International Relations Commons^™

Iran Strikes And Shifting Sands: America And A Remade Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

As part of the Brookings Scholar Lecture Series, Brookings Fellow in Foreign Policy Jeffrey Feltman discusses the post-Iran war landscape, new regional alignments, and the impact on U.S. interests and relations. We are living through what could be the most transformative period in the Middle East since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. New, informal alliances are scrambling traditional politics, while longstanding diplomatic taboos (such as prohibiting direct Israeli-Lebanese negotiations) are tossed aside. Syria, its transitional leadership embraced by the Trump Administration, no longer serves as Iran’s land bridge to Hezbollah but risks becoming a flashpoint in escalating Israeli-Turkish tensions. Middle …

Understanding Chinese Students’ Intent To Study Abroad: Case Study Of A Collaborative Chinese & U.S. University Program, Jaekeun Cho

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined how Chinese undergraduate students enrolled in a Sino-Foreign Cooperative Program (SFCP) made decisions about studying abroad and selected a U.S. institution, with particular attention to institutions in less traditional destinations, such as Nevada. International student enrollment has become a critical strategy for U.S. higher education institutions facing declining state appropriations, demographic contraction in domestic enrollment, and increased global competition. Although China has remained the largest source of international students to the United States for decades, states such as Nevada enroll comparatively few international students and lack empirical research on recruitment pathways. This study addressed this gap by …

Fostering Nationalism: Education As A Political Tool In India And Pakistan, Ashot Khachaturyan

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Education is regarded globally as a necessity for the youth to develop intellectually, emotionally, and socially. In developing countries around the world, like India and Pakistan, the quality of education, as well as the foundations of the curricula, are subject to cultural ties that promote ideologies of strong national identity. This paper aims to highlight the extent to which education, the most critical aspect of a child’s development, is used as a political tool in India and Pakistan. Analyzing existing research and journals, the reformations of Indian and Pakistani education to drive interpersonal conflicts will be explored, focusing on the …

Reassessing Policy Responses To Irregular Migration In Receiving Democracies: A Process-Tracing Analysis Of Transactional Migration Governance, Otoniel Ramos

Student Research

This policy brief analyzes the growing use of transactional migration agreements (TMAs) by receiving democracies—bilateral arrangements that exchange financial or diplomatic concessions for the external enforcement of migration control. While politically expedient, TMAs often generate long-term strategic liabilities: they reduce state control over enforcement outcomes, expose receiving states to coercive leverage by partner states, and weaken normative commitments to transparency and rights protection. Using analytic process tracing and formal modeling, this paper identifies four recurring mechanisms by which TMAs evolve into systems of asymmetric dependence. It then evaluates three alternative policy frameworks—Exit Doctrine, Legal Category Reform, and a Structured Conditionality …

Private Military Contractors: Assessing Their Impact On U.S. Military Effectiveness And Ethical Standards, Otabek Akromov

Undergraduate Research Symposium Lightning Talks

Background & Objectives:

• Scale of outsourcing: >180,000.00 troops
• Major providers: Blackwater and DynCorp •
• Research focus: magnitude of impact

Institutional Design Of Intergovernmental Organizations: Cooperation, Vitality, And Evolution, Darrell James Carter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) are critical institutions in the international system through which states cooperate and compete. Much scholarship has examined the role and operation of IGOs, but many questions about how they facilitate cooperation, their vitality, and their evolution remain. The functions of IGOs are impacted by their institutional design, which then affects operation and vitality. IGO’s perform their roles through multiple mechanisms that facilitate state interaction. IGOs enable states to overcome credibility issues and cooperate. The institutional design of IGOs, their membership, their resources, and their institutionalization, all impact the functioning of the IGO. I examine empirically how joint …

The Autocrat Influence On International Organization Design, Zachary Billot

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Research Question: How do different regime types, namely autocracies, design international organizations (IO)?

Summary of Results: Pooling and delegation generally have a positive correlation to increase in democracy. Pooling and Delegation generally have a negative correlation to average member state GDP. Social IOs Pool and Delegate more than political IOs compared to Economic IOS. Impact of # of Member States has a mixed effect: Fixed Effects models -, + in other models. Regional Impacts pronounced for Africa, Asia, Americas compared to Europe.

