Comparative Politics Commons^™

Africa As A Strategic Arena: How Great Power Rivalry Is Reshaping Security Governance, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The rising importance of Africa as a key battleground in great power rivalry is an important shift in global politics that will have significant impacts on security governance in Africa. This article will explore the ways in which increased competition between the U.S., China and Russia will affect African states and regional organizations, and how economic dependency, regional security architecture and diplomatic strategy will influence the overall security environment in Africa. Using recent case studies and academic research, along with current policy analysis, it will analyze whether or not African countries and regional organizations will be able to mitigate potential …

Great Power Competition In Africa: Sustaining Openness Amidst Transnational Threats And Authoritarian Fragmentation, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

As the United States seeks to position itself in an increasingly competitive world, Africa has emerged as an increasingly key arena of great power competition where the United States, China, and Russia are competing to determine the nature of political norms, economic governance and security architecture on the continent.

The combination of growing transnational threats (such as terrorism, pandemics, climate-related instability, and digital vulnerability), and growing authoritarianism, has transformed the continent into a testbed for competing visions of international order. In light of this backdrop, this paper posits that the United States must pursue a strategy of sustained strategic openness …

Power Asymmetry Dynamics: Assessing Interdependence In France-Cameroon Relations Through Economic And Security Cooperation (2000–2024), Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

This paper examines the dynamics of power asymmetry in the interdependent relationship between Cameroon and France from 2000 – 2024 with a focus on security and economic cooperation. The main research question asks: To what extent has power asymmetry reinforced or mitigated the interdependent relationship between Cameroon and France within the realm of economic and security cooperation? Based on the hypothesis that increased interdependence between these two states during this period has strengthened existing power disparity. The paper examines how such dynamics have restrained Cameroon’s autonomy and its capacity to pursue policy goals.

The theoretical framework combines dependency theory, postcolonial …

Post Soviet Russia: Challenges To Transition And Modernization, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the beginning of a complex, often turbulent, period of transition and modernization for Russia. Unlike the anticipated linear path toward Western-style democracy and market economics, Russia’s post-Soviet experience has been defined by profound contradictions, reversals, and ongoing contestations over its political, economic, and social order (Minakov, 2016). The initial wave of reforms, particularly in the 1990s, brought about radical economic restructuring, privatization, and an attempted shift to a free-market system. Yet, these rapid changes led to significant economic dislocation, social inequality, and the rise of oligarchic power structures, which ultimately undermined …

Beyond The Institution Of Motherhood: Shifting The Paradigm, Gabrielle Wilson

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

This paper explores declining birth rates as a global act of resistance and reclamation by women and birthing individuals against hyper-masculinized institutions, using South Korea's 4B movement as a case study. The 4B movement, which rejects marriage, childbirth, romance, and heterosexual relationships, represents a paradigm shift challenging entrenched gender norms, state control, and systemic inequities. It exemplifies a global phenomenon as similar movements gain traction in the U.S., Japan, and beyond, amidst rising conservatism and declining fertility rates. Framing this analysis with intersectionality, Feminist IR theory, and Kuhn’s paradigm shift model, the paper argues that this resistance signifies a transformative …

Public Surveillance And Human Rights: The Chilling Effect Of Surveillance Technologies And Legal Debates In Europe, Anna Calabrese

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

The rapid advancement and intense deployment of surveillance technologies pose a profound threat to fundamental human rights and render the balance between national security and rights and freedoms guarantees even more challenging. This paper interrogates the menace that digital tracking such as IMSI-catchers and other sophisticated tools represent to contemporary democracies with a specific focus on their potential to introduce a “chilling effect” to deter individuals in political and social communities from exercising their freedoms of speech, expression, association, thereby endangering the core values of all democracy. This analysis offers an overview of the state-of-the-art in Europe and highlights recent …

Securitization Of African Migrants In Europe And North America, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The securitization of African migrants in Europe and North America refers to the framing of immigrants as an existential security threat rather than a socioeconomic or humanitarian concerns. This discourse driven by political rhetoric, media narratives, and policy measures, often depict African migrants as risks to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. Governments in host countries employ stringent border controls, detention and deportation policies often justified by counterterrorism and crime prevention frameworks. However, critics argue that securitization exacerbates xenophobia, violates human rights, and fails to address root causes of migration, such as conflict, poverty, and climate change. This paper …

Nuclear Deterrence Strategies And The Balance Of Power In Europe, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The beginning of the Cold War era indubitably defines nuclear deterrence strategies in Europe by reinforcing and re-strategizing security dynamics amongst European States. The balance of power in Europe has been geopolitically influenced by NATO and Russia in a quest to avoid any kind of security dilemmas from either side. In order to maintain a strategic deterrence balance posture, this complex security navigation scenario therefore act as stabilizing factor in the region as well as preventing any future conflict on the Europe continent resulting from security imbalances. NATO eastward enlargement has maintained a significant strategic balance of power in the …

Nuclear Disarmament And The Erosion Of Deterrence Effectiveness Case Study: Ukraine, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The invasion of Ukraine demonstrates an interesting security paradox between nuclear disarmament norms, territorial integrity and deterrence in a self-help unpredictable international environment. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons under the Budapest Memorandum in order to receive security guarantees resulting in brutal betrayal by nuclear armed Russia. The research investigates how Russia maintains an effective nuclear deterrence capability against other nuclear powers in the region through threats despite challenges on the battlefield. Through the combination of military resistance, strategic partnerships and robust combat methods, Ukraine has established an unmatched ability to deter a nuclear-armed enemy - Russia. This research ponders …

