Political Science Commons^™

Mass Atrocities And Their Prevention, Charles H. Anderton, Jurgen Brauer

Economics Department Working Papers

Counting conservatively, and ignoring physical injuries and mental trauma, data show about 100 million mass atrocity-related deaths since 1900. Occurring in war and in peacetime, and of enormous scale, severity, and brutality, they are geographically widespread, occur with surprising frequency, and can be long-lasting in their adverse effects on economic and human development, wellbeing, and wealth. As such, they are a major economic concern. This article synthesizes very diverse and widely dispersed theoretical and empirical literatures, addressing two gaps: a “mass atrocities gap” in the economics literature and an “economics gap” in mass atrocities scholarship. Our goals are, first, for …

Ua35/4 Provost's Office International Programs, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about International Programs.

When To Strike: Exploring The Variables That Lead To Successful Decapitation Strikes, Renzo Pierres

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to determine how different variables can affect a terrorist group's reaction to a targeted leadership strike, known as a decapitation strike. Decapitation strikes often produce unwanted results, such as a splintering of the terrorist group, or a failure to destroy the group. It is important that we understand which variables can lead to a group's destruction after a decapitation strike, to maximize the decapitation's effectiveness. In my research I have determined that group size, group ideological extremism, and the role of the leader targeted all have a substantial impact on the success of the …

An Analysis Of Obstacles To Peace Between Iran And Israel, Emily M. Aspinwall

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The history of confrontation and cooperation between Iran and Israel is a volatile sequence. With the transformative impact of the 1979 Iranian Revolution on Iranian leadership and ideology, as well as Israel’s metamorphosis from a newly independent state to a regional rival, there is much to unpack in this relationship. From regime changes to nationalistic awakenings, Iran and Israel’s conflict is comprised of infinite layers brimming with historical and political implications. For the past 70 years, Iran and Israel’s diplomatic relationship has encountered numerous shifts, thus forming an axis of hostility, regional contention, and damaging rhetoric. This research analyzes the …

Female Militarization And Women's Rights: A Case Study Of The Peshmerga And Ypj, Margaret Morgan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Since 2012, there has been an increase of media attention on the Kurds, particularly women who are active in the YPJ and Peshmerga. Various publications have equated women's militarization with women's liberation. In an effort to more accurately measure this, the following question must be asked; what is the effect of women's military involvement on women's rights? Women that are active in both nationalist movements and traditional state armies are presented with changing gender roles. Post conflict, there is a struggle for women to transfer their newfound autonomy into political activism. The theory outlines a chain in which women participate …

What Determines Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment: An Empirical Research, Qiaoli Yu

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The rise of Chinese multinational enterprises (CMNEs) and the growth of Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) have been two important trends in the world economy. This dissertation aims to deliver a complete picture of Chinese OFDI by investigating what determines Chinese OFDI. Based on a perspective of international political economy, we use a multilevel framework which includes country level, industry level, and firm level to demonstrate a reciprocal relationship between the Chinese government’s political benefits and CMNEs’ economic benefits. The Chinese government plays the role of an organizer in this relationship to guarantee its political benefits and enlarge CMNEs’ …

Msmes (Microsoft, Small And Medium Enterprises) And Democracy, A Panel Data Model, Simon Hsien-Tun Tang

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This paper focuses on different national economic development structures, such as microsmall-medium-enterprises (MSMEs) vs. big or state-owned enterprises and their relations with political development. A well-established literature argues that MSMEs are conducive to economic growth. Existing literature does not tell us much about the relationship between MSMEs and democracy. This dissertation examines the relationship between economic development structure and democracy. I demonstrate that we observe a negative correlation between high concentration of MSMEs and political development in the early stages of a country’s economic development (pre-takeoff or takeoff states stages), ceteris paribus. I provide a theoretical framework and causal mechanism …

Small Scale Sport Events And Sustainability: A Case Study In Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile, Jennifer Valarde-Menary

