Political Science Commons^™

Approaching Contemporary Terrorism, Jonathan Marcus

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper aims to analyze how governments of the modern era can better engage with contemporary terrorist organizations. It argues that nations and governments must alter their strategy on terrorism in light of its increasing prevalence and lethality in the modern era. Proclamations of non-negotiation, made with false perceptions that terrorists are simply irrational radical actors, are no longer viable if governments truly seek to reduce terrorist violence. In fact, it’s the ambiguity of terrorism and the major differentiation in the practices of various organizations which necessitate a more flexible strategy. Simply, the one-size-fits all solution of unequivocal no-negotiation is …

Humanitarian Negotiations & Humanitarian Principles: The Interaction Between Humanitarian Negotiations For Access And Organizations' Ability To Adhere To Humanitarian Principles, Gabriela Gil

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Aim: To examine how do humanitarian organizations apply, or fail to apply, the humanitarian principles through humanitarian negotiations in modern conflict settings.

Methods: A literature review identified relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature on international humanitarian norms and law, the landscape of modern conflict, and existing guidelines on humanitarian negotiations. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in humanitarian negotiations chosen on the basis of their relevant background. A coded analysis of these interviews was conducted to identify major themes and subthemes in responses.

Background: Multiple international mechanisms outline the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence and States, non-State …

A Roundtable For Victoria M. Grieve, Little Cold Warriors: American Childhood In The 1950s, Thomas Field Jr., Julia L. Mickenberg, Lori Clune, Mary Brennan, Donna Alvah, Victoria M. Grieve

Publications

Dr. Thomas Field introduces a roundtable discussion of Victoria M. Grieve's Little Cold Warriors: American Childhood in the 1950s, providing a synopsis of reviewer critiques before the reviewers expand on their views and the author responds.

Through Community Eyes: The Transition Of International Organizations From Community Aid To Development In Postconflict Sierra Leone, Whitney Mcintyre Miller

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Sierra Leone experienced an 11-year civil war, brutalizing its people and destroying its communities. With the cessation of violence, international organizations helped to secure peace, deliver aid and supplies, and, after, assist with development projects. This grounded theory study, which aims to understand the role these organizations played from the viewpoint of community members in 2 communities, posits that community members’ regard of international organizations lessened as their efforts transitioned from securing the peace and relief efforts to aid for development. Highlighted are the successes and challenges of this work and a broad discussion of implications and recommendations.

H-Diplo Article Review 831- Field Jr. On D’Haeseleer. “American Civic Action: The National Campaign Plan And The Failure To Win ‘Hearts And Minds’ In El Salvador.”, Thomas Field

Publications

The author - Dr. Thomas Field - reviews Brian D’Haeseleer's article “American Civic Action: The National Campaign Plan and the Failure to Win ‘Hearts and Minds’ in El Salvador.” This article appeared in Diplomacy and Statecraft, issue 26:3 (2015), on pages 494-513. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09592296.2015.1067527.

Slogans Appropriate To The Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr., Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

For printing signs, banners, posters, tee shirts, and bumper stickers (and for preaching sermons) that are appropriate to the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., please consider the following slogans: ABOLISH WAR, ABOLISH POVERTY, AMEND THE CONSTITUTION, SUPPORT AN ECONOMIC BILL OF RIGHTS, JOBS FOR ALL, GUARANTEED INCOME FOR ALL, SUPPORT UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME, and GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR - Luke 4:14-19.

When Do Ties Bind? Foreign Fighters, Social Embeddedness, And Combatant Repertoires Of Behavior During Civil War, Pauline Luz Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

How does the extent to which rebel organizations are embedded into local conflict contexts - i.e. the extent to which they "fit in" or "stand out" from local populations - affect their behavior on and off the battlefield during civil war? This dissertation examines why rebel group propensities to engage in governance and violence during war vary at the macro and microlevels of analysis and uses as its point of departure the presence of foreign fighters in the ranks of rebel groups engaged in civil war. I employ a cross-national analysis of insurgencies from 1989-2011, and also conduct a theory-testing …

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 …

Call For Proposals 2019: The Social Practice Of Human Rights, University Of Dayton

Content presented at the Social Practice of Human Rights Conference

2019 marks 30 years since the end of the Cold War and the beginning of an era pregnant with promise and potential for human rights, democracy, and global governance.

