Digital Commons Network^™

Brazilian Alliance Perspectives: Towards A Brics Development–Security Alliance?, Zhen 'Arc' Han, Mihaela Papa

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

Scholars studying BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have traditionally argued that it is a development-focused partnership and not a military/security-based alliance. Yet BRICS members have been deepening their security integration, and Russia and China have been creating an alliance in the background. Although BRICS middle powers have traditionally demonstrated an aversion towards alliances, Brazil actively deepened security cooperation among BRICS members during its BRICS presidency in 2019. How does Brazil view alliances in contemporary power competition? This study examines Brazil’s perceptions by introducing and analysing a new data set of Brazilian expert discourses on alliances since 1990 …

Us Strategic Culture, Homeland Ballistic Missile Defense, And Mutual Vulnerability, Jacob T. Blank

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Strategic scholars have long understood the indispensable linkage between culture and security policymaking. By shaping the perceptions through which decision-makers formulate security policy, strategic culture analysis adds vital context to the perilously difficult science of understanding and predicting state security outputs. One area where this analytical framework fails to generate the expected result is American missile defense policy. Salient themes of US strategic culture, including an optimistic and problem-solving mindset, positive role of machines, and ahistorical exceptionalism, are reflected in the American way of war – a technologically driven, leadership casualty averse, moralistic, apolitical, and firepower focused enterprise. These factors …

Development Of The Ukrainian Orthodoxy In The Conditions Of The Revanchist Policy Of The Russian Federation Against Ukraine, Yuriy Figurnyi, Oksana Semenova, Liubov Otroshko, Оlнa Shakurova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article analyzes the development of Ukrainian Orthodoxy in the context of the revenge policy of Russia against Ukraine at the turn of the 21st century. It is discovered that almost a quarter of a century of inactivity of the Ukrainian authorities and active anti-Ukrainian and anti-state actions of the Russian Orthodox Church and its Little-Russian branch the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate contributed to their introduction into the Ukrainian humanitarian space of fundamental ideas, dogmas, and postulates of the “Russian World,” which subsequently led to the occupation by Russia of Crimea and parts of Donbas and the …

Destructive Russian Orthodox Powerplay, Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Artificial Intelligence And National Security, Ryan Laverick

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

As technology advances at an exponential rate, it is becoming increasingly important to consider the ramifications of that technology in the geopolitical environment, and especially as it pertains to American national security. One of the most important categories of technological innovation that will likely disrupt the global balance of geopolitical power, especially along the US-China axis, is the advent and growing sophistication of artificial intelligence. In order to address the new and evolving national security challenges that will accompany this disruption, this paper seeks to define and explain the disparity in artificial intelligence capabilities between the United States and China. …

The Balance Of Convertibility: Manipulating External Support In Civil War, Kimberly L. Wolfe

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Despite the pervasive trend in civil war of multiple sponsors backing rebels or the government, there is surprisingly minimal analysis on how the balance of support influences conflict duration. Building on the research of Sawyer et al. (2017), who find that the “fungibility” of external support leads to longer civil war, this thesis contributes a new scoring method for analyzing the balance of “fungible” (hereafter “convertible”) support among combatants (rebels versus government), discovering that a balance of convertibility contributes to shorter conflict. Convertible resources are those that combatants manipulate to enhance their warfighting capacity, such as funding, while troops or …

The Strategic Use Of External Threat In The Shaping Of Russian Domestic And Foreign Policies, Roman Voytovych

Dissertations and Theses

The state of Russia has experienced multiple shifts during various phases of its development and, along with that, it has influenced the world of international diplomacy on a grand scale. From being the world`s second superpower with huge military and political capabilities to becoming a disintegrated regional power, there definitely has been a certain degree of change which has impacted both the Russian political establishment as well as ordinary people. The slow process of the degradation of the “big empire” actually had its roots during Soviet times when the Soviet Union faced the Chernobyl catastrophe, the war in Afghanistan, the …

