Digital Commons Network^™

Information Warfare: Methods To Counter Disinformation, Andrew Dowse, Sascha Dov Bachmann

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The information age has transformed society by allowing people to interact digitally, yet it enables motivated actors to use mass influence to further their political objectives. The struggle against disinformation requires an appreciation of how a disinformation effect can be achieved in order to counter it. We consider the nature of disinformation and its use in the hybrid warfare domain, before examining the problem through frames of planning approach, truth theory, systems thinking, and military strategy. These approaches are informative in developing counter-strategies and we specifically identify the concept of kill chains as a useful framework to assist in the …

The Occupation Of The Uyghur People By The Chinese Communist Party, Duncan Forrest

Ballard Brief

The Uyghurs are a group of ethnic Muslims in China that have recently been invaded by an external government: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Uyghurs inhabit a resource-rich part of China that the CCP desires to control because of China's growing population and large-scale international projects. The stark religious differences between the CCP and Uyghurs have also fueled the conflict. Additionally, the CCP has claimed that the Uyghur people are separatists and terrorists, threatening the CCP. The unforthcoming nature of the CCP has made it difficult for outside observers to understand the extent of the human rights violations in …

Donald Trump And America's New Class War, Glenn Harlan Reynolds

Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Environmental Justice Mapping In The U.S. Pacific Island Territory Of Guam, Ben Rocha

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Academics, regulators, and the public currently use geospatial analysis tools to identify locations that may be candidates for further environmental justice review in the continental United States (U.S.). However, current environmental justice geospatial analysis tools overlook a small but significant portion of the U.S. - the U.S. Pacific Islands. This study analyzes environmental justice within the U.S. Territory of Guam using existing geospatial analysis methods and publicly available environmental, climate, and socio-economic data to: (1) Spatially map relevant demographic and environmental data and (2) determine the correlation, if any, between the exposure to environmental hazards and the socio-economic status of …

Environmental Justice Mapping In The U.S. Pacific Island Territory Of Guam, Sina Schwenk-Mueller

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Academics, regulators, and the public currently use geospatial analysis tools to identify locations that may be candidates for further environmental justice review in the continental United States (U.S.). However, current environmental justice geospatial analysis tools overlook a small but significant portion of the U.S. - the U.S. Pacific Islands. This study analyzes environmental justice within the U.S. Territory of Guam using existing geospatial analysis methods and publicly available environmental, climate, and socio-economic data. This research aims to: (1) spatially map relevant demographic, environmental, and climate data and (2) determine the correlation, if any, between the exposure to environmental hazards, climate …

Solving The "King Lear Problem", Benjamin Means

Faculty Publications

In Shakespeare’s play, King Lear, an aging ruler relinquished control to two of his three daughters. The succession failed miserably, destroying his family and destabilizing his kingdom. King Lear shows why few family businesses survive beyond three generations. Understanding Lear’s failure is crucial to avoiding Lear’s fate, whether the family business in question is a monarchy, a media empire, or a hardware store. The conventional wisdom is that Lear gave away his kingdom too soon and left himself vulnerable to predatory heirs. This has been referred to as the “King Lear Problem.”

The conventional wisdom is wrong. Lear’s succession plan …

Academics Vs. Aliens: Selected Essays On Social Science Research, Defense Education, And The Power Of Partnerships, Gwyneth Sutherlin, Veronica Wendt, Amy K. Sitze, Dawn Scott, Michael L. Halligan Ii, Tyler B. Harris, Shawn M. Bault, Jericho J. Guzman, Blaise Zandoli, Eric C. Danielsen, Armand Cucciniello, Christopher King, Patricia Pefley, David E. Bolanos, David P. Meadows

Strategic Monographs

The book is divided into two sections of student essays that discuss the main goals of the program: the roles of partnership and social science education in PME. Each section is introduced by a reflection from one of our esteemed partners who worked on the project over the past two years. Eleven masters’ students contributed essays informed by their experience that comment on the broader topics of scientific innovation through collaboration, the role of social science research for national security, and how they would like to see PME take creative advantage of programs like Minerva DECUR.

