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Chemicals And Creeds: Cbrn Weapon Use And Religious-Based Terrorism, Nikolai Apilado

Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV

General theories of terrorism typically focus on economic, social, or political factors that lead to terrorist acts. Conversely, chemical, biological, radiational, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons are rarely spoken of in academic literature. Yet, these weapons are still used by terrorists in some capacity. In this paper, I argue that religion is the primary factor that influences terrorists to pursue CBRN weapons as opposed to more secular-based terrorists. This is due to the fact that religious-based terrorists are not concerned with preserving their reputation or credibility among society, as well as being so blinded by their religion that they are willing …

The Influence Of The “Hayah Karima” Initiative On The Standard Of Living Of Egyptian Citizens: Evidence From The Menofia Governorate, Merihan Sharara

Theses and Dissertations

Social protection programs have been used in several developing countries in order to aid in their development efforts. In Egypt, “Hayah Karima”, an initiative which represents a developmental initiative endorsed by Egypt’s President Al-Sisi, aims to minimize the developmental gaps among citizens in terms of standards of living. “Hayah Karima” is based on governmental finance in partnership with the private sector. This paper covers this initiative and its different aspects as well as their possible impact on the standards of living for citizens in El- Menofia Governorate. The paper also includes 71 surveys conducted with different partners and beneficiaries of …

“Astronaut Envy?” The U.S. Military’S Quest For A Human Mission In Space, Roger D. Launius

Space and Defense

Before the beginning of the space age in 1957, the Department of Defense (DOD) of the United States sought to gain the mission and the technologies to carry out human operations in space. Even after 1958, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower made the decision to assign the human spaceflight mission to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), DOD champions continued to argue for a role for military astronauts. The military pursued several flight projects in the 1960s, achieved flight status for military astronauts on classified missions on the Space Shuttle in the 1980s, and has continued to …

Lawful Response To Attacks On Space Systems, James D. Rendleman

Space and Defense

What means may a nation lawfully employ to respond to and to defeat threats and attacks on its space systems? Treaties and customary law provide a strong incentive to limit space activities to non-aggressive “peaceful purposes.” They do not, however, proscribe space warfare or preparation for such conflict. Space system components are thus at risk, and can be attacked, degraded, or destroyed, simultaneously or each in detail. The use of force is allowed only in self-defense against an “armed attack” or in accord with authorization of the United Nations (UN). Kinetic, electromagnetic, or information operation attacks against space systems are …

Terror On High: Deterring Asat, Stephen Shea, Mathew Johnson, Alfredo Zurita

Space and Defense

Student Contribution:

As technology becomes even more pervasive in daily life, valuable and relatively vulnerable space assets will inspire greater desire to attack U.S. power through space.1 As a result, Anti-Satellite (ASAT) deterrence, a fledgling area of study, will need to be developed and addressed in detail. The proceeding essay will attempt to answer the following questions. What motivates space attacks? How will the enemy try to attack our space assets? What can be done to deter future ASAT attacks?

Cyberwar: Clausewitzian Encounters, Marco Cepik, Diego Rafael Canabarro, Thiago Borne Ferreira

Space and Defense

As Clausewitz’s masterpiece suggests, language matters for how states conceptualize and plan for war. ‘Cyberwar’, now on the lips of nearly every national security policymaker, may turn out to be a misnomer.

Attack On The Brain: Neurowars And Neurowarfare, Armin Krishnan

Space and Defense

Is neurotechnology leading nation-states toward a new domain of war? Neuroscience is on the verge of deciphering the human brain. As a result, brains will become a part of the battlefield against which attacks will be directed. As neuroscientist James Giordano argued: “the brain is the next battlespace.” It is foreseeable that this will have tremendous implications for warfare and could amount to a true military revolution in the sense of military historian Williamson Murray: it would completely change the characteristics of conflict, as well as transform state and society.

