Digital Commons Network^™

Trade And Power Transition Wars, Conor Sullivan

Honors Program Theses

This paper examines whether or not international trade can be depended on to prevent power transition wars, with a focus on the current transition between the US and China. The literature on power transitions and on trade’s impact on international wars is reviewed, and a method established for determining whether a neoliberal or neorealist understanding of the impact of trade is more appropriate in the current transition. This method employs a model for predicting states’ trade policies to see whether its predictions are accurate both before and after the rise of complex economic interdependence in the 1970s. If the same …

Success And Shortcomings: Disarmament, Demobilization, And Reintegration In Eastern And Central Africa, Grace Marshall

Honors Program Theses

In post-conflict transitions, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration have played a crucial role in the treatment of former combatants and the advancement of peacebuilding. This peacebuilding process, known as DDR, has experienced successes and failures throughout its implementation across the globe. Specifically, as conflict erupted across many nations in Central and Eastern Africa, the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs that were implemented during different nations’ peacebuilding transition towards at the turn of the twenty first century experienced variations among their success at reducing or halting conflict. This investigation analyzes the factors that contribute to the ability for disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration …

Mao With Smart Phones And Internet? A Comparison Of Classic Guerrilla Warfare With Fourth And Fifth Generation Warfare Using An Agent-Based Model For Simulation, Jerry Taylor Sink

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW) theory shares many characteristics of classical guerrilla warfare (CGW) theory in security studies literature. Proponents claim that 4GW is a revolution in war that overturns traditional measures of military power, while critics counter that 4GW is simply CGW in an updated context. Another group posits Fifth Generation Warfare (5GW), which adds additional information-age technologies and uses “any and all means,” (military and extra-military) to attack both the enemy’s will and capability to resist. The irregular subset of 5GW strategies appear to be an extension of 4GW with the addition of advanced information-age technologies: mobile phones and …

Understanding Terror: A Religiopolitical Analysis Of The Rise Of Isis And The Establishment Of A Caliphate, Alexandra Hansen

Scripps Senior Theses

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has made waves in the international community, stoking global terror, influencing political discourse, costing hundreds of millions of dollars in security response and reconstruction efforts. More importantly, it has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, whether it be from direct combat or attacks, or from the massive refugee crises it sparked. One wonders, how did a small extremist group make such a massive and disastrous impact? Most research done on ISIS and terrorism studies tend to focus on the political, economic, and social factors that lead to the creation and successes of …

Patrons Of Violence : Drivers And Dimensions Of State Support For Rebel Groups, Nakissa Jahanbani

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Why do some states support rebel groups? This area of study has garnered more attention in the aftermath of the Cold War, as states continue to leverage proxy groups against one another. To understand the causes and consequences of state support, this dissertation builds on existing work in the state sponsorship, terrorism, and interstate rivalry literature. The research questions in this dissertation ask: (1) why states provides specific types of sponsorship; (2) what, if any, is the effect of interstate rivalry on the global network of state support; and (3) why are some Islamist rebel groups more violent than others. …

A Relentless War: America, Israel, And The Fight Against Terrorism, Elyse Keener

Senior Honors Theses

For Israel, terrorism has plagued the nation since its beginning. Terrorism rears its ugly head in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons; however, in both the United States and Israel, Islamic extremism has presented itself as the largest threat. Since its birth as a nation, the United States has been involved in numerous conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to World War II and beyond. These wars were fought between nation-states and traditional powers, but since the attacks on 9/11, the United States finds itself in a new kind of conflict against a different kind of enemy. …

Game Of Survival: External Actors' Support For Separatists, Joshua C. Underwood

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a novel model for external actors’ support for separatists.Three variables measuring external actors’ support are identified through two case studies, Kosovo Liberation Army and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, with an emphasis on Military Aid’s impact. The variables are then applied to a quantitative analysis of external actors’ support in a dataset of 75 observations during the years 1991-2020, utilizing the Uppsala Conflict Data Program External Support Dataset. The findings for this research show that Military Aid and Moral Support improve the probability of survival for a separatist group. A deeper analysis reveals that military aid among …