Legal Implications Of A Ubiquitous Metaverse And A Web3 Future, Jon M. Garon

Marquette Law Review

The metaverse is understood to be an immersive virtual world serving as the locus for all forms of work, education, and entertainment experiences. Depicted in books, movies, and games, the metaverse has the potential not just to supplement real-world experiences but to substantially supplant them. This Article explores the rapid emergence and evolution of the Web3 technologies at the heart of the metaverse movement. Web3 itself is a paradigmatic shift in internet commerce.

War And Law In Ukraine: Wheels Of Justice Still Rotate, Dmitriy Kamensky

The International Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Do We Really Know What Is In Our Food? The Connection Between Dietary Mycotoxin Exposure And Pediatric Crohn’S Disease, Susan L. Gonya

Master's Theses and Capstones

AbstractBACKGROUND: The incidence of pediatric Crohn’s disease (CD) has increased over the past few decades. The etiology of CD has not yet been elucidated. Still, researchers have identified variables associated with the disease process, including genetic predisposition, environmental triggers like a poor-quality diet, air pollution, water pollution, and a dysbiotic microbiome with increased fungal diversity as predisposing factors. Fungal mycotoxin contamination in the food supply from toxicants like Deoxynivalenol (DON), a highly prevalent gastrointestinal irritant, has largely been ignored as a potential factor influencing the fungal dysbiosis and symptoms associated with the disease process. It is hypothesized that global and …

Cloud Gaming Demystified: An Introduction To The Legal Implications Of Cloud-Based Videogames, Mitchell Longan, Gaetano Dimita, Johan David Michels, Christopher Millard

Michigan Technology Law Review

In this paper, we “demystify” cloud-based videogaming and its legal implications, in two stages. First, we describe the videogame sector; explain the basics of cloud computing and traditional videogame technologies and set out how the two converge in cloud-based videogame systems. Based on this analysis, we distinguish three separate models for cloud gaming services: (i) the “layered” model of Gaming-as-a-Service (‘GaaS’); (ii) the ‘integrated’ model of GaaS; and (iii) the ‘consumer infrastructure-as-a-service’ model. We argue that these three models are key to analyzing how intellectual property rights, contractual rights, and regulatory issues will develop in this novel environment for videogame …

Reformed Worship (Rw) 145 - Advent / Christmas (September 2022), Reformed Worship Editors

Reformed Worship Magazine

Editorial: These Are Our Stories by Joyce Borger....2

Digital Bodies by W. David O. Taylor....3

Q&A: Celebrating the Prince of Peace by John D. Witvliet....7

Songs for the Season: A Psalm for Advent by Wendell Kimbrough....9

What Is God Like? by Matt Ackerman and Bailey Sarvar Attema....12

Candle Lighting Litanies for Advent and Christmas by Sally Powell....19

Advent with the Ancient Church by Anthony Bolkema and Jim Oord....23

God is Faithful! Let's Celebrate! by Rebecca Hoeksema Snippe....27

Worship that Disturbs by Chris Schoon....32

Slaughter of the Innocents by Noah Livingston and …

The Bridwell Quill. Issues 47-49: Of Antiquities And Mindfulness, Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Crafting Strategy For Irregular Warfare: A Framework For Analysis And Action (2nd Edition), David H. Ucko, Thomas A. Marks

Strategic Monographs

The United States, and the West, struggle to understand and respond to irregular warfare, whether by states or nonstate actors. Attempts to master the art have generated much new jargon, ranging from “hybrid war” to “the gray zone,” and most recently “integrated deterrence.” The terminology belies a struggle to overcome entrenched presumptions about war—a confusion that generates cognitive friction with implications for strategy. To inform a better approach, this monograph presents an analytical framework to assess and respond to irregular threats.

Theoretical Frameworks And Christian Engineering, Douglas De Boer

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Prism Vol. 10, No. 1, Center For Complex Operations

PRISM (Full PDF Issues)

PRISM Vol. 10, No. 1 is about great power competition and the changing global security environment, with particular attention to China’s growing military, economic, and political influence. The issue explores U.S.-China military rivalry, the Belt and Road Initiative and Eurasian competition, Chinese soft power, the employment of military power, the future global order, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the demands of future military leadership. The contributions assess how shifting power dynamics are shaping military strategy, international competition, and national security.