Yet today, global capitalism drives widening and deepening inequalities. Its dependence on natural resource extraction and exploitation is hastening ecological collapse. Authoritarianism and populism have risen from the rubble of liberalism’s inability to deliver on its pledges. Technology, once promoted as a panacea for transnational boundary breaking and democratization, further empowers the powerful to reshape politics and upend notions of privacy, social life, information, employment, and even biology.

Critics have questioned …

The Convergence Of The War On Terror And The War On Drugs: A Counter-Narcoterrorism Approach As A Policy Response, Lindsay Burton

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates how and why U.S. policies and agencies are ill-equipped to respond to narco-terrorism and offers some policy recommendations for remedying that. Narco-terrorism is the merging of terrorism and drug trafficking. Terrorist organizations and narcotics traffickers each have much to offer the other; there is potential for symbiosis in the form of cooperation and even hybridization. Examination of the dynamics between terrorist organizations and drug traffickers, combined with an evaluation of the US responses to narcoterrorism in Colombia and Afghanistan, makes it clear that current US policy responses fail to recognize narcoterrorism as a unique challenge, and instead …

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, …

From Inclusive Governance To Peace: Exploring African Governance Systems, Karolina Werner

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation defines and explores the concept of inclusive governance, highlighting linkages between inclusion in governance, legitimacy, and peace. Focusing specifically on the inclusion of traditional, local systems of governance in state government, I explore the unique role traditional institutions have as a bridge between the communities they serve and the government. I examine the relationship between governance, quality of inclusion, legitimacy, and sustainable peace through case studies, challenging prevailing narratives and conceptualizing inclusive governance through a reflexive analysis of existing literature, theory, and empirical evidence.

I offer a case study analysis of Uganda highlighting the relationship between state government …

Terrorism In The Middle East: Implications On Egyptian Travel And Tourism, Tamer Z.F Mohamed, Tamer S. Elseyoufi

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper attempts to shed the light on challenging issues affecting travel and tourism industry especially in the Middle East such as political, socio-economic and security instability. Due to its geopolitical and historical importance, the paper focuses on the situation in Egypt as a descriptive case study. The methodology relies on historical review and impact assessment to understand the roots and extended branches of instability in the Middle East that led to the Arab Spring, by focusing on the Egyptian case in the last half century. The assessment explains the negative effect of Western and Egyptian policy on extending the …

Tall Tales Of Danger And Security: How A Critical Human Security Approach Can Address Major Contradictions Revealed Through A Critical Narrative Analysis Of Dominant U.S. Security Strategies, Stephen Schneider

Master's Theses

Over many generations, humans have developed many perspectives and practices regarding the best ways to recognize and address what they perceive to be dangerous. Stories are used to help shape and narrate perceptions about the world, and they serve to pass on vital information that impacts how a society responds to threats and vulnerabilities. These narratives of danger and security are subjective to the experiences and political intentions of society, and therefore in many ways are partial and biased in their assessments and policies. This results in flawed security practices that may actually exacerbate threats or create new insecurities. What …

Remembering An Invasion: The Panama Intervention In America’S Political Memory, Dave Nagaji

Senior Theses

In December of 1989, the United States launched Operation Just Cause, a military invasion of the country of Panama, capturing Manuel Noriega and overthrowing his government. This research project examines how Colin Powell, Richard Cheney, James Baker, and George H.W. Bush presented Operation Just Cause in their memoirs. It attempts to determine how these senior leaders’ depictions of this invasion incorporated it into the Bush administration’s overall foreign-policy strategy. The research finds that their general approach was to present the Panama intervention as an isolated incident which had no intentional link to other major events at the time, was not …

The Duty To Prevent Genocide Under International Law: Naming And Shaming As A Measure Of Prevention, Björn Schiffbauer

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In contrast to prosecuting and punishing committed acts of genocide, the Genocide Convention is silent as to means of preventing future acts. Today it is generally accepted that the duty to prevent is legally binding, but there is still uncertainty in international law about its specific content. This article seeks to fill this gap in the light of the object and purpose of the Genocide Convention. It provides a minimum requirement approach, i.e. indispensable State actions to comply with their duty to prevent: naming and shaming situations of genocide as what they are. Even situations from times before the Genocide …

