International Relations Commons^™

Going Nuclear: Conflict Transformation In Asia, Hariharan Murugesan

Student Theses and Dissertations

On July 16th, 1945, codenamed “Trinity,” the world’s first nuclear bomb was detonated, releasing 18.6 kilotons of energy, morphing the sand in the Alamo Desert into green sheet glass.

International relations and its study were fundamentally changed with the creation of nuclear weapons. Mutually Assured Destruction, aptly shortened to MAD became a prevailing theory that tried to explain why countries would acquire nuclear weapons but would never use them; overtime, through various frameworks and treaties, the world tried to control the spread of nuclear weapons, and since 2006, only nine countries have succeeded in creating nuclear weapons, and yet interestingly …

The Holocaust's Legacy: Influencing Jewish Political Identity, Jordan Eskew

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis addresses the intricate relationship between the historical persecution of the Holocaust and its enduring influence on contemporary Jewish political engagement, a subject of significant contemporary relevance in political and international relations. Despite broad recognition of the Holocaust’s impact, the specific ways in which its memory affects Jewish political attitudes and actions around the world in the modern day have not been sufficiently thoroughly examined. Utilizing qualitative methods, including interviews with 20 individuals—public figures, Holocaust survivors, their descendants, and broader members of the Jewish diaspora— this study focuses on understanding the interplay between historical trauma, community cohesion, and the …

Populists For And Against Technocracy: A Comparative Study Of Rafael Correa And Donald Trump, Sofia Antonella Chamorro Pilacuan

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

This paper proposes a comparative analysis of two cases of populism in the United States and Latin America. The comparison between these democracies with distinct features is used to highlight two contrasting variants of populism. Therefore, the populism developed in the United States by Donald Trump and in Ecuador by Rafael Correa will be explored to argue that Correa implemented a technopopulist government, while Trump in the United States developed an anti-technocratic populism. These two case studies will be used to assert that both forms of populism are equally dangerous because they polarize societies, put democratic institutions into question, and …

Governance And Islam In East Africa: Muslims And The State In Kenya And Tanzania, Farouk Topan, Kai Kresse, Erin E. Stiles, Hassan Mwakimako

Exploring Muslim Contexts

Explores the relationship between Muslim communities and the State in East Africa in political, institutional and legal contexts

• Focuses on the relationship between Muslims and the State in Kenya and Tanzania
• Asks which factors, both within and outside the Muslim community, shape and affect this relationship in contemporary times
• Presents 13 case studies exploring governance issues within and across the categories of politics, institutions and law in Kenya and Tanzania
• Identifies cross-cutting issues of governance and Muslim communities which are relevant beyond East Africa

Recent studies of Muslims in Kenya and Tanzania have tended either to examine governance of Muslims …

Peacekeeping The Commons: Un Peacekeeping Moderates The Effects Of Climate Change On Intercommunal Conflict, Cara Hunter

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The effects of climate change have been increasingly linked to the risk of intercommunal conflict, as climatic shocks have been shown to increase resource scarcity. Policymakers and academics agree that effectively designed institutions are critical variables in preventing and mitigating conflict, particularly in ecologically-fragile areas. However, there is a lack of evidence on the specific ways to strengthen institutions in the face of climate change, especially in conflict-affected settings. We argue that UN Peacekeeping Operations moderate the effects of climate change on intercommunal conflict by strengthening institutions governing common-pool resources (CPRs) to increase cooperation between communities sharing scarce resources. We …

Muslim International Students’ Perception Of Islamophobia In Their Immigration Journey To The U.S.: A Case Study, Sheri Beyer

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study serves as an impetus for universities to address improving pre-arrival services and procedures for Muslim international students and a resource for practitioners and lawmakers to examine current policies specifically through the lens of Critical Race and Critical Muslim Theory. Policymakers can examine the effects of Islamophobia on international students and how it affects higher education, communities, and the economies.

A Veneer Of Democracy: How El-Zu’Ama Dominate Lebanon’S Political System, Sami Banat

Political Science Honors Projects

As Lebanon has endured a never-ending cycle of crises for decades, scholars have sought explanations via the country’s intense sectarian system, and have investigated its origins extensively. However, this search has neglected the question of sectarianism’s permeance and maintenance. This paper will focus on the latter, and argues that the sectarian system is sustained by a sectarian elite class, known as el-zu’ama, via their own cults of personality enabling them to maintain control of their sects. This paper will examine pre-statehood history, the civil war, post-war reconstruction, and finally, modern failed challenges to the system to illustrate this thesis.