Piecing Together Coalition War: Threat, Politics, And Coalition Structure, Stephen Joiner

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

Military coalitions are both a common feature of interstate warfare and an example of the highest level of cooperation between states. Despite their tremendous importance in international relations, military coalitions remain poorly understood. This project investigates critical questions related to coalition structures, and uses quantitative and qualitative methods to show that both the threat and political opportunity facing coalitions helps to determine the shape of their structures. This project utilizes a dataset of all coalition wars since 1816, as well as case studies of six coalitions to investigate these relationships. Key contributions include novel theoretical arguments and the findings that …

"Review Of Stephen Huggins America's Use Of Terror: From Colonial Times To The A-Bomb," 2020. Journal Of Interdisciplinary History 51(2): 328--29., Zachary C. Shirkey

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Targeting The Minority: A New Theory Of Diversionary Violence, Nathaniel M. Arnold

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a novel theory for domestic diversionary violence, contending that the main drivers for this type of conflict are the specific characteristics of state-targeted domestic minority groups. Seven new variables measuring minority group characteristics are identified through a case study of the Kurdish minority in the Turkish Republic, then applied to a quantitative analysis of domestic diversionary violence in a dataset of 284 observations across 117 countries during the years 2004-2005, utilizing data from the University of Maryland’s Minorities at Risk Project, the University of Illinois Cline Center SPEED Database, and World Bank. A proportional odds logistic regression …

Were The French Government’S Brexit-Related Worries Prior To The 2016 Referendum Overstated?, Claudia Michelle Chandra

CMC Senior Theses

The prospect of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union during the 2016 Brexit referendum was deeply troubling to French officials. As a historic leader of the European integration project, the French government and media worried that Brexit would embolden Eurosceptics in France. This threatened to undermine France’s identity as a pro-European nation. Also, due to France’s position as one of the UK’s main trading partners, French citizens and businesses feared that the end of freedom of movement between these countries would create burdensome legal and economic consequences. Nevertheless, more than three years have passed since the Brexit referendum and …

Role Of Art In International Relations : Analysis Of The Key Operational Patterns On The Example Of French Cultural Cluster, Maria Meshcherskaya

MA Theses

Reflecting on the role of art in the socio-cultural context would be unfair not to notice its unconventional nature of the transformation, definition, and understanding, depending on the time, place, and society, which would start the dispute. Yet, there is still no one answer or guide on how does art work as a singular system, using multiple mediums for translating, spreading, and sharing values from one culture to the another, without destroying origins of the message, but organically adopting it for the new environment. Luckily there is a set of tendencies kept by centuries, analysis of which might bring a …

Women And Strategies Of Violence: Gender Roles, Foreign Support And Maintaining The Rebellion, Caglayan Baser

Dissertations

How do women affect conflict dynamics in different ways than men? I examine how expectations based on gender identities impact rebel group strategies, as well as attitudes of foreign publics and political elites toward rebel groups. First, women can substantially contribute to rebel groups' ability to resist governments and maintain their rebellion through unique gendered ways. These include enabling greater tactical diversity, increased appeal to international audiences, and spearheading coup-proofing strategies against intra-organizational factions. Women's contributions to rebel groups are most salient during times of crises and in settings where gender stereotypes are stronger. Second, rebel groups with women participants …

