Digital Commons Network^™

Hand Over Fist: Russia's Use Of Military Aggression To Affect Regional Policy, Bobby G. Simmons Ii

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to assess Russia's effectiveness at using military exercises to affect the policies of neighboring Eastern European states. This is first done through an analysis of three Russian military exercises: Zapad-2017, Kavkaz-2020, and Ocean Shield-2020. The overview and results of the exercises are discussed. Then, three Eastern European countries are assessed as targets of Russian military aggression: Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine. The relationships between these countries and Russia are then reviewed before discussing how each country was impacted by one or more of the three aforementioned Russian military exercises. Following this analysis, a brief assessment …

Risk Transfer Militarism And The Iraq War, Kathleen H. Bannon

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

President Barack Obama's military and political strategies during the withdrawal period from January 2009 to December 2011 of Operation Iraqi Freedom (IOF) effectively mitigated the risks of the U.S. forces stationed within the region while also ensuring influence over regional actors' trained military counterparts. By restructuring core military programs, leveraging civilian partnerships, and enacting new military doctrines, the U.S. engaged within the latest iteration of risk-transfer militarism

Civil Warfare: Where U.S. And Russian Policy Meet Civil Society In Eurasia, Robert Q. Carolan

Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas

Civil society in Eurasia is not always a friend to Washington, and is, at times, an ally to Moscow. This paper reviews select Eurasian civil society organizations and their role in Russian hybrid warfare.

Author information: Robert Quinn Carolan is a master’s student at Sciences Po’s Paris School of Public of Affairs (PSIA) and the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Affairs (MGIMO) (University) and alumnus of Northern Illinois University. He wrote this piece in coordination with the NIU Student Engagement Fund and as a US Gilman Scholar in Ukraine.

War And Political Theory, Edward Erwin, Brian Orend

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Economics Of Kashmir Conflict, Bilal A. Pandow

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

In a political conflict like Kashmir, human loss is the first tragedy coupled with the economic damage to the oppressed class. Repeated shutdowns that include curfews and protests have dented the economy of Kashmir, a fact that is irrefutable. However, this is supplemented by the ‘normalcy period’ that paves way for the economic captivity of the region. The Narendra Modi government’s decision to abrogate Article 370, which guaranteed a special status to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under the Indian constitution, and divide the J&K state into two separate Union Territories on 05 August 2019 has already immensely dented the local …

Little Magazines, Postwar Internationalism, And The Construction Of World Cinema, Louise Kane

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This essay explores how two interwar film magazines, Close Up (1927-33) and Experimental Cinema (1930-4), pioneered early forms of world cinema as part of wider postwar attempts to forge transnationalism, improved international relations, and humanistic dialogue among people and nations. I argue that both magazines presented the cinema as a form of global community through their establishment of film societies and clubs, inclusive contributor policies, turn toward Russian cinema, and staunch rejection of Hollywood cinema’s commercialism. These strategies enabled the construction of a shared, albeit idealistic, vision of world cinema centered on comparative approaches, anti-imperialism, and the preservation and documentation …

Fear And Loathing In Post 9/11 America: Public Perceptions Of Terrorism As Shaped By News Media And The Politics Of Fear, Reinmar Cristobal Freis-Beattie

Doctoral Dissertations

The politics of fear have deeply divided the United States of America. Decades of propaganda portray Muslims as a terrorist threat to the dominant US culture and society. The War on Terror and its consequences, including the rise of ISIL and the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis, resulted in the destabilization of democracy in both the US and Europe. I argue that the US public’s fear of terrorism is not just a fear of violence but instead reflects racial tensions and anxieties in a rapidly changing world. These tensions and anxieties are fueled by media coverage leveraging a general fear and …

The National Intelligencer Validating Cowardice: How A Washington D.C. Newspaper Redefined Defeat Into Republican Victory, Wesley C. Cline

Student Publications

The fall and burning of Washington D.C. without substantial resistance by the American army and militia was initially an obvious disgrace, however the widely read Washington based newspaper, The National Intelligencer, sought to rewrite this story of defeat into a narrative highlighting republican virtue. Utilizing preexisting stereotypes perpetuated in their paper of British soldiers acting immoral, the staff of The National Intelligencer articulated that the men defending Washington had to return to their individual homes on account of the impending barbarism and savagery of the British invaders, therefore vindicating the militiamen of their lack of resistance and praising their virtuous …

