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The Narrowing Of Federal Power By The American Political Capital, David Fontana

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

This Essay--—prepared for a symposium hosted by the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal on the future of the District of Columbia--—argues that American federal power can be better understood by considering the features of the metropolitan area that houses the most important parts of the American federal government. In other American metropolitan areas and in most capital metropolitan areas elsewhere in the world, local life features multiple and diverse industries. Washington is the metropolitan area that houses the most important parts of the American federal government, and Washington is dominated by the government and related industries. Washington is, …

The Values Of Nations: The Fate Of Nations Is Not Predetermined, Daniel Reiher

Senior Honors Theses

The values of a nation are vital for forming the institutions that govern a people and for guiding public policies. This thesis examines the historical institutions and political cultures of several nations and compares them to their geographic (i.e. continental) contemporaries. Particular emphasis is devoted to case-studies of Industrial Revolution Britain, Meiji Restoration Japan, Independent Botswana, and Post-war Asia. This thesis demonstrates a correlation between such institutions as free markets, limited government, and protected personal liberties, with national prosperity. Most importantly, the formation of these institutions was directly affected by the values of the individuals that established them. Values, both …

The Myth Of American Exceptionalism, Carter A. Wilson Dr.

Conference Presentations

This paper critiques the contemporary literature on American exceptionalism. It examines the multiple religious, intellectual and racist traditions that have and continue to make up U.S. political culture. It demonstrates that the doctrine of American exceptionalism is full of contradictions and fallacies. Whereas some traditions supported democracy and equality, other cultural traditions operated to sustain and promote racial repression. Both in the past and today, U.S. political culture contains contradictory currents, one progressive and the other reactionary.

Cybersecurity And The Future International Competitiveness Of The United States, Tai Gray

Student Works

Cybersecurity is inseparably connected to the future international competitiveness of the United States and must play a more significant role in both governmental and private spheres of American society. To increase the strength of U.S. cybersecurity and defend against future attacks, the government should devote more resources to providing cybersecurity tools and information to the public, promoting the implementation of secure forms of communication and purchasing, as well as researching and developing both offensive and defensive cyber tools. By focusing efforts on these three key areas, the U.S. government can better prepare for future cyberattacks and minimize risk to both …

Human Rights In Nigeria's External Relations: Exigency, Methods, And Rebuttable Objections, Philip C. Aka

Buffalo Human Rights Law Review

No abstract provided.

Muslim Women Political Leaders And Electoral Participation In Muslim-Majority Countries, Abby M. Rolland

What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World

This paper focuses on Muslim women political leaders and their agency in the modern world. While some Muslim women have a difficult time participating politically, others actively act in policy and government. Culture, identity, location, and political parties are some of the factors leading to different levels of participation from Muslim women in various countries.

Advocate, Spring 2015, Vol. 26, No. 3, Advocate

The Advocate

TABLE OF CONTENTS

From the Editor’s Desk: More Propaganda, Less Liberalism: Our Ongoing Struggle (p. 3)

Letters to the Editor (p. 5)

CUNY News in Brief:

- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (p. 6)

- Unions to Mobilize on May Day Against Racist Police Killings. CUNY Internationalist Clubs (p. 7)

Graduate Student Life:

- Digital Humanities Resources: A Personal Journey. Jennifer Tang (p. 9)

- The CUNY Experience Beyond Advocacy: Creating a CUNY-Wide Student Union. Amanda Ocasio (p. 11)

In Conversation:

- Prisoners for Profit: CUNY Prison Divest and the Carceral State. Christina Nadler, Melissa Marturano, and Sean M. …

Entrenched In Power: Path Dependence And Un Security Council Reform, Brian Valley

Honors Projects

This paper explores United Nations Security Council reform from a historical perspective. Using the concept of path dependence, the paper shows how features put in place at the Security Council’s formation have limited options for reform in the present. The Security Council’s concert of power model, separation from the General Assembly, distinction of membership types, and high barrier for change serve as mechanisms of path dependence. These features resulted from the Security Council’s formation during WWII in the wake of the failed League of Nations. The inability of current reform movements to bring about change illustrates the Security Council’s continued …

U.S. Military Aid And The Role Of Foreign Armies In Civil Politics, Jennifer Jones Cunningham

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The recent expansion of the Egyptian military's role in civil politics has led to uncertainty regarding the relationship between U.S. military aid and democratization. However, studies focusing on the link between foreign aid and democratization often exclude military aid from their analyses. This omission is particularly problematic given that civilian control over the military is a vital precondition for democratic consolidation, and a high percentage of U.S. military aid recipients are not yet consolidated democracies. Proponents of military aid point to the role security cooperation can play in diffusing democratic norms of professionalism. Critics worry military aid strengthens an institution …

In Search Of Autonomy: Nepal As A Wedge State Between India And China, Sagar Rijal

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Traditional International Relations (IR) theories consign small states to the reactive roles of "bargaining, bandwagoning or buffering." Small states are deemed to be inherently vulnerable, forever concerned with their mere survival. However, the present global system of states is characterized by numerous smaller states, many of which are not only surviving but also thriving in both economically and politically spheres.

