International Relations Commons^™

Being Unfolded: Edith Stein On The Meaning Of Being, Robert Mcnamara

International Dialogue

What is the meaning of being? More concretely, “What do human beings and quarks, ideal geometrical shapes and possible worlds, ‘sickness’ and ‘health’, the number three and gravity all have in common that allows us to say that each of them is?” (xvii). In Being Unfolded, Thomas Gricoski attempts to get to the bottom of this perennially valid question by exploring the question of the meaning of being in one of Edith Stein’s later philosophical works, the phenomenological and Scholastic study, Finite and Eternal Being: An Attempt to Ascend to the Meaning of Being [Endliches und ewiges Sein: Versuch eines …

A Savage Order: How The World’S Deadliest Countries Can Forge A Path To Security, Thomas Manig

International Dialogue

Rachel Kleinfeld studies international conflicts and methods of reducing violence. Previously she published Advancing the Rule of Law Abroad: Next Generation Reform (2012). She is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She has advised government officials on problems of international security. Kleinfeld’s new book, A Savage Order: How the World’s Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security, is characterized by social scientific methodology rather than abstract theorizing. This book disposes of simplistic generalizations, like the belief that violence is inevitable in certain ethnic groups or localities, or the contrary belief that we can end violence …

Das Emanzipatorische Potenzial Der Performance Art (The Emancipatory Potential Of Peformance Art), Gwyneth Cliver

International Dialogue

Sophia Firgaus Das Emanzipatorische Potenzial der Performance Art ist sowohl eine hilfreiche Einführung in die Performance Art, die im universitären Unterricht didaktisch gut anwendbar wäre, als auch ein überzeugendes wissenschaftliches Argument für die transformative Macht der Performanceästhetik. Firgau definiert die Gattung Performance Art, unterscheidet sie von dem Theater sowie dem öffentlichen Ritual und erklärt ihr Verwandlungspotenzial für Individuen, das Gemeinwesen und die Gesellschaft. Firgau zeigt, wie Performance Art transformierend wirkt, indem sie gebräuchliche formale Begrenzungen überschreitet—zum Beispiel, die, die die Künstlerin vom Publikum oder Kunst vom Alltag trennen—und wie sie daher eine Schwellenerfahrung schafft, die emanzipatorisch wirkt, indem sie den …

When Montezuma Met Cortes: The True History Of The Meetings That Changed History, Maria S. Arbeláez

International Dialogue

November 8 of 1519, Moctezuma II, Mexica Tlatoani, the “one who speaks,” leader and emperor, and Hernan Cortes, head of the invading Spanish military force, met on what currently is downtown Mexico City. A memorial plaque marks the site of the meeting alongside a colonial church and the remnants of a hospital. There is a tile picture with a representation of the event. The Spanish conquest of Mexico and the fall of Tenochtitlan is one of the most studied and controversial episodes in the history of Mexico and the Americas. It is a story never settled. Matthew Restall's book is …

The Morals Of The Market: Human Rights And The Rise Of Neoliberalism, Shane Darcy

International Dialogue

There are no doubt human rights advocates who would baulk at the claim that somehow human rights serves to advance the cause of neoliberalism. An important tool for protecting human dignity, advancing equality and supporting demands for justice cannot surely be complicit in the evident harms of neoliberal economic policies? Such harms are increasingly recognized by human rights practitioners, including non-governmental organizations and United Nations experts. To take a recent example, Philip Alston, the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, described on a country visit to Spain in February 2020, how the country’s self-image as “a close family-based …

Trust, Ethnicity, And Political Approval In 21st Century South Africa, Alecia Anderson, Jonathan Bruce Santo

International Dialogue

Trust is a requirement for state legitimacy, however, the relationship between trust and political approval in South Africa is under-investigated, leaving the legitimacy of the South African state questionable. In this study, we use Afrobarometer data from 2004, 2008, and 2012 to investigate citizens’ perspectives on trust and political approval. Using structural equation modeling, we analyze the impact of ethnicity on the relationship between trust and political approval in South Africa. The results are clear that ethnic identity continues to influence the relationship between trust and approval of political offices and policies in South Africa.