Review Essays: "Bringing Domestic Politics Back Into Grand Strategy," "Is The American Century Over?," And "Will The United States Learn From The Iraq War, Vol. 2, Surge And Withdrawal, 2007–2011", The U.S. Naval War College

Naval War College Review

American Pendulum: Recurring Debates in U.S. Grand Strategy, by Christopher Hemme; Is the American Century Over?, by Joseph S. Nye Jr., reviewed by Michael O’Hara; The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, vol. 2, Surge and Withdrawal, 2007–2011, ed. Joel D. Rayburn [Col., USA] and Frank K. Sobchak [Col., USA] reviewed by Daniel J. Cormier.

Should The United States Support A Republic Of Korea Nuclear Submarine Program?, Jihoon Yu, Erik French

Naval War College Review

The United States must choose whether it will oppose or support South Korea’s emerging SSN program. While the strategic risks the program represents are readily apparent, the United States should support and assist its ally if South Korea pursues acquisition of SSNs.

Measuring And Unpacking Affective Polarization On Twitter: The Role Of Party And Gender In The 2018 Senate Races, Kevin Mentzer, Kate Fallon, Janet Prichard, David Yates

Information Systems and Analytics Department Faculty Journal Articles

This study examines how the Twittersphere talked about candidates running for the U.S senate in the 2018 congressional elections. We classify Twitter users as Liberal or Conservative to better understand how the two groups use social media during a major national political election. Using tweet sentiment, we assess how the Twittersphere felt about in-group party versus out-group party candidates. When we further break these findings down based on the candidates’ gender, we find that male senatorial candidates were talked about more positively than female candidates. We also find that Conservatives talked more positively about female Republican candidates than they did …

The African State: An Illusory Vestige Of Colonialism, Muhammad K. Otaru

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In a 2006 Interview, prominent Nigerian author, and social commentator, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said; “…Nigeria was set up to fail. The only thing we Nigerians should take responsibility for is the extent of the failure….”1. Such a view about colonialism and the states it arbitrarily created is widely shared by many on the African continent, who have come to understand that the very creation and existence of the African state are largely to blame for the seemingly countless socio-economic and political issues faced on the continent.

1 Kimber, Charlie, Interview: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The Socialist Review. (Online, October …

Music And Politics In Figure Skating: American And Soviet Nationalism, Cultural Diplomacy, And Identity At The Winter Olympics, 1968–1988, Mary Bridget Golden

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis situates figure skating, music, and Cold War politics during three separate Winter Olympic Games held in 1968, 1976, and 1988, examining the impact of this intersection on the sport of figure skating. Through a survey of seven Olympic medal-winning figure skating programs in the men’s and women’s single divisions and the pairs’ division, evidence of the relationship between politics and music is examined in the musical selections of the skaters’ programs. This thesis also explores the overwhelming prominence in skating programs of musical selections that appealed to the tastes of an elite majority during the Cold War, while …

Delta And Pine Land Company Records, Mississippi State University Libraries

Special Collections Finding Aids

MSS. 101. 1886-1982. 104.33 cubic feet and 53 volumes. Correspondence, annual reports, minutes, financial records, maps, oral history interviews, publications and other records documenting the history of the Delta and Pine Land Company. While headquartered in Scott, Mississippi, the company was owned by a British firm throughout most of its history, and at various times it had offices in Arizona, California, and Texas. Advertised during one period as the world's largest cotton plantation, Delta and Pine Land Company grew a variety of crops and became famous for its research and development of cotton varieties. Among the major subjects in the …

Politics On The Periphery: Oscar Ewing And A Special Relationship With Israel, Sarah Weaver

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

This essay explores the role of Oscar Ewing, an Indiana native and a graduate of Indiana University (IU), in the story of the U.S. relationship with Israel, forming even prior to Israeli statehood in 1948. The essay will show that Oscar Ewing strategically utilized his political influence and role as U.S. federal security administrator—not diplomat or member of the State Department—to impact U.S. policy toward Israel. Although Ewing is a relatively unknown name in the history of the Truman administration and Israel, his influence and contribution to the early development of the well-known special relationship between the United States and …

Don’T Lock Trump Up, Just Because Mueller Said You Can, Bruce Ledewitz

Ledewitz Papers

Published scholarship collected from academic journals, law reviews, newspaper publications & online periodicals.

