Political Science Commons^™

Incorporating Heterogeneity In Command Center Interactions, Holly A. H. Handley, Alexander H. Levis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the many complexities of multinational coalition operations stems from differences in culture, military procedures, and command and control processes between the cooperating command centers. These differences can influence the interactions between decision makers of different command centers and can affect the outcome of the coalition operation. A coalition model, composed of individual models of the five-stage interacting decision maker model, was used in a virtual experiment. The subjective parameters included in the decision maker model can be any attribute that characterizes the heterogeneity of the decision makers. In this case, the parameters of power distance and uncertainty avoidance …

Levels Of Interoperability In Coalition Systems, Holly A. H. Handley, Alexander H. Levis, Michel Bares

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Systems of different command centers that are brought together in a coalition operation must have some level of interoperability in order to work together. Bares [2000] has introduced a formalism of three interoperability domains that describe the ability of the systems to define their own level of interoperability within the coalition by assessing their own and the other systems’ ability to interact on actions of the coalition. The lowest domain, interconnectivity, reflects the ability to exchange messages; this level must already have been achieved in order for the systems to participate in the coalition. The second domain, interoperability, reflects a …

Political Culture And Women's Political Activity In Post Communist Ukraine A Case Study Of The 1994 Elections, Tonja M. Wilt

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This research identifies and examines two distinct political cultures in post-communist Ukraine, characterized by the presence of Soviet and non-Soviet influences. Soviet political culture is associated with East Ukrainian regions where Soviet policies of Russification, collectivization and urbanization were deeply entrenched. The non-Soviet political culture is present in Western Ukraine where said policies were least successful and the Ukrainian culture is more established.

The question posed in this thesis is: To what extent, if any, do regional political cultures influence women's political activity in Ukraine? This study focuses on the Soviet practice of appointing hundreds of women to the Supreme …

Identity, Conflict And Cooperation In International River Basins, Jack V. Kalpakian

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation tests the hypothesis that water disputes cause serious conflict within and between states. It uses a structured case study approach to see whether there is a link between the independent and dependent variables. It also considers the effect of other variables on serious conflict. Specifically it addresses the effects of national identity and the othering process on conflict. The three case studies are built around rivers in the drier parts of the world. This biases the dissertation towards affirming the established mainstream hypothesis which states that water disputes cause serious conflict. In all three cases, historical animosities and …

Community Building In Ethically Restructured States: The Baltics, Dovile Budryte

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Drawing on democratic theory, this dissertation explores a thesis that the experience of ethnic restructuring significantly effects the ability of a democratizing state to successfully consolidate its emerging democracy. Ethnically restructured states, it is hypothesized, have an especially hard time creating inclusive democratic political communities, which is a necessary prerequisite for a consolidated democracy.

To test the thesis, the comparative case study method is applied to the ethnically restructured states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The goal of the case studies is to examine the approaches that the Baltic states used to reduce polarization. The historical background to the case …

The Concept And Practice Of Representative Democracy In Post-Communist Eastern Europe, Georgeta V. Pourchot

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Using the concept of representation, this study advances a comparative interpretive analysis which makes use of hard statistical data and soft data to assess the direction of democratization in Eastern Europe between 1990 and 1998. Specifically, the study looks at how governments in Eastern Europe chose to heed constituencies' calls for the institution of a market economy, and analyzes the degree of government responsiveness towards constituencies. The study finds that the region is moving towards a more responsible and responsive type of governance, but at different paces and degrees. Poland leads with respect to government responsiveness. The Czech Republic displays …

The Market And Ethics: The Case Of The 1994 Decision By The Clinton Administration To Delink China's Human Rights Record From Most-Favored-Nation Status, Susan C. Morris

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Amid the globalization of markets and the interdependence of states, human rights violations throughout the world still persist. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the economic interdependence of nations and the moral responsibilities of nations by examining the case of the 1994 decision by the Clinton administration to delink China's human rights practices from most-favored-nation status.

The annual 1997 Freedom House world survey of human rights rated China at its lowest point and quoted that “the regime continues to have one of the worst human rights records in the world.”1 Yet despite China's ongoing human …

The Middle East In World Affairs Understanding Iran's Changing Transnational And International Role, Marla Renfro

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran emerged on the international stage and began to establish itself as a participant in global terrorism. Throughout the period 1979-96, officials linked numerous terrorist actions and operations to Iran; this link could have involve Iran's direct sponsorship or indirect involvement, such as by providing monetary support to operatives. In order to develop strategies to prevent or minimize the threat of terrorist attack, Iran's role in global terrorism must be assessed.