Political Culture: An Unexplored Factor In Climate Change Diplomacy, Alexander Suen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As climate change continues to ravage the world, mitigation efforts continue to be insufficient to rise to the challenge. Inaction on climate change has been traditionally explained by economic incentives, but some of the variability in climate policies cannot be explained by economics alone. Some variations could be accounted for by the deeply rooted national political culture of Anglo-settler colonies. This political culture may inhibit the willingness of such states to cooperate on climate change. In this dissertation, I describe the political philosophy of the Anglo-settler colony, and the histories of domination of its white settlers over the indigenous peoples …

The Enduring Role Of Conflict In The Perpetuation Of Famine: Advancing 'The Right To Adequate Food' For Sustainable Peace, Robert M. Bane

Dissertations and Theses

The present thesis evaluates developments and trends in global conflict dynamics, global systems of governance, and global hunger. Together, the thesis investigates and upholds the notion that famine is a ‘man-made’ phenomenon and explains how famine persists in a world abundant with food. Through analysis and research the following is found: the occurrence of global conflict is accelerating alongside an increase in the severity of organized violence dynamics; global authoritarianism is expanding presenting a threat to global freedoms and liberal democracy; as these trends are occurring, world hunger is steadily on the rise reflecting a significant backsliding of progress achieved …

An Analysis Of Cyber Wargaming: Current Games, Limitations, And Recommendations, Sarah Chen

CMC Senior Theses

Cyberspace operations and conflict pose a unique challenge to decision-makers due to the uncertainty and unpredictability of cyber capabilities. Relying on wargaming literature, public cyber wargame reports, and expert interviews, this thesis analyzes the utility of cyber wargaming for education and analysis. Cyber wargames offer a method of testing, exploring, and understanding cyberspace through the abstraction and representation of cyber tools and attack cycles.

The thesis begins by examining cyber conflict and theorizes hypothetical wargame use cases. It then creates a framework for cyber wargaming elements and examines the design of eleven analytical wargames, eight educational wargames, and three commercial …

Does The Weapon Of Mass Destruction Impact Masses Equally? Examining The Disproportionate Impacts Of Nuclear Weapons, Carley Barnhart

CMC Senior Theses

Regarded as the most powerful weapon ever created, the nuclear weapon is associated with mass destruction and even total annihilation. This thesis aims to answer the question: does the weapon of mass destruction impact masses equally? The use of three theoretical lenses is employed to guide this thesis’ analysis: the lenses of internal colonialism, neocolonialism, and feminism. These lenses allow for previously marginalized experiences to be placed at the center of analysis. The entirety of the ‘nuclear web’, from nuclear scholarship and nuclear decision-making to weapons design, creation, production, and disarmament is analyzed to understand the total impacts of the …

Delphi Study Of International Cybersecurity Norms, Kenneth J. Biskner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Unregulated state cyberattacks are an urgent threat to international peace and security because of the costs they impose and the devastating effects they can create. However, international norms governing state cyberattacks (international cybersecurity norms) have not yet emerged. The lack of meaningful consequences for state cyberattacks, and the high rewards derived from them, incentivize states to engage in this new form of hostile conduct (cyberconflict). The problem addressed in this modified Delphi study was the persistent struggle between authoritarian and democratic states over competing international cybersecurity norms that cause cyberconflict to remain unregulated. Kingdon’s multiple streams framework was used as …

Exploring Resistance Movements In Interstate Conflict And Integrated Deterrence, Michael G. Harris

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Despite an increase in interstate conflict, including manipulation of information and civil populations by state actors in gray zone campaigns, the study of resistance has concentrated on intrastate conflict. A detailed literature review of resistance was conducted, revealing researchable gaps in understanding of the topic, including: the resistance movements from a security studies and interstate conflict perspective, the resistance as a form of interstate conflict from the perspective of Russian and Chinese security leaders, and the integrated deterrence options in gray zone campaigns as a strategy of international conflict prevention.