Beyond Birth: Nurturing Careers, Elevating Women In Southern Europe, Avery Samer

International Relations Honors Papers

The expansion of female labor force participation has a strong, positive effect on economic growth. Maternity leave policies aim to support women’s employment continuity through a reduction of labor tradeoffs. Variation in maternity leave policies between countries spotlights the effect of maternity leave on female labor force participation, as shown in a comparison of countries in Southern Europe. This thesis provides an empirical analysis of maternity leave policy and female labor force participation rates in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece. After the empirical study, the thesis analyzes changes in gender equality policies and women’s labor force participation in Spain, beginning …

How The Global Migration Crisis Created Social Change In Europe., Brandon Piehler

Honors Projects

The Global Migration crisis started in 2015, when refugees began arriving on the shores of Europe. Europe had not seen a large-scale movement of refugees from middle eastern countries. This tested long standing agreements that defined relations between European countries. As a result, countries began to seek measures to restrict the flow of migrants across the continent. Migrants were meet with hostility from local populations and not welcomed by communities. The point of this honors project was to explore the social changes that the migration crisis caused. The historical backgrounds of different European countries helped dictate how they responded to …

What Figures Lurk On Madame Elysé’S Path? Reflections On Philippe Sands’ The Last Colony, Diane Marie Amann

Scholarly Works

One person’s life forms the core around which Philippe Sands’ The Last Colony explores the events leading up to the advisory opinion on the Legal Consequences of Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. That person is Liseby Bertrand Elysé, who was born in 1953 in Chagos, then forcibly removed to Mauritius in 1973. Her efforts to return home eventually brought her to a 2018 hearing at The Hague, where she spoke to the International Court of Justice bench by means of a subtitled video. This essay, which appears in a symposium issue on Sands’ book, investigates the ethics, the effectiveness, …

Pakistan's Dependence On China For The Second Phase Of Cpec Cooperation In 2020-2021, Agnes Deandra Bangkur

Jurnal Politik

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an important component of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has been a landmark project since its inception in 2015. The project aims to develop a modern Silk Road that increases China's economic reach by capitalizing on Pakistan's strategic geographic position. However, this cooperation has raised concerns about Pakistan's growing dependence on China, posing a risk to the country's long-term stability. Artiel examines the implications of Pakistan's dependence on China within the framework of Dependency Theory, particularly in the continuation of the second phase of CPEC cooperation. By analyzing a wide range of literature and …

Casar Student Debate #3: Can Solidarity Produce Mutual Benefits For The African Diaspora& Palestine Social Movements?, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated. At this CASAR Student Discussion event #3 in celebration of Black History Month, we watched Nelson Madela speak his mind about the topic in 1990, in which he proclaims solidarity with the Palestinian cause on behalf of the African National Congress. Then we opened the …

Casar Public Lecture: ‘The Free Speech Exception To Palestine’, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar, Mark W. Deets, Steven Salaita

Performances, Events, and Presentations

CASAR Public Lecture: ‘The Free Speech Exception to Palestine’ - Thurs. 15 Feb - with ECLT Professor Dr. Steven Salaita where we discussed the repression of pro-Palestine speech and action throughout the West and beyond. This was a collaboration between the Prince Alwaleed Center for American Studies and Research (CASAR), School of GAPP and the English & Comparative Literature Department at the School of HUSS, The American University in Cairo. Thursday February 15, 2024 – Tim Sullivan Lounge – AUC New Cairo

Identifying Youth Appeals In Alcohol Alternative Social Media Content Through Framing, Melina Oneal

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Proposed regulations for alcohol advertising prevent beverage companies from targeting people under the legal drinking age. However, similar regulations for alcohol alternative beverages are less explored, which could allow alcohol alternative products to create awareness for alcoholic beverages among youth. Alcohol alternatives beverages, including no-alcohol and low-alcohol products, are increasing in popularity and can function as compliments to alcoholic products to decrease the total alcohol volume consumed or as substitutes for alcoholic products. Framing theory can be operationalized through the Content Appealing to Youth Index, an index of content elements found in research literature to be appealing to youth, to …