Russian Involvement In Frozen Conflicts Of The Post Soviet Space As A Means Of Geopolitical Positioning, Mary Giandjian

Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV

Upon the Soviet Union’s collapse, in a short time the once Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) became fifteen distinctly sovereign states, coupled by a sum of de facto states. The sum of these de facto states, realized from frozen conflicts, endure a distinct type of instability in Russia’s near abroad, where reconciliation is temporary given the frequent resumption of hostilities. In this paper, I detail major events of frozen conflicts in the Post Soviet Space, from South Ossetia to Nagorno-Karabakh, evaluating the Russian involvement of each de facto state’s respective frozen conflict. The combination of historical analysis and case …

Chemicals And Creeds: Cbrn Weapon Use And Religious-Based Terrorism, Nikolai Apilado

Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV

General theories of terrorism typically focus on economic, social, or political factors that lead to terrorist acts. Conversely, chemical, biological, radiational, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons are rarely spoken of in academic literature. Yet, these weapons are still used by terrorists in some capacity. In this paper, I argue that religion is the primary factor that influences terrorists to pursue CBRN weapons as opposed to more secular-based terrorists. This is due to the fact that religious-based terrorists are not concerned with preserving their reputation or credibility among society, as well as being so blinded by their religion that they are willing …

Transnational Actions, Domestic Outcomes: How Diasporas Effect Change In Their Countries Of Origin, Nadia Eldemerdash

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over the last 30 years, a growing body of research in political science has studied migration and transnationalism as complex political phenomena that have far-reaching consequences on the politics and societies of both sending and receiving countries. How migrants themselves experience migration and how those experiences are transferred to family and friends they leave in their country of origin has political consequences. Some scholars have argued that migration can induce or contribute to the democratization of sending countries through both financial and social processes, which can occur at the state and individual levels. Focusing on the effects of migration on …

Mena Terrorism And The West: Explaining Why Terrorist Groups From The Middle East And North Africa Target Western Democracies, Michael A. Defeo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Terrorist groups from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remain one of the most formidable threats to international security. While their organization and motives have been significantly different over time, a commonality is that they tend to disproportionately target Western democracies. This dissertation argues that this trend is mainly a consequence of the foreign policies that these states pursue in the region. These policies, in terms of support for Israel and interventionism, are theorized as being the precipitous causes of MENA terrorism. Likewise, it is argued that the democratic institutions and extents of globalization in these states are …

The Analysis Of Wartime Rape Using Postmodern Feminism In The Conflicts Of Sierra Leone 1991, Bosnia-Herzegovina 1992, Darfur 2003, Allyssa Sabelle Chua

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

This research examines how patriarchal institutions weaponize the act of rape in times of conflict. Rape is understood and conceptualized through the language of masculinity, especially the dominance of the masculine recognized and practiced in various cultures. Postmodern feminists argued that a woman or femininity is regulated, constructed, and defined by men through gender roles and symbols. As such, a woman does not exist as her own individual, but follows a constructed identity given by patriarchal institutions. In the theater of war, when a man rapes a woman, she is not only a victim of this violation, but further, the …

U.S./Russia Export Relationship, Adam Nishino, Mohammad Saad Bin Shahzad, Yonathan Assefa, Trel Lakindanum

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Russia and the United States have a long history of trading as early as 1913. Over the years, Russia has become a notable player in US imports. By using the United States Census database and the Office of the United States Trade Representative database. In short, our research will discuss the trade relationship between Russia and the United States over the last century, through history and data analytics, and its effects on trade and politics to the rest of the world.

The Effects Of The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine On Exports To Italy, Stephen Johnson, Ryder Hankins, Nathan Carter

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Italy imported 122,000 tons of soft wheat from Ukraine and 72,000 from Russia. During the current events international food and feed prices have increased by 8 to 22% causing mass shortages around the world. On top of the ethical and moral dilemmas of continuing business with Russia, insurance premiums have jumped 400% for doing business with the invading country.

Exporting U.S. Cosmetics To China's Lower-Tier Cities, Kaitlynn Quach, Audrey Stephanie

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

What is the cosmetics market like in China's lower-tier cities for U.S. brands? In order to create market entry strategies, China has city-tier classifications that are commonly used in business. Classifications are based on GDP, political administration, and population. In 2020, Chinese consumers spent more than ¥340.0 Billion RMB ($53.46 Billion) on cosmetic products. This number increases from year to year and is especially affected by globalization. The United States is one of the top exporters of cosmetics brands.