Upending The International Order: Russia’S War Against Ukraine, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 shook the foundations of the global order. It exposed just how fragile international security, economic stability, and old geopolitical alliances really are in a tense self-help security environment. This analysis looks at how the conflict started, tracing it back to years of tension between Russia and NATO, especially around Ukraine’s desire to move closer to the West. The war has made it clear that international rules are only as strong as countries are willing to follow them, and that global organizations like the UN often fall short in preventing these wars as Russia ignored …

To What Extent Are The United States And Nigeria Able To Balance Economic Growth Against Emission Reduction Goals, Bolu Ayankojo

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The paper examines the link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions reduction, focusing on the United States and Nigeria. The study addresses the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets that ensure average surface temperatures do not exceed 1.5°C above preindustrial levels and are intended to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. It examines emission reduction strategies in five common sectors: electricity, transportation, industry, cooking, and building. The United States is ahead of Nigeria in achieving its emissions-reduction goals, but challenges persist in some sectors. The study suggests that economic prosperity can be achieved without relying solely on fossil fuels, but …

A Leftist Political Surge: How An Authoritarian Past Helped Spawn A Modern Political Movement In Spain And Portugal, Jared Sykes

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Since the 2008 financial crisis ravaged the EU, Spain and Portugal struggled economically to recover, especially as forces in the EU, the European Central Bank (ECB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) enforced bailout packages conditional on the implementation of austerity. Additionally, Spanish and Portuguese society have continuously struggled with a history of authoritarian legacies, of the Franco and Salazar dictatorships that ruled the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 50 years. As outrage continued, protest movements, most notably the Spanish 15-M Movement, fueled voter dissatisfaction. Eventually, many prominent figures from the protest movement founded or brough momentum to left-wing political forces, …

On Whose Grounds? The Legality And Morality Of Humanitarian Intervention, Paul Pepi

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

This article will be broken into four separate parts. The first section will be whether or not there were legitimate legal grounds for the humanitarian intervention broadly. The second section will explore the moral justifications of humanitarian intervention and attempt to distinguish between cases that had a legitimate moral justification for the decision to militarily invade. That being said, there are no certain immoral thresholds for a crisis to reach that immediately prompts humanitarian intervention. The crimes against humanity in Bosnia and Herzegovina paled in comparison to that of the Rwandan genocide; however, humanitarian intervention was practiced far quicker and …

Complex Global Value Chains And Economic Interdependence: A New Look At The Opportunity Costs Argument, Melle Scholten

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

The classical economic interdependence argument states that trade and investment between countries make conflict less likely, because they increase the opportunity costs of war. War means that trade and investment will dry up, to the detriment of society as a whole. The increased opportunity costs of war (vis-`a-vis peace) means war will be less likely to occur between interdependent states. Certain strands of realism have challenged this assertion. They argue that expectations that trade will decline in future can be a strong incentive for initiating conflict. Giving increasing political and economic tensions between the world’s superpowers – the USA and …

The History Of Cold War Economic Polices: How The Panda Outlived The Bear, Daniel R. White

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

The Cold War is often regarded as a political and economic struggle between capitalism and communism. Recent post-Cold War scholars have uncovered that the nations allied to either side were not as united as the conventional understanding of the subject has previously been thought. Using recent publications, this paper reports on the how the diverging interests between the Soviet Union and People’s Republic of China drove a wedge in the communist world. This led China to slowly embrace economic reforms and ties with the United States while the Soviet Union entered into a period of stagnation which ultimately led to …

Interregionalism As A Foreign Policy Of The European Union: A Case For Soft Power?, Maxim Miroshnikov

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This paper looks at the interregionalism as a part of the European Union's foreign policy. It argues that the EU's use of soft power can be traced within this policy. The paper proposes two methods of defining soft power in action: through presence and through purposive action. Three case studies are analyzed to support this. It is shown that indeed the EU exercised soft power toward other actors using these mechanisms. Success of these actions was however not always present.

Attacking The Body Politic: The Terroristin In 1970s German Media, Clare Bielby

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In a 1977 special feature on female terrorism, the German weekly newsmagazine, Der Spiegel, published a photograph of a woman with a bomb strapped to her front, masquerading as a pregnant woman. This image perfectly encapsulates the "paradoxical" quality of the female terrorist, who instead of giving life takes it. Furthermore, if, according to Tamar Mayer, women are represented in national and cultural narratives as "the nation's social and biological womb," the threatening quality of such representations for the body politic of the nation starts to become clear. As Mayer asserts "an attack on these [female] bodies becomes an …

War If Necessary, But Not Necessarily War': The Canadian Paradox And 'Iraqi Freedom', Marc Ouellette

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The Canadian refusal to join the U.S. led “coalition of the willing” does not mark the first time the nation has chosen not to follow its “traditional allies” into a foolish, ego-driven, imperialistic and vengeful conflict. Indeed, Canada’s record in these matters is flawless. Peter C. Newman points out that “we went along with most presidential global adventures, except the Vietnam War. The other significant time we parted company with the Yanks was over our drive to impose economic sanctions on apartheid South Africa, a policy we initiated and successfully defended despite American objections.” In fact, the objections …

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.