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Small-scale sport events have been argued to be sustainable form of tourism development for communities (Gibson, 1999). The purpose of this study was to analyze four small-scale sport events all operated by NIGSA (Nómadas International Group SA) in the Magallanes region of Chile. The four events at the core of this study were: Patagonian Expedition Race, Patagonian International Marathon, Ultra Trail Torres del Paine, and the Ultra Fiord which operate partially or completely inside the Torres del Paine National Park. As a biosphere reserve established by the United Nations, Torres del Paine National Park requires a sustainable perspective of event …

U.S. Immigration Reform: A Policy Analysis Of The Development, Relief, And Education For Alien Minors (Dream) Act Between 2001 And 2012, Nickola Elliott

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the policies and legislation connected to the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act between 2001 and 2012 were reviewed and analyzed to identify how the DREAM Act perpetuates structural violence. The DREAM Act purported to assist many undocumented immigrant children and young adults in becoming legal residents of the United States of America. This study applied both the qualitative content analysis approach and a policy analysis methodology guided by David Gil’s methodology for analysis and development of social policies. Data collection sources included legislative bills crafted on the DREAM Act, research articles and studies, …

The European And American Immigration Struggle: How Two Continents Endeavor To Solve The Immigration Question, Austin Creal

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Both the European Union and the United States experienced an immigration crisis in the Early 2000's. Each has reacted with policies and judicial opinions based on their culture, circumstances, and geography. I conduct a comparative policy-based analysis with a multi-faced lens that will be analyzed with emphasis on the consequences of immigration and how each judicial system endeavors to solve the most pressing challenge of their times. Specifically, I compare various case law, directives, and precedent to provide a more in-depth narrative on how each system has reacted to circumstances before their respective Courts. An in-depth examination of both EU …

Analyzing The Trump Administration's International Trade Strategy, Rachel Brewster

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of The Six-Day War And The Role Of Territory In The Conflict, Michael W. Krupka

Tenor of Our Times

There exist many contentious topics in the world, but relatively few of them relate to the mere existence of a nation-state. Israel, a newcomer on the stage of world politics, inspires just such debate. In fact, the contention has been so strong that Israel has fought several wars just to maintain its survival. Among the numerous factors playing into these conflicts, religious differences, national pride, and ethnic tension all play vital roles. This paper, however, intends to focus on one war in particular, the Six-Day War, and the impact territory made in bringing the war to a head. While the …

Governments' Adoption Of Native Cryptocurrency: A Case Study Of Iran, Russia, And Venezuela, Rose Mahdavieh

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The emergence of digital currency is becoming prevalent in the age of globalization – specifically, cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain are two recently discovered concepts currently being explored by researchers and developers. Cryptocurrency is a subset of digital currency that encompasses revolutionary technology, shifting political and economic spheres in nation-states. Certain governments are more prone to the adoption of cryptocurrencies and three comparative case study countries, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela, have shared attributes that result in adoption. Observed factors that result in the adoption of cryptocurrencies include corruption, GDP level, economic volatility, and Western sanctions. These factors will be applied in …

Pro-Government Militias And The Legacy Of Military Rule In Latin America, Alexander Mendelsohn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Currently Latin America experiences a phenomenon of widely varying levels of violence across the region. Many countries, such as El Salvador and Honduras, have exceptionally high murder rates upwards of 40 homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC 2015). Other countries, such as Uruguay and Argentina, have relatively low rates, below 10 homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC 2015). I believe this variation stems from the use of pro-government militias specifically employed in the past by military governments as tools of suppression. Under the guise of combating subversive elements within their countries, these groups were used to silence and repress those who opposed …