The purpose of this work is threefold: to demonstrate the role taken by Iran in global terrorism from 1979 to 1996, to explain …

The Virginia Conservative Party, 1965-1969, Gerald Paul Gaidmore Iii

History Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the Virginia Conservative Party of the 1960's. The party was founded in 1965 as a protest against the increasing liberalism in Virginia and national politics. Dedicated to providing voters an alternative to the two major parties, the Conservative Party participated in every major state election from 1965 to 1969. Although failing to win any statewide election, the Conservatives played a significant role in Virginia politics during the 1960's. Paradoxically, the Virginia Conservative Party contributed to the demise of the conservative Democratic Byrd Organization by refusing to support conservative Democrats. Subsequent internal disputes over the party's action in …

Evolution And Devolution: The Dynamics Of Sovereignty And Security In Post-Cold War Europe, Thomas M. Lansford

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

At a time when individual defense outlays are being significantly diminished, the national governments of Western Europe are confronted with the necessity of reforming and adapting their militaries to address new security concerns and undertake new missions. This study will examine multinational military integration as one possible approach whereby national governments can limit defense spending and still maintain military capabilities to meet the contemporary security threats faced by the nation states of the continent. The first three chapters of the work will explore the broad patterns of change in the international system which have propelled states to reexamine how they …

Why Do Not All Separatist Movements Aim For Secession? The Cases Of Chechnia And Tatarstan, Mesut Acar

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Which ethnic groups are more likely to secede is a debated question among scholars. One view, as proposed by Immanuel Wallerstein, holds that ethnic groups living in economically advanced regions are more likely to secede. In contrast, other scholars like Donald Horowitz claim that backward groups in backward regions are more likely to secede. One aim of this thesis is to explore which view has better explanatory power for two republics in the Russian Federation: the Republic of Chechnia and the Republic of Tatarstan. In 1992 they were the two most separatist regions in the Russia. Later they diverged, and …

Relative Gains Problem And Case Studies Of Economic Cooperation In East Asia, Ping Deng

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Relative gains problem basically means unequal cooperative payoffs disproportionately favoring partners. With the relative gains problem widely accepted as a serious impediment to international cooperation, some scholars have theoretically argued or modeled several conditions that are most likely to foster a state's sensitivity to relative gains and thus substantially affect the prospects for cooperation. But little empirical work has been done to date. The central objective of this dissertation is to test whether those theoretical propositions can be supported by empirical evidence. For this purpose, we have deducted three hypotheses: (1) If a state faces military threat and zero-sum political …

Institutions, Developmental Alliances, And Economic Development In Korea And Brazil (1950-1985), Charles Paul Winebarger

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This paper compares the development of Korea and Brazil, 1950-85. These newly industrialized countries developed at above-average rates among less developed countries. Korea developed more rapidly than Brazil. The paper contends that institutions, interest groups (especially firms) and the state, enter into developmental alliances. Alliances affect policies. Policies, then, affect development.

Findings reveal interesting trends in the 1950s' democracies of the cases. Both countries had semi-autonomous states, equivocally committed to industrialization. Industry was the growth point in each. Korea used local firms to industrialize; Brazil used foreign firms. In both cases, the state allied itself with firms. Policy mostly favored …

Southern Strategies, James R. Sweeney

History Faculty Publications

From the mid-1960's, Virginia Republicans, in tune with President Richard Nixon's active "Southern strategy," revived party fortunes in the state by capitalizing on the ongoing degeneration of Virginia Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr.'s powerful conservative Democratic organization and the factionalization of the state Democratic Party. Republican Abner Linwood Holton, Jr., solidly carried the 1969 gubernatorial election. In the 1970 senatorial election Independent Harry Flood Byrd, Jr., defeated Republican Ray Lucian Garland and Democrat George Rawlings. Senator Byrd, Jr., had enjoyed Nixon's "benevolent neutrality," but never did join the Republican Party as the president had hoped; in office he voted with …

Municipal Involvement In International Relations, John Jack William Hilgers

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to examine municipal involvement in international relations in the United States. This municipal phenomenon is occurring concurrently with both a shift away from the traditional nation-centric structure of international relations under the influence of globalism as well as a sharp decline in intergovernmental aid. The research questions were: (1) What are the indicators that define municipal involvement in international relations? and (2) What is the extent of that involvement?