Two complementary studies were conducted to explore the identified areas. …

Best Practices In Protestant Aid For Ukrainian Refugees: 2022, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, dramatically accelerated Moscow’s military campaign against its southwestern neighbor which had begun in 2014. This unprovoked invasion managed to generate an equally dramatic displacement of Ukrainian civilians, some 13.5 million and counting.

"Paradoxically, the humanitarian response has been both phenomenal and inadequate. It has been phenomenal in its prodigious marshalling of resources and in its determination to alleviate enormous human suffering, calling forth impulses of generosity on a massive scale on the part of the UN, the EU, numerous individual European and North American governments, businesses, foundations, relief and development …

Reconciliation Attempts And The Return To Conflict In The Balkans, 2010-2022 (And Parallels To The Russian War On Ukraine), Vjekoslav Perica

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"Hopefully there will be soon peace in Ukraine, and another attempt at reconciliation in Western Balkans. Even as mostly symbolic and commemorative practices, these endeavors proved that they improve social trust and reduce interethnic tensions. There still remains the question about the purpose and long-term goals of such reconciliation efforts. In my 2021 book, Reconciliation and Last Days, published in Belgrade, Serbia, I argue that postwar reconciliation projects make sense, provided there is a new beginning for wartime enemies, that is, the peoples, faiths, and states in the region. In other words, the purpose of a longer period of peace …

The Importance Of Cultural Knowledge In Counterinsurgency, Allee Norvell

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This thesis discusses the importance and usefulness of cultural knowledge in counterinsurgency. When combatting insurgent groups, it can be difficult to identify insurgents and utilize conventional warfare. Insurgents use various tactics and strategies to promote their goals while living among the local population. These aspects require intervening countries and counterinsurgency to take the varying strategies into consideration when making their military decisions. The most important aspect needed for these counterinsurgency operations is cultural knowledge. Having an understanding of the intervening population and its dynamics with the insurgent group can be proven to be very beneficial. Specifically, in the cases of …

การถอนตัวจากสนธิสัญญากำลังนิวเคลียร์พิสัยกลางของสหรัฐอเมริกา : ปัญหาและข้อท้าทายของระบบความมั่นคงระหว่างประเทศ, ณัฐรินทร์ รัตนะพิบูลย์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การศึกษาเรื่องการถอนตัวจากสนธิสัญญากำลังนิวเคลียร์พิสัยกลาง : ปัญหาและข้อท้าทายของระบบความมั่นคงระหว่างประเทศ มีวัตถุประสงค์คือ 1) เรียนรู้ปัจจัยและกระบวนการความร่วมมือระหว่างประเทศเพื่อเสถียรภาพและสันติภาพ 2) พิจารณาอุปสรรคในการรักษาระบอบความมั่นคงระหว่างประเทศ 3) เพื่อเป็นการทำความเข้าใจปัจจัยที่นำไปสู่ความล้มเหลวของระบอบความมั่นคงระหว่างประเทศ ในส่วนที่เกี่ยวข้องกับความมั่นคงแห่งชาติ อันเป็นผลประโยชน์สูงสุดของนานาอารยะประเทศ 4) ส่งเสริมการศึกษานโยบายต่างประเทศของสหรัฐอเมริกา รัสเซียและจีน ในบริบทการแข่งขันอิทธิพลระหว่างชาติมหาอำนาจทวีความรุนแรงขึ้นอย่างต่อเนื่อง เป็นการศึกษาวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพ ด้วยวิธีการวิจัยทางเอกสาร โดยผู้วิจัยทำการศึกษาด้วยเอกสารชั้นต้นของจีน รัสเซีย และสหรัฐอเมริกา รวมถึงเอกสารชั้นรอง ทำการศึกษาวิเคราะห์ด้วยการอธิบายเชิงพรรณนาเพื่อทำการสรุปความเป็นมาของเรื่อง การวิเคราะห์การถอนตัวจากสนธิสัญญากำลังนิวเคลียร์พิสัยกลางของสหรัฐอเมริกา พบว่า ปัจจัยพิจารณาสำคัญของการถอนตัวจากสนธิสัญญาของสหรัฐอเมริกาตั้งอยู่บนพื้นฐานของการรักษาผลประโยชน์ของชาติ ภายใต้บริบทความเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพแวดล้อมด้านความมั่นคงระหว่างประเทศและการแข่งขันทางอำนาจระหว่างชาติสหรัฐอเมริกา จีนกับรัสเซีย การผูกพันตนเองในสนธิสัญญาของสหรัฐอเมริกาส่งผลให้สหรัฐอเมริกาประสบกับสภาวะอสมมาตรด้านขีดความสามารถการป้องกันประเทศ