For A Left Populism, Emma Murphy

International Dialogue

Chantal Mouffe’s brief work For a Left Populism sets out to tackle the issue of how left politics should respond to the global trend towards populism. While elections in recent years have ushered in populist leaders in states ranging from the Philippines to the United States, Mouffe focuses her analysis on Western European populism specifically. Her argument centres on the importance of recovering democracy in an increasingly “post-democratic” world; to successfully radicalise democracy, Mouffe argues, leftists must first reform existing political institutions. While Mouffe makes an original argument for a reclamation of the term ‘populism’ by a leftist audience, the …

China’S “Three Warfares”: People’S Liberation Army Influence Operations, Edwin S. Cochran, U.S. Department Of Defense, Retired

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The following article—whose author is both a retired US Army officer and retired Department of Defense civilian employee with multiple publications—focuses on Chinese information operations. Readers might wish to speculate on matters such as why the Chinese have organized the way they have, whether the organization leads to optimal integration of tools of national security/political power, and how vulnerable specific populations and even intelligence cultures are to specific types of information operations. One might even conclude that the only thing that has not changed in thousands of years has been the technology available to influence others.

This article examines the …

Book Review: Reluctant Interveners: America’S Failed Responses To Genocide From Bosnia To Darfur, Jeffrey Bachman

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Taking Terrorists At Their Word: Testing The Co-Religionist Hypothesis In Islamic State Propaganda, Joel Elliott

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

This dissertation operates on the idea that, as conflict researchers, we can look to Islamic State’s (referred to from here on as ‘Daesh’) own recruitment propaganda to identify the best people to counter Daesh’s violent rhetoric. This project analyzes Daesh’s main print publication, Dabiq, to catalogue and classify the types of people and institutions Daesh targets most, and which types of arguments Daesh uses to attack those targets. It uses this information to test the Co-Religionist Hypothesis, which predicts that the most effective peaceful interveners in a religious conflict will be of the same religion as the belligerents. Conventional …

An Overview Of Supply-Chain Logistics In International Humanitarian Aid: Finding Challenges And Solutions, Arjun Ganga

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Humanitarian supply chain logistics concern the flow of goods and services in public health delivery. Such supply chains operate in both general development contexts and in acute crisis situations. In this paper, I give an overview of supply chains and then explore some of the challenges and potential solutions in delivering goods and services effectively and efficiently. Specifically, I analyze procurement, maintaining quality goods, incentivizing countries to act, collaboration, verification, possible losses in the supply chain, and ensuring appropriate use of product. I conclude that although humanitarian supply chains pose unique challenges, there is surprising efficiency in the system. This …

Geopolitics And The Digital Domain: How Cyberspace Is Impacting International Security, Georgia Wood

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The digital domain is the emerging environment for which the internet and data connectivity exists. This new domain is challenging the traditional place for geopolitics to exist, and creating new challenges to international relations. The use of cyberweapons through direct cyberattacks, such as the possibility of an attack on the U.S. power grid, or misinformation campaigns, such as the one launched by Russia against the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, can expand the international threat landscape. While these new threats increase, states are widely not prepared to address the new challenges in the digital domain. This paper will use three primary …

Gendered Conflict Resolution: The Role Of Women In Amani Mashinani’S Peacebuiding Processes In Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, Susan Kilonzo, Kennedy Onkware

The Journal of Social Encounters

The role of women in peacebuilding is acknowledged by many stakeholders central in peace work. While this is so, there are still concerns about what we know about women’s involvement in peacebuilding structures established by non-state actors. Drawing from Amani Mashinani (Peace at Grassroots) peacebuilding model initiated by the Catholic Church in Kenya’s North Rift region, we examine the role of women in processes of conflict resolution in Uasin Gishu County. Suggestions to support women’s participation will be discussed.

Peace Connector Projects: Bishop Korir's Strategy For Grassroots Peacebuilding, William Kiptoo

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay is a narration of my personal experiences in peacebuilding in the North Rift region of Kenya as a resident of the region, and peace worker from 1995 to date. I draw from my work experiences with the National Council of Churches of Kenya (1995-2005), Catholic Relief Services and the Mennonite Central Committee (2007-2019). Specifically, how connector projects were used as a strategy for grassroots peacebuilding for the conflict-affected communities in the North Rift Valley region. The processes of mobilizing the communities, challenges, and outcomes of reconciliation efforts are discussed. The four connector projects discussed show the rewards attained …

Community Involvement And The Role Of The Church In Peacebuilding In Kenya: Amani Mashinani Approach, Kimeli B. Richard

The Journal of Social Encounters

Amani Mashinani (Peace at the Grassroots) is a model of peace building that demonstrates the importance of community involvement and Church leadership in peacebuilding efforts in North Rift region of Kenya. The role of community members and the Church in working together during times of conflict demonstrates the possibilities of increased opportunities for positive peace and reconciliation. This essay highlights the role Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret played to transform inter-ethnic conflicts. The role of Bishop Korir as a religious leader is acknowledged through his ability to mobilize local warring communities to embrace the …

