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Full-Text Articles in International Relations

Fragility As An Impediment To Development In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Samantha Soter Jun 2020

Fragility As An Impediment To Development In The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Samantha Soter

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

This paper is written for the purpose of providing an objective analysis of the fragile state that is the Democratic Republic of Congo, in order to critically and holistically analyze the limiting factors of conflict, resource exploitation, and corruption within the context of hindering sustainable development. For the past decade-and-a-half, a multifaceted struggle comprised of numerous armed groups has plagued the region, each vying for control over the nation’s plentiful natural resources. Given the combined presence of the United Nations MONUSCO intervention, Congolese forces, and over one-hundred different militia groups, whose actions each contribute to fragility, a complex power-struggle at …


Collective Identity In Germany: An Assessment Of National Theories, Sean Starkweather May 2020

Collective Identity In Germany: An Assessment Of National Theories, Sean Starkweather

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Beginning in the 18th century, the question of what makes a nation has occupied a prominent place in German politics. From the national theories of the 18th-century German Romantics, who identified cultural and ethnic factors as being the key determinants, to modern civic nationalists and postnationalists, who point to liberal civic values and institutions, the importance of collective identity and how it is oriented has remained an important topic for German scholars and policymakers. Using survey research, I assess the accuracy and relevance of these theories in contemporary German society. I find that, contrary to the optimism of modern thinkers, …


Women In Socialist Cuba: Political And Economic Equality, Julia E. Rogers May 2020

Women In Socialist Cuba: Political And Economic Equality, Julia E. Rogers

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Gender equality is recognized as a fundamental human right and goal by the United Nations. The 1959 Cuban Revolution advocated for widespread social changes including equality for women. Cuba is a critical case because it both confirms and refutes assumptions about gender equality. The central research question explored in this thesis is: How do domestic and global factors combine to affect the rhetoric and experiences of gendered and racial groups with respect to economic and political opportunities in socialist Cuba? I examine whether the divergences between expectations and experiences conform to the general literature. I find that women did achieve …


Analyzing The Onset And Resolution Of Nonstate Conflict In The Middle East & North Africa, Emily A. Barbaro May 2020

Analyzing The Onset And Resolution Of Nonstate Conflict In The Middle East & North Africa, Emily A. Barbaro

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

By applying structural-functionalist theories of deviance and opposition, this thesis deconstructs nonstate mobilization in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Using data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Dataset, the quantitative analysis interpreted both group and leader behavior in conflict situations to determine factors that influenced conflict onset and resolution. The quasipoisson regression analysis of group behavior suggested that polity and state capacity were both significant predictors of violent and nonviolent mobilization. The negative binomial regression of regime behavior suggested that civilian casualties were the most significant predictor of a government response to nonstate mobilization. Ultimately, the …