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Full-Text Articles in International Relations

Slow Violence In French Polynesia: Where The Cold War Got Hot, Gillian G. Maynard Oct 2026

Slow Violence In French Polynesia: Where The Cold War Got Hot, Gillian G. Maynard

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Between 1966 and 1996, France conducted a series of atmospheric and underground nuclear tests on the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa, exposing Polynesian communities to radioactive fallout. The paper seeks to illustrate how France’s nuclear testing program in French Polynesia produced gendered and slow forms of violence extending long after the cessation of testing. Combining environmental history, feminist political ecology, and the analysis of declassified government documents, the paper traces how radioactive contamination entered food systems, damaged reef geology, and generated intergenerational health burdens. The paper additionally examines the gendered impacts of radiation exposure, arguing that Polynesian women experienced a …


Editor's Note, Leandrit Mehmeti Oct 2026

Editor's Note, Leandrit Mehmeti

Journal of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies

This issue of the Journal of Peace, Conflict and Security Studies (JPCSS) marks the beginning of the journal’s second volume. Building on the foundations established during our first year of publication, Volume 2, Issue 1 continues our commitment to providing a multidisciplinary platform for scholarship addressing contemporary questions of peace, conflict, security, statehood and international affairs


Muharremi, Robert, And Alisa Ramadani. Transforming A Guerrilla Into A Regular Army: From The Kosovo Liberation Army To The Army Of The Republic Of Kosovo. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024., Besa Kabashi Ramaj Oct 2026

Muharremi, Robert, And Alisa Ramadani. Transforming A Guerrilla Into A Regular Army: From The Kosovo Liberation Army To The Army Of The Republic Of Kosovo. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024., Besa Kabashi Ramaj

Journal of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies

Robert Muharremi and Alisa Ramadani’s Transforming a Guerrilla into a Regular Army: From the Kosovo Liberation Army to the Army of the Republic of Kosovo seeks to provide an accessible, academic narrative of Kosovo’s security transformation. It traces the evolution from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), through the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC), to the current Kosovo Security Force (KSF). The result of this evolution is a military force which today holds a full-fledged defense mission.


Visoka, Gëzim. The Derecognition Of States. Ann Arbor: University Of Michigan Press, 2024., Aidan Hehir Oct 2026

Visoka, Gëzim. The Derecognition Of States. Ann Arbor: University Of Michigan Press, 2024., Aidan Hehir

Journal of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies

Gëzim Visoka describes the derecognition of states as “a puzzling feature in world politics” (p. 114). This is certainly true. For many decades derecognition was a peripheral concern given it was rarely practiced after the UN was established in 1945; one notable exception being the derecognition of Taiwan, which has been ongoing since the 1950s. In recent years, however, it has become of significantly greater interest as it has become more common; of the five cases Visoka examines – Taiwan, Western Sahara, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Kosovo – four are very definitely products of the post-Cold War era. Despite this, …


Hehir, Aidan. Kosovo And The “Internationals”: Hope, Hubris, And The End Of History. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024, Sead Zimeri Oct 2026

Hehir, Aidan. Kosovo And The “Internationals”: Hope, Hubris, And The End Of History. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024, Sead Zimeri

Journal of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies

Hope is enjoying a scholarly renaissance. Building on the “standard account” of hope as a desire for an outcome believed to be possible, recent work by Luc Bovens, Victoria McGeer, Adrienne Martin, Darrel Moellendorf, Michael Milona, and Katie Stockdale has refined the concept, distinguishing it from optimism and expectation, and asking when hoping is rational and what it requires. Yet this literature has remained largely within moral psychology; sustained tests against concrete political history are rare. Conversely, the enormous literature on humanitarian intervention and state-building has had much to say about power, legitimacy, and paternalism, and almost nothing about hope. …


Politics Of Maritime Security Governance: Institutional Fragmentation, Securitization And Community Engagement In Decentralized Border Area Of Indonesia, Suhirwan Suhirwan, Siswo Hadi Sumantri, Lukman Yudho Prakoso, Ahmad Gafuri Dohamid Sep 2026