การฝึกร่วมผสมทางทหาร Cobra Gold ในฐานะเครื่องมือตอบสนองมหายุทธศาสตร์ของสหรัฐอเมริกา, สุวิทย์ ไท้ทอง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์นี้มุ่งค้นหาอรรถประโยชน์ของการฝึกร่วมผสมทางทหาร Cobra Gold ซึ่งจัดขึ้นเป็นประจำทุกปีและมีประเทศไทยและสหรัฐอเมริกาเป็นเจ้าภาพร่วม การฝึกดังกล่าวได้ดำเนินมากว่าสี่สิบปีและเป็นสัญลักษณ์แสดงถึงความร่วมมือทางทหารระหว่างสหรัฐอเมริกากับประเทศไทยที่มีมาอย่างยาวนาน สหรัฐอเมริกาใช้การฝึกดังกล่าวเป็นกิจกรรมในการฝึกฝนกำลังพลของตนเองและชาติพันธมิตรเพื่อดำรงความพร้อมในการปฏิบัติภารกิจ ปัจจุบันการฝึกได้ขยายจากการฝึกแบบทวิภาคีมาเป็นพหุภาคีและมีชาติสมาชิกเข้าร่วมการฝึกถึง 27 ประเทศ แม้จะเป็นการฝึกทางทหารที่มีความสำคัญต่อสหรัฐอเมริกาอย่างยิ่ง แต่เมื่อประเทศไทยมีการรัฐประหารในปี ค.ศ.2006 และปี ค.ศ.2014 สหรัฐอเมริกาเองซึ่งมีหน้าที่ในการสนับสนุนและรักษาคุณค่าแบบเสรีนิยมประชาธิปไตย จึงต้องพิจารณาว่าจะยกเลิกการฝึกร่วมผสมทางทหารภายหลังการรัฐประหารทั้งสองครั้งหรือไม่ สารนิพนธ์นี้เสนอว่า การที่สหรัฐอเมริกาตัดสินใจให้มีการฝึกร่วมผสมทางทหาร Cobra Gold ภายหลังการรัฐประหารทั้งสองครั้ง เป็นผลมาจากการที่การฝึกดังกล่าวเป็นเครื่องมือตอบสนองต่อการดำเนินมหายุทธศาสตร์ของสหรัฐอเมริกาสองประการ ได้แก่การมุ่งสู่ความเป็นเลิศทางทหาร และการสร้างและรักษาระบบพันธมิตรของตนไว้ โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งภายใต้บริบทความมั่นคงที่มีการผงาดขึ้นของจีนมาเป็นมหาอำนาจที่ท้าทายสถานภาพของสหรัฐอเมริกา