Amani Mashinani Conflict Transformation Model: Bishop Korir’S Legacy On Peace And Reconciliation, Elias O. Opongo, S.J

The Journal of Social Encounters

This chapter is about the story of the late Bishop Cornelius Kipng’eno Arap Korir who stood up for peace and reconciliation in the midst of numerous interethnic conflicts. Bishop Korir, who was then the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, lived the experience of inter-ethnic violence between the Marakwet, Pokot, Kikuyu, and the Kalenjin communities. As a person from the Kalenjin ethnic community, he had to learn to distant himself from the abrasive political rhetoric and violent actions and embrace the path of the Gospel of Jesus instead. He started what he called Amani Mashinani (Kiswahili for 'peace at …

Memorializing The Work Of Bishop Cornelius Korir In Advancing Grassroots Peacebuilding In Kenya: Perspectives On Amani Mashinani, Eddah M. Mutua

The Journal of Social Encounters

This special commemoration feature of Journal of Social Encounters focuses on the work of the late Bishop Cornelius Korir in advancing grassroots peacebuilding in North Rift region of Kenya. Bishop Korir is credited for developing a grassroots peacebuilding model popularly known as Amani Mashinani (Peace at the Grassroots) which brings together warring communities to collectively participate in activities geared at promoting peace. In this context, grassroots peacebuilding is understood in the same vein as locally led peacebuilding which is “an approach in which the people involved in, and most affected by, violent conflict work together to create and enact their …

“I Don’T Want To Hear Your Language!” White Social Imagination And The Demography Of Roman Corinth, Ekaputra Tupamahu

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

This article aims to deconstruct the hidden pervasive whiteness in biblical scholarship and to propose another way to reimagine the linguistic dynamic of Roman Corinth from an Asian American perspective. It highlights the legal and historical interconnectedness of whiteness and the dominance of English. English is a critical marker of whiteness in the United States. In this context, immigrants are expected to conform to and assimilate themselves with whiteness by performing English. This particular racialized context has influenced and resulted in a scholarly historical reconstruction of immigrants in Roman Corinth as “Greek speaking im/migrants.” Immigrants can come from many different …

Travel To Cuba: A Case Study Of Media Branding In A Politicized Context, Yaneisis Infante

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to detail a case study of U.S. tourism to Cuba in a politicized context; specifically, to compare and contrast the Obama and Trump administrations. This study seeks to examine how the Cuban “brand” and the island’s overall tourism strategy is formulated, circulated, shaped and reshaped by various actors and the public in the changing context of the newly antagonistic bilateral U.S.-Cuba political relationship. The research questions explore issues of how diplomatic relations impact Cuban tourism and advertising messaging. This paper also discusses the changes in the U.S. news media coverage of Cuba as a …

Twitter Usage By Indian Embassies And Consulate General Offices For Addressing Indian Migrants Issues In Saudi Arabia And United Arab Emirates., Jayaprakash R. Veeramreddy

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the usage of Twitter for solving Indian migrants issues by Indian Embassies and Consulate General offices located in countries such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. The data (tweets, retweets and replies) was collected from the officials Twitter accounts of four organizations (@IndianEmbRiyadh, @IndEmbAbuDhabi, @CGIJeddah and @CGIDubai). A mixed methodology of quantitative content analysis and qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings from this study showed that four organizations were using Twitter mainly to communicate with the migrants for improving public service delivery. These organizations were using …

Table Of Contents, Rory J. Conces

International Dialogue

Table of Contents for Volume 2

Institutionalized Violence In The History Of Mind/Body Dualism And The Contemporary Reality Of Slavery And Torture: Reflections On Elaine Scarry And The Body In Pain, Wendy Lynne Lee

International Dialogue

Wendy Lynne Lee argues that the dualistic impulse Bibi Bakare-Yusef identifies in Elaine Scarry’s analysis of the experience of pain has its roots at least as far back as Aristotle’s hylomorphism, and that a clear view of contemporary structural inequality requires a grasp of how “mind” and “body” continue to inform even anti-dualist social theory. Lee argues that insofar as this impulse informs Scarry’s The Body in Pain, it distorts Scarry’s analysis of the experience of pain in ways that elide important aspects of that experience. Understanding the nature of this distortion, however, sheds light on some forms of violence …

Using Bourdieu To Answer Spivak: On The Study Of Historical Subaltern Religious Practices, Curtis Hutt