การปรับแนวทางความช่วยเหลือเพื่อการพัฒนาอย่างเป็นทางการของญี่ปุ่นต่อภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้สมัยรัฐบาลชินโซ อาเบะ, อุมาพร เกตุสุวรรณ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์นี้มีวัตถุประสงค์ในการศึกษาความสัมพันธ์ของการปรับแนวทางการให้ความช่วยเหลืออย่างเป็นทางการ (ODA) ของญี่ปุ่นเมื่อปี ค.ศ.2015 กับการดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์ของญี่ปุ่นในยุครัฐบาลชินโซ อาเบะต่อภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ด้วยกรอบแนวคิดการถ่วงอำนาจแบบใช้ไม้อ่อน (soft balancing) เนื่องจากญี่ปุ่นใช้ ODA เป็นเครื่องมือดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์ต่างประเทศมาตั้งแต่หลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ที่เป็นพื้นที่เป้าหมายหลักของ ODA ญี่ปุ่นและมีความสำคัญเชิงยุทธศาสตร์ความมั่นคงและเศรษฐกิจต่อญี่ปุ่น โดยการปรับแนวทาง ODA ของญี่ปุ่นต่อภูมิภาคดังกล่าวเกี่ยวข้องกับการปรับเป้าหมายและแนวทางการดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์ของญี่ปุ่นต่อภูมิภาคในแต่ละช่วงเวลา ซึ่งผลการศึกษาพบว่า รัฐบาลอาเบะใช้ ODA เป็นเครื่องมือสกัดกั้นการขยายอิทธิพลของจีนในภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ โดยมุ่งเสริมสร้างความเป็นแกนกลางของอาเซียน (ASEAN Centrality) และศักยภาพด้านการพัฒนาของประเทศในภูมิภาคด้วยการให้ ODA เพื่อให้อาเซียนและประเทศสมาชิกลดการพึ่งพาจีนและรักษาระเบียบของภูมิภาคที่เอื้อต่อผลประโยชน์ของญี่ปุ่น เนื่องจากการผงาดขึ้นมาของจีน โดยเฉพาะการขยายอิทธิพลทางทะเลและยุทธศาสตร์ Belt and Road เป็นประเด็นท้าทายต่อการดำเนินยุทธศาสตร์และอิทธิพลของญี่ปุ่นในภูมิภาค

การปกป้องสิทธิมนุษยชนของหญิงบำเรอ: การศึกษาเปรียบเทียบระหว่างบทบาทกลุ่มสมาคมชาวเกาหลี กับ รัฐบาลเกาหลีใต้, ภัทรพร ลีห์อร่ามวัฒน์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ มุ่งศึกษาถึงการเปรียบเทียบความแตกต่างของจุดประสงค์การเรียกร้องระหว่างกลุ่มสมาคมชาวเกาหลีเพื่อผู้หญิงที่ถูกใช้บำเรอทหารญี่ปุ่น กับ รัฐบาลเกาหลีใต้ ต่อกรณีหญิงบำเรอทหารญี่ปุ่น ในช่วงสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 ภายใต้การเรียกร้องเพื่อสิทธิสตรี โดยศึกษาวัตถุประสงค์ในการเรียกร้องของกลุ่มสมาคมชาวเกาหลี ซึ่งศึกษาจากพลวัตการรวมตัวของกลุ่มเรียกร้องและข้อเรียกร้องที่ทางกลุ่มต้องต่อรองกับรัฐบาลญี่ปุ่นหรือแม้แต่กับรัฐบาลเกาหลีใต้เอง เพื่อวิเคราะห์วัตถุประสงค์ของกลุ่มในการเรียกร้องในประเด็นหญิงบำเรอ โดยทำการศึกษาเปรียบเทียบกับวัตถุประสงค์ในการเรียกร้องในประเด็นหญิงบำเรอของรัฐบาลเกาหลีใต้ ซึ่งถูกใช้เป็นเครื่องมือเพื่อผลประโยชน์แห่งรัฐ โดยพบว่ารัฐได้ใช้การเรียกร้องทางสตรีนิยมมาเพื่อสร้างความน่าเชื่อถือรวมถึงเป็นการเรียกคะแนนนิยมแก่พรรคการเมือง และยังมีการยกประเด็นหญิงบำเรอมาเพื่อยุติความขัดแย้งระหว่างกับญี่ปุ่นด้วย