Politics Of Maritime Security Governance: Institutional Fragmentation, Securitization And Community Engagement In Decentralized Border Area Of Indonesia, Suhirwan Suhirwan, Siswo Hadi Sumantri, Lukman Yudho Prakoso, Ahmad Gafuri Dohamid

Jurnal Wacana Politik

ABSTRACT. Decentralized archipelagic states face governance challenges in translating national security frameworks into localized institutional practices. This paper analyses the formalization of coastal community participation into maritime security governance in Batam, Indonesia through multi-layered political mechanisms. The study uses a qualitative case study design incorporating insights from securitization theory and multi-level governance frameworks. Data were collected between March and July 2025, comprising 18 semi-structured interviews, policy document analysis, mapping of institutional coordination, and field observations. The findings reveal a persistent multi-level securitization gap: national threat narratives, particularly those articulated in terms of sovereignty, have not been proportionally translated into regional …


Arms Proliferation And Its Control Mechanism In Nigeria: An Assessment, Mubarak Sulaiman Jamiu, Seyid Ishola Hassan, Adedoyin John Towoju Sep 2026

Arms Proliferation And Its Control Mechanism In Nigeria: An Assessment, Mubarak Sulaiman Jamiu, Seyid Ishola Hassan, Adedoyin John Towoju

Journal of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALWs) in Nigeria has emerged as a critical threat to national security and political stability. Despite the enactment of various legislative frameworks, including the Firearms Act of 1959, the circulation of illicit firearms continues unabated, exacerbating terrorism, militancy, and organized crime across the country. This study critically examines the causes, implications, and potential solutions to SALW proliferation in Nigeria, focusing on governance failures, legal inefficiencies, and institutional weaknesses. Utilizing State Fragility Theory and Failed State Theory, the research identifies how poor governance, corruption, and the lack of effective enforcement have contributed to …


Assessment Of Nigeria's Military's Efforts In Combating Boko Haram Terrorism (2015-2023), Adedoyin Jolaade Omede, Oluwafemi Babatunde Oladimeji Sep 2026

Assessment Of Nigeria's Military's Efforts In Combating Boko Haram Terrorism (2015-2023), Adedoyin Jolaade Omede, Oluwafemi Babatunde Oladimeji

Journal of Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies

This study assessed the Nigerian military’s efforts in combat against Boko Haram's terrorism between 2015 and 2023. This study adopted a qualitative methodology. Secondary data was utilised, and the data was analysed using content analysis to achieve the objectives of this study. The key findings are: initially, the Western states particularly the US hesitated to give Nigeria support against Boko Haram due to Herskovits Factor and human rights (Leahy Law) concerns but later in 2015, they provided military aid and financial support alongside other international actors; there was a decline in Boko Haram’s attacks and fatalities between 2015 and 2023 …


Transforming Military Spectrum Management With Spectrack, Rachel Mccoy, Rafa Gould, Abby Fornadel Sep 2026

Transforming Military Spectrum Management With Spectrack, Rachel Mccoy, Rafa Gould, Abby Fornadel

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The U.S. military faces operational and financial challenges due to inefficient electromagnetic spectrum
management. This poster and accompanying research statement introduce our minimum viable product, SpecTrack, which we created in response to a challenge presented by the U.S. Department of Defense's Joint Spectrum Agency. SpecTrack centralizes and visualizes spectrum requests to offer insights, streamline communication, and reduce costs. It integrates with current tools like Spectrum XXI and HUNSWDO while enhancing usability through a visual Common Operating Picture (COP). Our user-centered design process included stakeholder interviews and site visits to Germany. The result: a scalable platform that modernizes and simplifies military …


Boot Camp For The Mind: The Role Of Jpme In Developing National Security Strategists, Joseph Gagliano, Nick Gvosdev, Derek Reveron, Rebecca Russo, Dana Struckman Sep 2026

