brennan G. Quinn

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Françafrique refers to the complex system of political, economic, and military relationships between France and its former colonies in Africa, characterized by neocolonialism, paternalism, and corruption. This paper aims to analyze the history and future of French geopolitical activity in Africa, including its motivations, strategies, and impacts. We first establish the background of France’s complex relationship with Africa, beginning with French colonialism in the region and decolonization. Next, we look at the period of close ties France maintained with most of its former colonies in Africa throughout the late 1900s. Additionally, we discuss the effects on French and American geopolitical …


Vulnerable Culture: Protecting History In War And Peace, Molly Luce Jan 2023

Vulnerable Culture: Protecting History In War And Peace, Molly Luce

CMC Senior Theses

Cultural, historic, and religious sites and objects have a strong correlation with the identity of the community they belong to, in addition to that of humanity. Rosilawati et al. assert that “Cultural heritage and social identity exists in correlation and are interconnected. The shared identity associated with one’s cultural background and historic setting may initiate feelings of pride in one’s culture.”[1]Essentially, the looting and destruction of such sites and antiquities is not only an attack on the tangible, but the very essence of a population. As the War in Ukraine rages on, Ukrainian cultural heritage sites and historic …


Usafricom: An Analysis Of The United States Africa Command And The Forces That Legitimize And Justify Us Military Presence In Africa, Alexis Osifo Jan 2022

Usafricom: An Analysis Of The United States Africa Command And The Forces That Legitimize And Justify Us Military Presence In Africa, Alexis Osifo

Scripps Senior Theses

This essay analyzes the United States of America’s military presence on the African continent through the US Africa Command or AFRICOM. I hope to contextualize the creation of AFRICOM by outlining the events and reasonings for establishing the military command center. Moreover, I analyze the discourses of humanitarianism and securitization on the African continent and the producers and distributors of such ideological discourses in academia, media, government and private corporations. While situating these discourses within a larger framework of colonial and imperial ventures, I plan on investigating how such ideological narratives work to legitimize and preempt military operations and presence …


War Tourism: A New Brand Of Foreign Fighter, Scott Mowat Jan 2022

War Tourism: A New Brand Of Foreign Fighter, Scott Mowat

CMC Senior Theses

Private citizens engaging in foreign conflicts have garnered increasing media and scholarly attention in the past couple of decades. Conflicts around the world have drawn the attention of private citizens seeking to actively participate for many reasons. However, most academic analysis of foreign fighters or volunteers has focused explicitly on Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) or individuals joining extremist or terrorist groups. No comprehensive study has focused on the motivations and reasoning of war tourists or foreign fighters joining non-terrorist organizations. This thesis explores the under-analyzed cross-section of foreign fighters participating in war zones, mainly focusing on fighters joining organizations not …


The Convergence Of The War On Terror And The War On Drugs: A Counter-Narcoterrorism Approach As A Policy Response, Lindsay Burton Jan 2019

The Convergence Of The War On Terror And The War On Drugs: A Counter-Narcoterrorism Approach As A Policy Response, Lindsay Burton

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates how and why U.S. policies and agencies are ill-equipped to respond to narco-terrorism and offers some policy recommendations for remedying that. Narco-terrorism is the merging of terrorism and drug trafficking. Terrorist organizations and narcotics traffickers each have much to offer the other; there is potential for symbiosis in the form of cooperation and even hybridization. Examination of the dynamics between terrorist organizations and drug traffickers, combined with an evaluation of the US responses to narcoterrorism in Colombia and Afghanistan, makes it clear that current US policy responses fail to recognize narcoterrorism as a unique challenge, and instead …


The Rise Of Populism In 21st Century France: Normalizing Islamophobia, Evan Boyer Jan 2019

The Rise Of Populism In 21st Century France: Normalizing Islamophobia, Evan Boyer

CMC Senior Theses

The Twenty-First Century has seen increasing support for far-right authoritarian policies across Europe, particularly in France. This paper identifies and explains the connection between the rising power of France’s far-right, populist party and the pervasive sentiments of Islamophobia through an examination of major theories, anxiety-producing events, and reactionary legal actions in France pertaining to the oppression of Muslims. It begins with an analysis of France’s colonial history and its lasting implications concerning the legitimacy of anti-Muslim rhetoric. Next, the paper analyzes the usage of terrorism as a framed threat by far-right politicians to promote authoritarian agendas. It then examines France’s …


Poetry In A Troubling Time: Analyzing Several Poems Inspired By The Troubles In Northern Ireland, Michael Mccarthy Oct 2018

Poetry In A Troubling Time: Analyzing Several Poems Inspired By The Troubles In Northern Ireland, Michael Mccarthy

