Other International and Area Studies Commons^™

“As The Developing Situation Warrants”: U.S. Counterterrorism Policy Considered Through The 1994 Gerry Adams Visa Debate, Olivia T. Sullivan

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

This thesis analyzes the 1994 U.S. decision to grant Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams a visa and what it reveals about American counterterrorism policy in the immediate post–Cold War period. Long suspected of senior involvement in the Provisional Irish Republican Army during the Troubles (1968–1998), Adams had previously been denied entry under terrorism-related immigration provisions. His case became a flashpoint inside the U.S. government: officials debated whether diplomatic opportunity, domestic political incentives, and momentum toward peace in Northern Ireland warranted a departure from the prior “no concessions” posture toward IRA-linked figures. Situating the controversy within U.S. terrorism discourse from the …

Carnival In Tijuana: A Visual Study Of The Brinco Del Chinelo, Nancy Rios-Contreras, Chenesia Brown

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

The Mexico–United States border is politicized and perceived as an undesirable, violent place and simultaneously a desirable cultural location rich in tradition. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic nature of the Tijuana–California border by exploring the performance of culture in a geopolitical border place. So far, most border research has concentrated on negative portrayals of cities and the border rather than on the joyful and festive lived experiences. Grounded in a visual sociology methodology, data collection included photo-ethnography and fieldwork observations conducted between 2022 and 2024 during an annual summer carnival, Carnaval Sin Fronteras [Carnival …

External Debt In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Five Country Case Study On External Lending, Andres Ramirez

International Studies (MA) Theses

This thesis examines China as a new external lender to Africa and analyzes if their large infrastructure loans are leading developing countries into debt distress, compared to Multilateral and Commercial Private financing. A regression analysis is run on a 10-year data set, 2014-2024, and analyzes the external debt service-to-revenue ratio, relative to the external debt stock by lender, across a panel of five East and West African economies, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, and Benin. The empirical findings in the analysis shows that commercial private debt causes the most strain on a country’s external debt service to revenue ratio, but …

Negotiating Complementary Pathways In Europe: Faith-Based Actors And Humanitarian Corridors In Italy And Belgium, 2015-2017, David J. Sulewski

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

For decades, migration has ranked among the most pressing issues in European domestic and regional politics as the number of forcibly displaced persons seeking protection continues to rise. Complementary Pathways, developed as an alternative to the retrenchment of state-led refugee resettlement and restricted access to asylum, have gained increasing prominence in policy discourse and practice. Existing scholarship often explains their emergence through transnational policy transfer or government-led initiatives. Less attention, however, has been given to cases in which civil society actors initiate and negotiate such policies with the state. This dissertation examines the development of one such model—Humanitarian Corridors—focusing on …

How Ai Governance Differs Between Regime Type, Jackson T. Guillou

Honors Theses

This thesis will examine how artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and development differ across political regime types, arguing that governance outcomes are fundamentally shaped by institutional political structures. This thesis will draw on comparative frameworks analyzing democratic and authoritarian systems. This thesis will also include case studies of the European Union, the United States of America, China, and Russia. The study finds that democratic regimes tend to emphasize transparency, accountability, and rights-based regulation of AI. This often results in slow regulation of AI, but it is more ethically legitimate and constrained. In contrast, authoritarian regimes prioritize centralized control, strategic coordination, and …

Caste, Religion, And Inequality In India, Chloe Johnson, Elyse O’Leary, Diana Tarazi, Claire Geis, Francesca Bambara

Global Studies Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Organizing To Engage: A Framework For Conflict Strategy, Paul Mason Carpenter

Dissertations

Conflict strategy can be exceedingly complex. While many of the basics are simple, even the simple can be highly complicated to execute. The Schlieffen Plan in World War I appeared straight forward, but execution was a great deal more complex. It failed and the result was years of trench warfare.  In addition, leaders entering conflict may not fully appreciate the full context, its effect, and the need for a long term result--a better state of peace.