Income Inequality, Social Mobility, And Electoral Participation In The U.S. Counties: Revisiting The Inequality-Participation Nexus, Dongkyu Kim, Mi-Son Kim, Sang-Jic Lee

Political Science Faculty Publications

Previous research has provided contested hypotheses about the impact of income inequality on electoral participation. This study reexamines the debate between conflict and relative power theories by focusing on a largely ignored factor: social mobility. We argue that social mobility conditions the inequality-participation nexus by alleviating the frustration, class conflict, and efficacy gaps between the rich and the poor that the prevailing theories assume income inequality to create. By utilizing the Cooperative Congressional Election Survey, we test this argument focusing on US counties. Our analysis confirms that the effects of income inequality on citizens’ likelihood of voting vary depending on …

Cadet Voice: A Curious Trinity: War, Media, And Public Opinion, Laura Olson

Space and Defense

The following USAFA cadet Capstone project from spring 2017 won the Best Undergraduate Class Paper Award from the national Political Science honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha. The article appears, below, as submitted, with allowances for Space & Defense formatting.

August, 2012- President Obama drew a “Red Line” on chemical weapons use in Syria. Just over a year later, a UN report confirmed Syrian chemical use. Two words, spoken by the most powerful man in the world, generated massive media coverage. Around the world, news outlets and people everywhere looked for Washington’s reaction. Words are powerful because of the narrative they …

Building Beyond Samba And Soccer: Why Brazil Ventured A Nuclear Program, Saint-Clair Lima Da Silva

Space and Defense

Contrary to conventional wisdom on Brazil as a case of nuclear proliferation, archival evidence indicates that, rather than geopolitical rivalry with Argentina, enduring desire for national autonomy—honor more than sword or shield—drove Brazil during the 1980s to master its own uranium enrichment cycle.

Cadet Voice: Hypersonic Weapons' Effect On Stragetic Stability, Darren Sency

Space and Defense

Initial exploration of the relationship between new technologies and strategic stability finds that hypersonic weapons, regardless of which power deploys them, first, could raise the probability of nuclear war.

Cadet Voice: Extended Deterrence And Resilience In The Baltic States, Liam J. Connolly

Space and Defense

The following USAFA cadet independent study was supported by the Academy’s Nuclear Weapons & Strategy minor and the Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program to Lithuania. With minor formatting changes, the paper here appears as submitted to the USSTRATCOM Larry D. Welch Writing Award and the summer Deterrence Symposium (Omaha, NE), July 31-Aug. 1, 2019, where it won junior division, first place.

Since the end of the Second World War the United States has practiced extended deterrence as a means of resisting Russian expansion and aggression. In Europe, the US has done this with the support of the North Atlantic Treaty …

Deterrence In Cyberspace: A Game-Theoretic Approach, Abderrahman Sokri

Space and Defense

This novel application of the Stackelberg leader-follower game from economic theory illuminates situational constraints that point to a sweet spot, an optimal level of investment in cyber defense, for deterrence by denial.

Deterrence is a form of persuasion intended to manipulate the cost-benefit analysis of would-be attackers and convince them that the cost of taking an action against the defender outweighs its potential benefit (Brantly, 2018; Wilner, 2017).1 It is the prevention (of a target) from committing unwanted behavior by fear of the consequences (United States (US) Department of Defense (DoD), 2008; Taipale, 2010). Deterrence differs from compellence by focusing …

Partisan Selective Exposure On Social Media During The 2020 Presidential Election, Grayce Lemon

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

This study examines selective exposure and selective avoidance on social media during the 2020 presidential election. 147 voters participated in the survey conducted using Qualtrics. The purpose of this study was to understand whether selective exposure and avoidance behaviors differed based on voting outcome (Trump or Biden), and to test whether political ideological polarization was reflected in news consumption through social media. Taken together, the results indicate that although both voting bases engaged in selective exposure and avoidance, the propensity was the same between Trump and Biden voters. Additionally, results confirm existing hypotheses that strength of political ideology positively correlates …

Bung Karno’S Political Thought According To Pancasila: A Study Of Bung Karno’S Speech On June 1, 1945, And The President Soekarno/Bung Karno’S Pancasila Course Throughout 1958-1959, Ganjar Razuni

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This paper examines the evolution of Bung Karno’s Pancasila concept, tracing its origins from his pivotal June 1, 1945 speech and the comprehensive elucidation of Pancasila during the 1958 Pancasila Course, a crucial moment in shaping its official formulation. Pancasila has become an enduring cornerstone of Indonesian ideology. This prompts a closer examination of Sukarno’s political ideals. This study scrutinizes Bung Karno’s Pancasila ideology within the context of his political philosophy. Methodologically, this article employs a Qualitative-Descriptive approach, primarily drawing on literature and documentary sources. The concept of deconstruction has also used in this article. The findings underscore how Sukarno’s …

Humor And Surveillance - “That’S Not Funny” (Or Is It?): For Professor Serge Gutwirth On His Retirement, Gary T. Marx

Secrecy and Society

No abstract provided.