Power: A Qualitative Exploration Of Pows In Captivity And Their Responses To Loss Of Control, Sean Michael Roche

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This qualitative study explored how American Prisoners of War (POWs) from the Vietnam War coped with the dramatic imbalance of power between them and their North Vietnamese captors. Semi-structured interviews with POWs (n = 16) were analyzed using phenomenological and grounded theory approaches to identify major themes and coping strategies embedded in their experiences of powerlessness. POWs shared emergent themes of Communication, Connection, Heroic Leadership, Establishing Our Routine, and Honor and Loyalty, which were then linked with components of Emerson’s theory of power-dependence relations. Many of these strategies functioned interdependently, which allowed these men to more effectively combat imbalances of …

Legal And Ethical Issues In Telepsychology: A Handbook For Psychologists, Dexter Chia

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This doctoral project sought to examine the various aspects of the modality of telepsychology in a handbook that can be referenced by licensed psychologists. Telepsychology’s growth in the general psychology community has caused greater attention towards its unique legal and ethical considerations when working with clients. We analyze legal and ethical issues inherent to the domains of licensure, clinical practice liability coverage, billing/payment, competence, client welfare, consent, confidentiality, and boundary navigation. After this analysis, we introduce a series of scenarios for readers to apply the discussed considerations to exercise critical thinking.

Rightsizing Chinese Military Lessons From Ukraine, Joel Wuthnow

Strategic Forums

Russia’s failures in the early phases of the 2022 Ukraine conflict, and Ukraine’s successes, have raised questions about the implications for China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). U.S. and other foreign analysts have identified several lessons the PLA could learn from the Ukraine conflict that would improve China’s prospects in a future conflict with Taiwan and the United States or potentially with a different regional rival. The PLA has made it frustratingly difficult to answer these questions using direct evidence: several months into the conflict, PLA officers have produced almost nothing detailing their views on the implications of the conflict for …

Religious Syncretism In Spanish Latin America: Survival, Power, And Resistance, Ian Mcguckin

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

This paper explores the theory of religious syncretism and its application within early modern Latin America. It proposes a new model for understanding religious syncretism in order to eliminate the previous bias in the scholarship and misconceptions inherent in the term and seeks to discover why cultures chose specific religious elements over their counterparts in syncretic scenarios. Reviewing primary and secondary sources analyzing the religious characteristics and atmosphere of this period revealed that there was a pattern to syncretism and religious selection in Spanish Latin America. Europeans, Indigenous Peoples, and Africans in the New World selected religious elements based on …

Gospels Of (Anti)Inequality: The Politics Of Biblical Interpretation In The New Poor People’S Campaign And Capitol Ministries, Jonathan Peter Tschudy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the role of biblical interpretation in the politics of inequality in the United States. Building on scholarship in American Political Development that identifies ideas as integral to institution building, I analyze the interplay between biblical interpretations, organizational structures, and political strategies within two contemporary religio-political groups: the New Poor People’s Campaign (NPPC) and Capitol Ministries (CM). Methodologically, I combine in-depth, interpretative readings of primary source documents with an historical institutional analysis of the secondary literature on the role of religion in American politics. I argue that the two organizations’ elite leaders – Reverends William Barber II and …

Reproducing The Orient: A Critical Examination Of Western Media Representations Of China’S Uyghur Policies Between 2014 And 2021, R. Tiger Li

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines the convergence of US state media and US-based mass media in news coverage of China’s policies in Xinjiang. Analysis of a sample of articles published by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and CNN between 2014 and 2021 found that stories citing US state media, Uyghur exile advocacy groups, or non-government organizations receiving US funding were significantly more negative in tone than articles using other sources. Articles citing state media and exile advocacy groups tended to frame China’s policies as an ideological challenge while other articles were more likely …

A Methodological Framework For Parametric Combat Analysis, Dustin L. Hayhurst Sr.

