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Open Secrets, Congressional Oversight, And The Geopolitics Of The Cia Drone Program, Marita C. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Analyzing four congressional hearings that publicly discuss the CIA’s ‘secret’ drone program, this thesis considers the interaction between publicity and secrecy in facilitating practices of later-modern warfare. Specifically, I examine the content of these drone hearings within the broader context of leaks, Obama administration speeches, and public interest in CIA drones to better understand how open secrecy engages with public oversight. I argue these hearings are deceptively productive. While they largely fail as oversight events, the hearings facilitate numerous unexpected outcomes—including the normalization and entrenchment of the CIA drone program. Paradoxically then, publicity proves essential to the maintenance and acceptance …

State Capacity And Terrorism In The Developing World, Coty J. Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

What are the most influential factors to the rise of terrorist groups in the developing world? From Nigeria to Indonesia, various groups have conducted devastating attacks, against fellow citizens and international visitors. Hendrix and Young (2014) find military capacity may encourage the use of terrorism while bureaucratic measures depress them. Further investigation into underlying catalysts for mobilization is required before we can explain the rise in activity of terrorist organizations in these regions. I expect as measures of military capacity increase that terrorism increases while increases in administrative capacity reduce terrorist activity. I also expect indirect factors such as repressive …

The Operational And Administrative Militaries, Mark P. Nevitt

Faculty Articles

This Article offers a new way to think about the military. In doing so, I argue that there are, in fact, two militaries residing within the Department of Defense (DoD): an “operational” and an “administrative” military.

In Part II, I propose this new two-military analytical framework. This Part begins with a brief historical overview of the dual-military state and argues that these two militaries coexisted in some form since the nation’s founding, grew further apart following World War II and the National Security Act, and effectively separated following the passage of the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act.

Part III analyzes the Goldwater-Nichols …

The New Cold War: Geostrategic Rivalry And A Return To Political Warfare, Mason Connor Shuya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current geopolitical climate is one which has seen a renewed state of tensions in the relationship between the United States and the Russian Federation dating to 2014 and Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory. This current state of geopolitical tensions has led many to question: are we in a state of New Cold War today? If so, today's Cold War may be defined by the advancement of cyber capabilities and the use of propaganda and misinformation. How will this be the defining factor in the New Cold War? Through a comprehensive DIME analysis of the Russian Federation, the United States, …

Toward Restoring Rule-Of-Law Norms, Dawn E. Johnsen

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Space, Power, Policy, And The Creation Of The “Illegal” Migrant At The United States Boundary With Mexico, Catalina J. Biesman-Simons

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis discusses the relationship between space (physical and figurative) and sovereign power, with respect to the history of the United States' immigration and boundary policy. It examines spatial organization as a social product, and simultaneously a producer of mainstream associations of illegal activity at the border with Mexico. It begins with a brief introduction to a spatially informed analytical framework, a history of relevant United States' immigration policy. The paper then uses newspaper coverage from the 1970s and 1980s to examine the local and national rise of xenophobia in the United States, and the normalization of boundary control and …

The Role Of The Economic Community Of West African States In Counterinsurgency And Conflict Resolution, Muhammed Touray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

From 1991 to 2002, the Sierra Leone government and the Revolutionary United Front waged war against each other, subjecting Sierra Leone to a civil war. This war devastated the nation and resulted in many human casualties. Although many researchers have investigated the role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in counterinsurgency and conflict resolution, few studies have been conducted on the specific role of strategic processing tools used by ECOWAS during the Sierra Leone war to sustain a durable peace resolution in the country. Using Galula's conceptualization of counterinsurgency and conflict resolution as a guide, the purpose …

Seeds Of Suspicion: The Perpetual Cycle Of Anti-Muslim Stereotypes, Middle East Intervention, And Terrorism, Christopher Ledford

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

The central theory guiding my research is that interstate conflict, at least as covered in mass media, leaves residual cultural attitudes that can shape the political context in which elites formulate policy. Specifically, U.S. interventionism in the Middle East has given rise to fundamental hostilities, founded on misguided biases, that shape involvement in the region today. I focus on one step within that broader theory, to test it empirically: the hypothesis that anti-Muslim stereotypes, when activated, will shape an individual’s foreign-policy preferences. I begin by considering competing accounts that link 1) ethnocentrism or 2) targeted stereotypes with support for the …

The Use Of Force: Hard Offensive Counterterrorism, Daniel Thomas

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In the following research, I investigate whether hard offensive counterterrorism results in the failure or success of a counterterrorism strategy. In the second chapter, the academic literature of counterterrorism strategies is examined. Next, a hypothesis is put forth that if a hard offensive counterterrorism strategy is utilized, indicators such as high troop levels, more civilian casualties, more negative public opinion, and an increased rate of terrorism, will point to a failed counterterrorism strategy. Then, I put forth a methodology to test the hypothesis while introducing troop level databases, various public opinion polling sources, and terrorist attack databases to investigate the …