Extensive qualitative and research was conducted in the form of an exploratory literature survey which was set forth in narrative analysis to overcome the paucity …

Three Essays On European Union Advances Toward A Single Currency And Its Implications For Business And Investors, Charlotte Anne Bond

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

The first chapter examines the changes in various European currencies' exchange rates through the time period 1980 through 1997. Specifically, we are interested to determine if there is any affect to the volatility of these exchange rates and specific events related to the advancement of European Unification. In order to move to a single currency it is imperative that the separate currencies become less volatile to facilitate the move to a single currency. In this study, we examine whether this is the case and discuss which currencies appear to display this behavior. It is observed that of the 14 currencies …

A Sociotechnical Systems Analysis Of The Approval Process For A Complex Public Works Proposal, James C. Pyne

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research applied sociotechnical systems theory to explore the process used by two elected bodies to decide upon adoption of a complex technical engineering proposal. The research used a modified sociotechnical systems conceptual framework that was developed by Pava (1983) for application to non-traditional work settings. Pava applied the conceptual framework to what he termed non-routine office work which is characterized by non-linear conversion flow, multiple, concurrent conversion processes and vocational separatism (Pava, 1983).

The research was designed as a multiple case study of two town councils each undertaking a decision process to approve or reject a public works proposal …

A Segregationist On The Civil Rights Commission, James R. Sweeney

History Faculty Publications

In 1957 President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed to the newly created Commission on Civil Rights John Stewart Battle, a former longtime Virginia General Assembly member and governor who was also a staunch segregationist. Eisenhower appointed him to represent white Southern opinion and because of his national reputation for deft political conciliation. The article reviews Battle's personal background, political career, racial philosophy, and interactions with other figures prominent in the era's civil rights politics, including Father Theodore Martin Hesburgh, Harry F. Byrd, Sr., and J. Lindsay Almond, Jr. During his service on the commission during 1957-59, Battle's segregationist views kept him …

Nuclear Pariahs And Regimes In The New World Disorder, Wayne F. Lesperance Jr.

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses the role of pariah states vis-a-vis the nonproliferation regime. Specifically, the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) is analyzed to determine, first, whether Iran is a pariah, second, the potential threat the IRI poses to the Persian Gulf region and third, the possible international responses that may be undertaken to address Iranian pariahtude in the nuclear field. Through the course of this thesis regimes are defined as a set of implicit and explicit rules, principles, norms, and decision-making procedures around which actor's expectations converge and which govern relations among states. Pariahs are defined as …

Information Warfare: Technology And The Information Advantage, Daniel Matthew Parker

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis analyzes information warfare--that emerging form of warfare that attempts to destroy, degrade and exploit the information systems of another, while protecting one's own--in the context of the technology of warfare. Just as one might peel an onion, the analysis proceeds from a general analysis of technology in warfare to the more specific analysis of information warfare as it is currently defined. Information technology is an enabling factor in the emergence of information warfare as a new warfare area. Although it is revolutionizing the way warfare is conducted, the elements of information warfare have been practiced for thousands of …

"Never Draw Unless You Mean To Shoot": United States Department Of State's Responses To Property Seizures In Latin America, Nathan D. Younge

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the U.S. Department of State's diplomatic handling of disputes over the seizure of U.S.-owned property in Latin America between 1937 and 1973. Seizures in Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru and Chile are used as case studies, and provide examples of successful and unsuccessful diplomatic outcomes.

Several key factors are analyzed in each dispute, including Several key factors are analyzed in each dispute, including whether the Department took a conciliatory or confrontational approach toward each country, the kind of economic pressure applied, the situations under which the Department opted for official diplomatic involvement, and the types of informal …

Russia's China Policy Under Yeltsin And Its Effect On The Korean Peninsula, Jong Dyuk Lim

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis studies current developments in Russia's China policy and their effect on the Korean Peninsula. This thesis asks these questions: how has the Russia's China policy changed since Gorbachev era, what are the determinants of Russia's current China policy, what is the effect of this policy on the Korean Peninsula, and what is the prospect for Russo-Chinese relations? Russia's China policy has been profoundly influenced by a series of domestic Russian institutional changes. Russia may be developing a political-economic system more consistent with "Eastern" notions of democracy and capitalism than those of the West. The result has been a …