Strategy and tactics may be challenging to transform as an engagement evolves. In addition, strategists must often commit to courses of action within very …

Strategic Knowledge: Innovation, Technological Sovereignty, And Geopolitical Competition, Chick Edmond

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

The Twenty-First Century's Shift in Advanced Technologies as Instruments of Economic Growth to central pillars of geopolitical competition States are increasingly using technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology and digital infrastructure not simply as commercial assets but as strategic resource bases to enhance their national security and global influence. This paper will examine how innovative systems have been incorporated into broader geopolitical competitions creating "strategic knowledge politic”. This paper dwells on International Political Economy (IPE), Security Studies and Innovation Theory literatures to analyze the changing concepts of technological sovereignty and their implications for the global order. The …

An Unlikely Ironic Intervention: Reimagining The Fourteenth Amendment Of The United States Of America, Jennifer Paola Hernandez

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

The project of interest is an intervention in the United States of America to reform racial and minority vote dilution, along with systemic entrenchment of power within gerrymandering, to undo the legacies of colonialism and racism within the states. Holding the government accountable to Constitutional and human rights is a patriotic act, even if many Americans don’t see it that way. Though often linked to the Global South, peacebuilding can also include institutional reform in non-war contexts. Peacebuilding processes are intended to improve society’s institutional structures for the betterment and sustainability of its constituents. I argue that the United States …

Peaceful Change Management: Cultivating Empathy And Curiosity To Foster Resilience And Trust In Healthcare, Erica W. Martin, Anne Kampa

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

The ongoing evolution of healthcare, driven by technological advancements, necessitates equipping leaders with human-centered approaches to change management. This proposal examines the current responses to change within healthcare environments, addressing the underlying mechanisms that contribute to success or breakdown and emphasizes the imperative need for adaptive strategies from change leaders.

A human-centered approach incorporating emotional intelligence, the ADKAR change management model, and peace-focused leadership, can mitigate potential conflicts and foster a trust-based work environment. This research explores the theoretical framework of positive peace, underscoring the pivotal role of leadership in enhancing relational dynamics and addressing communication barriers. By focusing on …

Peace Innovation And Healing: A Design Justice Framework To Support Change Processes, Strengthen Relationships, Foster Trust, And Build Community, Michelle Helman

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

Many organizations aiming to achieve peace and health equity outcomes often focus their design processes and innovation efforts externally without addressing how their organizational culture can unintentionally reproduce the very harms they are trying to address. The purpose of this qualitative design research study is to explore the role of a design justice framework in piloting a Peace Innovation Project aimed at facilitating an organizational culture change process. Specifically, the study focuses on better understanding how integrating a design justice approach could support research collaborators to center equity and justice as core components in building a culture of peace and …

Discourse Markers In Conflict Management: A Literature Review, Erica W. Martin, Krystle L. Hunter

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

Discourse Markers in Conflict Management: A Literature Review

Discourse markers, often seen as fillers in conversation, are important for managing interpersonal conflicts. This literature review aims to show how these markers influence conflict dynamics, with implications for promoting peace and strengthening community relationships. By combining research from linguistics, communication studies, and conflict resolution, the review looks at how discourse markers function during three phases of conflict: initiation, escalation, and de-escalation. The authors aim to improve both theoretical understanding and practical approaches to engaging constructively in conflicts, enhancing cohesion within global and local communities through better communication.

Using a qualitative synthesis …

Embodying Design Justice: A Peace Education Framework To Strengthen Relationships, Foster Trust And Build Community, Michelle Helman

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

BACKGROUND

Groups working toward creating peace and equity often focus on external innovation without addressing internal culture shifts necessary to navigate change and achieve their goals. Michelle’s doctoral research and practice address this challenge through a design research study and peace innovation project focused on organizational culture transformation through a design justice framework. Findings suggest that interweaving the framework with storytelling, arts, and embodiment practices are key to support people in navigating change processes to strengthen relationships, foster trust, and build community.

ABOUT

The workshop offers an applied learning experience for participants to explore the concepts of design and innovation …

Vacuum Wars: The Belt & Road Initiative’S Rise In The Arab League, Corabeth R. Pierce

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The world has shifted and changed in the last decade, resulting in a new world order. The Middle East and North Africa region houses the Arab League, which has drawn the attention of several states throughout the world. China has shown particular interest in the region since its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was first created in 2013. The BRI demonstrates how China has become more involved in the region and that these Arab states are more interested in what China has to offer compared to other countries. With the United States developing more nationalist policies, the European Union facing …

Project Hourglass Dan Representasi Multidimensional Perbatasan Israel-Mesir, Dhannya Febryana

Multikultura

The Israel–Egypt border functions not merely as a geographic demarcation, but as a social, political, and cultural space imbued with symbolic meaning. Since its establishment in 1906 up to the construction of Project Hourglass in 2010, this border has shifted from a colonial administrative line to a fragile symbol of peace and a site of global securitization. This study employs a qualitative approach based on literature review and representational analysis, drawing on Stuart Hall’s representation theory as well as David Newman and Anssi Paasi’s concepts of borders in area studies. The findings reveal that the Israel-Egypt border is represented through …