คาลินินกราดกับนโยบายความมั่นคงของรัสเซียและองค์การสนธิสัญญาแอตแลนติกเหนือ(นาโต) : ความเปลี่ยนแปลงหลังการขยายสมาชิกภาพขององค์การสนธิสัญญาแอตแลนติกเหนือในปี ค.ศ.2004, ศิริชัย จันทวงษ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์นี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาการเปลี่ยนแปลงนโยบายความมั่นคงของรัสเซียและนาโตต่อคาลินินกราด หลังการขยายสมาชิกภาพของนาโตในปี ค.ศ. 2004 เพื่อแสดงข้อจำกัดของทฤษฎีสัจนิยมเชิงรุกของจอห์น เมียร์ไชเมอร์ ภายหลังรัฐบอลติกทั้งสามแยกตัวเป็นประเทศเอกราชจากสหภาพโซเวียตในปี ค.ศ. 1990-91 และเข้าเป็นสมาชิกนาโตในปี ค.ศ. 2004 ส่งผลให้พื้นที่คาลินินกราด ซึ่งเป็นเมืองท่าที่ปราศจากน้ำแข็งของรัสเซียเพียงแห่งเดียวในทะเลบอลติก กลายเป็นพื้นที่กึ่งถูกปิดล้อมและยิ่งมีความอ่อนไหวต่อความมั่นคงของรัสเซียนับจากนั้น สารนิพนธ์ได้ถกเถียงว่า สัจนิยมเชิงรุกมีข้อจำกัดในการอธิบายนโยบายความมั่นคงของรัสเซียและนาโตต่อคาลินินกราด จากข้อเสนอของเมียร์ไชเมอร์ นโยบายความมั่นคงที่ดีที่สุดของมหาอำนาจในสภาวะอนาธิปไตยระหว่างประเทศ คือการขยายอำนาจให้มากที่สุด และการสกัดตัดทอนอิทธิพลของฝ่ายตรงข้ามให้เหลือน้อยที่สุดด้วยการหาทางทำให้มหาอำนาจฝ่ายนั้นอ่อนแอลงไปในทุกทาง อย่างไรก็ตาม ผลการวิเคราะห์การดำเนินนโยบายทั้งของรัสเซียและนาโตในกรณีคาลินินกราดพบข้อจำกัดของสัจนิยมเชิงรุกของเมียร์ไชเมอร์ อย่างน้อย 4 ประการ ประการแรก เป้าหมายพื้นฐานของรัฐต่างๆในสภาวะอนาธิปไตยระหว่างประเทศคือความมั่นคงมากกว่าความต้องการเป็นเจ้า รัฐจึงใช้เครื่องมือที่ต่างออกไปจากยุทธศาสตร์การขยายอำนาจในการป้องกันตนเองและเสริมสร้างความมั่นคงในภาวะอนาธิปไตย ประการที่สอง จากสมมติฐานของเมียร์ไชเมอร์ที่ว่า รัฐเป็นตัวแสดงที่มีเหตุผล กรณีศึกษาที่ยกมาพบว่ารัสเซียและรัฐสมาชิกนาโตในยุโรปต่างตระหนักถึงความเป็นไปได้อย่างมาก ที่จะเกิดภาวการณ์ความมั่นคงที่ลำบากและอันตรายต่อทุกฝ่าย ถ้าฝ่ายหนึ่งฝ่ายใดเลือกนโยบายก้าวร้าวและยั่วยุในกรณีคาลินินกราด ทุกฝ่ายยังได้ตระหนักถึงผลประโยชน์ร่วมกันที่จะได้รับจากความร่วมมือในหลายๆด้าน ประการที่สาม แม้ว่ามีตัวแสดงสนับสนุนบางหน่วย สำหรับยุทธศาสตร์เชิงรุกดังที่เมียร์ไชเมอร์ได้กล่าวถึงในทฤษฎี แต่สถานะของนโยบายนั้นไม่ได้รับฉันทานุมัติและกระบวนการกำหนดนโยบายของแต่ละประเทศยังประกอบด้วยผลประโยชน์ที่หลากหลาย แนวคิดทางยุทธศาสตร์จำนวนมาก ที่จะใช้สานต่อและปกป้องผลประโยชน์เหล่านั้น นอกเหนือไปจากทางเลือกที่ก้าวร้าวทางทหาร ประการที่สี่ เพื่อลดความเสียหายจากสภาวะอนาธิปไตยจากการทำให้ภาวการณ์ทางความมั่นคงในบอลติกเลวร้ายลง รัฐสมาชิกนาโตและสหภาพยุโรปเลือกใช้ความร่วมมือทางการพัฒนาเป็นเวทีนโยบายหลักเพื่อขยายประเด็นความร่วมมือด้านอื่นๆกับรัสเซีย ด้วยความคาดหวังจะเปลี่ยนคาลินินกราดและทะเลบอลติกเป็นพื้นที่แห่งผลประโยชน์ร่วมกันของทั้งสองฝ่าย

Strengthening The U.S.-Japan Alliance: Pathways For Bridging Law And Policy, Columbia Law School, 2020, Nobuhisa Ishizuka, Masahiro Kurosaki, Matthew C. Waxman

Faculty Scholarship

During the three years leading up to this year ’s 60th anniversary of the signing of the 1960 U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, a series of workshops were held under the joint sponsorship of Columbia Law School’s Center for Japanese Legal Studies and the National Defense Academy of Japan’s Center for Global Security. Bringing together experts in international law and political science primarily from the United States and Japan, the workshops examined how differing approaches to use of force and understandings of individual and collective self-defense in the two countries might adversely affect their alliance.

The workshop participants explored the underlying causes …

Economic Sanctions & Political Unrest: Cuba And Iran, Bailey Nicole Sellers

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study observes the relationship between economic sanctions and civil unrest. Through a comparative lens, this paper assesses two case studies: Iran and Cuba and attempts to explain why Iran experiences high frequencies of protests in comparison to Cuba.

