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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Yearning For Sovereignty: The Burden Of Independence, Nerses Kopalyan Sep 2020

Yearning For Sovereignty: The Burden Of Independence, Nerses Kopalyan

Political Science Faculty Research

Hundreds and thousands on the streets, with fists raised, symbolizing a singular maxim: Struggle. The demand for independence and the Karabakh conundrum, inextricably entwined. The nostalgia of 1918, beautiful yet suffocating. Moscow blinked, and Yerevan made its move: the bittersweet burden of state-building. Collective memory is an extraordinary phenomenon, as it transcends generations and imbues within a people an astonishing responsibility, the responsibility of defying history, of seeking a renaissance, and creating anew, a political reality. For the Armenian people, September 21, 1991 marked the realization of this new political reality: the independent Republic of Armenia.


Understanding The Aliyev Regime’S Armenophobia, Nerses Kopalyan Sep 2020

Understanding The Aliyev Regime’S Armenophobia, Nerses Kopalyan

Political Science Faculty Research

The nationalism of the Aliyev regime suffers from chronic pettiness, a self-realization that its banality breeds an artificial eulogization of historical relevance. Limited in historic values that give substance to a society’s conceptualization of its national spirit, the Azeri[1] ethos faces a profound dilemma: its nationalism is defined by its emptiness [in this article “Azeri” is a specific reference to the Azeri Turkic people that comprise approximately 90% of Azerbaijan, while “Azerbaijani” refers to citizens of the state of Azerbaijan - Editor]. This vacuity in its collective consciousness not only suffocates a desire for historical pride, but it also delimits …


Denying The Will Of The Armenian People: Populism, Democratic Backsliding And Polarization, Nerses Kopalyan Jul 2020

Denying The Will Of The Armenian People: Populism, Democratic Backsliding And Polarization, Nerses Kopalyan

Political Science Faculty Research

Opponents and critics of Armenia’s post-Velvet Revolution political establishment have relied on three main arguments in their attempts to question the legitimacy and broad mandate of the Pashinyan Administration. The first argument is hinged on the populism narrative, the second argument promotes the “democratic backsliding” narrative, and the third argument advances the polarization narrative. The underlying presupposition of these arguments not only question the will and character of the Armenian people, but also suggests a condescending and dismissive attitude towards Armenian political society. Collectively, these arguments assume that the Armenian electorate is composed of a naive, ill-informed citizenry that was …


Resolving The Constitutional Court’S Crisis Of Legitimacy, Nerses Kopalyan, Lusine Sargsyan Jun 2020

Resolving The Constitutional Court’S Crisis Of Legitimacy, Nerses Kopalyan, Lusine Sargsyan

Political Science Faculty Research

Expressing the collective will and tacit frustration of the Armenian electorate over the pace of judicial and structural reforms, the National Assembly, during a special session on June 22, 2020, initiated and unanimously approved a set of Constitutional amendments.[1] A tactical coup de grâce by the majority My Step faction, this procedural mechanism entailed a strategic utilization of parliamentary rules designed to uproot the entrenched problems of the Constitutional Court which, for the most part, is a remnant of the previous, undemocratic regime. This legal and tactical maneuvering remains remarkably consistent with the recommendations of the Venice Commission as well …


Thick As Thieves: Bringing Armenia’S Robber Barons To Justice, Nerses Kopalyan Jun 2020

Thick As Thieves: Bringing Armenia’S Robber Barons To Justice, Nerses Kopalyan

Political Science Faculty Research

There is a certain inhumanity to stealing from the poor, from the disenfranchised, from children, and quite simply, from one’s own society. But the magnitude of such cruelty is further elevated when the theft is undertaken and brazenly justified by those in positions of political power.


Armenia Combats The Coronavirus: State Capacity And The Diaspora, Shant Shekherdimian, Nerses Kopalyan Mar 2020

Armenia Combats The Coronavirus: State Capacity And The Diaspora, Shant Shekherdimian, Nerses Kopalyan

Political Science Faculty Research

Armenia's Government has taken acute measures to combat COVID-19, the novel coronavirus disease, by implementing a set of aggressive policies aimed at containing the epidemic. The perceived relative success of these measures--although it is quite premature to speak of any kind of success at this stage--also recognizes the inevitable: the virus cannot be fully contained and it is a matter of time before its transmission escalates. This is precisely what has been observed in much of Europe, Asia, and North America: containment strategies remain limited, so governments are proceeding with more complex mitigation strategies.