The Female Force: Gender Salience And Political Interests In The 2011 Tunisian Revolution, Katherine Meagor

Scripps Senior Theses

To acknowledge the role of women and their rights in Tunisian society, the 2011 Tunisian Revolution offers a case study for the multi-faceted dimensions of political movements that affect civil society. With the understanding that women exercised political agency differently and were affected by the changing political opportunity structure, this study aims to address the following questions: how did women navigate their female gender identity and political interests during the 2011 Tunisian Revolution? How did gender identity affect female participation during the Revolution? How did the Revolution prompt activism among women? How did the intersection of various identities contribute to …

Rhetorical Demagoguery: An Exploration Of Trump’S And Hitler’S Rise To Power, Tanner Horne

Undergraduate Honors Theses

While many scholars have examined the rhetoric of President Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler individually, there is a void of scholarly work that highlights the similarities between the two leaders’ use of grandiloquent language to stoke the passions of their perspective nations. In the past one hundred years, rhetoric and propaganda have been employed to push political agendas that are divisive and dangerous. Trump’s incendiary vocabulary–“enemy of the people,” “vermin,” “retribution,” etc., employed frequently throughout his campaign and presidency, in many ways echoes Hitler's speeches and declarations. While their political strategies ultimately differed greatly, a close analysis of their speeches, …

What Factors Limit American Study Abroad Student’S Ability To Adapt To Host Countries Outside North America & Western Europe, And How Can Institutions Help Students Adjust?, Aidan E. Keller

Capstone Showcase

Ever since the turn of the 21st century, the amount of American students studying abroad has increased tremendously. Western Europe in particular had been the hub of American study abroad programs, with high-quality teaching, rich culture, a remarkable ease of travel, various sights to see, and more. Despite this, students began flocking to destinations all across the globe, from Asia to South America to Africa in unprecedented numbers. Student preferences on where they wanted to learn and experience the world had changed forever.

The American study abroad community have begun to desire unique curriculums not found in North America & …

Bridges And Brigades: Balancing Hard And Soft Power In Global Affinity Towards China, Zachary R. Levinson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As the People’s Republic of China continues its attempt to match the United States as a global hegemon, it has put forth significant efforts to build influence and gain the support of smaller countries around the globe utilizing both hard and soft power. However, the question remains whether these efforts have resulted in greater favorability toward China. This study seeks to answer this question. I use a Bayesian Item Response Theory (IRT) model to generate latent measures of Chinese hard and soft power around the globe using data on Chinese economic aid, alliances, diplomatic exchanges, and security assistance. This is …

Intent, Content, And State Specific Circumstances 25 Years Later: A Comparative Analysis Of Contemporary Protections For Women Refugees Among Beijing Declaration Signatory Countries, Grace Bennett

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Women refugees suffer from high levels of abuse, discrimination, and sexual and gender-based violence. This paper aims to determine what factors account for different levels of state commitment to protections for women refugees. Existing literature suggests a connection between states’ concern for gender equality and ethical treatment of women, and their commitment towards the protection of women refugees. A content analysis of the Beijing Declaration 25+ national reports, along with the World Health Organization, United Nations, and other similar reports, seeks to further explore this connection. In doing so, this study examines three categories: states’ stated intentions or concerns, state …

Why Do Populists (Promise To) Close Borders? Contemporary Populism And Immigration Control In Net Migration Countries, Tyler J. Rapisarda

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Populism has become prevalent worldwide as more politicians embrace it. My thesis aims to study the campaign promises of populists worldwide, regarding a reduction of immigration, and to see if they followed through on those promises. I focused on populists from Europe and the United States. A comparative analysis of Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Slovakia revealed that populist candidates who had promised closing borders or otherwise reduce immigration, did so, once elected. My research reveals different approaches, methods and strategies in border and migration control, across all countries studied.