(Un)Safe Zones: Good Intentions, Bad Logic, Emma Henson

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis aims to explore the disconnect between calls for safe zones as a tool of humanitarian intervention, and the dark history of safe zone failure. This thesis begins with a brief discussion of current calls for safe zones in Syria, and how a proper theoretical framework and historical understanding are needed to discuss whether or not safe zones can be successfully implemented in Syria. The following literature review discusses not only prominent academic arguments and the history of humanitarian intervention, but it suggests a framework for deconstructing case studies. This framework looks first at the interests of an intervening …

Evolving Conceptions Of Sovereignty As Applied To Membership In International Organizations, Luke C. Radice

CMC Senior Theses

In the current international climate, both nations and individuals increasingly question both the validity and necessity of international organizations. This paper seeks to answer some of those questions, and to determine why countries choose to surrender significant portions of the national power that they are afforded under traditional perceptions of “Westphalian sovereignty”. This question is answered through an analysis of historical political thought on the concept of Sovereignty, then is applied to two case studies: the United Nations and the European Union, in which the benefits and downsides of surrendering sovereignty are discussed. Ultimately, this thesis concludes that the concept …

Rigidity And Adaptation, Roger Karapin, Leonard Feldman

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Comparative Analysis Of The Relationship Between State Security And Ethnic Minority Oppression, Grayson Lanza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the relationship between the state economic outlook, state security apparatus and the presence of ethnic minority oppression within the state's borders. Modern states have developed extensive security apparatuses as they have developed their economies and this research intended to identify the possibility of a connection between the development of these aspects of the state in relation to ethnic minority repression. The research is broken up into a research design and introductory section, a case study section, and a final analysis and conclusion section. Each of the four case studies studied a and ethnic minority relationship, and in …

The Uses Of History In International Society: From The Paris Peace Conference To The Present, Margaret Macmillan, Patrick Quinton-Brown

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

History has been used—and abused—for centuries. Yet the more familiar notion of ‘history's lessons’—a notion which tends to make most historians uncomfortable, and which surely demands thoroughgoing skepticism—is far from exhaustive of history's uses in the practice and study of international relations. One important and timely subject is the more constitutive role of history in international deliberations over the creation, fragmentation and transformation of nation-states. What follows is a historical comparison of the changing ways in which the past has been used to frame the terms and content of such debates. While we will be exploring the uses of history …

Review Essay On Stephen Kotkin, Stalin: Waiting For Hitler, 1929–1941, Cynthia A. Roberts

Publications and Research

This review essay examines Stephen Kotkin’s account of Stalin’s leadership, Soviet foreign policy, and military strategy during the increasingly dangerous international environment of the 1930s and the approach of war in 1941. It focuses on three problems of particular relevance to international relations and military and diplomatic history: Stalin’s difficulty in balancing against Nazi Germany through alliances with the Western democracies; the Soviet turn toward internal balancing through military modernization and defense preparations; and the political-military failures that contributed to the catastrophe of 1941. The review assesses Stalin’s perceptions of external threats, his extensive involvement in military-industrial development, the consequences …

บทบาทของเกาหลีใต้กับปัญหานิวเคลียร์บนคาบสมุทรเกาหลี ระหว่างปีค.ศ.2000-2018, บุษยพรรณ ลิ้มยิ่งเจริญ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ มุ่งศึกษาบทบาทของเกาหลีใต้ในการแก้ไขปัญหานิวเคลียร์บนคาบสมุทรเกาหลี ในระหว่าง ค.ศ. 2000 - 2018 โดยต้องการตอบคำถามว่า เกาหลีใต้ มีบทบาทอย่างไรในการแก้ไขปัญหานิวเคลียร์เกาหลีเหนือ และนโยบายที่เกาหลีใต้เลือกใช้ต้องเผชิญกับปัญหาและอุปสรรคอย่างไร ทั้งนี้ ผู้วิจัยใช้แนวคิดเรื่องนโยบายผูกมิตรเข้าหา (engagement policy) มาเป็นกรอบในการศึกษาบทบาทของเกาหลีใต้ในการดำเนินนโยบายต่อเกาหลีเหนือ ตลอด 5 ยุคสมัยของประธานาธิบดี ได้แก่ คิมแดจุง (ค.ศ. 1998 - 2003) โนมูฮยอน (ค.ศ. 2003 - 2008) อีมยองบัค (ค.ศ. 2008 - 2013) พัคกึนฮเย (ค.ศ. 2013 - 2017) และมูนแจอิน (ค.ศ. 2017 - ปัจจุบัน) ข้อเสนอหลักของการศึกษาวิจัยพบว่า ประธานาธิบดีทั้ง 5 ท่าน ใช้นโยบายผูกมิตรเข้าหาเป็นนโยบายหลักเพื่อจัดการปัญหาเกาหลีเหนือ แต่ใช้คนละรูปแบบ และมีระดับของการผูกมิตรเข้าหาเกาหลีเหนือแตกต่างกัน ซึ่งกลายเป็นตัวแปรปัจจัยภายในที่เป็นอุปสรรคต่อการดำเนินนโยบายของเกาหลีใต้เอง โดยในสมัยประธานาธิบดีฝ่ายหัวก้าวหน้า จะใช้นโยบายผูกมิตรเข้าหาในลักษณะที่เป็นมิตรกับเกาหลีเหนือมากกว่าสมัยประธานาธิบดีจากฝ่ายอนุรักษ์นิยม นอกจากนี้ ยังมีตัวแปรปัจจัยภายนอกที่เป็นอุปสรรคต่อการดำเนินนโยบายของเกาหลีใต้ ได้แก่ การดำเนินนโยบายของสหรัฐฯ ซึ่งเป็นมหาอำนาจและคู่กรณีหลักในประเด็นปัญหานี้ และนโยบายนิวเคลียร์ของเกาหลีเหนือ ซึ่งมีบทบาทหลักในสถานการณ์นิวเคลียร์บนคาบสมุทรเกาหลี

