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Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Political Science

The Unraveling Of The Nation-State In The Middle East: Examples Of Iraq And Syria, Zachary Kielp Dec 2017

The Unraveling Of The Nation-State In The Middle East: Examples Of Iraq And Syria, Zachary Kielp

MSU Graduate Theses

After the carnage of World War One and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire a new form of political organization was brought to the Middle East, the Nation-State. Based on European ideas of Sovereignty and equality between countries; the nation-state was thrust upon these areas that had no history or interest in adopting a foreign form of governance and served the primary purpose of safeguarding the imperial interests of Europe. Compounding their error, the regions of these new nation-states contained populations that had long resented and mistrusted each other. While these countries could be held together by repressive dictatorships for …


Expansibility And Army Special Operations Forces, Eric P. Shwedo Nov 2017

Expansibility And Army Special Operations Forces, Eric P. Shwedo

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article examines how Army Special Operations might prepare to expand in the event of a major war by resolving impediments to growth, improving recall procedures, and developing plans to expand training capacities.


Nicole Ludwig, Tsos, Nicole Ludwig Oct 2017

Nicole Ludwig, Tsos, Nicole Ludwig

TSOS Interview Gallery

In September 2016, Nicole Ludwig led a group of her neighbors in Germany to assist newly-arrived Syrian and Afghani refugees. The volunteers collected clothing and toys, organized activities and field trips for the refugee children, and taught them German. Later, the volunteers offered homework support and led library reading groups. For the adult refugees, the volunteers provided cultural assimilation instruction and cooking classes. While there were occasional challenges to working together, the volunteers and refugees fostered a collaborative system and even hosted a Christmas party, during which one elderly Syrian man said, “This is one of the best memories I …


Layla, Layla, Tsos Oct 2017

Layla, Layla, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Layla left Ethiopia 10 years ago to look for work opportunities. She left behind a father and three brothers. She went to Syria on a three-year work contract. She worked in a house and learned Arabic. She then went to Turkey by boat and then went on to Greece for 5 years. She worked and learned the Greek language. When she became pregnant she had to stop working. She travelled to Serbia to Macedonia to Austria all on foot. Then the Red Cross moved Layla and her daughter to Giessen, Germany where a roommate periodically beat her baby. Seeking safety …


Taiwanese Perceptions Of Refugees: Results Of An Experimental Survey, Stella Treumann Jun 2017

Taiwanese Perceptions Of Refugees: Results Of An Experimental Survey, Stella Treumann

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This research paper deals with perceptions of refugees, with the intent to demonstrate what factors influence perceptions of refugees in general, and specifically in the context of Taiwan. The paper is divided into two larger sections. The first section functions as a literature review with the aim of providing the reader with existing background information on the topic of perceptions of refugees. The second section contains an experimental study on perceptions of refugees in Taiwan. While the effects of individual-level factors on perceptions of refugees have been examined by many studies and in different countries, their effects have never been …


The Future Of Intervention: Examining The Legacy Of The Responsibility To Protect, William D. Gilman May 2017

The Future Of Intervention: Examining The Legacy Of The Responsibility To Protect, William D. Gilman

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.


Chess Game Of Civilizations, Ambassador Sallama Shaker Apr 2017

Chess Game Of Civilizations, Ambassador Sallama Shaker

Comparative Civilizations Review

The theory of civilization clash is applied to the situation in the Middle East which appears to be more the result of intra-regional rivals. The latter would include the Sunni-Shiite rivalry and the competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Currently, Syria is the overt demonstration of these intra-regional rivalries.


Syrian Civil Society During The Peace Talks In Geneva: Role And Challenges, Zedoun Alzoubi Mar 2017

Syrian Civil Society During The Peace Talks In Geneva: Role And Challenges, Zedoun Alzoubi

New England Journal of Public Policy

Syrian civil society witnessed a new birth in 2011 following decades of hibernation due to oppression. The fast growth and maturity of civil society organizations gave them the opportunity to occupy a formal space in the ongoing peace talks in Geneva. The presence of the Women’s Advisory Board, the Civil Society Support Room, and the recently established Experts Room during the peace talks in the Palais de Nations allows them to influence the negotiation process. This article is the first published documentation of the role of civil society in the peace process and the challenges that face these talks.


Finding The Enigmatic Road To Damascus, Ivan R. Lopez Feb 2017

Finding The Enigmatic Road To Damascus, Ivan R. Lopez

Exigence

This paper is a reaction to the current Syrian refugee crisis. It examines how the Sykes-Picot agreement has impacted the Middle East. It gives a brief history of the region. It compares the opinions and facts gathered by several experts on the Middle East. Finally it discusses ways for the west to move forward to make a positive impact for future generations everywhere.


A Contemporary Analysis And Comparison Of Kurdish National Movements: Syria, Iraq, And Turkey, Grayson Lanza Jan 2017

A Contemporary Analysis And Comparison Of Kurdish National Movements: Syria, Iraq, And Turkey, Grayson Lanza

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As commonly understood, and particularly espoused by Kurdish nationalists, the Kurds are by far the largest ethnic group in the world without their own nation-state. An estimated 2 to 2.5 million ethnically Kurdish people inhabit portions of Syria. There are approximately 6.5 million ethnically Kurdish people in Iraq, 7.6 million in Iran, and 16 million in Turkey. Overall, there are about 30 million Kurds in the world. In the broader context of the Kurdish nationalist struggle, this paper suggests that there is a growing bipolar hegemony for power over the control of Kurdish land and politics. Research was predicated around …


The Wwi Middle East: Western Intervention And Modern-Day Political Conflict, Pauline Park Jan 2017

The Wwi Middle East: Western Intervention And Modern-Day Political Conflict, Pauline Park

Global Tides

This paper analyzes three conflicting agreements made by the Allied powers between 1915 and 1917: the Husayn-McMahon correspondence, the Sykes-Picot arrangements, and the Balfour Declaration. It reveals the agreements as demonstrative of deeper patterns of political power and strategy in the Middle East that persist today. This paper moreover compares the Middle East with the European colonization of Rwanda in the 1880s, and how the nation's internal division was caused by external global powers seeking political and economic gain. This analysis seeks to connect global events as part of a wider political agenda propagated by Western powers.