Digital Commons Network^™

Comparing Discrete Simulation And System Dynamics: Modeling An Anti-Insurgency Influence Operation, Wayne Wakeland, Una E. Medina

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper contrasts the tradeoffs of modeling the same dynamic problem at a micro scale and at a macro scale of analysis: discrete system simulation (DS) versus continuous system simulation or system dynamics (SD). Both are employed to model the influence of entertainment education on terrorist system decay, with implications for field application. Each method optimizes different design, scope/scale, data availability/accuracy, parameter settings, and system sensitivities. Whether the research served by the computer model is applied or theoretical, DS tends to be useful for understand low-level individual unit/step influences on system change over time, whereas SD tends to shine when …

Aiding And Abetting: Human Rights Ingos And Domestic Protest, Amanda Murdie, Tavishi Bhasin

Faculty Articles

This article studies the effects of human rights international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) on domestic antigovernment protest. Unlike mainstream scholarship, the authors argue that human rights INGOs are not simply the magic bullet in orchestrating nonviolent protests; different types of human rights INGO activity have varying effects on protest. Moreover, some human rights INGO activities may lead to higher levels of violent protest. The empirical tests use new data on the activities of over 400 human rights INGOs and domestic nonviolent and violent protest globally from 1991 to 2004. The authors find that increases in human rights INGO activities reflecting a …

Becoming American: The Socio-Economic And Cultural Landscape Of Kenyan Immigrants In Chicago, Il, Cyril O. Wilson, Chapurukha M. Kusimba

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This study reports the emerging patterns of migration and settlement of Kenyans into the Chicago metropolitan area. Like most African immigrant communities in North America, economic downturn, political instability, and socio-economic polarization in African countries necessitated an appreciable quantum of emigration of Kenyans following the attainment of Africa's political independence in the 1960s. Most of the findings on housing characteristics, education, employment, patterns of family life, socio-cultural interaction, challenges encountered by new immigrants, and related phenomena evince parallels with other studies on African immigrants in North America.

Rethinking Imperialism And Resistance In West Africa: Historiographic Connections For The Classroom, Michael Christopher Low

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Even in the postcolonial era, West African history remains plagued by Eurocentric myths and media-driven stereotypes. Though specialists have been struggling with this problem for decades, a rift remains between the elite world of academia and the African history being taught in American schools. In an attempt to bridge this gap, this essay provides a case study and a list of suggested resources designed to help nonspecialist world history teachers rethink European colonial power and its impact on our conception of African history. Through its examination of how West African responses to imperialism interacted with, adapted to, and were ultimately …

Islam, Globalization, And Freedom Of Expression, Muhammad Daiyabu Hassan

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The exercise of freedom of expression by a segment of the secular establishment, mainly among members of the literary and intellectual elite in the West, in relation to Islam, constitutes a major obstacle in the search for common grounds between the Islamic world and the West. Due to historical factors, the church seems to have assented to the continuous secular attacks on Christianity. Some examples in this regard are Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Martins Scorsese's film adaptation of Nikos Kazanstzaki's The Last Temptation of Christ. To this segment of Western secular cultural thinkers, nothing is sacred. The …

Turkey: Politics At The Crossroads Of Civilizations, Maia Carter Hallward

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This article discusses how Turkey is often under-studied due to the fact that it does not fit neatly into the analytical "boxes" used to discuss international politics. Not only does Turkey straddle Europe and Asia, but it is one of few Middle Eastern countries that was not ruled by Western empires (and, in fact, controlled parts of Europe). It is a non-Arab secular democracy currently governed by a Muslim-oriented party. Because of these unique characteristics, scholars and policy makers have much to learn from Turkey and its approach to challenging issues of regional concern.

The Process Of Successfully Integrating Communication Technologies Into Short-Term, Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs: Reflections From The Field, Todd L. Goen, Jennifer R. Billinson, Linda D. Manning

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

As advances in communication technologies (CT) continue to shape modern life, it is critical study abroad professionals and faculty leaders contemplate the ways in which such technologies impact study abroad. This essay provides an argument for the value and utility of such contemplation through an in-depth examination of a short-term, faculty-led study abroad program and the three faculty who lead it. The authors provide reflective summaries of their own experiences with CT and study abroad and discuss the ways in which changes in CT resulted in changes to their own study abroad program including the integration of CT into academic …

The Cresset (Vol. Lxxiii, No. 5, Trinity), Valparaiso University

The Cresset (archived issues)

No abstract provided.

