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Articles 1 - 30 of 185
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Strategic Narrative And Global Public Opinion On The Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Jason Rhett
Strategic Narrative And Global Public Opinion On The Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Jason Rhett
CMC Senior Theses
Through analyzing the cases of public opinion in Russia and South Africa, this thesis explores the nature of strategic narratives and the effects that they have on public opinion. Using the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a case study, it is conclusive that while strategic narratives are important and impactful, they are not the only factor that shape domestic and international public opinion. In Russia, while narrative has swayed a large portion of the population, there are those who’s stances can be attributed to the pressure to conform to the Russian nationalist majority. In South Africa, the country’s leadership has taken a …
From The Barrel To The Border: Exploring The Roots And Ramifications Of Gun Trafficking From The United States To Mexico, Alexandra Punishill
From The Barrel To The Border: Exploring The Roots And Ramifications Of Gun Trafficking From The United States To Mexico, Alexandra Punishill
CMC Senior Theses
Nowhere is the discussion surrounding gun violence more prominent than in the United States, with the impacts of our gun-friendly culture being felt around the world. This thesis analyzes the dynamics of gun trafficking from the United States to Mexico and sheds light on its role in fueling the epidemic of gun violence south of the border. It is argued that the particular system of federalism adopted by the United States has led to a variety of state-level gun regulations that have shaped domestic gun policy and have had an international impact. Despite Mexico’s persistent efforts to combat the gun …
Emerging From Behind The Curtain: A Comparative Analysis Of Polish And Czech Reforms Based On Quality Of Life Improvements, Summer Ellis
Emerging From Behind The Curtain: A Comparative Analysis Of Polish And Czech Reforms Based On Quality Of Life Improvements, Summer Ellis
CMC Senior Theses
This thesis examines the economic reforms undertaken by Poland and the Czech Republic during the 1990s transition period. It seeks to ultimately differentiate reform quality between the Czech Republic and Poland in terms of well-being. The basis of reform success is determined using a quality of life scale that spans economic, health, and environmental indicators. Reform quality is then assessed based on improvements in well-being, instead of high-level economic metrics that often evaluate in a manner that fails to capture individual citizen sentiment. From this point, it is possible to determine which transitioning country underwent the most optimal reform process …
Architects Of War: The Economic And Industrial Strategies Of The Third Reich And United States Under Albert Speer And William Knudsen, Spencer David Taylor
Architects Of War: The Economic And Industrial Strategies Of The Third Reich And United States Under Albert Speer And William Knudsen, Spencer David Taylor
CMC Senior Theses
This thesis presents a chronological narrative that delves into the economic and industrial underpinnings of the Second World War, focusing on the contrasting war machines of Germany and the United States. By examining the strategic decisions and outcomes shaped by two central figures, Albert Speer of Germany and William S. Knudsen of the United States, this study highlights how their approaches to war production profoundly influenced the overall trajectory and outcome of the war. Knudsen’s embodiment of the American industrial spirit and Speer’s manipulation of Germany's constrained resources illustrate the crucial roles that economic strategies played alongside military operations. The …
The Trilateral Challenge: The Impact Of Russian And Chinese Nuclear Threats On U.S. Strategy, Catherine Murphy
The Trilateral Challenge: The Impact Of Russian And Chinese Nuclear Threats On U.S. Strategy, Catherine Murphy
CMC Senior Theses
The article explores the United States’ nuclear deterrence strategy in the context of rising nuclear threats from Russia and China. The U.S. arsenal has 1,770 deployed warheads across intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and bombers. A posture set by the presidential administration continues to reject a No First Use policy, focusing on modernization and renewed arms control with Russia and China. Russia, with 1,674 deployed warheads, suspended the New START Treaty following its invasion of Ukraine. China’s secretive nuclear program estimates 500 warheads, projecting growth and emphasizing its ICBM stockpile. The China-Russia partnership poses a significant risk …
American-European Alignment: An Assessment Of Economic And Security Factors Impacting The Relationship Between The United States And Europe Since Wwii, Peter Nicholas Gianaris
American-European Alignment: An Assessment Of Economic And Security Factors Impacting The Relationship Between The United States And Europe Since Wwii, Peter Nicholas Gianaris
CMC Senior Theses