ความต่อเนื่องและเปลี่ยนแปลงของนโยบายต่างประเทศสหราชอาณาจักร: กรณีศึกษาโกลบอลบริเตน, ธนภัทร จังพานิช

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้มุ่งศึกษาความเปลี่ยนแปลงและความต่อเนื่องที่เกิดขึ้นในการดำเนินนโยบายต่างประเทศของสหราชอาณาจักรภายหลังการสิ้นสุดของสงครามโลกครั้งที่สอง โดยนำแนวคิดโกลบอลบริเตน (Global Britain) ที่ปรากฏขึ้นมาในรัฐบาลของเทเรซา เมย์ และบอริส จอห์นสัน ขึ้นมาเป็นกรณีศึกษาผ่านกรอบการศึกษาแนวคิดสัจนิยมคลาสสิคใหม่เป็นเครื่องมือในการวิเคราะห์การรับรู้ของชนชั้นนำของสหราชอาณาจักร จากการศึกษาได้บ่งชี้ว่า ยุทธศาสตร์โกลบอลบริเตนไม่เพียงแต่ตอบสนองต่อเหตุการณ์การออกจากการเป็นสมาชิกสหภาพยุโรปของสหราชอาณาจักร หรือ เบร็กซิท (Brexit) ในปี ค.ศ. 2016 เพียงอย่างเดียว แต่เป็นสิ่งที่สะท้อนให้เห็นถึงความต่อเนื่องในการดำเนินนโยบายต่างประเทศที่พยายามแสวงหาคำตอบในการต่างประเทศของสหราชอาณาจักรอันหยั่งรากลึกมาอย่างยาวนานตั้งแต่การล่มสลายของอำนาจบริติช (The collapse of British power) ที่เริ่มปรากฏให้เห็นเด่นชัดเจนในยุคหลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่สองว่า "สหราชอาณาจักรมีบทบาทอย่างไรในโลก" โดยความพยายามดังกล่าวเกิดขึ้นภายใต้ความเชื่อที่ว่า “สหราชอาณาจักรยังคงมีบทบาทที่สำคัญต่อโลกนี้” ตลอดจนแสดงให้เห็นถึงความพยายามของลอนดอนในการแสวงหาความมั่นคงท่ามกลางความไม่แน่นอนจากปัจจัยต่างๆ ที่ชนชั้นนำในลอนดอนเผชิญ นอกจากนี้การศึกษาได้ชี้อีกว่า การผลักดันยุทธศาสตร์โกลบอลบริเตนเป็นวิธีการเอาตัวรอดของรัฐบาลและพรรคอนุรักษ์นิยมจากการขาดเตรียมความพร้อมจากเหตุการณ์เบร็กซิท