New Documents Shed Light: Why Did Peacekeepers Withdraw During Rwanda’S 1994 Genocide?, Emily A. Willard

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Why did the international community decide to withdraw United Nations peacekeeping troops from Rwanda during the 1994 genocide? Analysis of newly released documents and results from an international conference with former U.N. and government officials sheds further light on our understanding of what took place leading up to and during the Rwandan genocide. This article focuses on two key moments: 1) the United States’ reluctance to support the peacekeeping mission from before its mandate began and prior to the killing of U.S. troops in Somalia in autumn 1993; and the United States’ central role pushing the United Nations Security Council …

Enhancing Your Intelligence Agency Information Resource Iq: Pt. 4: National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (Ngia), National Intelligence University (Niu), And National Reconnaissance Office (Nro), Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Webinar presentation on publicly accessible information resources produced by the U.S. National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGIA), National Intelligence University (NIU), and National Reconnaissance Office. Places significant emphasis on missions of these agencies, their historical accomplishments, coverage of their educational activity, and information on the technologies they have used and are currently using to fulfill their institutional objectives.

Capturing The Flag: The Struggle For National Identity In Nonviolent Revolutions, Landon E. Hancock, Anuj Gurung

Peace and Conflict Studies

One goal of nonviolent resistance movements is to legitimize themselves in opposition to governments by undermining the latter’s leadership. We argue nonviolent groups that can ‘own’ the national identity are more likely to succeed, as they can assert the legitimacy of their vision for the state, and persuade other sectors of society to support their cause. Our argument is supported by the Arab Spring uprisings, where those resistance movements that were able to identify and claim ownership over a homogeneous national identity were more successful in pressing their claims. We view national identity as a component of symbolic power in …

How Religion Influences Peacemaking, Rebecca A. Glazier

Peace and Conflict Studies

Although a large amount of scholarly and popular attention has been devoted to understanding the relationship between religion and violence, comparatively less attention has been paid to the relationship between religion and peace. Yet, there are many reasons to believe that religion can be a powerful force for peacemaking. Qualitative research indicates that religious leaders and religious people are often credible peace brokers who are respected in their communities, have ready access to cultural peace-promoting concepts like reconciliation and forgiveness, and may be motivated by non-partisan factors like fulfilling religious obligations or furthering God’s will. Despite this promising research, little …

A Literature Significance Of Formal Education, Informal Education And Religion As A Growth Mechanism In Africa, Aliu Olamide Oyedun

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

This paper aims to give a literature view on the importance of religion, formal tertiary education and informal education on the communal growth and human development in Africa. The study shows that different religions in Africa have similar ethical standards and preaches the fundamental principles of good morals. Also, formal and informal education has a pivotal role in the collective development of human minds leading the subsequent national development. Again, if these principles of good morals and good human values are upheld in every human rather than the religious background which these morals came from, it will give a levelled …

The African Human Rights System: An Overview Of The Admissibility Of Ngos Applications Before The African Court, Yusuf Sulayman Esq., Llm

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Rights are sacrosanct and one of the most cardinal functions/objectives of the African Union (AU), being a regional organization, is the protection of rights of citizens of member states. The African Court on Human and People's Rights is the channel through which the African Union entertains and determines complaints of human rights in frin gements/abuses within the region. Among other categories of applicants, relevant NGOs can invoke the jurisdiction of the Court upon satisfaction requisite pre-conditions. Adopting a doctrinal approach, this paper seeks to shed light on the extent of the admissibility of applications by NGOs before the Court. This …

The Key Constraints Facing African Countries In Mobilizing Their Resources For Development: A Case Study On Ghana And Zambia, Albert Mcbell Ninepence

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) is "the generation of government revenue from domestic resources, from tax and non-tax sources (royalties, licenses, levies or other income)" (European Commission, 2010). Major scholars have exchanged contrasting views on the barriers to resource mobilization in Africa. While Di John (2006) asserts weak state capacity to mobilizing resources and the need for reconstruction of a viable state, Von (2007) contends that neopatrimonialism has inhibited African state's revenue. Furthermore, Elbadawi (2000) maintains that low savings and investments are the impediments of resource generation and the declining performance of Africa. This paper therefore argues that the weak state …

Front Matter, Yaljod 2.1, Prince Ifoh

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Includes: Forewords from Amb. Dr. Salah Siddig Hammad (Ag Head, African Governance Architecture, African Union Commission), Dr. Patricia Rodney, MPH (Chair, The Walter Rodney Foundation; Adjunct Professor, Morehouse School of Medicine; Atlanta, GA, USA), and Vasu Gounden (Founder and Executive Director, The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Dispute, Durban, South Africa); Introduction from Prince Ifoh (Founder, YALF); and Acknowledgements.