International Dialogue

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, in her 1988 publication “Can the Subaltern Speak?,” famously challenges the ability of scholars—educated and operating within the dominating power structures of oftentimes European colonizing transnational political and religious movements—to ever grasp subaltern religion. This skepticism logically extends to the work of historians investigating the obscured religious traditions of past cultures that have been overlooked, overwhelmed, and suppressed. In this paper, I lay out a restrained strategy inspired in part by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and based upon my own historical work for circumventing some forms of historical blindness that conceal subaltern pasts. In conclusion, a …

Rethinking Secularism: P. Harrison, É. Balibar, T. Asad: The Territories Of Science And Religion; Secularism And Cosmopolitanism: Critical Hypotheses On Religion And Politics; Secular Translations: Nation-State, Modern Self, And Calculative Reason, Sotiris Mitralexis

International Dialogue

I will discuss here three recent books that both directly and indirectly discuss religion and secularism, in different contexts and certainly from different perspectives; one by historian Peter Harrison, one by cultural anthropologist Talal Asad, and one by philosopher Étienne Balibar. All three authors have invested a sizable part of their scholarly career in studying religion/secularism, and the books reviewed are revised collections of relatively recent lectures and essays (rather than, for example, texts authored with the explicit purpose of comprising a monograph); this entails that each of these books is, so to speak, the distillate of a career in …

Genealogies Of Terrorism: Revolution, State Violence, Empire, Wendy L. Lee

International Dialogue

In Genealogies of Terrorism: Revolution, State Violence, Empire, Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson takes on the ambitious project of providing a broadly Foucauldian genealogical account of the concept and practice of “terrorism.” While I am not quite sure she summits every mountain she attempts to climb, Erlenbusch-Anderson makes a valuable contribution to an under-developed literature and she offers some tantalizing points of departure for future explorations of an important and timely subject. Genealogies is an eminently worthwhile read; while some grounding in Foucault (among others) is sure to enhance the experience, Erlenbusch-Anderson’s introduction provides an able road map, making the ascent up through …

Technology, Science, And “Post-Humanity”: Like A Thief In Broad Daylight: Power In The Era Of Post-Human Capitalism, Edward Sandowski, Betty J. Harris

International Dialogue

In this book, Like a Thief in Broad Daylight: Power in the Era of Post-Human Capitalism, Slavoj Žižek mulls over issues about technology and science in the contemporary world. This is a world which he thinks, plausibly, is dominated by global capitalism, a condition which he wishes to go beyond, to something better. The nature and distribution of power must be changed. Changes in the status of “humanity” and the notion of “post-humanity” concern him. One aspect of his difficult text is that he explores how post-humanity might symbolize, not solely our degraded condition. Rather, humanity and post-humanity (and fears …

The Elephant In The Room: Against Democracy, Peter Stone

International Dialogue

Unfortunately, any discussion of Jason Brennan’s Against Democracy (2017), which seeks to make a case for epistocracy and against democracy, raises the “Don’t think of an elephant” problem (Lakoff 2004). If you tell people not to think of an elephant, they immediately think of an elephant. If you tell people not to think about epistocracy, they will immediately think about epistocracy. And this is a pity, because epistocracy is a terrible idea, and nothing Brennan says proves otherwise.

Revolution And War In Contemporary Ukraine: The Challenge Of Change, Emma Mateo

International Dialogue

This November marks six years since Ukraine’s Euromaidan protests. Sometimes referred to as the “Revolution of Dignity,” the events of winter 2013–14 had far-reaching consequences not only for Ukraine’s government and Ukrainian national identity, but also for global geopolitics. After the corrupt Yanukovych government fell, Putin’s Russia annexed Crimea and became involved in separatist conflict in Ukraine’s eastern regions, under the premise of “protecting Russian speakers.” This edited volume investigates the events of 2013–14 and their impact on culture, politics, society and identities.

Triadic Coercion: Israel’S Targeting Of States That Host Nonstate Actors, Richard English

International Dialogue

This scholarly, serious-minded book represents a valuable addition to the Columbia University Press series, Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare. Considering the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict, Wendy Pearlman and Boaz Atzili address the issue of what they term “triadic coercion—in which a state directs military threats or strikes at another state to force it to take action against a nonstate actor to which it offers shelter or assistance” (242). This tactic has been common enough to be historically significant, and the Israeli case that is examined here offers a useful laboratory within which to offer systematic consideration of the phenomenon.

Notes From The Editor, Rory J. Conces

International Dialogue

Notes from International Dialogue's Editor-in-Chief, Rory J. Conces for Volume 9.