Maritime Terror: A Comparative Study Of The Barbary Corsairs And Modern Somali Pirates, Lauren M. Halton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maritime piracy off the Horn of Africa, although not a new security threat, has grown at an alarming rate in the twenty-first century. This study compares modern Somali piracy with the Barbary Corsairs problem of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to understand what policy responses might be most effective. The comparison focused on pirate characteristics and motives; targeted ships; attack frequency; hostage treatment; counter measures to combat piracy; and outcomes.

Financial motivation, level of organization, and viciousness of attacks are all characteristics the Somali pirates and Barbary Corsairs share. They differ in that the Corsairs operated as part of a …

War Paths, Peace Paths: An Archaeology Of Cooperation And Conflict In Native Eastern North America, By David H. Dye, Charles R. Cobb

Faculty Publications

A review of War Paths, Peace Paths: an Archaeology of Cooperation and Conflict in Native Eastern North America, by David H. Dye.

Selling True Stories: A Cultural Analysis Of Manufactured Realism In The Docudrama Crime Film, Jamie Schleser

College of Communication Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the cultural function of docudrama crime films. The docudrama is a hybrid of the conventional Hollywood fiction film and the documentary. Blurring fact and fiction, these films manufacture an illusion of realism around the framework of the standard feature film using visual and narrative appeals to real life and real events. By asserting that they are "based on a true story," these films are able to shape and enhance a desired reading of the text in order to convey a particular social message to audiences. To understand the initial development of the docudrama crime form and how …

Identity And Fundamentalism As Security Concerns In The West, Nazila Isgandarova

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Nexus Between The Ballot And Bullet: Popular Support For The Pkk And Post-Election Violence In Turkey, Nadir Gergin

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between popular support for the Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK), which is an ethnic insurgent and terrorist organization mainly operating in Turkey, and its terrorist activities during the pre-and post-election periods in Turkey . Popular support has been measured through popular votes for the political party affiliated with the PKK in 1999 general, 2004 local and 2007 general elections. Two leading theories of social movements, Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT) and Relative Deprivation Theory (RD), were used as theoretical approach. The study uses secondary data and constructs a longitudinal design. An advanced statistical analysis technique, a generalized …

Covert Or Overt Intervention? The Reagan Administration In Latin America, Marika S. David

Honors Scholar Theses

In my thesis I looked at Cold War interventionism by America. In the Post WWII period, many countries were searching for freedom from colonial rule, and many were attracted to the idea of communism or socialism. In this context of a destabilized world and power struggle between the U.S.A and the U.S.S.R., revolutions often became points of interests and parts of this larger power play. Any type of revolution was a destabilization, in a system that was unstable at best, and peace between the powers rested precariously on the idea of “Mutually Assured Destruction.” I would like to look more …

A Ditch By Any Other Name Is Still A Ditch: An Archaeological Assessment Of Ditch Earthworks On The Middle Missouri In The Dakotas, Albert M. Lebeau

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

A Ditch by any other Names is Still a Ditch: An Archaeological Assessment of Ditch Earthworks on the Middle Missouri of South Dakota Albert M. LeBeau III, M.A. University of Nebraska , 2010 Advisor: Peter Bleed Abstract: This thesis is an archaeological assessment of ditch earth works on the Middle Missouri sub-area in North and South Dakota. This master’s thesis considers previously publically published materials from fifteen archaeological sites along the northern tier of Missouri River in the Dakotas. The paper questions the use of the terms “fortified” and “fortification” when describing ditch earthworks that surround some Plains Village archaeological …

The Antelope, University Of Nebraska At Kearney

The Antelope

No abstract provided.

Under The Volcano: Emergency Management And The Eyjafjallajokull Eruptions, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull eruptions that began on April 14^th, 2010 have exemplified challenges for transportation in a world of globalization, and ever-present need for preparation for emergencies.

Think Outside The Cell: Are Binding Detention Standards The Most Effective Strategy To Prevent Abuses Of Detained Illegal Aliens?, Federico D. Burlon

Political Science Honors Projects

In the last twenty years the U.S. government has increasingly utilized detention to control illegal immigration. This practice has become controversial because it has caused numerous in-custody abuses and deaths of immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and even citizens. Immigrant rights advocates have called for the passage of binding detention standards to prevent in-custody abuses. This thesis’s policy analysis reveals, however, that while they may finesse the practice of immigration detention, such binding standards would be ineffective in protecting immigrants’ rights. Instead this policy analysis calls for and explains the feasibility of discontinuing the practice of mass immigrant detention.