Boot Camp For The Mind: The Role Of Jpme In Developing National Security Strategists, Joseph Gagliano, Nick Gvosdev, Derek Reveron, Rebecca Russo, Dana Struckman

Joint Force Quarterly

Joint professional military education (JPME) plays a deliberate and pivotal role in an officer’s operational and strategic growth. JPME provides a structured environment for officers to develop the intellectual agility, critical thinking, and collaborative skills necessary to lead complex decisionmaking at headquarters away from the battlefield. Translating broad strategic guidance into employable strategies and executable plans requires (1) assessing the international security environment and (2) analyzing domestic policymaking system constraints. This approach stresses that a comprehensive education in national security affairs must acknowledge that a well-crafted security strategy is meaningless if not informed by the domestic policymaking system that develops …


Notes For The Contributors, Space & Defense Sep 2026

Notes For The Contributors, Space & Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.


The Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence In A New Era Of Great Power Competition, The 66th Annual Academy Assembly Sep 2026

The Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence In A New Era Of Great Power Competition, The 66th Annual Academy Assembly

Space and Defense

The 66th annual Academy Assembly brought together twenty-seven student delegates from civilian institutions and sister military service academies to discuss urgent issues in national affairs. This national student congress was held during March 3-5, 2026 and produced the following committee reports.


Critical Strategic Deterrence Questions For Today, Keith B. Payne Sep 2026

Critical Strategic Deterrence Questions For Today, Keith B. Payne

Space and Defense

r. Payne visited the U.S. Air Force Academy to offer keynote remarks at a national student congress, the 66th Academy Assembly, held during March 3-5,2026 and dedicated to the topic of the Global Chessboard: Strategic Deterrence in a New Era of Great Power Competition. Dr. Payne is co-founder of the National Institute for Public Policy, former Department Head at the Graduate School of Defense and Strategic Studies, Missouri State University, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and former Senior Advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He has authored or co-authored over 230 published articles and 50 …


Death Of Battlefield Hide-And-Seek, Lily Cheatham Sep 2026

Death Of Battlefield Hide-And-Seek, Lily Cheatham

Space and Defense

For the past twenty years, the stealth regime defined military thinking, prioritizing technologies and tactics designed to evade enemy defense systems. Ensuring radar invisibility and maintaining information dominance have been the keys to survival and strategic advantage. On June 21-22, 2025, the United States conducted "Operation Midnight Hammer" against Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The principal strike package included seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, whose crews flew approximately 18 hours to reach the target area and roughly 36 hours and 13,000 miles round trip. The B-2s dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Fordow and Natanz, marking …


The Baltic Bear Trap Wargame, Connor Crookham Sep 2026

The Baltic Bear Trap Wargame, Connor Crookham

Space and Defense

Modern military education increasingly relies on experiential tools that allow students to explore the complexity of contemporary conflict in ways that lectures and readings alone cannot achieve. Nowhere is this more evident than in the emerging emphasis on multi-domain operations, integrated deterrence, and the blurred boundaries between competition and armed conflict. The Baltic Bear Trap wargame was developed as a student design project to meet this instructional need, offering a structured environment in which players must think, plan, and act as operational-level decision makers confronting a deteriorating security situation in the Nordic–Baltic region. Built for use at the Swedish Defense …


A Cislunar Economic Forecast Under Public-Private Partnership, Naisha Chirag Naik Sep 2026

A Cislunar Economic Forecast Under Public-Private Partnership, Naisha Chirag Naik

Space and Defense

Cislunar space, spanning Earth’s orbit to the Moon, has emerged as a new frontier due to its strategic, scientific, and economic potential, with growing involvement from global powers, governments, and private entities diversifying the market. Unlike the first lunar space race, which saw a spike in activity amongst two countries followed by “silence,” the current cislunar era is hallmarked by a growing mix of public agencies, private companies, and international actors seeking to gain a foothold in what could be the foundation for a long-term space economy. While cislunar space was historically only an interest for superpowers, recent years have …