การดำเนินกิจกรรมทางอวกาศเพื่อความมั่นคงแห่งชาติ : กรณีศึกษาการแข่งขันระหว่างสหรัฐอเมริกาและจีน (ค.ศ. 2013 - 2022), ศัจธร ขำนุรักษ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์นี้มุ่งศึกษาลักษณะการดำเนินนโยบายและรูปแบบกิจกรรมทางอวกาศในมิติด้านความมั่นคงแห่งชาติของสหรัฐอเมริกาและจีนระหว่าง ค.ศ. 2013 - 2022 รวมถึงวิเคราะห์พลวัตการมีปฏิสัมพันธ์ในเชิงแข่งขันของทั้งสองประเทศ โดยใช้กรอบแนวคิดเรื่องอภิภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ ซึ่งวิเคราะห์องค์ประกอบขีดความสามารถของรัฐ 7 ประการ ได้แก่ 1) สังคมและสาธารณสุข 2) การเมืองภายใน 3) เศรษฐกิจ 4) สิ่งแวดล้อม 5) วิทยาศาสตร์และศักยภาพมนุษย์ 6) การทหารและความมั่นคง และ 7) การทูตระหว่างประเทศ ผลการศึกษาพบว่า การดำเนินนโยบายและกิจกรรมทางอวกาศในมิติด้านความมั่นคงแห่งชาติของสหรัฐอเมริกาและจีนในห้วง ค.ศ. 2013 – 2022 มีลักษณะที่เป็นปฏิสัมพันธ์ในเชิงแข่งขันระหว่างกัน ในลักษณะที่สหรัฐอเมริกาและจีนมองอวกาศเป็นพื้นที่หนึ่งที่มีความสำคัญต่อการดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์ความมั่นคงแห่งชาติ โดยทั้งสองประเทศดำเนินนโยบายและกิจกรรมทางอวกาศในลักษณะที่แข่งขันกันเพื่อช่วงชิงการมีอิทธิพลในอวกาศ และเพื่อส่งเสริมกำลังอำนาจแห่งชาติของตนเอง โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งด้านการเมือง การทหาร การทูต เศรษฐกิจ วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี

Russian Motives In Cyberattacks: Case Studies Of Estonia And Ukraine, Theeratiphong Pannil

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The purpose of this independent_study is to examine Russian motivations for the 2007 cyberattacks on Estonia's critical information infrastructure and the 2015 Ukraine power grid breach. It also analyzes the aftermath and consequences of the attacks, as well as efforts to address the issues. The study found that Russia's primary purpose in cyberattacks is most likely to survive the anarchy of the international system, in which states can never trust each other and must rely on themselves. The acts of Estonia and Ukraine, as well as NATO's ambitions to expand, intervene, and achieve dominance in Russia's sphere of influence, would …

Trapped On The Eve Of War, 1941: Stalin And His Generals Failing Separately And Together, Cynthia A. Roberts

Publications and Research

This chapter examines Soviet military planning and preparedness on the eve of Germany’s June 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Drawing on archival evidence and post-Soviet scholarship, it reassesses explanations for the Red Army’s catastrophic initial defeats. It argues that the General Staff’s unrealistic offensive plans and force posture conflicted with Stalin’s political strategy of deterrence and war avoidance. This mismatch, rooted partly in the Soviet military’s organizational preference for offensive operations and flawed assumptions about mobilization and the initial period of war, increased Soviet vulnerability to surprise attack. The chapter considers the development of Soviet war plans in 1940–1941, …

U.S.-Ukraine Relations And The Concept Of Strategic Partnership, Khrystyna Pelchar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A strategic partnership has become particularly relevant in the wake of the Russian war in Ukraine. Most studies focus on the historical perspective of particular special relations leaning toward the long-standing nature and stability of those relations. Others describe interstate partnerships as dynamic developments rather than static phenomena. Conventionally, strategic partnerships are multifaceted, including the spheres of economic cooperation, military assistance and partnership, and democracy promotion. Scholars also single out cultural proximity as an important factor facilitating mutual trust and feasibility of strategic partnership.