นโยบายต่างประเทศไทย : การสมัครเข้าเป็นสมาชิกองค์การสหประชาชาติ (1945-1946), ธนชัย นิสยันต์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้ศึกษาการสมัครเข้าเป็นสมาชิกองค์การสหประชาชาติของประเทศไทยในปี 1946 ความเป็นสมาชิกภาพขององค์การสหประชาชาติช่วยในการดำรงสถานะความเป็นรัฐเอกราชของประเทศไทยในช่วงสงครามโลก ดังจะเห็นได้ว่า ประเทศไทยไม่เป็นรัฐ ผู้แพ้สงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 เช่น ในกรณีของประเทศเยอรมนีและประเทศญี่ปุ่น ผลจากการแพ้สงครามทำให้ทั้งสองประเทศดังกล่าวถูกยึดครองโดยฝ่ายสัมพันธมิตร แต่ประเทศไทยไม่ถูกกระทำเช่นนั้น นอกจากนี้ความเป็นสมาชิกภาพขององค์การสหประชาชาติยังช่วยเปลี่ยนแปลง ภาพลักษณ์ของประเทศไทยจากความเป็นพันธมิตรที่ใกล้ชิดกับประเทศญี่ปุ่นในช่วงสงครามอีกด้วย

The Influence Of Jacksonian Tradition Toward Trump's Trade War Against China., Putdhikorn Kasemphaibulsuk

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This Individual Study examines how the Jacksonian tradition influences Trump’s trade war against China between 2018 to 2020. The Jacksonian tradition emphasizes the importance of the government and its role as a protector of people, culture, and identity of the United States. This research argues that the US foreign policy and the US domestic affairs are intertwined and influenced by the Jacksonian tradition. The domestic source that is responsible for the upsurge of Jacksonian tradition and the Trade War can be linked to the resentment of the political elitists and their upper-class bubbles who Jacksonian supporters are suspicious of. Jacksonian …

Financial Management Strategies Used To Market Investment Services To Retiring Military Personnel, Douglas Dwayne Scott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Marketing strategies relies on marketing campaigns that target a variety of clients based on demographics to increase profitability through financial planning services. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies financial managers of financial management branch offices used to market their investment services to retiring military personnel. The targeted population comprised 5 financial managers of financial management branch offices in the northeastern region of the United States and surrounding geographical areas who used successful strategies to market investment services to retiring military personnel. Blue ocean theory, which refers to untouched markets, provided the conceptual …

Ua12/2/29 Iranian Student Association, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Iranian Student Association.

Ua12/2/30 Saudi Students Club, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Saudi Student Club.

Confronting The Ngo: Struggling For Agency And Approximating Freedom Through The Works Of Michel Foucault And Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Samantha Coss

Pitzer Senior Theses

This project aims to consider the proliferation of the NGO in the 21st century and the implications that this model has for justice, freedom and social change. The nonprofit, or nongovernmental organization, will be examined using theorists and thinkers Michel Foucault and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, in hopes of understanding the ways in which the NGO limits freedom and perpetuates violence. There will be an exploration of struggling for agency beyond the nonprofit, including an introduction to examples of other change-making models from the United States and Latin America. The goal of this project is to critically examine the current frameworks …

Sanctions-Busting And The Signing Of New Preferential Trade Agreements And Bilateral Investment Treaties, Yi-Hao Su

