Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Civil War Conflict Between Anglophones/Francophones In The Northwest And Southwest Regions Of Cameroon, Myriam Jeter

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The Civil War conflict between Anglophones and Francophones, also known as the Ambazonia war, is a long-standing issue that continues to plague the people living in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. This paper explores the colonial history of the nation, the cause of the ongoing conflict, the reasons for its escalation, and how it gave rise to the Ambazonian separatists who want to have a separate nation called the Ambazonia Republic.

This study contributes to conflict understanding in two ways. First, it sheds light on the cultural and economic impacts of internally generated crises in a country. Second, …

The Second-Order Impact Of Relative Power On Outcomes Of Crisis Bargaining: A Theory Of Expected Disutility And Resolve, Tatevik Movsisyan

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

How does structure shape behavior and outcomes in crisis bargaining? Formal bargaining models of war rely on expected utility theory to describe first-order effects, whereby the payoffs of war determine actors’ “resolve” to fight as a function of costs and benefits. Value preferences of risk and future discounting are routinely treated as predefined and subjective individual attributes, outside the strategic context of bargaining or independent from expected utility. However, such treatment fails to account for context-conditional preferences sourcing from actors’ expectations of relative gain or loss. Drawing on a wealth of experimental evidence from behavioral economics, but without departing from …

Environmentally Related Urbanization And Violence Potential, Christina Bagaglio Slentz

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In contrast to historical examples in which urban increase is accompanied by the pull factors of wealth and development, post-industrialized sub-Saharan African urbanization patterns are characterized by a lack of economic growth, confounding experts. Simultaneously, African conflict scholars have observed a major geographical shift in African conflict onset, moving out of rural regions and into urban centers. Recognizing the effects of increasing climate variability and threatened agricultural livelihoods, this study hypothesizes perceived economic advantage in cities induces human movement with potential for over-urbanization dynamics that exacerbate civil unrest.

To investigate, a Panarchy theoretical framework of nested adaptive cycles is used …

The Messy Nuclear Landscape: Using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping To Explore Plausible Nuclear Disarmament Scenarios, Ryan M. Nixon

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Nuclear weapons are seemingly permanent fixtures in international relations. Although nuclear abolitionists and actors within the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have taken significant steps towards designing a world without nuclear weapons, the longstanding realist logic that suggests nuclear disarmament is nonviable has born more fruit. On the other hand, some proponents of realism have suggested global nuclear disarmament is feasible, given that certain international instabilities are stabilized and that special care is taken during diplomatic negotiations. This presents an opportunity to test these predictions using fuzzy cognitive mapping, a computational modeling technique that identifies …

Path Dependence In Intrastate Conflicts: Resources, Regimes, And Interventions, Ivan Medynskyi

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the patterns of path dependence in intrastate conflicts. It is motivated by three research questions: What factors determine a particular outcome of a civil war? How strong is their impact? What are the causal mechanisms in play? To examine these questions, this study introduces a theory of path dependence to the study of intrastate conflicts that bridges the gap between analyses of the phases of contention.

First, it examines the broad understanding of path dependence that highlights the impact of initial conditions on civil war outcomes. Then, this dissertation explores the narrower notion which focuses on the …

Hijacking The Syrian Revolution, Iman Khairat Nanoua

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The civil war in Syria (started in March 2011) marks one of the greatest tragedies in the Middle East during the twenty-first century, and a fear that its destructive consequences may affect the entire region. The Syrian crisis coincides with the democratic wave that shaped the Arab Spring. The thesis will discuss the decision-making system and the primary actors in the Syrian crisis within the framework of three distinct phases. Each phase contributed to the hijacking of the peaceful demonstrations that sought freedom in a democratic state and of the dramatic developments on the Syrian stage. The first stage of …

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, …

Democratic Counterinsurgents: How Democracies Can Prevail In Irregular Warfare, William Roland Patterson

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation answers the question of whether or not democracies can win counterinsurgency conflicts. This is done first through an analysis of the arguments made by those who claim that democracies are uniquely incapable of doing so due to various limitations imposed by public opinion as well as the arguments of those who argue that democracies can win such conflicts given the correct strategy. Secondly, the question is investigated through an examination of three case studies: Malaysia, Vietnam, and Iraq. This analysis demonstrates that the arguments against the ability of democracies to win counterinsurgencies is not as strong as many …

The Complexity Of Armed Conflict In Mindanao: Beyond Economic Deprivation, Discrimination, And Inequality, Nasser Pendatun Lidasan

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Studies on internal conflict focus on bringing a violent conflict to non-violent. Economic development and good governance are most attractive since essential services are provided to people, regardless of ethnic affiliation. Autonomy for minority groups to maintain the integrity of a state is another option. Applied in Mindanao conflict, negotiated settlement, separation, and military victory did not create a lasting peace. This study applies the levels of analysis framework to investigate the conflict and considers the sub-state level as vital. It suggests the role of local actors as crucial in intrastate conflict. It examines the dynamics of conflict at the …

Managing Complexity And Change In International Relations: The Case Of Yemen, Michael J. Culton

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Matters of war and peace may be as old as civilization itself but the definitions and practices of each are constantly evolving. Innumerable theories and models have been developed over the past few centuries, which are designed to explain modern international politics. As academics and policymakers debate their assumptions regarding conflict and cooperation, current events challenge their intellectual foundations and may even serve to overturn them. The scholars and practitioners of foreign policy may have reached the point where the traditional explanations of political behavior can no longer account for the pressing issues of the day. In such an age …

'Outside Agitators:' The Role Of Foreign Islamists In The Chechen Fight For Independence, Robert Kent Pinkerton Jr.