The United States and Europe have had a relationship that has constantly augmented during the past 80 years. The extent of this change has depended on a number of factors including security and economics. This paper seeks to analyze the relationship between the United States and Europe throughout the Cold War, following the Cold War, and in the wake of Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine. It will view the partnership through a security and economic lens and seek to determine how much both factors impact the relationship and in what way each factor has impacted the relationship. It will also …
The Impact Of Armed Drones On Human Security Goals, Sarath Kakani
The Impact Of Armed Drones On Human Security Goals, Sarath Kakani
CMC Senior Theses
The rapid proliferation of armed drones around the globe has sparked a debate on their benefits and their tradeoffs. Through a traditional security perspective, drones are the ideal weapon of the future: incredible technological capabilities lend tactical advantages to any military that owns drones. They allow actors to strike at enemy combatants without no risk to their own troops and minimal risk to any civilian bystanders. Yet through a nontraditional human security lens, armed drones have been nothing short of a disaster in protecting civilians and reducing collateral damage. The tactical advantages they lend users are some of their most …
Exploring The Factors That Influence Female Offending In The U.S. And Mexico, Dana Villasenor
Exploring The Factors That Influence Female Offending In The U.S. And Mexico, Dana Villasenor
CMC Senior Theses
Hollywood has painted a picture of the criminal woman as a sexy, sneaky, and often psychotic female fatale. This is because men run Hollywood. Much like movies, research on why women offend had historically focused on men as their stellar. However, towards the turn of the century and with the disproportionate rise in female incarceration, literature caught up to the fact that women and men do not experience the same socialization, standards, or reality and, therefore, have different reasons for and ways of offending. This research explores those reasons for women in the U.S. and Mexico and paints the picture …
China’S Strategic Calculus: A Comparative Analysis Of China’S Approaches Towards The Philippines And Vietnam In The South China Sea Dispute, Letian Wang
CMC Senior Theses
The South China Sea (SCS) dispute is a longstanding territorial conflict involving several surrounding states. In this paper, I analyze the differences in China’s policies towards the Philippines and Vietnam as China exerts its expansion into the SCS using relevant International Relations theories. The Philippines’ democratic values, alliance with the U.S., small-scale volume of trade with China, and active strategies against China all contradict China’s interests to be the regional hegemonic power. In contrast, Vietnam’s socialist regime, alliance with China, substantial trade with China, and passive strategies do not contradict China’s interests as much and even comply with them. Hence, …
The Role Of Women’S Activists And Organizations In Post-Conflict Kosovo, Olivia Carusi
The Role Of Women’S Activists And Organizations In Post-Conflict Kosovo, Olivia Carusi
CMC Senior Theses
This thesis examines the role of civic organizations to advance women’s rights in Kosovo after the conflict in the late 1990s. Following the Kosovo-Serbia War, Western state building missions came into Kosovo to support Kosovo’s independence and help guide them on a path toward developed statehood. However, those missions brought with them patriarchal leaders who marginalized women’s voices and neglected to enshrine women’s rights. As a result, local actorsand organizations stepped up to improve the lives of Kosovar women. Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), and their member organizations, is one of the most successful civic actors in Kosovo, working locally and …
Serving With Pride: Analyzing Lgbtq+ Personnel Policy In The U.S. Military, Sonja Woolley
Serving With Pride: Analyzing Lgbtq+ Personnel Policy In The U.S. Military, Sonja Woolley
CMC Senior Theses
This thesis examines the evolution of LGBTQ+ personnel policies in the U.S. military, analyzing how these changes reflect broader social transformations and the military’s role as both a mirror and catalyst in societal shifts. It traces the historical roots of discriminatory practices against queer and transgender servicemembers, identifying key periods of reform and resistance. Using institutional theory to dissect the mechanisms of policy adaptation, this paper focuses on coercive, mimetic, and normative isomorphism, which illustrate the complex interplay between external societal pressures, internal demands for legitimacy, and the professionalization of the military. Through detailed case studies, the thesis highlights how …
Health Politics, Covid-19, And The Vaccine: A Comparison Of How Germany And The U.S. Cultivated Public Trust During The Covid-19 Pandemic., Kai Gundlach
CMC Senior Theses
Public trust is important during an ongoing crisis as it determines people’s compliance with government mandates and laws. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Germany and the U.S. operated with different levels of public trust and people placed their trust in different public institutions. My thesis examines how political tactics such as fear, use of science, and expert pronouncements impacted public trust and the COVID-19 response in both countries.