Theses and Dissertations

This work presents a taxonomic structure for understanding the tension between certain factors of stability for game-theoretic outcomes such as Nash optimality, Pareto optimality, and balance optimality and then applies such game-theoretic concepts to the advancement of strategic thought on spacepower. This work successfully adapts and applies combat modeling theory to the evaluation of cislunar space conflict. This work provides evidence that the reliability characteristics of small spacecraft share similarities to the reliability characteristics of large spacecraft. Using these novel foundational concepts, this dissertation develops and presents a parametric methodological framework capable of analyzing the efficacy of heterogeneous force compositions …

Gray Dragons: Assessing China’S Senior Military Leadership, Joel Wuthnow

China Strategic Perspectives

This report analyzes more than 300 biographies of senior Chinese military officers from 2015 and 2021 to assess the composition, demographics, and career patterns of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership.

Generative Methods, Meta-Learning, And Meta-Heuristics For Robust Cyber Defense, Marc W. Chalé

Theses and Dissertations

Cyberspace is the digital communications network that supports the internet of battlefield things (IoBT), the model by which defense-centric sensors, computers, actuators and humans are digitally connected. A secure IoBT infrastructure facilitates real time implementation of the observe, orient, decide, act (OODA) loop across distributed subsystems. Successful hacking efforts by cyber criminals and strategic adversaries suggest that cyber systems such as the IoBT are not secure. Three lines of effort demonstrate a path towards a more robust IoBT. First, a baseline data set of enterprise cyber network traffic was collected and modelled with generative methods allowing the generation of realistic, …

Abstract: A Quest For Freedom: The History Of Marronage And Maroon Communities In The United States, 1513-1865, Ainsworth L. Tracey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

A Quest for Freedom: The History of Marronage and Maroon Communities in the United States, 1513-1865, is an examination of marronage or Maroon Societies in North America. The self-emancipated or fugitive slave community and its impact on African American men, women, and children during the slave era is one of the least understood aspects of African American History. The objective of this study is to showcase these self-liberated communities and the Maroon experience in North America. Current research on the subject has revealed that the historical record possesses a wealth of information on the topic which allows for an accurate …

Parameter Selection In Fully Homomorphic Encryption Schemes And Fhe Applications, Cavidan Yakupoglu

Dissertations

Quantum computing has been gaining momentum as a result of recent technological advances. Existing cryptographic systems rely on the difficult problems that can be solved by sufficiently powerful quantum computers. As the quantum age approaches, the desire to discover new difficult problems that cannot be solved by quantum systems has increased. Lattice-based cryptography is a prominent tool for the post-quantum era that facilitates the implementation of encryption systems for practical applications.

The Learning with Error (LWE) and Ring-LWE problems introduce new lattice hardness assumptions that have been incorporated into public-key cryptosystems to facilitate the implementation of numerous privacy-enhancing applications. Fully …

Section 230 Of The Communications Decency Act Of 1996: The Antiquated Law In Need Of Reform, Katherine Mediavilla

Missouri Law Review

Imagine a world without the information sharing-giants of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or Reddit. It is nearly impossible to go a day without some type of exposure to content created, published, and shared on such platforms. A world without these platforms would bear a striking resemblance to the world in 1996, when Congress passed the Communications Decency Act (“CDA”). The CDA, often referred to as “the 26 words that made the internet,” states that “[n]o provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content …

Neutral State Access To Ukraine’S Food Exports, James Kraska

International Law Studies

This article originally appeared in Articles of War, the online publication of the Lieber Institute at the U.S. Military Academy, May 18, 2022, https://lieber.westpoint.edu/neutral-state-access-ukraines-food-exports/.

Caste War And The Indian Church, Dhinakaran Savariyar

New Horizons

The violent and persistent caste discrimination in India is nothing short of caste war. As destructive to the lives of those in the lowest caste, the Dalits, as international war, caste discrimination must be mediated through peace-making. Peace-making is a necessary step that Christianity can offer to the realities of caste division in India. Acknowledging that Christianity itself has been wrapped up in colonization and caste distinction, this paper ultimately argues that Christians are still called to be an agent for change in India.