Internally Displaced Persons-Idps Stereotypes And Perceptions In Nigeria, Raymond Inkabi Nwalieli

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

As Nigeria continues to grapple with the unprecedented rise in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), interventions for IDPs is now a humanitarian priority. This paper examines the social perceptions of IDPs, humanitarian responses bordering around building long term solutions, provision of specific needs for integration, voluntary return, fighting trauma, and economic isolation. It further recommends how responses should be better harmonized for sustained impact, with an ultimate goal to have IDPs return back home to normal or improved levels oflife - providing safety and security, sustained livelihoods, employment, housing and shelter, as against settling perpetually in camps.

Emerging Trends Of African Women's Involvement In Politics, Tochukwu Benedict Ezeifekwuaba

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Women have been deprived from the structures of countries that determine legislative and political priorities. In the past years, Africa has experienced an increase in political representation of female. This paper emphasizes on the emerging trends that have been observed in women political involvement in Africa. These changes have resulted to the potential for the rise of women's entry to political post. The present trends of women involvement in politics have been successful by an amalgamation of various factors. This paper looked at the factors that have resulted to the optimistic changes in the political involvement of women. Africa Women …

Youths And Peace-Building In Africa: Socio-Political & Economic Exclusion And The Role Youths Play In Peace-Building In Africa, Mungwe Regina Ekoa Mbella, Aquegho Felicitas Yari, Ruud Bedga Sama-Lang

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Peacebuilding consists of a set of physical, social, and structural initiatives that are often an integral part of post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation. It actively works to promote a culture of peace, intercultural dialogue and non-violent conflict transformation. Because of social exclusion, lack of opportunities, slow implementation of public policies that promote reparation and reconciliation, young people become exposed and vulnerable to armed or political recruitment, as a result, they are considered perpetrators of crime instead of peacebuilders. This paper portrays the unique potentials and actual contributions the youths of Africa have demonstrated in building peace in different African communities.

Yaljod Full Issue 2.1, Prince Ifoh

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The Young African Leaders Journal of Development (YALJOD) is a biennial journal and an official publication of the Young African Leaders Forum (YALF). It was established in 2015 to host scholarly analysis and competing viewpoints about the development of Africa; and it’s multidisciplinary approach makes it more formidable. YALJOD accepts papers from varied disciplinary areas — including Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Humanities — that show direct relevance to the development of Africa. It publishes researches understood as the social, economic, political, cultural and technological processes of change in Africa. The intended audience of the journal remains the entire African …

Sustainable Prosperity And Human Potentials, Sara Haddou Amar

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

Sustainable prosperity is a new concept combining various principals such as providing basic needs, dignity, life satisfaction and happiness. It is an indicator used to measure and evaluate social progress among communities. In fact, the purpose behind the aggregation between the terms of sustainability and prosperity is the rehabilitation of the environmental strength and health system while providing an effective comfort and welfare system to the human being. In this paper, we explore the impact of human potential on reaching and achieving a high level of prosperity. We discuss, also, the evolution and automation effect on the improvement of human …

The Batonga Traditional Dispute Resolution In Tonga Communities: Lessons From Lusulu Community, Grey Moyo

Young African Leaders Journal of Development

The article explores traditional perceptions of dispute resolution practices and strategies in resolving conflicts amongst the BaTonga communities in Binga which is in the north-western part of Zimbabwe. The paper follows a realization that the BaTonga community has an interesting dispute resolution mechanism which is predicated on the idea of Africa finding solutions to their problems in Africa's wisdom. The study on Zimbabwe endogenous conflict resolution mechanisms has received scant attention. The nature of disputes within the BaTonga community emanate mainly from resources competition characterized by competition over grazing lands during summer season, water scarcity, community boundary conflicts on farm …