Diplomatic History Commons^™

Rewriting The Boer ‘Slim’: Alice Stopford Green’S Reports On St. Helena’S Prisoner Of War Camp And Her Impact On British Views Of Boer Prisoners, Natasja A. Swanson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Alice Stopford Green (1847 – 1929) was a prominent Irish historian and politician, known for her role as a political activist in the Irish Home Rule movement. Her lesser-known legacy is her investigative journalism on prisoner conditions in British prisoner of war camps during the Second Boer War (1899 – 1902). Her reports on Boer conditions in the Deadwood Prisoner of War Camp on the island of St. Helena reflected maltreatment and institutional abuse by the British Government. These discoveries supported the minority English opposition that thought that England was overstepping the rules of civilized warfare. Green was primarily concerned …

The Commander’S Crusade: Bush’S Campaign For War In Iraq, Aliyah Ramirez

Voces Novae

No abstract provided.

Deterrence, Détente, Disarmament: German Relations With Nato And Russia Since Reunification, James Mroczka

Honors Theses

One consequence of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was the German Chancellor’s declaration of a turning point in his country’s foreign policy. Although Germany is a loyal liberal democracy, it is noted for its staunch efforts to mediate between its Western friends, especially its NATO allies, and Russia. However, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war has become emblematic of the persistent cooling of relations between these factions. This historical moment has thus called into question the efficacy of certain longstanding aspects of German foreign policy, including its attempts at mediation. Many of Germany’s behaviors seem deeply entrenched, however.

This begs the …

“An Exercise In International Extortion”: Operation “Intercept” And Nixon’S 1969 War On Drugs, Justin M. Reid

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

When the former senator and vice president assumed the Oval Office in January 1969, President Richard M. Nixon inherited a nation in crisis with drugs playing a central role. At a campaign stop a few months earlier, Nixon announced to a packed convention center in Anaheim, CA, that if elected president he would end the flow of the illicit drugs coming into the United States “decimating a generation of young Americans.”

True to his word, Nixon moved aggressively after his election victory to refocus the federal drug enforcement bureaucracy on drug source control, blaming Mexico as the main culprit. On …

A Lifeline For Millions: American Relief In An Age Of Isolationism, Matteo Marsella

The Forum: Journal of History

American military involvement in the Great War is a widely discussed aspect of the conflict. The period following the war is often considered an example of American isolationist foreign policy. Lesser well known are American efforts to provide food relief to starving populations in Europe, which began during and continued well after the war's conclusion. This paper seeks to locate American relief efforts within broader postwar foreign policy. Although President Harding’s 1920 election victory on a platform of a “return to normalcy” is often construed as a rejection of Wilsonian internationalism and a return to prewar isolationism, there is no …

The National Interest And The Roots Of American-Saudi Diplomacy, Oliver B. Wiegel

Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the beginnings of diplomacy between the United States and Saudi Arabia during the interwar years and World War II. It explores how national interest was decided upon, how oil companies affected American foreign policy, and the American government’s strategic interest in Saudi oil reserves.

Diplomacy And The American Civil War: The Impact On Anglo-American Relations, Johnathan B. Seitz

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Modern historical memory of the American Civil War is dominated by the domestic elements of the four-year conflict between the Union and Confederacy. The military figures, battles, and major political changes of 1861-1864 are central elements to public interpretation of the Civil War. But there is an additional dimension to the events of this period in American history, one that, outside of secondary scholarly research in the past century, remains distant from public knowledge. This research explores the nature of international reaction to the American Civil War, focusing on interaction between the combatants and the United Kingdom. The heart of …

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 …

The Casualties Of U.S. Grand Strategy: Korean Exclusion From The San Francisco Peace Treaty And The Pacific Pact, Syrus Jin

Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses

From August 1945 to September 1951, the United States had a unique opportunity to define and frame how it would approach its foreign relations in the Asia-Pacific region. As the dominant power in the Pacific after World War II and claiming direct authority over vanquished Japan, the United States had the liberty to design its own post-war vision for the entire region. Until 1951, American State Department diplomats and government planners, attempted—ultimately unsuccessfully—to harmonize the competing motivations of lingering World War II multilateralist idealism and Cold War geopolitics in a postcolonial, postwar world. This thesis examines U.S.-Korean relations in context …

The Significance Of Mongolia's Foreign Policy And Security Apparatus On A Global And Regional Scale, Bolor Lkhaajav

Master's Projects and Capstones

Mongolia, land-locked between two politically, economically, and militarily powerful nations — Russia and China — often must balance its foreign and security policies with its two neighbors and countries beyond. When discussing Mongolia’s foreign policy and security apparatus, historians and scholars look at the international relations of East Asia as a whole. This is the case not because Mongolia’s foreign policy is insignificant but because greater powers impose greater influence on smaller states. Mongolia’s partial involvement in World War II (WWII), and the Cold War introduced new challenges as well as opportunities for Mongolia to modernize its foreign policy principles …

Ambassadors For The Kingdom Of God Or For America? Christian Nationalism, The Christian Right, And The Contra War, Lauren Frances Turek

History Faculty Research

This essay uses the concept of Christian nationalism to explore the religious dynamics of the Contra war and U.S.–Nicaraguan relations during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Religious organizations and individuals played crucial roles on both sides in the war in Nicaragua and in the debates in the United States over support for the Contras. Evangelistic work strengthened transnational ties between Christians, but also raised the stakes of the war; supporters of the Sandinistas and Contras alike alleged a victory by their adversary imperiled the future of Christianity in Nicaragua. Christian nationalism thus manifested itself and intertwined in both the United States and …

American Identity Crisis, 1789-1815: Foreign Affairs And The Formation Of American National Identity, George E. Best

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

When the Constitution was drafted in 1789, Americans did not have a sense of national identity. The process toward achieving a national identity was long and fraught with conflict. Some of the most influential events on the United States were foreign affairs. American reactions to these events reveal the gradual coalescence of national identity. The French Revolution was incredibly divisive and Americans defined their political views in relation to it. The wars spawned by it caused Great Britain and France to seize American ships believed to be carrying contraband. The American public took an active role in making its opinions …

"Never Draw Unless You Mean To Shoot": Theodore Roosevelt's Frontier Diplomacy, Duane G. Jundt

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Remarks, The Big Picture: Beyond Hot Spots & Crises In Our Interconnected World, Anne-Marie Slaughter

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

The picture of foreign policy as seen by the United States has changed dramatically over the last few decades. The United States now faces a world far more interconnected and integrated than the foreign policy landscape of the Cold War and its immediate aftermath. Instead of one or two super power centers, the world today is made up of multiple global and regional power centers. This essay, transcribed and adapted from remarks given by Anne-Marie Slaughter on March 15, 2012, at the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, examines the shift to a multi-polar world of foreign …

Jimmy Carter's Foreign Policy: The Battle For Power And Principle, Frances M. Jacobson

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Evaluating the foreign policies of presidents while they are in office or shortly after their tenure ends can sometimes lead to conclusions that prove to be unsound in the future. The case of Harry Truman exemplifies this. When he left office in 1952 his approval rating was in the 20 percentile range. Yet, he set the tone and direction of United States foreign policy that led eventually to the successful conclusion of the Cold War. The foreign policy of President Jimmy Carter was also generally viewed as a failure by many scholars in the field, both during his time in …

Letter From Fred Morris Dearing To Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson, September 9, 1943, Fred M. Dearing

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A handwritten letter from Fred Morris Dearing addressed to Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson, dated September 9, 1943. Within, Dearing comments on Wilson's recently published article in the New York Herald-Tribune.