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Most of the news about Northern Ireland for the past year has been about what effect Brexit will have on the North’s relationship with the Republic of Ireland. The discussion of eliminating the “soft-border,” and replacing it with a “hard- border,” which would see the reinstitution of checkpoints along the 500-kilometer border, continues to dominate international headlines. The EU has been attempting to allay concerns, and in March, President of the European Council Donald Tusk, traveled to Dublin and reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to avoiding a hard border and maintaining the peace process in the region (Stone, 2018). At the …


Terrorist Celebrity: Online Personal Branding And Jihadist Recruitment And Planning, Ari Weil Jan 2018

Terrorist Celebrity: Online Personal Branding And Jihadist Recruitment And Planning, Ari Weil

Pomona Senior Theses

Shifts in culture and technology have changed the manifestation of celebrity in modern society, culminating in the practice of internet microcelebrity, where one views followers as fans, produces content consistent with a personal brand, and engages in strategic interaction with devotees. This thesis examines how those effects have also changed how terrorists present themselves and operationalize celebrity status. An original typology of terrorist celebrity is presented: traditional, martyr, and internet micro-celebrity. Two in-depth case studies of terrorist micro-celebrities are analyzed: Anwar al-Awlaki of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Junaid Hussain of the Islamic State. The case studies are …


Finding The Limits Of France's State Of Emergency, Filip G. Bozinovic Sep 2017

Finding The Limits Of France's State Of Emergency, Filip G. Bozinovic

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Since 2015, France has experienced a particularly high number of terrorist attacks. This paper examines the French state response to such events and analyzes its effect on the relationship between civil liberties and national security. The activation of the state of emergency – as an exceptional measure that suspends warranted searches and certain freedoms – highlights a potential impediment to reconciling France’s national values such as liberté with the urgent need to mitigate terrorist activity. Following the fifth consecutive renewal of this exceptional measure in December 2016, a close scrutiny of its legitimacy, its effectiveness, and its objectives is …


Security Threats In Perspective: Understanding The Failures Of American Foreign Policy In Africa, Carolyn S. Lenderts Jan 2014

Security Threats In Perspective: Understanding The Failures Of American Foreign Policy In Africa, Carolyn S. Lenderts

CMC Senior Theses

This paper aims to examine the nature and major causes of American foreign policy in Africa since the end of the Cold War. Among these is a tendency to view African states, threats, and crises in terms of American strategic interests, not as events with independent relevance to American priorities. The post-9/11 fervor muddled many important distinctions about the relationship between African states, state power, and international terrorist groups. The United States acted too quickly, helping African states militarize without understanding the nature of the threat and the way in which a heavily militarized response would entrench rebel groups. Seeing …


European Union Security Landscape Post-9/11: Necessary Protection Or Unjustified Expansion Of A Security Regime?, Colby Mangels Mar 2012

European Union Security Landscape Post-9/11: Necessary Protection Or Unjustified Expansion Of A Security Regime?, Colby Mangels

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

No abstract provided.


Nato's Role In The Global War On Terror: Is The Alliance Obsolete?, Benjamin Forster Mar 2012

Nato's Role In The Global War On Terror: Is The Alliance Obsolete?, Benjamin Forster

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

No abstract provided.


Understanding Terrorism In The Horn Of Africa: American Perceptions Of Somalia, Kenya, And Al Qaeda, Victoria L. Din Jan 2011

Understanding Terrorism In The Horn Of Africa: American Perceptions Of Somalia, Kenya, And Al Qaeda, Victoria L. Din

CMC Senior Theses

A number of factors contribute to the enigmatic nature of terrorism. As popular perceptions of the act and of the actor evolve, there is a corresponding desire to change the definition. The act itself has stayed largely the same; however, developments in politics and culture have changed our perceptions of terrorism and subsequently our usage of the term. As such, it has been imprecisely applied to a diverse and perpetually changing set of actors, institutions, and actions.


The Global Expansion Of The Al Qaeda Franchise, Benjamin S. Forster Jan 2011

The Global Expansion Of The Al Qaeda Franchise, Benjamin S. Forster

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines how the international terrorist group known as Al Qaeda has expanded its operations globally since 9/11. Case studies of Al Qaeda’s operations in the Arabian Peninsula, the United Kingdom, and the United States illustrate how the organization has exploited diverse environmental conditions to achieve either a limited or fully integrated local presence. This thesis argues that Al Qaeda has evolved into a highly diffuse and decentralized franchise that exercises little command and control over its organizational arms.