A Coward's Mother Does Not Weep: The Crisis Of Masculinity In Armenian Society, Nerses Kopalyan Mar 2020

A Coward's Mother Does Not Weep: The Crisis Of Masculinity In Armenian Society, Nerses Kopalyan

Political Science Faculty Research

An Armenian man, by his very disposition, must be courageous, a tough guy, bound by honor, a prolific philanderer, an obedient son, a domineering father, a strict husband, and an altruistic friend. He is, in essence, a myth, constructed by his culture, extolled by its values, and in the end, he is doomed to fail. Why? Because he is a walking paradox. In fact, this paradox is superimposed upon him - the stature of Armenian masculinity [1] would have it no other way. He is Atlas, carrying the burden of everyone and everything around him. He is his father’s hope, …


Changing The Paradigm In Armenia-Diaspora Relations: State-Centered Institutions And Transnational Governance, Nerses Kopalyan Jan 2020

Changing The Paradigm In Armenia-Diaspora Relations: State-Centered Institutions And Transnational Governance, Nerses Kopalyan

Political Science Faculty Research

Nation-states that encompass large Diasporas are faced with the wider responsibility of accounting for two types of members: citizens that live within the territory of the state and members of the broader nation that reside in the Diaspora. In the Armenian case, legally speaking, an Armenian is a citizen of the Republic of Armenia; but, at the same time, a diasporan Armenian is equally qualified as an Armenian, even if they do not live within the legal boundaries of the state.


Failed States And The Origins Of Violence: A Comparative Analysis Of State Failure As A Root Cause Of Terrorism And Political Violence, Tiffiany O. Howard Jun 2014

Failed States And The Origins Of Violence: A Comparative Analysis Of State Failure As A Root Cause Of Terrorism And Political Violence, Tiffiany O. Howard

Political Science Faculty Research

What makes a terrorist? Is an individual inherently predisposed to be attracted to political violence or does exposure to a certain environment desensitize them in such a way that violence represents a viable mode for addressing political grievances? Identifying state failure as the impetus for political violence this book addresses these questions and focuses on why existing extremist groups find failed states so attractive. Utilizing global barometer data, Tiffiany Howard examines the underpinnings of individual support for political violence and argues that an insidious pattern of deprivation within failed states drives ordinary citizens to engage in and support extreme acts …


The Perceptions Of Self And Others: Examining The Effect Identity Adoption Has On Immigrant Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action Policies In The United States, Tiffiany O. Howard Mar 2011

The Perceptions Of Self And Others: Examining The Effect Identity Adoption Has On Immigrant Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action Policies In The United States, Tiffiany O. Howard

Political Science Faculty Research

While there exist several studies devoted to evaluating the political attitudes of US citizens, very little has been done to distinguish between the political attitudes of immigrants and citizens of the same racial or ethnic group. Using data from the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, 1992-94, this study evaluates the role identity adoption plays in highlighting the distinctions which exist between the political attitudes of immigrants and those of US citizens from the same racial/ethnic group. The results reveal that despite pronounced cultural distinctions between immigrants and US citizens, in many cases race and ethnicity are important unifiers on opinions …


Failed States And The Spread Of Terrorism In Sub-Saharan Africa, Tiffiany O. Howard Oct 2010

Failed States And The Spread Of Terrorism In Sub-Saharan Africa, Tiffiany O. Howard

Political Science Faculty Research

Plagued by systematic state failure, sub-Saharan Africa's failed states have helped facilitate internationally sponsored terrorist networks and operations. However, until recently, this type of activity was primarily relegated to North Africa and the Horn. But that has begun to change. Now, what was once a seemingly benign terrorist presence in sub-Saharan Africa is starting to transform into a movement, with states such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) now lending arms, financial support, and radical militants to the extremist jihadist movement of internationally sponsored terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda. Further, with the …


Revisiting State Failure: Developing A Causal Model Of State Failure Based Upon Theoretical Insight, Tiffiany O. Howard Jul 2008

Revisiting State Failure: Developing A Causal Model Of State Failure Based Upon Theoretical Insight, Tiffiany O. Howard

Political Science Faculty Research

Developing a theoretically driven causal model of state failure is necessary if scholars are committed to improving the predictive power and forecasting ability of early warning models of state failure. Building upon the work of the State Failure Project(1) and earlier statistical models of state failure(2), this study develops a causal model of state failure that is based upon a theoretical foundation that satisfies the parsimonious condition that policy forecasting models typically rely upon. The statistical model of state failure developed for this analysis extends the work of previous models by developing an alternative definition and measurement of state failure …