To unravel this anomaly, this study proposes a theory of wedge states as a separate category of small states, which are compelled to deep engagement with two or more rival powers simultaneously. The study analyzes a case of a typical …

Losing The Monopoly Of Violence: The State, A Drug War And The Paramilitarization Of Organized Crime In Mexico (2007–10), Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Michelle Keck, Jose Nava

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article examines the phenomenon of drug-related violence in Mexico and the causal factors that enabled the upsurge in the numbers of drug-related homicides during the period 2007–10 — the first 4 years of the so-called “war on drugs”. The authors explore regional statistics derived from official sources, as well as from both anecdotal and empirical research on the subject, and assess quantitatively the impact of different factors such as deteriorated economic conditions, corruption, a new configuration of organized crime, divisions between criminal organizations and the Mexican government's strategy to fight organized crime. The study finds that the key forces …

Removing The Rust: Comparative Post-Industrial Revitalization In Buffalo, Cleveland, And Pittsburgh, Scott Nicholas Duryea

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the differences in post-industrial redevelopment among the cities of Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Part of the so-called "rust belt," these three cities experienced industrial decline from the 1960s through the 1980s, largely as a result of the economic globalization of heavy industry. Intensive manufacturing and output had come to a screeching halt, unemployment skyrocketed, outmigration ensued, and each metropolitan area faced formidable challenges to convert to service-oriented industries. Over the past twenty years, these cities, and the regions that encompass them, have begun to redevelop, although unevenly. At a glance, the Pittsburgh region appears to …

Armed Humanitarian Intervention: The Role Of Powerful Leaders In Framing And The National Security Decision Making Process, John Marshall Callahan

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study identifies and analyzes the decision making and framing processes for selected cases of armed humanitarian intervention by the United States in the post-Cold War Era. It fills a gap in the literature on decision making, focusing on the role of the powerful individual leader in national security decision making and the framing of interventions to the U.S. public and other stakeholder audiences. An examination of extant literature on the subject of U.S. foreign policy decision making, and development and implementation of framing strategies is used to determine the role of the individual leader in those processes using three …

“The Preservation Of Indigenous Knowledge In Contemporary Mexico In El Cultivo Del Maíz En Yojovi By Javier Castellanos Martínez.”, Ida Day

Modern Languages Faculty Research

The author applies an ecocritical perspective to the study of Javier Castellanos' 1988 monograph of Yojovi corn farmers' testimonies, El cultivo del maíz en Yojovi. The author's ecocritical lens establishes Yojovi rights to determine food sustainability practices and to determine land resource use. In particular, the author examines the conflicts between Yojovi knowledge of corn varieties and their cultivation and the pressure to alter their practices to adhere to genetically modified corn crop production. She also reveals the conflicts between Yojovi narratives that situate humans within their natural habitats and the Western scientific paradigm's narratives that tend to separate humans …

First We Take Manhattan... Global Cities And Diasporic Networks In The Aftermath Of Syriza's Victory, Despina Lalaki

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Toward Context-Sensitive Statebuilding For Development: State-Local Complementarity In Rural Guatemala, Matthew Thornton Klick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Developing countries emerging from conflict often feature enduring, destitute poverty amid often fast-growing economies at the national level. This dissertation explores a critical question: What accounts for variation in human development levels across similar communities in conflict-affected countries? In particular it explores how some equally poor, indigenous, highland communities in Guatemala have made advances in health and education, while others have stagnated or regressed. These results are demonstrated through a quantitative analysis of all of Guatemala’s 334 municipalities, utilizing difficult to access data from myriad sources, combined with the results of qualitative field methods – including over 250 key informant …

The Ninja: An Invented Tradition?, Stephen Turnbull

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The ninja is a well known phenomenon in Japanese military culture. The popularity of the tradition is centered on the neighboring areas of Iga and Kōka where ninja are a profitable tourist attraction. This paper examines the historical sources on which the ninja tradition is based to see if the pre-eminence claimed by Iga and Kōka is justified. It is shown that they were no different from several other places in their geography or their politics and that only one reliable account of secret warfare can be identified before 1581, the year when Iga Province ceased to exist as an …

About The Contributors

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

No abstract provided.

Thin Vs. Thick Morality: Ethics And Gender In International Development Programs, Richard K. Ghere

Political Science Faculty Publications

This study examines the ethical dimensions of gender-focused international development initiatives undertaken by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and similar agencies. Specifically, it presents three case studies that depict how specific development initiatives in, respectively, India, Tanzania, and Senegal address gender disparities and power relationships. These case studies support the general conclusion that ethically committed development NGOs find difficulty in encouraging women (and men) to reverse oppressive power status-quos in messy contexts.