Factors That Enable Or Hinder The Transition Of Some Gulf Cooperation Council (Gcc) Countries To Green Energy, Verkine Keukpanossian
Factors That Enable Or Hinder The Transition Of Some Gulf Cooperation Council (Gcc) Countries To Green Energy, Verkine Keukpanossian
CGU Theses & Dissertations
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries continue to play a strategic role in the global energy system. They account for a fifth of the global oil production and enjoy relatively high GDP per Capita, and their economies heavily rely on oil-producing and exporting at a time when the West is pushing towards net-zero, low-carbon emissions by 2050. This study focuses on the energy sector and takes a transdisciplinary look at Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and tries to understand how these rentier monarchies that have built a solid global comparative advantage in producing and exporting oil and …
The Impact Of Development Aid On Human Development, Lauren Candia Shaffer
The Impact Of Development Aid On Human Development, Lauren Candia Shaffer
CGU Theses & Dissertations
This dissertation examines the relationship between development aid and human development in recipient countries. The primary function of this research is to determine which types of aid are most effective in improving human development. To accomplish this goal, I use a fixed effects regression analysis to examine the following aid types in individual chapters of the dissertation: Total Aid, Donor-specific aid, Sectoral Aid, Conditional Aid, and aid flowing from Multilateral, Bilateral, and Private sources. This analysis produced mixed results, indicating that some types of aid have a positive and significant impact on human development, some have a negative and significant …
The Impact Of Education On Reducing Poverty In South Asia, Rooppreet Kaur Sohal-Bagri
The Impact Of Education On Reducing Poverty In South Asia, Rooppreet Kaur Sohal-Bagri
CGU Theses & Dissertations
This dissertation examines the relationship between primary, secondary education attainment and poverty in South Asia. The countries of examination include India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and Maldives. The primary function of this research is to determine if primary and secondary education attainment of peoples has an impact on being associated with reducing poverty. To accomplish and to test this goal, I have used fixed effects regression analysis to examine the following research questions: Does education expansion (primary, secondary) reduce poverty in South Asia? Does education expansion (primary, secondary) reduce poverty for women in South Asia? This first …
Multidisciplinary Approach To Civil Conflict: Political, Economic, And Social Determinants Of Violence, Zhamilia Klycheva
Multidisciplinary Approach To Civil Conflict: Political, Economic, And Social Determinants Of Violence, Zhamilia Klycheva
CGU Theses & Dissertations
More abundant and less severe than interstate war, civil conflict has filled the news headlines worldwide, especially with nonviolent domestic instability. To this day, no single theoretical framework can fully explain this complex phenomenon. Scholars have often focused on one domain area as a precursor of violence. While such approaches are valuable, they need to grasp the whole picture, as addressing the problem from a single-domain perspective yields weak findings. This dissertation explores specific political, social, and economic factors that impact the onset, severity, and duration of civil conflict and the frequency of nonviolent conflict. It adopts a unified transdisciplinary …
The Russia-Ukraine War: The Second Cold War?, Madeline Levine
The Russia-Ukraine War: The Second Cold War?, Madeline Levine
Scripps Senior Theses
Under the guise of a “special military operation,” Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The immediacy with which the United States rallied support for Ukraine within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”), the United Nations (“UN”), and the European Union (“EU”) raised speculation: Is Russia-Ukraine the beginning of a second Cold War? Did the Cold War actually end in the 1990s? Is Ukraine the first proxy war in a series of more to come between the United States and Russia? This thesis will address the first question by identifying and analyzing the characteristics that distinguished the Cold War …
The United States’ Stringent Sovereignty: How Foreign Policy Framing Prioritizes Security Over Human Rights, Kathryn Parker
The United States’ Stringent Sovereignty: How Foreign Policy Framing Prioritizes Security Over Human Rights, Kathryn Parker
Scripps Senior Theses
American policymakers utilize valence framing, purposeful descriptions of outcomes as positive or negative, to influence the opinions of voters while maintaining the moral superiority felt by many citizens in the liberal Western hegemon. This study intended to combine the political theories of Constructivism and Realism to form Constructive Realism, a theory that emphasizes the significance of state power and norms as joint influences on constituents. Constructive realism was then applied to four case studies – the UN Security Council, International Criminal Court, Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. This study …
Prosecuting Rape As Genocide: An Analysis Of The Legal Framework And Challenges In International Law, Anya Syed