The Impetus Of International Security In European Integration: The Nature Of Eu Common Security And Defense Policy, Osman Goktug Tanrikulu

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the complicated relationship between security considerations and the European integration process. The research uncovers specific security factors that have shaped the EU integration process. Applying policy alignment and collective efforts for governance, this study offers a methodological improvement to the conventional status quo satisfaction concept within power transition theory.

Findings indicate that external militarized actions targeting European nations only occasionally disrupted integration in the short term. Instead, inner coordination among member states vis-à-vis external actors, promoted integration. During the early stages of integration, alignment with the EU collective was crucial, while aligning with regional leader Germany became …

It’S Not About Success. It’S About The Message. Elite Messaging And Xenophobic Hate Crimes In The Eu, Annemarie Ackerman

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Through the past decade, far-right political parties have skyrocketed in popularity and electoral success across the globe, with an especially pronounced effect seen in Europe. One critical component of far-right political movements is nationalist sentiment, often expressed via racist or xenophobic policies and rhetoric. This paper seeks to investigate how electoral success of far-right political parties and elite messaging via policy stances of these parties impacts rates of xenophobic violence in a country. Using data from the Chapel Hill Expert Survey (CHES) and hate crime statistics from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), it is shown that …

Getting Youth On The Streets: Accounting For Levels Of Youth Mobilization Among International Climate Organizations, Sara E. Anderson

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Youth, many of whom are not given the voice or the opportunity to collaborate with political institutions, often turn towards climate movements to make an impact on the climate. Through a series of interviews in the United Kingdom and supporting secondary research, this paper offers a formal overview of factors that contribute to youth mobilization. These factors include type of protest, community, and leadership, in addition to narrative building and media engagement with the movement. By assessing the mechanisms behind youth mobilization, movements can establish how to better attract youth.

Crossing The Line: Evidence For The Categorization Theory Of Spatial Voting, Mark Pickup, Erik O. Kimbrough, Eline A. De Rooij

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Bølstad and Dinas (2017) propose a model of spatial voting, based on social identity theory, that suggests supporting a candidate/policy on the other side of the ideological spectrum has a disutility that is not accounted for by common spatial models. Unfortunately, the data they use cannot speak directly to whether the disutility arises because individuals perceive their ideology as a social identity. We present the results of an experimental study that measures the norm against crossing the ideological spectrum; tests the cost of doing so, controlling for spatial effects; and demonstrates that this cost increases with the salience and strength …

Parents And Political Ethics Formation Of The First-Time Voters In City Of Makassar, Ariana Yunus, Andi Yakub, Sukri Tamma, Dian Ekawaty

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This paper is based on research results conducted on first-time voters in the City of Makassar, South Sulawesi, in 2020. This paper aims to show the parent’s roles in the process of first-time voters forming initial political preferences, especially the ethics in political behavior within the widespread of social media as important information, including political information today. It affects the information for first-time voters’ political preferences formation, which at the same time has the potential to influence their understanding of ethics in politics. The fact is that social media is an open-source system where the information presented often provides bad …

Artificial Intelligence Applications For Social Science Research, Megan Stubbs-Richardson, Lauren Brown, Mackenzie Paul, Devon Brenner

SSRC Publications

Our team developed a database of 250 Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications useful for social science research. To be included in our database, the AI tool had to be useful for: 1) literature reviews, summaries, or writing, 2) data collection, analysis, or visualizations, or 3) research dissemination. In the database, we provide a name, description, and links to each of the AI tools that were current at the time of publication on September 29, 2023. Supporting links were provided when an AI tool was found using other databases. To help users evaluate the potential usefulness of each tool, we documented information …