Czechoslovakia's "Velvet Divorce" Ethnicity In The Post-Cold War World, Jonathan Robert Wert

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study is the issue of ethnicity in post-communist Czechoslovakia. Specifically, the roots of the Czechoslovaks' "Velvet Divorce," or dissolution into two independent states, are explored and an explanation is offered as to the cause of this ethnic separatism. The methods used include archival, sociological, and statistical research so as to provide a firm multidisciplinary basis for the. conclusions reached. The results of this research suggest that the nation of Czechoslovakia was never integrated in a meaningful manner. Though unified legally for over seventy years, the Czechs and Slovaks did not develop a common identity as …

The Entry Of The People's Republic Of China Into The Korean War, Yueliang Shen

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

China's entry into the Korean War in October 1950 took both its friends and foes by surprise and quickly escalated that conflict into the first major hot war since the start of the Cold War. This thesis analyzes the Chinese decision making process and the factors that led China into the Korean conflict. Official documents, statements, and speeches of American and Chinese Communist leaders between 1945 and 1950 indicate that historical mistrust and animosity, geopolitical considerations, and a breakdown of communications all contributed to the tragic showdown that caused millions of casualties. Extensively used for this study were declassified foreign …

Presidential Philosophies And American Foreign Policy: From The Long Telegram To The New Look, John R. Moore

History Theses & Dissertations

American foreign policy often undergoes alteration as presidential administrations change. After World War II president Harry S. Truman and President Dwight D. Eisenhower both implemented a foreign policy aimed at containing the Soviet Union, but the philosophical underpinnings of their foreign policies differed greatly. While the demands of partisan and international politics account for some of this difference, the impact on foreign policy of the two men's personalities deserves attention and investigation. In other words, how did the individual backgrounds, personal beliefs and world views of Truman and Eisenhower dictate their approach to foreign policy? The source used in this …

The Atlantic Conference At Argentia (9-12 August 1941) The Anglo-American Agreement On The Defeat Of Nazi Germany, John Michael Sweeney

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The meeting at Argentina, Newfoundland, between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in August 1941 was the first "summit" conference of the Second World War. It set the stage for the United States' entry into the war on the side of Great Britain and produced the Atlantic Charter, the noble statement of Western war aims. This study describes how the Nazi threat to England and the Atlantic brought the two democracies together into a de facto alliance before the United States formally entered the war. Its central theme is the "strategy of provocation" whereby President Roosevelt, certain …

A New Day In The Old Dominion, James R. Sweeney

History Faculty Publications

The presidential campaign of 1964 became a significant turning point in Virginia politics as the 24th Amendment eliminated poll taxes, black political organizations organized voter registration drives, and suburbanites, newcomers, and recent college graduates were attracted to the Republican Party. Republican candidates had made strong showings in elections in 1962 and 1963, due in part to the policies of the Kennedy administration. Democratic Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr., publicly opposed many of the fiscal and social policies of the Kennedy-Johnson administration, creating difficulty among Republicans in choosing someone to oppose him. His position also created a rift among pro- and …

Conflict And War In The Middle-East, 1967-1991: Regional Dynamic And The Superpowers, Steve Yetiv

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The two books under review here take substantially different approaches to Middle East politics. 'the first book attempts to examine the region by use of theory as well as empirics, whereas the second is primarily empirical in nature. The latter explains Middle East politics primarily from the regional perspective, and in particular, from Iran's vantage point, whereas the former places regional politics within the broader context of world politics.

Reconstruction And Regional Diplomacy In The Persian Gulf, Steve Yetiv

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The two books under review here take substantially different approaches to Middle East politics. 'the first book attempts to examine the region by use of theory as well as empirics, whereas the second is primarily empirical in nature. The latter explains Middle East politics primarily from the regional perspective, and in particular, from Iran's vantage point, whereas the former places regional politics within the broader context of world politics.

Iranian Foreign Policy Shedding The Pariah Image, Joseph Edward Gleason Jr.

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study analyzes Iranian foreign policy since 1979 to determine if Iran is a pariah state in the international community. To determine Iran's isolation in the international community, various factors were examined, including diplomatic relations, political leverage, relations with the United Nations, and the ability to acquire military hardware. Iran's status was compared with three generally accepted pariah states, Taiwan, Israel, and South Africa to determine the degree of isolation faced by the Islamic Republic. This study determined that Iran remains a pariah state, but is less isolated than most pariah states because its objectionable behavior, its aggressive foreign policy, …