Is Pakistani State At War With Free Press?, Umer Bin Ajmal

MSJ Capstone Projects

Pakistan’s media scene today depicts a similar picture where many journalists say they have been “conditioned” to self-censor news. But unlike Pavlov using a sound as a stimulus, certain “powers that be” use threat and violence to intimidate journalists and force them to behave in a certain way. Psychologists around the world say there is a lesson in this experiment: it demonstrates that human behavior, too, can be manipulated or maneuvered through conditioning.

Like War: The Weaponization Of Social Media, Doyle Hodges, P. W. Singer, Emerson T. Brooking

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Globalisation And Consolidation Of Dependency And Underdevelopment In Africa, Rashid Ating

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Globalisation is a process which transformed the world into a single political economy. Africa is one of the continents that is sharply affected by globalisation. This paper examined the impacts of globalisation in consolidating Africa's economic and political dependency and underdevelopment. The problem is globalisation comes up with many opportunities, especially for developing countries, but, Africa failed to utilize the opportunities. The paper is a conceptual paper which used secondary sources of data for analysis and interpretations. The work discovered that Africa found itself more caged in a circle of dependency and underdevelopment despite all the trade negotiations, open opportunities, …

Carrying Buddha Into The Streets: Buddhist Socialist Thought In Meiji Japan, James Mark Shields

Faculty Contributions to Books

No abstract provided.

"The Most Multi-Ethnic Country In The World": Indigenous Peoples In Russia's Eurasianist Political Narrative, Lex Trienen

Arctic and Northern Studies

Since 2012, scholars have taken a renewed look at the philosophical and political ideas of Eurasianism within Russia to explain President Vladimir Putin's conduct and the Russian public's response to it. Eurasianism in its current form posits that the Russian state plays a unique role in the history of the world in opposing the avaricious, agnostic, and culturally oppressive "West," while uniting and elevating the peoples of the Eurasian continent in a peaceful, organic and spiritual "Eurasia." Indigenous peoples play a distinctive role in this narrative. Both the United States and Russia have Indigenous populations that have been subjected to …

Realist Ethics: Just War Traditions As Power Politics, Doyle Hodges, Valerie Morkevičius

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

What Has Gone Wrong And What Can We Do About It?, Bruce Ledewitz

Ledewitz Papers

Published scholarship collected from academic journals, law reviews, newspaper publications & online periodicals.

The Study Of Discrete Emotions In Politics, Cigdem Sirin, José Villalobos

Departmental Papers (PS)

Numerous empirical works document that discrete emotions have substantive and differential effects on politically motivated processes and outcomes. Scholars have increasingly adopted a discrete-emotions approach across various political contexts. There are different theoretical paths for studying discrete emotions. Appraisal theories contend that cognition precedes emotion, where distinct cognitive appraisal tendencies elicit discrete emotional reactions associated with specific coping mechanisms. Affective Intelligence Theory, another dominant paradigm in the study of discrete emotions in politics, argues for affective primacy. Others are more concerned with the level of analysis issue than the emotion-cognition sequence. For instance, Intergroup Emotions Theory calls for differentiating between …

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 …

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 …

“Taking The Threat To American Democracy Seriously: The Truth/Justice/Democracy Initiative,”, Bruce Ledewitz

Ledewitz Papers

Published scholarship collected from academic journals, law reviews, newspaper publications & online periodicals

Cyber Mercenaries: The State, Hackers, And Power, Jeffrey Biller, Tim Maurer

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Seablindness: How Political Neglect Is Choking American Seapower And What To Do About It, Sean Sullivan, Seth Cropsey

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Nationalism, Geopolitics, And Naval Expansionism From The Nineteenth Century To The Rise Of China, Robert S. Ross

Naval War College Review

Naval nationalism can encourage expansionist maritime policies, which can force acquisitions that are not informed by strategic interests and that ultimately undermine security and contribute to unnecessary and costly great-power conflict.