Exploiting Vulnerability: Human Trafficking As A Tool Of Genocide, Madison Bryant

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis examines the relationship between human trafficking and genocide, arguing that when trafficking is used with the intent to destroy a targeted group, it should be understood and prosecuted as an act of genocide. While international law traditionally treats genocide and human trafficking as distinct crimes, historical and contemporary evidence reveals significant overlap in their mechanisms, motivations, and outcomes. Through a thematic analysis of three case studies, this research demonstrates how trafficking has been systematically employed to further genocidal objectives, including displacement, exploitation, cultural erasure, and the destruction of communities. The case studies are the genocide of Indigenous peoples …

Tensions In The Arctic: Avoiding Escalation, Emma Loeber

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

The Arctic has long been considered a place of peace and scientific cooperation largely unaffected by international tensions. In the past decade, however, climate change has made the Northern Sea Route (NSR) increasingly navigable, and its status as an important trade route in a time of recurring great power rivalry has increased tensions in the Arctic. Coupled with the Arctic’s strategic location for both Russia and the United States, this has led to the militarization of the region and fears of a security dilemma that could lead to escalation and conflict. This paper will focus on the eight Arctic states …

Global Constructions Of Gender, Sexuality, And Migration: An Analysis Of Five Immigrant Memoirs, Grace Halvorson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone analyzes five memoirs by LGBTQ+ migrants—Jose Antonio Vargas, Edafe Okporo, Staceyann Chin, Danny Ramadan, and Samra Habib—to explore how governments weaponize gender and sexual orientation to construct national identity and exert control over both citizens and migrants. Their diverse migration experiences highlight how “gender border control” operates across families, communities, and national government systems, reinforcing heteronormative structures that regulate queer identities. My analysis of their memoirs reveals how both formal tools, such as immigration policies, and informal tools, such as social exclusion, make individuals outside heteronormative identity categories susceptible to state and societal violence. These personal narratives shed …

Gis And The 1944 U.S.–Mexico Treaty: Rethinking Transboundary Governance Under Climate And Demographic Stress, Pedro L. Sarabia

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the structural limitations of the 1944 U.S.–Mexico Water Treaty in the context of intensifying climate stress and growing population demand. Using GIS-based raster analysis of precipitation from 1981 to 2024, it maps hydrological trends in treaty-bound basins—particularly the Rio Grande and Lower Colorado—which exhibit persistently low and variable precipitation. These conditions, coupled with institutional rigidity, threaten the sustainability of binational water management. In addition to quantitative analysis, the study includes a qualitative assessment of transboundary governance dynamics, highlighting how institutional fragmentation and policy contention impede adaptive responses. The Treaty’s current surface-water-only framework excludes groundwater management, real-time data …

Recent U.S. Government Policy Literature On Critical And Strategic Minerals, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Critical and strategic minerals have become increasingly important in U.S. government civilian and military policymaking in recent years. This is demonstrated by the heavy use of such minerals in many critical civilian and military infrastructures. This work will discuss how this subject has been addressed in laws, presidential documents, and works by government agencies along with congressional oversight committees and support agencies. It will stress how the United States is heavily dependent on strategic minerals from adversarial foreign countries such as China and will examine U.S. efforts to increase its ability to produce such materials in the United States by …

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (Csis), Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

April 24, 2025 presentation for Canada's GovInfo Day Spring 2025 hosted by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and Internet Archive Canada. Provides information about the publicly available information resources produced by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) which is the Canadian Government's foremost national intelligence agency. Provides information about this agency's statutory organization, types of publicly available reports they produce, information about other Canadian government intelligence agencies, and parliamentary oversight of Canadian government intelligence operations. Lists additional resources for finding information about CSIS and explains the benefits of having access to these resources for users.