Democratic Strength And Terrorism: An Economic Approach, Brian P. Winter Jan 2011

Democratic Strength And Terrorism: An Economic Approach, Brian P. Winter

CMC Senior Theses

There has been much literature about the economic effects of terrorism in democratic countries, but this literature often considers democracy to be a binary variable. This paper sought to explore how the effects might differ depending on the strength of a democracy. In the end, I found that the numbers of attacks and the effects of those attacks do not follow a linear path. The results for autocracies and anocracies require further analysis, but democracies have revealed interesting results. It seems that democracies as a whole have more terrorist attacks, but, within this group, the more democratic a country is …


The Impact Of Terrorism On Foreign Direct Investment: Which Sectors Are More Vulnerable?, Shivani Agrawal Jan 2011

The Impact Of Terrorism On Foreign Direct Investment: Which Sectors Are More Vulnerable?, Shivani Agrawal

CMC Senior Theses

The impact of conflict and violence on foreign direct investment (FDI) is not a topic that has been done justice by the literature, and what few studies exist have contradictory results. This paper studies the impact that transnational terrorism has on FDI inflows by economic sector, in developed countries. Results indicate a statistically significant negative correlation between terrorist events and total FDI inflows. Amongst a list of 12 broad industrial sectors, FDI inflows for manufacturing, trade and repair, and construction were found to have a statistically significant negative correlation with terrorist events.


Computational Feasibility Of Increasing The Visibility Of Vertices In Covert Networks, Yaniv J. Ovadia May 2010

Computational Feasibility Of Increasing The Visibility Of Vertices In Covert Networks, Yaniv J. Ovadia

HMC Senior Theses

Disrupting terrorist and other covert networks requires identifying and capturing key leaders. Previous research by Martonosi et al. (2009) defines a load metric on vertices of a covert network representing the amount of communication in which a vertex is expected to participate. They suggest that the visibility of a target vertex can be increased by removing other, more accessible members of the network. This report evaluates the feasibility of efficiently calculating the optimal subset of vertices to remove. We begin by proving that the general problem of identifying the optimally load maximizing vertex set removal is NP-complete. We then consider …


Estimating The Macroeconomic Consequence Of 9/11, S. Brock Blomberg, Gregory Hess May 2009

Estimating The Macroeconomic Consequence Of 9/11, S. Brock Blomberg, Gregory Hess

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

We perform an empirical investigation to estimate the macroeconomic cost of September 11 attacks on the United States economy. We estimate the impact of the attacks to be approximately a 0.50 percentage point decrease in GDP growth or $60 billion. Our upper bound estimate of the impact of September 11 is approximately twice that or $125 billion.


Book Chapter: The Lexus And The Olive Branch: Globalization, Democratization And Terrorism, Gregory Hess, S. Brock Blomberg Jan 2008

Book Chapter: The Lexus And The Olive Branch: Globalization, Democratization And Terrorism, Gregory Hess, S. Brock Blomberg

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

This chapter provides an original study into how democratization and globalization influence terrorism, examining the motives of terrorists and how democratic institutions and international integration influence nonstate economic actors.


How Much Does Violence Tax Trade?, S. Brock Blomberg, Gregory Hess Nov 2006

How Much Does Violence Tax Trade?, S. Brock Blomberg, Gregory Hess

CMC Faculty Publications and Research

We investigate the empirical effect of violence, as compared to other trade impediments, on trade flows. Our analysis is based on a panel data set with annual observations on 177 countries from 1968 to 1999, which brings together information from the Rose data set, the iterate data set for terrorist events, and data sets of external and internal conflict. We explore these data with traditional and theoretical gravity models. We calculate that, for a given country year, the presence of terrorism together with internal and external conflict is equivalent to as much as a 30% tariff on trade. This is …


Suicide Bombers, Soft Targets And Appropriate Countermeasures, Robert J. Bunker Jan 2006

Suicide Bombers, Soft Targets And Appropriate Countermeasures, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Suicide bombings are receiving increased public attention now that they are taking place on an almost every other day basis against American and allied forces in the stability and support operation (SASO) environment of post-Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Iraq. In November-December 2004 alone some 27 suicide bombings took place.


Terrorism, Since 1945, Robert J. Bunker Jan 2001

Terrorism, Since 1945, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.


Terrorist Laser Employment Against Civil Aviation: Issues, Concerns, And Potential Incidents, Robert J. Bunker Jan 1998

Terrorist Laser Employment Against Civil Aviation: Issues, Concerns, And Potential Incidents, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This article explores civil aviation vulnerability to terrorist laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) employment by focusing on the laser as a weapon against aircraft, laser classes and accessibility, past patterns of laser illumination and lasing of aircraft, recent lasing of aircraft in the Los Angeles area, and future possibilities. Most importantly, this article provides transit policing professionals with an "early warning" concerning a new threat to civil aviation which may have now developed.


Technology And Transit Terrorism: Trends And Possibilities, Robert J. Bunker Jan 1997

Technology And Transit Terrorism: Trends And Possibilities, Robert J. Bunker

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Given this new reality, projecting trends and possibilities of technology employment in transit terrorism appears prudent. Towards this end, this article look at how terrorism is changing the specific transit facility/system target sets that can be attacked, and current technology employment in transit terrorism. Based on this analysis, projections concerning trends and possibilities of technology employment in transit terrorism are made.