Peace Agreements And International Peace Operations: The Case Of Sierra Leone, Haruyuki Irie

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Containing Iran: Sanctions And The Iranian Nuclear Program, Greg Forsythe

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

How Natural Is Nature? The Effect Of Burning On Presettlement Vegetation In West-Central Illinois, Paul Kilburn, Richard C. Brugam

The Confluence (2009-2020)

When the first Euroamericans arrived in North America, they thought they were seeing a “wilderness,” unaltered by human hands. However, they were actually seeing highly managed environments. Kilburn and Brugam examine the impact of the burning of forests and prairies by Native Americans on the plant species in west-central Illinois.

Scientific Restraint: The Balance Between Progress And Safety, Richard Bell

Senior Honors Projects

Mankind’s collective scientific and technological knowledge has progressed, and is progressing, at such a rate that humanity is now well within its means to bring about widespread devastation by its own devices. The high stakes of many projects in diverse fields of study, including those in nuclear, genetic, and biotechnical sciences, necessitates an analysis of how to decide if risky experiments are worth pursuing. This is not a matter, so much, of what safeguards we put into place in dangerous experimental environments, but rather how to weigh potential loss versus potential gain. Even in the best laboratories, disaster can strike, …

Introduction: Peacebuilding, Reconciliation, And Transformation, Jessica Senehi, Stephen Ryan, Sean Byrne

Peace and Conflict Studies

This introductory article in the special issue on Peacebuilding, Reconciliation, and Transformation highlights some of the central themes within the emergent field of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS). The article discusses how this transdisciplinary field contributes to our understanding of some of the key issues that confront the PACS field in terms of analysis, theory building, and praxis. The contributors to this special issue provide a broad array of perspectives that explores conflicts and its transformation from a multidimensional perspective.

Volume 17, Number 1 (Spring 2010), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Mere Christianity: The Lasting Work Of C.S. Lewis, Stephanie Jeanne Johnson

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Cerro Chepen And The Late Moche Collapse In The Jequetepeque Valley, North Coast Of Peru, Marco Rosas Rintel

Anthropology ETDs

In this dissertation, I investigate the socio-political processes that led to the collapse of the Late Moche political communities located in the Lower Jequetepeque Valley, North Coast of Peru. During the Late Moche phase (AD 600 to 850), the human populations of this valley evidenced an interesting case of political fragmentation and internal conflict. The Moche collapse in the Jequetepeque Valley is approached from the perspective of one of the largest power centers of the region: the fortified site of Cerro Chepén. This site occupies the upper and eastern slopes of a hill, located in a relatively central position within …

Chanka Settlement Ecology: Hilltop Sites, Land Use And Warfare In Late Prehispanic Andahuaylas, Peru, Lucas C. Kellett

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation investigates Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000-1400) hilltop settlements of the central Andean highlands. Rather than a traditional warfare-centered political perspective, the research employs primarily an ecological model in which to evaluate the widespread settlement shift to high altitude ridge tops beginning ca. AD 1000. More specifically, the research investigates the multi-faceted role that climate change may have played in the establishment of LIP hilltop settlements. I examine the concomitant shifts in the local ecology and the economic organization of hilltop communities. Using a multi-scalar and methodologically diverse research design, incorporating ethnohistory, field survey, excavation and GIS, I examine …

Exploring Social Interaction At The Ancient Maya City Of Copan, Honduras: A Multi-Scalar Geographic Information Systems (Gis) Analysis Of Access And Visibility, Heather M. Richards-Rissetto

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation investigates late eighth and early ninth century social interaction at the archaeological site of Copán, Honduras. Two main research questions are addressed: (1) Did people of different social classes experience different degrees of social connectivity? and (2) Did people living in different parts of the city experience different degrees of social connectivity? A Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to quantify social connectivity, that is, degree of social integration or social segregation, using access and visibility as proxy measures for social interaction, and to examine whether Copáns inhabitants influenced social interaction by configuring their city to facilitate or …

Man Vs. Machine: Interpreting The Ambiguities In Diplomatic Negotiations, Caitlin Morrison

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This paper is intended to explore the linguistic causes of ineffectiveness and inefficiency in diplomatic negotiations and determine the best solution. The first sections are designated to explaining the function of international negotiation and typical linguistic problems that hinder effective communication in these situations. After determining that interpretation is the best option for multi-language negotiation, this paper examines the merits of both machine and human interpreters. I argue that human interpreters are more accurate in deciphering ambiguity and working with the intricacies involved in diplomatic discussions. This position is supported by numerous examples, including the current operations of the European …

A Body Evolved : The Un Security Council And Its Role In International Politics., Matthew Brandon Davis

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.