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to identify the role of foreign Islamist charities and terrorist groups in the current conflict in Chechnya. The issue of foreign Islamism in Chechnya is introduced through a general history of the region, including the role of religion in both traditional Chechen culture and in the present war. The evolution of Chechen war from a secular to a religious conflict is first examined by looking into the perspectives of various Muslim groups on the Chechen war and other similar conflicts and, conversely, the perspectives of many Chechens on the outsiders who purport to aid …

Political Violence And Conflict Resolution: The Struggle For Peace In Northern Ireland, Lisa G. Fox

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Political violence, especially in ethnoreligious conflicts, continues to threaten the stability and security of the international environment. Motivations for using violence are complex and can evolve over time. As long as one or more of the motivations continue to exist, parties to a conflict will feel that violence is a legitimate course of action and, thus, the conflict will persist.

Theories about the causes of conflict and the approaches that should be taken to terminate it mostly propose a single approach. A single approach, however, will address certain issues while leaving others unresolved, allowing some motivations to continue stimulating conflict. …

Why Do Not All Separatist Movements Aim For Secession? The Cases Of Chechnia And Tatarstan, Mesut Acar

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Which ethnic groups are more likely to secede is a debated question among scholars. One view, as proposed by Immanuel Wallerstein, holds that ethnic groups living in economically advanced regions are more likely to secede. In contrast, other scholars like Donald Horowitz claim that backward groups in backward regions are more likely to secede. One aim of this thesis is to explore which view has better explanatory power for two republics in the Russian Federation: the Republic of Chechnia and the Republic of Tatarstan. In 1992 they were the two most separatist regions in the Russia. Later they diverged, and …

Information Warfare: Technology And The Information Advantage, Daniel Matthew Parker

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis analyzes information warfare--that emerging form of warfare that attempts to destroy, degrade and exploit the information systems of another, while protecting one's own--in the context of the technology of warfare. Just as one might peel an onion, the analysis proceeds from a general analysis of technology in warfare to the more specific analysis of information warfare as it is currently defined. Information technology is an enabling factor in the emergence of information warfare as a new warfare area. Although it is revolutionizing the way warfare is conducted, the elements of information warfare have been practiced for thousands of …

Towards A Universal Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, T. P. Radhakrishnan

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The 1968 Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) came into force in 1970 and expires in 1995. In 1995 an extension conference has to be convened to decide whether the treaty continues in force indefinitely or will be extended for an additional period or periods.

The treaty, cosponsored by the us, the USSR, and the UK, has 155 signatories, but a few countries like Israel, India and Pakistan have refused to be bound by it. They have done so mainly on the formal grounds that the treaty is structurally discriminatory between nuclear and nonnuclear weapons states.

What are …

Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) An Attempt To Explore The Role Of Khomeiniism In The War, Masoud Bonyanian

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the impact of Khomeiniism on the Shi'ites of Iraq. Specifically it seeks to determine whether the rise of Khomeiniism in Iran inspired Iraq's Shi'ite majority to rise against the Ba'athist leaders of Iraq with the object of establishing an Islamic Republic. The paper focuses on the political activities of the Iraqi Shi'ites from Ayatollah Khomeini's rise to power in Iran in February 1979 to the beginning of hostilities between Iraq and Iran in September 1980. The evidence indicates mounting anti-Ba'athist political activity by the Shi'ites which included daily rioting, attempted assassinations, and a rise in the number …

Signals Intelligence In World War Ii Ultra And The Air War In Europe, Demetrio J. Perez

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

(First paragraph) In recent years the study of military intelligence, particularly when viewed from a historical context, has acquired new significance. As military historians attempt to find a correlation between wartime events and the intelligence activities supporting those events, many serious works in this field have emerged. Some accounts of World War II military intelligence deal with the subject in terms of its benefits to the field commander. Others take a more extreme view and argue that major wartime successes resulted more from good intelligence than from good leadership.

Mine Warfare In The Russian And Soviet Navies, Jeffrey K. Bray

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the development of technology, tactics, strategy, and organization of mine warfare in the Russian and Soviet navies from 1807 to the present. The author reviews the trials and tribulations of the development of naval mines and their employment within these two navies. This development has been primarily driven by the needs of war and advances of technology. In spite of occasional setbacks, the Russian and Soviet mine warfare forces continued to provide support to the overall naval and central policies of their respective governments. This support has often been during times of high tension and limited resources. …