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Why does the imposition of sanctions sometimes encourage the signing of new preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and bilateral investment treaties (BITs) between target states and their trade partners? I develop the theory that “trade plants the flag” and the argument of “chomping at the BIT” to explain how the trade-based and foreign direct investment (FDI)-based sanctions-busting behavior of firms drives their home governments to sign new PTAs and BITs with target states. The notion that “trade plants the flag” reveals that sanctions-busting firms exercise political influence on governments to reinforce their competitiveness in sanctioned states by concluding the PTA negotiation. …

Bernard Fall And Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare In Indochina, Nathaniel Lawson Moir

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

What accounts for Bernard Fall’s understanding and description of Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare in Indochina? How did formative experiences during and after the Second World War actuate Fall’s thought on the political nature of warfare in Indochina? What distinguished Fall’s thought on revolutionary warfare from others? Bernard Fall and Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare in Indochina addresses these questions through an intellectual history and contextual biography of Bernard Fall’s scholarship on the First and Second Indochina Wars. Bernard Fall, an authority on Vietnamese history, society, and the First Indochina War, began to explain in 1957 that subsequent war in Vietnam could not be …

The Hot And The Cold : A Historical Explanation For Russia's And America's Contrasting Foreign Policy Approaches To The Arctic, Joshua Newman Caldon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation explains how and why Russia has expanded its sphere of influence in the Arctic and why the United States has not assertively balanced this expansion. In doing so, I show that regional spheres of influence are historically and socially constructed. While material and security concerns motivate state behavior, I show that states also develop institutions, identities and interests that influence their relationships with each other and cause them to approach regions in different ways that are not readily explained by realist or liberal assumptions of how international relations should work.

Open Secrets, Congressional Oversight, And The Geopolitics Of The Cia Drone Program, Marita C. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Analyzing four congressional hearings that publicly discuss the CIA’s ‘secret’ drone program, this thesis considers the interaction between publicity and secrecy in facilitating practices of later-modern warfare. Specifically, I examine the content of these drone hearings within the broader context of leaks, Obama administration speeches, and public interest in CIA drones to better understand how open secrecy engages with public oversight. I argue these hearings are deceptively productive. While they largely fail as oversight events, the hearings facilitate numerous unexpected outcomes—including the normalization and entrenchment of the CIA drone program. Paradoxically then, publicity proves essential to the maintenance and acceptance …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Conditionality And Foreign Aid Reliance, Rory Ann O'Neil

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

State Capacity And Terrorism In The Developing World, Coty J. Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

What are the most influential factors to the rise of terrorist groups in the developing world? From Nigeria to Indonesia, various groups have conducted devastating attacks, against fellow citizens and international visitors. Hendrix and Young (2014) find military capacity may encourage the use of terrorism while bureaucratic measures depress them. Further investigation into underlying catalysts for mobilization is required before we can explain the rise in activity of terrorist organizations in these regions. I expect as measures of military capacity increase that terrorism increases while increases in administrative capacity reduce terrorist activity. I also expect indirect factors such as repressive …

The New Cold War: Geostrategic Rivalry And A Return To Political Warfare, Mason Connor Shuya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current geopolitical climate is one which has seen a renewed state of tensions in the relationship between the United States and the Russian Federation dating to 2014 and Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory. This current state of geopolitical tensions has led many to question: are we in a state of New Cold War today? If so, today's Cold War may be defined by the advancement of cyber capabilities and the use of propaganda and misinformation. How will this be the defining factor in the New Cold War? Through a comprehensive DIME analysis of the Russian Federation, the United States, …

Repression And Women’S Dissent: Gender And Protests, Dakota Thomas

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

Why do women protest? Why do women protest “as women”? Why do some women participate in protests but not others? In the wake of the Women’s March of 2017, perhaps the largest single day protest event in history, these questions are particularly timely and deserve scholarly attention. One important but understudied and undertheorized motivation for women’s protests is state sanctioned violence, particularly repression. This dissertation explicitly theorizes about how state perpetration of violence, particularly state use of repression, both motivates and shapes women’s protests on a global scale.

In this dissertation, I argue that one key motivation for women’s protest …