Prosecuting Rape As Genocide: An Analysis Of The Legal Framework And Challenges In International Law, Anya Syed
CMC Senior Theses
Rape can be used to annihilate, control, and humiliate populations. Mass rape can have genocidal intent. Yet, thus far, the legal definition of genocide has failed to codify rape. These severe limitations in the definition of genocide create legal impunity and impede the rehabilitation of rape survivors. This failure also results in legal challenges, including the lack of basis to distinguish between rape during war and genocide. This paper seeks to provide readers with sufficient background to understand the legal challenges currently preventing the prosecution of rape as genocide. After presenting this information, the paper details past courts that have …
Autonomy, Influence, And Impunity: The Failures Of The Western Intelligence Institution, Ava Liao
Autonomy, Influence, And Impunity: The Failures Of The Western Intelligence Institution, Ava Liao
CMC Senior Theses
Intelligence agencies have always suffered from internal inefficiencies. By nature, their opaqueness and deliberate ambiguity in what they bring to the table disincentivizes scrutiny or critique from other government entities and the general public. There is very little accountability to be had for intelligence agencies, even in Western liberal democracies: no amount of voting will change how they are structured or operated, and thus incentive to change usually does not arise from domestic pressures, but rather from large-scale failures. Methods used to obtain intelligence are often presented very objectively, without context or accounting for the ideological values influencing them. It …
Positional Advantage: Factors Behind The Uneven Geographic Distribution Of Top Chess Players, Julia C. Schulman
Positional Advantage: Factors Behind The Uneven Geographic Distribution Of Top Chess Players, Julia C. Schulman
CMC Senior Theses
This paper seeks to explore the reason behind the uneven geographic distribution of top chess grandmasters. FIDE rating data, country data, and survey data given to chess grandmasters are gathered to determine the validity of the hypothesis: That the two main influences in whether a country has a higher or lower number (and percentage) of top grandmasters are chess culture and federation/government support. The research tests the correlation between several variables and explores whether or not there is quantitative and qualitative support for this assumption. Individual studies in the latter end of this paper explore the countries on a case-by-case …
The Role Of The Wagner Group In The Russo-Ukrainian War, Erik Herbert Lohmus
The Role Of The Wagner Group In The Russo-Ukrainian War, Erik Herbert Lohmus
CMC Senior Theses
The Wagner Group has emerged as one of the most prominent actors of the on-going Russo-Ukrainian war. Although Private Military Companies are banned by the Russian Constitution and Russian Criminal Code, Wagner has been able and permitted to operate all across the world as a foreign policy tool of the Russian state. However, Wagner’s use and employment in Ukraine has differed drastically compared to Syria, Central African Republic and Libya, as the group is employed in a more conventional capacity. With many of the Russian successes in the east of Ukraine attributable to Wagner, the financier of the group, Yevgeny …
Failing History: How Multinational Institutions Cannot Prevent Cultural Racketeering, Molly Luce
Failing History: How Multinational Institutions Cannot Prevent Cultural Racketeering, Molly Luce
CMC Senior Theses
Cultural racketeering, the looting and trafficking of cultural heritage sites to fund conflict, violence, or terrorism, has become a prevalent issue across the globe in recent years. This paper identifies the main actors, the sellers and buyers, of the looted antiquities and outlines several cases. Sellers, such as ISIS or Al-Qaeda, pillage and traffic sites of cultural, religious, or historic importance as a funding source for their illicit activities. Buyers, which include museums and elite private collectors, purchase these antiquities and inadvertently fund terrorism. The international community has condemned these actors and implemented policies in response. The conventions that multinational …
Unscr 1325 Did Not Help Women, Peace, Or Security In Afghanistan: The Role Of Militarism And Hegemonic Masculinity In International Security, Sawyer Bannister
Unscr 1325 Did Not Help Women, Peace, Or Security In Afghanistan: The Role Of Militarism And Hegemonic Masculinity In International Security, Sawyer Bannister
CMC Senior Theses
This paper argues that UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security exemplifies how the international security system is constructed in a way that not only preserves militarism and hegemonic masculinity, but further perpetuates gendered power disparities and exacerbates human insecurity. In this pursuit, this paper develops a theoretical framework of radical feminism to illustrate how the international arena embodies militarized hegemonic masculinity and how this power paradigm fundamentally inhibits international security organizations from successfully addressing gender issues. Additionally, this paper utilizes a case study of UNSCR 1325 and WPS implementation in Afghanistan to reveal how when international security organizations attempt …
United States Policy To Undermine Iran’S Regional And Global Strategy, William Stewart