Autonomous Navigation In Cislunar Satellites, Heith Johnson Sep 2026

Autonomous Navigation In Cislunar Satellites, Heith Johnson

Space and Defense

Cislunar space—the region between Earth’s geosynchronous orbit (about 36,000 kilometers from Earth) and the Moon (roughly 384,000 kilometers away)—is becoming a critical frontier for future space exploration and commercialization.1 This zone includes the Moon’s orbit, transfer orbits, and the Earth-Moon Lagrange points. Additionally, as more nations and corporations launch lunar missions and establish long-term infrastructure, cislunar space is increasingly becoming a strategic focus for exploration, logistics, and transportation.


Planetary Defense As The Ethico-Legal Gateway For International Space Security, Evie Kendal Sep 2026

Planetary Defense As The Ethico-Legal Gateway For International Space Security, Evie Kendal

Space and Defense

Following the news in late 2024 that there was a city-killer asteroid on a possible collision course with Earth, many members of the public were shocked to learn there was no reliable global plan for managing such asteroidal and cometary impact hazards. While calculations of Asteroid 2024 YR4’s trajectory were further refined to exclude the previously reported 2-3% chance of collision in 2032, this event highlighted a major security threat: the lack of a globally coordinated, appropriately resourced, and politically supported planetary defense strategy (Gibney, 2025). In so doing, it also provided an opportunity for security experts to consider the …


Space-Based Missile Defense With Early Interceptor Launch Strategies, William Priedhorsky, James Wells Sep 2026

Space-Based Missile Defense With Early Interceptor Launch Strategies, William Priedhorsky, James Wells

Space and Defense

There is renewed interest in space-based boost-phase intercept (SBPI) for missile defense against ICBMs of near-peer adversaries. We discuss SBPI in the context of other missile defense approaches, and address one of its challenges, which is the expense of fielding a large enough constellation of interceptors in space to counter even a small number of ICBMs. We develop an early-launch approach that could substantively reduce the required density of interceptors. Because every second matters in boost-phase defense, early launch of interceptors can significantly increase the reach of each interceptor. Early launch would require interceptors that have highly throttleable motors. Our …


Golden Dome: Seeking Space Security, Namrata Goswami Sep 2026

Golden Dome: Seeking Space Security, Namrata Goswami

Space and Defense

The “Golden Dome” initiative [formerly Iron Dome] was announced by President Donald Trump on January 27, 2025, signifying a transformative shift in global space security policy. It fundamentally questions long-standing assumptions about deterrence, national vulnerability to missile attacks, and the role of space in strategic defense. More importantly, it emerges at a moment of acute strategic transition: the erosion of Cold War arms control frameworks, the rapid advancement of hypersonic and orbital delivery systems, and the growing integration of space into warfighting doctrines. Launched via a presidential memorandum in January 2025, Golden Dome calls for a layered missile defense system …


Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Editor's Note, Damon Coletta Sep 2026

Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Editor's Note, Damon Coletta

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.


Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Table Of Contents, Space & Defense Sep 2026

Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Table Of Contents, Space & Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.


Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Front Matter, Space & Defense Sep 2026

Space & Defense Vol. 17 No. 1 Front Matter, Space & Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.


Space & Defense Volume 17 Issue 1 Summer 2026 (Whole Issue), Space & Defense Sep 2026

Space & Defense Volume 17 Issue 1 Summer 2026 (Whole Issue), Space & Defense

Space and Defense

No abstract provided.


Parameters Autumn 2026, Usawc Press Aug 2026

Parameters Autumn 2026, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.