This thesis will discuss the historical background of the U.S.-Ukraine economic, socio-political, and military cooperation and …

Tearing Down The Facade: Power, Realism, And The War On Terror, Samirah Jaigirdar

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

Realism is a powerful theoretical framework to analyze international relations, including the War on Terror. For realists, US foreign policy is a tool to achieve national interests that are defined by the pursuit of power and primacy. Twenty years after 9/11, the US is still pursuing the War on Terror in order to continue protecting and building their unipolar sphere of influence. This motivation makes the War on Terror an example of realist grand strategy. However, proponents of neorealism argue that US foreign policy is engulfed in a liberal crusader sentiment that spreads democracy. But the US’s national security policies, …

Undersea Cables: The Ultimate Geopolitical Chokepoint, Bert Chapman

FORCES Initiative: Strategy, Security, and Social Systems

This work provides historical and contemporary overviews of this critical geopolitical problem, describes the policy actors addressing this in the U.S. and selected other countries, and provides maps and information on many undersea cable work routes. These cables are chokepoints with one dictionary defining chokepoints as “a strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region."

China Containment In East Asia: Preventative Or Provocative?, Rachel Solsman

Senior Honors Theses

Since the end of World War II, the United States has developed and maintained its strategic alliances with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and has worked to contain China through bolstering its deterrence strategy. However, after a century of humiliation, China is modernizing its military capabilities, improving in trade, and increasing political cohesion to become a regional hegemon. In light of these changes to the international order, the United States must re-evaluate its East Asian alliances and its current military and economic deterrence strategy against China. This paper will discuss the history of these alliances, the rise of …

Collige Et Impera: The United States Reengagement In Libya, Marco Schinella

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

President Biden's "America is back" pledge holds the potential to be put to the test with the ongoing crisis in Libya. The internationalization of the post-Ghaddafi Libyan breakdown, strained by great-power competition (GPC) dynamics, poses nonnegligible threats to the United States (US) national security that extends beyond Libya per se. Reframing the conflict from yet another Middle East and North Africa (MENA) conflict to an urgent multilateral Mediterranean security challenge will help elevate the country's profile on the global stage. This thesis outlines a qualitative, within-case study analysis of the ongoing Libyan crisis from the perspective of US national security …

Norm Contestation And Its Effects On Emergence Of A New Norm, Khadijeh Salimi

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study is to propose a theoretical model to investigate the mechanism by which contesting of a harmful legal norm by powerless individual actors results in the emergence of a new norm. While much work has been done on norm contestation at the “actor level” in the field, the structural conditions under which contesting of harmful norms by powerless individual actors lead to emergence of a new norm have been insufficiently studied, especially in the non-democratic cultural context. I developed a model that combine existing causal theories in one frame to reproduce observe conditions in the real …

Islands In The Sun: Lawfare And Great-Power Competition In The Indo-Pacific, Clayton T. Russo

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis examines the U.S.-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty and its future considering the recent developments in the international security environment. The 2018 National Defense Strategy brought back an emphasis on Great Power Competition, fundamentally transforming the role of U.S. alliances to address new challenges. In the 2021 budget, the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) has prioritized the People’s Republic of China as the number one pacing threat to theUnited States, drastically shifting international focus away from the Middle East and towards East Asia. In conjunction with funding new capabilities through the PDI, the U.S. will need to conceive new legal doctrines …

Israeli Nuclear Deterrence: The Failure Of A Concept: "How Did The Change In Israel's Strategic Context Affect The Usefulness Of The Israeli Nuclear Deterrent?", Amr Nasr El-Din

Archived Theses and Dissertations

This study will aim at examining how the changes in Israelâ s security environment affected the strategic usefulness of its nuclear deterrent. The Israeli nuclear deterrent was developed during the 1950s and the 1960s when Israelâ s strategic setting was, mainly, dominated by state-centered security threats. Consequently, Israel, at the time, was mainly concerned with the possible symmetrical military confrontations with its Arab neighbors; something that would have created strategic value for the Israeli nuclear deterrent. Yet, a closer examination of the evolution of the Israeli security environment since 1982 will reveal that Non-State Actors (NSAs) and asymmetrical forms of …

From A Weak State To A "Rogue" State: The Emergence And Phases Of State Decay In Afghanistan (1978-2001), Abdullah Chenzaie

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.