Predator State: Corruption In A Council-Manager System–The Case Of Bell, California, Dr. Tom Hogan-Esch

Local Government Reconsidered

This article seeks to explain recent patterns of corruption in the City of Bell, California. After reviewing the literature on municipal corruption, Progressive reform, and political participation in immigrant communities, the article examines the Bell case study. It argues that the council-manager form of government contributes to civic disengagement in California’s high-immigration cities. Insulated from civic accountability, Bell became effectively a ‘predator state’ as local officials exploited governmental power and resources for personal gain. Implications for political reform and local state- building in high immigration cities are discussed.

Introducing Crhr Research Reports, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR Research Reports

Intruduction to CRHR Research Reports.

Number 2 - The Role Of Western Democratic System Of Governance In Exacerbating Ethnic Conflicts In Africa: The Case Of Ghana's Democratic Dispensation, 1992-2012, David Kwasi Bansah

Peace and Conflict Management Working Papers Series

This paper interrogates the influence of Western forms of democracy on ethnic conflicts in Africa through a case study of Ghana’s adoption of multiparty democracy between 1992 and 2012. It discusses the transition of African traditional systems of government before, during, and after colonization. The paper also shows how democracy, by definition and in terms of governance, cannot solely be a Western idea since many African societies had democratic elements in their systems of government before the arrival of the Europeans. Relying on qualitative secondary data, and the analysis of fierce and acrimonious competition that have characterized multiparty democratic elections …

Symposium - The 9 Billion People Question: The Challenge Of Global Resource Scarcity

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Food As A Key Resource For Security And Stability: Implications Of Changes In The Global Food System 1950-2000, Bryan L. Mcdonald

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

Food security remains an urgent problem affecting the national security and interests of states, as well as the human security of people and communities around the world. This article examines the changing landscape of food security threats and vulnerabilities by examining three sets of concerns that are converging to amplify, disrupt, and transform food relations: nutrition, food safety, and global environmental change. Ensuring food security will require utilization of a range of capabilities from the state, private, and non-state sectors to confront world food problems and build a sustainable and resilient world food network.

Geopolitics Of Resource Scarcity, Kent Hughes Butts

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

From Scarcity To Abundance: The Changing Dynamics Of Energy Conflict, Michael T. Klare

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

Energy security and geopolitics have played a pivotal role in international affairs for a very long time, ever since the development of oil-powered vehicles and weapons of war. Until recently, the geopolitics of energy have largely been governed by perceptions of scarcity—the assumption that oil and other energy reserves were relatively limited, and that competition over their exploitation would lead to recurring crisis and conflict. However, the recent utilization of advanced extractive technologies—including deep-sea drilling and hydraulic fracturing—have resulted in unexpected production gains and fostered a sense that abundance, rather than scarcity, will govern the future energy picture. …

The Political Ecology Of The State: The Basis And The Evolution Of Environmental Statehood, Joshua M. Mullenite

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

No abstract provided.

Waste And Duplication In Nasa Programs: The Need To Enhance U.S. Space Program Efficiency, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The U.S. Government faces acute budgetary deficits and national debt problems in the Obama Administration. These problems have been brought about by decades of unsustainable government spending affecting all agencies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (NASA). An outgrowth of this fiscal profligacy is the presence of wasteful and duplicative programs within NASA that prevent this agency from achieving its space science and human spaceflight objectives. These problems occur due to mismanagement of these programs from NASA and the creation of these programs by the U.S. Congress and congressional committees. This occurs because congressional appropriators tend to be more …

Institutionalizing Colonial Identity: A Case Study On The Indian Partition, Jamie Bodine

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In 1947, the British colony of India was declared independent and emerged as two separate states, Pakistan and India. To examine this event, I ask what material cause(s) made possible the institutional separation between these two new states. To approach this question, I will review the process of political identity formation from the upheaval of 1857 to the 1947 partition. In so doing, I argue that the system of categorizing those who were under British colonial rule manufactured a particular set of political identities on the Indian subcontinent.

How And Why Emigration Matters: Examining The Emergence Of New “Emigration Regimes” And Its Impact On Public Administration In Kyrgyzstan, Ariane Chebel D’Appollonia, Jyldyz T. Kasymova

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Most immigration studies have focused on migrant receiving states. By contrast, little attention has been paid to the emigration policies of sending states. This article examines several administrative reforms implemented in Kyrgyzstan to regulate emigration. Our findings regarding the actual outcomes of these strategies are mixed. If some progress has been made in defending the rights of Kyrgyz workers abroad and guaranteeing the flow of remittances, several negative impacts can be identified. These include the reliance on remittances and the disruption of the social fabric, especially in rural communities. We also find that the growing “culture of emigration” undermines civic …