Letter From Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson To Editor Of The New York Times, October 14, 1941, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A typed copy of a letter from Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson addressed to the Editor of the New York Times, dated October 14, 1941. Within, Wilson discusses the dangers of isolationism and neutrality laws.

Letter From Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson To Amos R. E. Pinchot, April 11, 1941, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A typed copy of a letter from Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson addressed to Amos R. E. Pinchot, dated April 11, 1941. Within, Wilson writes of his displeasure upon seeing Pinchot's membership in the America First Committee.

America's Only Sure Defense, December 25, 1940, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A typed copy of an essay entitled, "America's Only Sure Defense", written by Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson and dated December 25, 1940. Within, Wilson argues for British aid and lists the obstacles and reasons for public opposition.

The First Essential Of American Defense, August 4, 1940, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A typed copy of an essay entitled, "The First Essential of American Defense", written by Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson, dated August 4, 1940. Within, Wilson writes on the consequences of Britain's potential fall to Germany and calls for foreign policy agreement between President Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie.

Letter From Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson To Henry P. Fletcher, June 21, 1940, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A typed copy of a letter from Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson addressed to Henry P. Fletcher, dated June 21, 1940. Within, Wilson writes to Fletcher on the temporary appointment of chairman Hamilton and the potential impact it might have on the Republican platform.

Letter From Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson To Samuel Pryor, June 21, 1940, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A typed copy of a letter from Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson addressed to Samuel Pryor, dated June 21, 1940. Within, Wilson sends his views on foreign policy and national defense that he feels should be representative of the Republican Party.

Foreign Policy And National Defense, 1940, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A typed copy of an essay entitled, "Foreign Policy and National Defense", written by Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson from circa 1940. Within, Wilson writes on the rejection of the current foreign and domestic policy being conducted under the Roosevelt administration.

Letter From Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson To Wesley Winans Stout, October 4, 1939, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

World War II Era Documents, 1939-1945

A typed copy of a letter from Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson addressed to Wesley Winans Stout, dated October 4, 1939. Within, Wilson writes in protest of a recent Saturday Evening Post editorial promoting isolationism.

Letter From Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson To The Editors Of The Saturday Evening Post, March 12, 1938, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

Documents, 1919-1938

A typed copy of a letter from Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson addressed to the editors of the Saturday Evening Post, dated March 12, 1938. Within, Wilson writes to request an interview and discuss potential articles to be published on foreign policy.

American Foreign Policy Vs. Reality, 1938, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

Documents, 1919-1938

A typed copy of an essay entitled, "American Foreign Policy Vs. Reality", by Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson, dating from circa 1938. Within, Wilson calls for a thorough examination of US foreign policy and the role it will play in maintaining democracy both domestically and abroad.

Letter From Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson To Raymond Moley, May 28, 1933, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

Documents, 1919-1938

A typed copy of a letter from Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson addressed to Raymond Moley, dated May 28, 1933. Within, Wilson asks Moley to read his enclosed reflections on American foreign and economic policies.

Letter From Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson To William Phillips, May 28, 1933, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

Documents, 1919-1938

A typed copy of a letter from Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson addressed to William Phillips, dated May 28, 1933. Within, Wilson writes to discuss the memoranda on foreign and economic policy he sent to Raymond Moley.

Speech Delivered To Foreign Students At The Philadelphia Chamber Of Commerce, February 23, 1928, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

Documents, 1919-1938

An untitled speech given at the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Dinner to Foreign Students by Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson, dated February 23, 1928. Within, Wilson speaks on the nature of internationalism and the relationship between foreign bodies and the United States.

A Wise Senate And A Foolish Diplomacy, Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson

Documents, 1919-1938

A typed copy of an unpublished essay entitled, "A Wise Senate and a Foolish Diplomacy", written by Francis Mairs Huntington-Wilson, dated March 26, 1920. Within, Wilson argues the benefits of the Senate's recent rejection of the Treaty of Versailles and warns against the dangers of foreign entanglements.