United States Policy To Undermine Iran’S Regional And Global Strategy, William Stewart
CMC Senior Theses
This paper aims to understand the way in which Iran uses proxy groups to implement its regional foreign policy strategy while increasing relationships with foreign actors to implement its global foreign policy strategy. I will dive into the intricacies of Iran’s strategy on a country-by-country basis while outlining the goals of the regime. I will analyze the way in which the United States has dealt with Iran and its proxy groups in the past as well as provide suggestions on the steps the Biden administration and the United States as a whole must implement in order to contain Iran’s influence …
Cracking Down On Cutting Sleeves: A Historical Analysis Of “Homosexuality” In China As A Comparison To Present Day Lgbtq+ Rights, Thomas Falci
CMC Senior Theses
Over the past more than a decade of Xi Jinping’s leadership, the space for civil society in China has shrunk dramatically. One of the main, yet often overlooked, victims of this shift in policy has been China’s LGBTQ+ community. This thesis examines the current crackdown on LGBTQ+ peoples and organizations in China and attempts to place it within a broader context of China’s current state in the world order. The lenses of queer International Relations theory and the long history of “homosexuality” in China will both be applied to help contextualize the current state of Chinese LGBTQ+ rights. This analysis …
The Stateless Agent: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of Transboundary Air Pollution In The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez Region Of The U.S.-Mexico Border, Elizabeth Hernandez
The Stateless Agent: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of Transboundary Air Pollution In The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez Region Of The U.S.-Mexico Border, Elizabeth Hernandez
CMC Senior Theses
The El Paso-Ciudad Juárez (EPJ) region has a history of nonattainment for ozone and particulate matter. Given transboundary air pollution in the EPJ region is not confined to the U.S.-Mexico border, it is important to implement a transnational response that accounts for the health and safety of everyone, including marginalized communities in EPJ. This thesis assesses the state of air quality and transboundary air pollution in the EPJ region through a multidisciplinary perspective that focuses on issues of data monitoring, environmental governance, and transnational environmental justice. Analysis of the quantity and placement of ambient monitoring stations reveals EPJ residents near …
The Implications Of Natural Gas And Oil Dependence On Nuclear Proliferation Efforts: A Case Study Of The 1970s Energy Crisis And The Beginning Of Opec’S Nuclear Ambitions., Luca Amrit Khalsa
The Implications Of Natural Gas And Oil Dependence On Nuclear Proliferation Efforts: A Case Study Of The 1970s Energy Crisis And The Beginning Of Opec’S Nuclear Ambitions., Luca Amrit Khalsa
CMC Senior Theses
This thesis examines the effects of the 1970s Energy Crisis on nuclear proliferation efforts in the Persian Gulf region. The OPEC oil embargo of 1973 shocked global energy markets and forced the Atlantic Alliance to fragment and engage in continuous cut-throat bilateral deals with oil-producing countries. What started as oil-for-arms deals quickly transitioned into oil-for-nuclear reactor deals once countries struggled to find new ways to remain competitive in the trade market. When France initiated the first transfer of nuclear infrastructure to Iran, the morality taboo of trading nuclear secrets dissipated. Countries were now encouraged to engage in their own nuclear …
Playing Mastermind: The Manipulation Of Ideological Criticism In The Quest For Global Hegemony, Katherine Beinkampen
Playing Mastermind: The Manipulation Of Ideological Criticism In The Quest For Global Hegemony, Katherine Beinkampen
CMC Senior Theses
When assessing conflict between great powers, the focus is often on hard power threats, like military and economic action. Yet, because great power competition focuses on expanding a given country’s powers of influence and persuasion, soft power is both an effective and common weapon in the battle for hegemony. This paper analyzes the ways great powers highlight social issues linked to national identity in the opponent’s state. By examining how the United States and Soviet Union criticized each other during the Cold War and how the United States and China criticize each other currently, certain trends emerge. A state can …
The Politics Of Belonging: How Migration Affects Social Democratic Welfare States, Katherine Grace Siegenthaler
The Politics Of Belonging: How Migration Affects Social Democratic Welfare States, Katherine Grace Siegenthaler
Pomona Senior Theses
The refugee crisis of 2015 sparked a new era of migration politics in Europe, with waves of immigrants altering the expectations for integration and assimilation policies in many states. Social democratic welfare states, that is, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, while far north of many of the arrival destinations of these migrants, were not immune to these changes. However, as social-democratic welfare states, much of their legitimacy rests on their ability to provide for their citizens, which is in turn supported by a pervasive sense of solidarity amongst their communities, so that extensive tax systems can continue to …