Exploring The Factors That Influence Female Offending In The U.S. And Mexico, Dana Villasenor

CMC Senior Theses

Hollywood has painted a picture of the criminal woman as a sexy, sneaky, and often psychotic female fatale. This is because men run Hollywood. Much like movies, research on why women offend had historically focused on men as their stellar. However, towards the turn of the century and with the disproportionate rise in female incarceration, literature caught up to the fact that women and men do not experience the same socialization, standards, or reality and, therefore, have different reasons for and ways of offending. This research explores those reasons for women in the U.S. and Mexico and paints the picture …

Emerging From Behind The Curtain: A Comparative Analysis Of Polish And Czech Reforms Based On Quality Of Life Improvements, Summer Ellis

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the economic reforms undertaken by Poland and the Czech Republic during the 1990s transition period. It seeks to ultimately differentiate reform quality between the Czech Republic and Poland in terms of well-being. The basis of reform success is determined using a quality of life scale that spans economic, health, and environmental indicators. Reform quality is then assessed based on improvements in well-being, instead of high-level economic metrics that often evaluate in a manner that fails to capture individual citizen sentiment. From this point, it is possible to determine which transitioning country underwent the most optimal reform process …

Health Politics, Covid-19, And The Vaccine: A Comparison Of How Germany And The U.S. Cultivated Public Trust During The Covid-19 Pandemic., Kai Gundlach

CMC Senior Theses

Public trust is important during an ongoing crisis as it determines people’s compliance with government mandates and laws. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Germany and the U.S. operated with different levels of public trust and people placed their trust in different public institutions. My thesis examines how political tactics such as fear, use of science, and expert pronouncements impacted public trust and the COVID-19 response in both countries.

The Trilateral Challenge: The Impact Of Russian And Chinese Nuclear Threats On U.S. Strategy, Catherine Murphy

CMC Senior Theses

The article explores the United States’ nuclear deterrence strategy in the context of rising nuclear threats from Russia and China. The U.S. arsenal has 1,770 deployed warheads across intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and bombers. A posture set by the presidential administration continues to reject a No First Use policy, focusing on modernization and renewed arms control with Russia and China. Russia, with 1,674 deployed warheads, suspended the New START Treaty following its invasion of Ukraine. China’s secretive nuclear program estimates 500 warheads, projecting growth and emphasizing its ICBM stockpile. The China-Russia partnership poses a significant risk …

From The Barrel To The Border: Exploring The Roots And Ramifications Of Gun Trafficking From The United States To Mexico, Alexandra Punishill

CMC Senior Theses

Nowhere is the discussion surrounding gun violence more prominent than in the United States, with the impacts of our gun-friendly culture being felt around the world. This thesis analyzes the dynamics of gun trafficking from the United States to Mexico and sheds light on its role in fueling the epidemic of gun violence south of the border. It is argued that the particular system of federalism adopted by the United States has led to a variety of state-level gun regulations that have shaped domestic gun policy and have had an international impact. Despite Mexico’s persistent efforts to combat the gun …

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 …

Foreign Policy Reorientation: From Globalization To Nationalism, Abdullah A. Asiri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores the foreign policy implications of the post-2010 resurgence of nationalism in the U.S., Europe, and other parts of the world. It explores the reorientation of foreign policy away from globalization and the post-Cold War expectations that include a rules-based order, the spread of democracy and human rights, and the free movement of capital, products, people, and information. Instead, the emerging nationalist foreign policies emphasize independence and national sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency and protectionism, and anti-democracy and universal values. These policies are also characterized in terms of limited and unilateral engagement and proneness to conflict and confrontation. This dissertation …

France In The Middle East: A Democratic Justification For Military Interventions In Iraq And Beyond., Nicolas Demeure, Brice Tseen Fu Lee

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

How did France’s refusal to take part in the war on Iraq in 2003 has created the conditions that legitimizes its future military interventions abroad? In this paper, a discourse analysis of the official French Foreign Policy Discourse is done to show why saying no to war in 2003 paradoxically allows France to carry out military interventions in 2015. This paper argues that France, while perpetrating an existing discourse of democracy opposing the civilized against the uncivilized that legitimates Foreign policy as a security tool, by its refusal, transformed military intervention a latent policy andlegitimized the French Self as …

Leadership: Six Studies In World Strategy, Jay Nathan

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.

The Gulf: An Appeal For More Coordinated Action On Climate Change, Fareed Yasseen

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article seeks to provide the rationale behind Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Sudani’s call at the United Nations for the formation of a negotiating group within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process that brings together all member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, and Iran. This article argues that these countries would benefit doubly from such an arrangement, because it would help them better address the direct effects of climate change, on the one hand, and to better address the effects of the measures taken to address climate change, which will affect them as fossil fuel producers, …