Cooperation In The Space Domain: The Potential For Cooperation Between South Korea And Japan, Brianna Johnson Aug 2026

Cooperation In The Space Domain: The Potential For Cooperation Between South Korea And Japan, Brianna Johnson

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project examines the space security cooperation between two states that are frequently grouped together in discussions of U.S. allies in the Asian region, largely due to the trilateral alliance between the US, South Korea, and Japan. Within this framework, particular attention is given to what some scholars identify as the “weak link” of the alliance: the relationship between South Korea and Japan. Focusing on the space domain as an emerging area of strategic importance, this paper asks when and how states with historically tense relationships engage with one another in space. Drawing on primary news sources and government documents …


Measuring Intensity Of Carrier Strike Group Anti-Air Warfare: 1945-2025, Gavin Perry Aug 2026

Measuring Intensity Of Carrier Strike Group Anti-Air Warfare: 1945-2025, Gavin Perry

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The Aircraft carrier and its associated strike group (CSG) have been the preeminent means of both projecting power and securing sea control since the 1940s. Despite this, there exists vulnerabilities associated with operating these groups. Following World War Two, a narrative emerged that in heavily contested (non-permissive) environments, CSGs would be unable to operate effectively. This line of thinking relegates the CSG to a weapon for low intensity conflicts, crisis response, and peacetime power projection. The relevance of this debate has increased in recent years with the bolstering of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carrier forces. Misunderstanding the ability …


A Nuclear Crossroads: South Korea's Nuclear Stance And The Factors That Shape It, Brianna Johnshon Aug 2026

A Nuclear Crossroads: South Korea's Nuclear Stance And The Factors That Shape It, Brianna Johnshon

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

South Korea represents a standard case of latent nuclear power, where nuclear development is constrained by choice rather than capability. In the past, Seoul’s rhetoric surrounding nuclear capabilities has ranged from endorsement of a domestic nuclear program to a staunch commitment to nonproliferation. These shifts are shaped by both foreign and domestic factors that reflect Seoul’s broader strategic calculations. Through comparative case studies of three key periods in South Korea’s nuclear rhetoric, this paper analyzes the main factors that influence the official stance on nuclear development. The first case covers early attempts at nuclear development in the 1970s with Project …


Jihad As Discourse: The Houthi Movement's Official Rhetoric On The 2023–2024 Red Sea Attacks, Moh. Iqbal Bulgini, Imam Khomaeni Hayatullah May 2026

Jihad As Discourse: The Houthi Movement's Official Rhetoric On The 2023–2024 Red Sea Attacks, Moh. Iqbal Bulgini, Imam Khomaeni Hayatullah

Journal of Terrorism Studies

This study examines how Ansar Allah (the Houthi movement) constructs and legitimises a jihad discourse through official speeches and formal statements issued by military spokesperson Yahya Sarea and the movement's official platforms during the 2023–2024 Red Sea attacks. Employing Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework—integrating textual analysis, discursive practice, and sociocultural context—the study analyses a purposive corpus of 45 verified institutional texts. Three dominant and mutually reinforcing discursive formations are identified: (1) the Humanitarian-Juridical Discourse, which reconstitutes armed attacks as legally and morally obligatory acts of protection; (2) the Anti-Hegemonic Resistance Discourse, which constructs the movement as a …


The Strait Of Hormuz As An Instrument Of Iran’S Geoeconomic Statecraft In Shaping Foreign Policy Amid The Dynamics Of Contemporary Conflicts, Daffa Rabbani Widy Hayat, Noeryfqa Okta Harizal, Ahmad Sahide May 2026

The Strait Of Hormuz As An Instrument Of Iran’S Geoeconomic Statecraft In Shaping Foreign Policy Amid The Dynamics Of Contemporary Conflicts, Daffa Rabbani Widy Hayat, Noeryfqa Okta Harizal, Ahmad Sahide

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This study examines how Iran strategically utilizes the Strait of Hormuz as an instrument of geoeconomic statecraft in formulating foreign policy amid intensifying international sanctions following the United States withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018. Employing Neoclassical Realism and Geoeconomics as the theoretical framework, this study analyzes how domestic elite decision-making mediates systemic pressure and transforms geographical assets into sources of asymmetric bargaining power. Through a single-case study approach supported by qualitative deep analysis of institutional reports, academic literature, and policy documents, this study finds that Iran systematically operationalizes the Strait of Hormuz through three interconnected mechanisms: asymmetric military signaling, …