Foreign Involvement And Economic Outcomes In Coups, Paul Hanson

SPARK Symposium Presentations

A variety of factors come into play when determining economic outcomes. One of these factors is tied to political stability. After coup events, the literature finds that economies perform worse overall. This literature has explored other factors tied to coup events, such as overall political stability and the effects of different governing types on economies. Previous methods of exploring coups did not permit foreign intervention to take an active role, or even any role in most cases, in their models. This study will explore the correlation between economic output, utilizing GDP data from the Penn World Table, and foreign intervention …

The Impact Of American Politics On Canadian Voters, Reilly Funk

Political Science Theses and Capstones

I analyze to what degree American political forces shape Canadian elections. Due to the unique economic and cultural relationship between the countries, U.S. political and policy changes impact the Canadian political landscape. I examine this relationship with a comparative study using the Canadian Election Study of the 2021 federal election. This data enables analysis of voter behaviour within a wide variety of voters. Tentative findings show that major political events within the United States, such as presidential elections and major policy shifts, have a major impact on election results in Canada. Canadian political parties consistently adjust their messaging strategies to …

De-Dollarization And South Asia: Challenges And Opportunities For Nepal In A Multipolar Currency World, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

The United States dollar’s dominance as the global reserve currency, established under the 1944 Bretton Woods system, persists despite the 1971 decoupling of the gold backing to the dollar. Its liquidity, stability, and full support by the US government confer a solid financial security and advantage to the currency, including a universal acceptance of the dollar and a relatively low borrowing cost. Because of these reasons, the US dollar has been able to dominate the global financial markets for the past eight decades. However, the rapidly emerging global political and economic power shifts are challenging the status of the US …

The U.S. Grand Strategy Toward The Pacific Islands, Angela Vasovic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The United States has recently placed its relations with the Pacific Islands, fourteen small states far out in the Pacific Ocean, on its high-priority diplomatic agenda. Although it has been interacting with the islands since the 1800s and had heavily relied on their cooperation during World War II, the importance of the islands waned in the eyes of the United States in the late twentieth and the beginning of the twenty first century as the country turned its attention to other regions of the world. However, in recent years, the U.S. has recognized the need to strengthen relations with the …

“K-Pop In Public”: Vietnamese Youth Using Dance To Queer The Public Space, Ha Bich Dong, Thuy Bich Dong

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

In Vietnam, where public protests are criminalized (Kerkvliet, 2022), young people continue finding creative ways to advocate for their rights through different venues, particularly the arts. This research combines digital ethnography and duoethnography to examine K-pop dance covers in Vietnamese public spaces as a platform for youth to explore their gender identities, connect, and visibilize queerness.

K-pop is a music genre, pop culture, and cultural phenomenon that emerged in South Korea and has gained significant popularity and influence around the world (Aini, 2020). We, two researchers (one is a K-pop dancer), began the research by using digital ethnography (Zorn, & …

Exploring The Contribution Of Transformational Leadership In Non-Formal Peace Education Initiatives In Sri Lanka, Janith Prabashwara Perera

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

The transformative power of Peace Education cannot be undermined in the volatile era in which we live. Through cultivating knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values, Peace Education aims to shift the mindsets and behaviours of individuals and groups away from violence toward peace. In recent times, many youth have stepped up to lead Peace Education programmes, particularly targeting youth in their local communities. Their leadership often aligns with the 'Transformational Leadership' model, which fosters change in followers and society.

This research examines youth leaders in Non-Formal Peace Education in Post-War Sri Lanka, focusing on their adoption of the Transformational Leadership Model …

How To Become A Soldier In The Black Liberation Army: Sixteen Tomes, Tony Gaskew

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

From 1970 to 1983, it is estimated that the Black Liberation Army (BLA), by way of armed resistance in the name of revolutionary justice, was responsible for expropriating the lives of dozens of police officers across the United States of America. Yes, as unbelievable, and as extra-terrestrial as it might sound today, there was a very brief period in U.S. history when there were consequences for indiscriminate acts of police violence against the Black community. However, in the fields of conflict resolution and peace studies, the BLA is invisible. As a Black man who was born and raised in the …

The Police State Legacy, Security Sector Governance And Reform (Ssg&R) Within A P/Cve* Framing In Tunisia: Local Ownership At A Critical Juncture, Fatma Jabbari

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

No abstract provided.

The Role Of U.S. Leadership In Resolving Indo-Pak Ensuring Rivalry, Abdul Sadiq Khan

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

The partition of British India in 1947 and the subsequent events caused a great deal of mutual mistrust that has persisted in the bilateral ties between Pakistan and India for seven decades. Post-Partition India inherited the state infrastructure of the British. Pakistan, on the other hand, has to build its state apparatus from the ground up. Indian leadership was certain that the nascent state of Pakistan would not survive and eventually reunify with India. The two countries are marked by the history of wars like in 1948, 1965, and 1999 over Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan and India appear to be …