The Federal State And Hegemony: Politics In Floyd County, Kentucky And The Latter Years Of The War On Poverty, Riccardo Paolo D'Amato

Online Theses and Dissertations

The central question this thesis addresses is how increasing federal power impacted local peoples, both politicians and otherwise. Kentucky politics was an already convoluted subject of local interconnected patronage without adding even more possible connections. The War on Poverty did just that, adding more players to the ‘game’ of Kentucky politics through numerous influential programs. This thesis closely follows the later years of the War on Poverty in Floyd County specifically to discover what changes were created in the political and social spheres.

This thesis’ findings are based in a contextualized reading of local and foreign newspapers, letters to Representative …

Russia Today, Cyberterrorists Tomorrow: U.S. Failure To Prepare Democracy For Cyberspace, Jonathan F. Lancelot

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This paper is designed to expose vulnerabilities within the US electoral system, the use of cyberspace to exploit weaknesses within the information assurance strategies of the democratic and republican party organizations, and deficiencies within the social media communications and voting machine exploits. A brief history of discriminatory practices in voting rights and voting access will be set as the foundation for the argument that the system is vulnerable in the cyber age, and the need for reform at the local, state and national levels will be emphasized. The possibility of a foreign nation-state influencing the outcome of an election by …

Seeing Red: Immigration And Asymmetrical Partisan Polarization In The United States, Robert M. Worth

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Since the mid-1970s, partisan polarization has been increasing in Congress and the Presidency, and, although most voters lack a stable, consistent ideology, non-ideological forms of partisan polarization have emerged in the mass public in recent decades. Moreover, ideological polarization among elites is highly asymmetrical, with increased Republican conservatism accounting for most of the increased ideological distance between the parties. Here, I develop a racial-threat backlash theory and argue that increased rates of immigration are associated with increased asymmetrical ideological polarization among elites and in the mass public. Tests of this theory on voters, the mass public in the states, state …

Case Study: Armenian And Cuban Ethnic Interest Groups In American Foreign Policy, Harry H. Terzian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current academic research has moved away from comparative models as a mechanism by which to assess and understand socio-political as well as historical phenomena. In addition, comparative analysis when it comes to addressing ethnic lobbies is almost nonexistent within contemporary research. This work implements a comparative framework and as a result has unlocked a new approach when addressing ethnic advocacy organizations. The purpose of this research is to assess and document the history and impact of both Armenian and Cuban ethnic interest groups within the United States. Specifically, focusing upon the Armenian National Committee of America and the Cuban American …

Tall Tales Of Danger And Security: How A Critical Human Security Approach Can Address Major Contradictions Revealed Through A Critical Narrative Analysis Of Dominant U.S. Security Strategies, Stephen Schneider

Master's Theses

Over many generations, humans have developed many perspectives and practices regarding the best ways to recognize and address what they perceive to be dangerous. Stories are used to help shape and narrate perceptions about the world, and they serve to pass on vital information that impacts how a society responds to threats and vulnerabilities. These narratives of danger and security are subjective to the experiences and political intentions of society, and therefore in many ways are partial and biased in their assessments and policies. This results in flawed security practices that may actually exacerbate threats or create new insecurities. What …

Kinder Carnage, Talib Visram

Capstones

In the wake of school shootings, including Parkland, states and school districts have scrambled to protect against threats. But faced with no federal focus on gun control and little funding, schools have to make tough safety choices. Some have adopted novelty security gadgets; others have discussed arming teachers and even giving children tools to defend themselves. To some, this is the ideal solution; the answer to violence is more violence. And so, some schools are starting to resemble military camps. With reporting from a security conference in Florida, and a military camp for kids in Kentucky, this story takes a …