Casar Public Panel Discussion: "Global And Regional Repercussions Of The 6th Of October War: Arab And American Perspectives", The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

With the 50th anniversary of the 6th of October War (1973) on the horizon, the CASAR department put together a panel to discuss different perspectives in the Middle East and United States. After an introduction to the CASAR department by Director Mark W. Deets, the panelists were introduced. This panel featured AUC History department professor Mouaness Hojairi, who discussed and contrasted Egyptian, Syrian, Palestinian, and Lebanese perspectives. Also from the history department was Professor Michael Reimer, who discussed American Jewish and Israeli perspectives on the war. The special guest for this event was a panelist, a distinguished scholar from the …

Review Of Inju$Tice, Inc.: How America’S Justice System Commodifies Children And The Poor, Thomas Hansen

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Book review of this title explaining the corruption and the lack of ethics in Ohio and some other states involved in juvenile justice system, foster care placement, fines, fees, and jail.

Students’ Perceptions Of Threats To Their World' Future: An Introduction To Iccs And Global Lesson Plan, James A. Duplass, Reinis Alksnis, Ireta Čekse,

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article explains the scope and value of the only international assessment (IEA The International Civic and Citizen Education Study, IEA ICCS) of “Civic Understanding” and a uses data from the international comparative study to create a global education lesson plan for U.S. social studies teachers to have their students consider their perceptions of threats to their world as compared to students in other countries. The lesson would most likely be used with middle and high school students.

Difficult Faced By Palestinian Refugee Women In Nablus Camps, Asaad Taffal -, Shahd Zawatiya

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

This study aimed to identify the most prominent difficulties facing by the Palestinian refugee women inside the camps of Nablus city, in order to achieve these goals, the researchers used the qualitative approach as it fits the objectives of the study. The study was constructed on a sample of (40) refugee women who live in the camps of Nablus (Al-Ain camp, Balata camp and Askar camp). The interview was used as a study tool. The results showed that the refugee women in Nablus city camps suffer from economic difficulties represented in low income and lack of job opportunities. She also …

Vive La Différence?: Is There A Gender Gap In Campaign Strategy And Spending, And Does It Matter?, Paul S. Herrnson, Charles Hunt, Jaclyn J. Kettler

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Record numbers of women were elected into office in the US in recent years, and campaign financing may have contributed to their successes. This raises two questions: Is there a gender gap in campaign strategy and spending? And if there is, does it have an impact on election outcomes? Using a new dataset that includes itemized campaign expenditures for the almost 3,500 candidates who contested a House election between 2012 and 2020, we report little evidence of a gender gap in candidates’ campaign spending, but we find some differences in the effects of communications spending on women’s and men’s electoral …

From "Our Poor" To "Personal Responsibility": Changing Welfare Rhetoric In Political Party Platforms Of The Carolinas And The Nation, 1950-2005, Felicity N. Ropp

Senior Theses

In this thesis, I track political rhetoric surrounding poverty and welfare from 1950-2005. I first provide thorough context on the history of welfare policy in the United States and the way these issues were framed by politicians leading up to the period my data covers. My analysis centers on 108 political party platforms from the national Republican and Democratic parties and from state parties in North and South Carolina, ranging from 1950 to 2005 (31 of which I located in archives and manually digitized for the first time ever). I explain the significance of party platforms and review the literature …

Review Essay: Enjoyment And Ideology Surplus-Enjoyment: A Guide For The Non-Perplexed Slavoj Žižek. London: Bloomsbury Academic. 2022. Pp. 400., Edward Sankowski, Betty J. Harris

International Dialogue

Slavoj Žižek’s Surplus-Enjoyment-A Guide for the Non-Perplexed is a difficult book. Reading it requires a different approach from what is usual with what seems to us more standardized philosophical or social scientific prose. Our approach initially at least no doubt assumes as our starting point a deploying of our shared norms, shaped by our backgrounds as U.S. based scholars aiming to advance dialogue with Žižek and some of the wide variety of authors with whom Žižek himself engages.

Miscalculations And Legacies: A Look Back At The 1973 War Half A Century On, David Makovsky

Faculty Journal Articles

Historians continue to debate “what if” scenarios about the pivotal conflict which reshaped the Middle East.