Towards Perpetual Peace: The Dynamics Of Us And Vietnam Relations Since The Settlement Of Agent Orange Case In 2000, Bhakti Putra Utama, Shary Charlotte Pattipeilhy, Reni Windiani

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

Agent Orange is a toxic chemical liquid used by the United States military during the Vietnam War in 1955-1975. The use of chemical weapons is classified as a form of crime due to violations of international agreements. This research tries to explain how Agent Orange has become a significant factor in the dynamics of relations between the US and Vietnam. The dynamics will be analyzed using the concept by Immanuel Kant. There are 6 articles that must be done to achieve lasting peace, but this article only discusses articles 1, 5, and 6 which are the basis for the establishment …

Escalation Of Military Conflict Between India And Pakistan In The Post Lahore Declaration (1999 – 2019): Security Dilemma Perspective, Dwi Impiani

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This paper describes the military conflict escalation between India and Pakistan in the period after 1999 Lahore Declaration. After several major wars, military conflicts between the two countries continued to this day. Previous studies on the India-Pakistan conflict only discussed the causes of this conflict and efforts to resolve conflicts. The studies are divided into three major perspectives, namely; security, domestic politics, and political economy, but none has explained how this military conflict is relatively lasting. Using security dilemma as an analytical framework, this paper will explain the variables of the security dilemma that have contributed to the escalating tensions …

Critical Engagement On Digital Sovereignty In International Relations: Actor Transformation And Global Hierarchy, Abid A. Adonis

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

The idea of digital sovereignty in the last twenty years increasingly reifies into chiefly policy making debates as the reaction of China’s determined activism on internet governance, Snowden’s case, and increasingly big internet corporations’ unchecked endeavors. International actors’ growing concerns on security, economy, data protection, and socio-political issues invoke new discourses on digital sovereignty since it bears global political consequences by nature. This stimulates recent intellectual debate in academic literature on how digital sovereignty affects (or be affected by) international politics. This article critically examines the development of digital sovereignty literatures. This article classifies literature taxonomically on four major themes: …

Human Rights? What A Good Idea! From Universal Jurisdiction To Crime Prevention, Daniel Feierstein

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Over the last decades, Genocide Studies has entered in a “comfort zone.” With fellowships and support from governments or NGOs, we have developed a very comfortable environment in which the knowledge we produce about genocide prevention is neither critical nor useful. We have become trapped by assumptions we have never checked against reality and many of us have chosen to work inside the circle of those assumptions: genocide and mass violence are horrible acts committed by horrible people; we cannot stand by and do nothing; we have the responsibility to protect civilian populations and that responsibility takes the form, as …

The Parallel Security Apparatus: Examining The Cases Of Baathist Iraq, Syria, And Iran, Donald Utchel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines the phenomena of the parallel security apparatus in the cases of Baathist Iraq, Syria, and Iran. Parallel security structures are often limited to books and articles published on secret police organizations in the broader security literature. Their research often focuses on one branch of the parallel security apparatus rather than examining all the parallel security institutions of that particular regime. This body of research attempts to bring further light to this particular phenomenon by examining all the parallel security institutions in a particular case and to connect and trace the various parallel security institutions to see if …

Winning Public Hearts And Minds: Security And Development Aid In The 21st Century, Mohammad Ashraf

Dissertations

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States, foreign aid has focused on winning public hearts and minds in the aid recipient states as a hedge against insecurity and means to achieve progress in the “war on terror.” Western donors, especially the United States, argue foreign aid is an effective tool to expand government capacity and control over territory, win public hearts and minds, and ultimately mitigate the need and significant military costs of deployment to counter insecurity, extremism, and terrorism in weak, fragile and failing states.