Thoughts And Prayers, Chloe Kardasopoulos

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Examining the symbolic Gun against its tangible counterpart illuminates abstract attachments of power and superiority this nation associates with the weapon. These elements loaded in the Gun transform the weapon into an object representative of American identity. Analyzing ideological commitments within the Gun guides a critical response to examine disproportionately increasing national gun violence against stagnant federal gun control. The ongoing gun debate must be analyzed in its entirety, beginning at its source - the Second Amendment. Scholars such as Gary Wills dissect the Second Amendment to extract its contextualized intent from modern writers’ manipulated interpretations. It is not the …

Faith-Based Peacebuilding Challenges In The Republic Of Kosovo, Xhemail Çupi

UBT International Conference

In order to realize coexistence between conflicting communities, it must initially precede a participant, consensual, moralistic and even civic political culture that would end with a tolerant dialogue between them. Reopening negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia with the European Union involvement marks the beginning, but not the end, of a long-term process of normalizing relations among their citizens. Flooding inter-ethnic relations have usually had a negative impact on inter-religious relations, and in Kosovo, due to the close association of ethnicity and religion, this has been demonstrated with the destroying and damaging of sacred objects. Consequently, despite the fact that no …

Mackinder And The Arctic's Emerging Geopolitics: Recommendations For The U.S. And Its Nato Allies, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation shows how Halford Mackinder (1861-1947) described Canada and the Arctic region in his geopolitical writings. It goes on to stress how the Arctic is becoming increasingly important in international geopolitical policymaking due to its significant oil and natural gas resources, how warming temperatures are increasing international access to its waters, and the how countries as diverse as Canada, China, Russia, and the U.S. see the Arctic region in their strategic policymaking. It concludes by stressing that the Arctic can no longer be viewed as a region immune from international conflict and presents recommendations for the U.S. and its …

Winning War In A Globalized World: Utilizing Women & Gender Initiatives In 21st Century Conflict, Emerald M. Archer

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Three thousand years of recorded history has reserved warfighting for men and, in 2017, we continue to rely on ideas of hegemonic masculinity to understand who participates in war. However, women have played a vital role in the context of warfare from its inception. In the twenty-first century, women’s service is critical to the types of conflicts militaries regularly confront – specifically, counter insurgency and peacekeeping operations. The intersection of gender and security today provides new routes to peaceful prosperity globally. Applying gender initiatives to militaries – whether it means creating a gender balanced force, the integration of women into …

A Life Absolutely Bare? A Reflection On Resistance By Irregular Refugees Against Fingerprinting As State Biopolitical Control In The European Union, Ziang Zhou

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

In a legally transitory category, irregular refugees- experience a double precariousness. They risk their lives to travel across treacherous seas to Europe for a better life. However, upon the long-awaited embarkation on the European land, they are exposed once again to the precariousness of the asylum application. They are “powerless”, “with no rights” and “to be sacrificed” as Giorgio Agamben and Hannah Arendt suggested in their respective understanding of a “bare life”, la nuda vita. In light of the administrative difficulties in managing asylum application, the European Union introduced the “Dublin Agreement”, which stipulates mandatory biometric data collection for …

Nato: New Headquarters, New Threats: An Academic Hears About New Threats Alongside Old From Officials At Nato’S New Headquarters, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The article by Erika Simpson examines the atmosphere and discussions at NATO's new headquarters in Brussels, emphasizing the blend of old and new threats faced by the alliance. The impressive facility contrasts with the heightened sense of threat among NATO allies, particularly from Russia. Simpson highlights Poland's new bilateral arrangement with the U.S. and Canada's contribution to NATO's presence in Latvia. The article discusses the continued importance of nuclear deterrence and the complexities introduced by the UN's Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. Interviews with key NATO officials, including Jamie Shea and Guy B. Roberts, shed light on NATO's strategic considerations regarding …

Sovereignty, Global Norms And Security Cooperation In Southeast Asia, Caleb Slayton

Jurnal Wacana Politik

Discussions on cooperative security strategies in Southeast Asia often mention potential threats such as piracy,illegal fishing, terrorism, island disputes and even the security concerns posed by natural disasters. Theaforementioned threats are mutual, between not only the ten ASEAN countries but also neighbors, such asAustralia and Timor Leste, along with rising and global powers such as China and the United States. However,developing security cooperation even against mutual threats is hindered not only by geographic and monetaryrestraints but by differences in national ideology, national interests, differing historical perspectives, divergentlegal opinions as well as intentional and unintentional misinformation. Using the perspective of a …

Jihad: Peaceful Applications For Society And The Individual, Norman C. Rothman

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.