This dissertation uses case studies to explore the …

Human Rights And Justice Rights Approaches To Gender-Based Violence (Gbv): The Case Of Kenya’S Sexual Offenses Act (Ksoa), Maryanne W. Kamunya

Graduate Masters Theses

Sexual violence produces detrimental and long-lasting physical and psychological trauma that deters a victim’s ability to fully participate in the economic, political and social development of their community and nation-state (Legal Action Worldwide, 2014). To fight this crime, the UNDP has developed an International Sexual Violence Protocol. This Protocol recommends consolidation of sexual violence legislation into one document called the Sexual Offense Act. These laws tend to use a justice through rights approach to effectively criminalize and prosecute sexual violence within a comprehensive human rights-based model. By using a justice over human rights-based approach; Kenya’s Sexual Offense Act (KSOA) deviated …

Globalization And The Diffusion Of Military Capabilities, Eddie Stokes

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

I analyze the effects of economic and informational globalization on the diffusion of military capabilities in the 20th and 21st centuries. To test these relationships, I use the KOF Swiss Economic Institute’s data on economic and informational globalization and the Correlates of War data on National Material Capabilities for all states of the international system from 1970 to 2011. Using an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression of all states with standard errors clustered at the state-level, I find that economic globalization negatively correlates with increases in military capabilities; while informational globalization positively correlates with increases in military capabilities. These findings …

Finding Foreign Friends: National Self-Determination And Related Norms As Strategic Resources During The Biafran War For Independence, 1967–1970, Christopher Brucker

New England Journal of Public Policy

The study analyzes how the government of the Republic of Biafra used international norms to win foreign support during its 1967–1970 campaign to secede from Nigeria. Secession conflicts occur at the intersection of international and domestic politics. For independence movements, support from outside is crucial. But, as Bridget Coggins has asked, how can secession movements find “friends in high places”? International support for unilateral secession attempts is strictly prohibited. Domestic and international asymmetry are limiting secessionist foreign policy instruments to intangible means. Legitimacy is a central concept to illuminate the phenomenon. In international politics, legitimacy depends on the external perception …

Genealogies Of Terrorism: Revolution, State Violence, Empire, Wendy L. Lee

International Dialogue

In Genealogies of Terrorism: Revolution, State Violence, Empire, Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson takes on the ambitious project of providing a broadly Foucauldian genealogical account of the concept and practice of “terrorism.” While I am not quite sure she summits every mountain she attempts to climb, Erlenbusch-Anderson makes a valuable contribution to an under-developed literature and she offers some tantalizing points of departure for future explorations of an important and timely subject. Genealogies is an eminently worthwhile read; while some grounding in Foucault (among others) is sure to enhance the experience, Erlenbusch-Anderson’s introduction provides an able road map, making the ascent up through …

Revolution And War In Contemporary Ukraine: The Challenge Of Change, Emma Mateo

International Dialogue

This November marks six years since Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests. Sometimes referred to as the “Revolution of Dignity,” the events of winter 2013–14 had far-reaching consequences not only for Ukraine’s government and Ukrainian national identity, but also for global geopolitics. After the corrupt Yanukovych government fell, Putin’s Russia annexed Crimea and became involved in separatist conflict in Ukraine’s eastern regions, under the premise of “protecting Russian speakers.” This edited volume investigates the events of 2013–14 and their impact on culture, politics, society and identities.

Triadic Coercion: Israel’S Targeting Of States That Host Nonstate Actors, Richard English

International Dialogue

This scholarly, serious-minded book represents a valuable addition to the Columbia University Press series, Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare. Considering the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict, Wendy Pearlman and Boaz Atzili address the issue of what they term “triadic coercion—in which a state directs military threats or strikes at another state to force it to take action against a nonstate actor to which it offers shelter or assistance” (242). This tactic has been common enough to be historically significant, and the Israeli case that is examined here offers a useful laboratory within which to offer systematic consideration of the phenomenon.

How U.S. Government Policy Documents Are Addressing The Increasing National Security Implications Of Artificial Intelligence, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Artificial intelligence is affecting many areas of our lives and governmental policy. National security is one arena in which artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important and controversial role. U.S. Government and military agencies are producing a steadily expanding corpus of publicly available literature on this topic. This literature documents how these agencies have this topic's national security implications historically and currently while also addressing potentially emerging national security issues where artificial intelligence will intersect with national security. This presentation demonstrates examples of the growing variety of publicly available national security artificial intelligence literature while also addressing the implications of …