Although popular, United States cosmetics brands face strong competition in China's first-tier cities. First-tier cities are considered the largest and wealthiest …

The Theoretical Challenges In Ukraine, Andrew Kim

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

The unfolding situation in Ukraine seems like a scene out of the Cold War, the complexity within it not only lies in how fast these events are occurring but also in the unpredictability of Russia’s leader; to address this current conflict requires the acknowledgment of a brief background within these events and also the possible responses which we could expect to see. The following policy brief addresses the matter of the historical influences and challenges that would be facing US national security policy because of the Russia and Ukraine conflict and how this question isn’t a historical question, but rather …

The Role Of International Factors In Electoral Volatility In Latin America: An Examination Of Structural Adjustment, Michelle Kuenzi, Hafthor Erlingsson, John P. Tuman

Political Science Faculty Research

Does structural adjustment increase party system instability in Latin America? We employ the Latin American Presidential and Legislative Elections (LAPALE) database (http://www.lapaledata.com) and our own original data set for structural adjustment to assess the effects of structural adjustment and other economic, social, and political variables on legislative volatility in 18 Latin American countries during the period of 1982 to 2016. The results of our study indicate that structural adjustment results in higher levels of within-system electoral volatility and support a broad version of economic voting theory. Extra-system electoral volatility is driven primarily by institutional and demographic factors. Our findings also …

Middle Powers, Capital Subscriptions, And The Inter-American Development Bank, Aaron Coates

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Using liberal theory, this dissertation examines the behavior of member states in the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), with a focus on middle powers. In particular, I analyze whether trade between middle powers and Latin America and the Caribbean is associated with an increase in middle powers’ subscription shares in the IADB. The analysis draws on a cross-sectional time-series data set of capital subscription shares (in log form, and first-differenced) for the period of 2004 to 2018. The results suggest that among all members of the IADB, an increase in members’ trade with Latin America and the Caribbean was associated with …

Globalization: A Veto Player Perspective, Alec Brown

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Different countries have varying levels of globalization. Many features, such as size, play a part in determining the level of globalization in countries. I argue that globalization is influenced by veto players in systematically different ways. To understand these different relationships, globalization must be broken apart into three dimensions (political, economic, and social). Political globalization is negatively affected by veto players. Economic globalization is not affected by veto players directly but is influenced by related phenomena. Social globalization is positively affected by veto players. To test my arguments, I employ a Time Series Cross Section (TSCS) method to analyze a …

Changing The Paradigm In Armenia-Diaspora Relations: State-Centered Institutions And Transnational Governance, Nerses Kopalyan

Political Science Faculty Research

Nation-states that encompass large Diasporas are faced with the wider responsibility of accounting for two types of members: citizens that live within the territory of the state and members of the broader nation that reside in the Diaspora. In the Armenian case, legally speaking, an Armenian is a citizen of the Republic of Armenia; but, at the same time, a diasporan Armenian is equally qualified as an Armenian, even if they do not live within the legal boundaries of the state.

A Binding Sisterhood Of Transnational Feminism: A Close Look At Iran And Argentina, Bernadette Mary Lazar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines the impact of transnational feminism in Iran and Argentina. Specifically, it focuses on the role of the diaspora and international communities and their interactions with social movements in these two countries. Although the study of transnational feminism is not a new phenomenon, very little research has been dedicated towards distinguishing the effects and differences in outcomes when either the diaspora or the broader international network is involved. By filling this gap in the literature, this dissertation will shed light on whether the diaspora community, NGOs, or the international community is necessary for success or favorable outcomes in …

The Parallel Security Apparatus: Examining The Cases Of Baathist Iraq, Syria, And Iran, Donald Utchel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines the phenomena of the parallel security apparatus in the cases of Baathist Iraq, Syria, and Iran. Parallel security structures are often limited to books and articles published on secret police organizations in the broader security literature. Their research often focuses on one branch of the parallel security apparatus rather than examining all the parallel security institutions of that particular regime. This body of research attempts to bring further light to this particular phenomenon by examining all the parallel security institutions in a particular case and to connect and trace the various parallel security institutions to see if …

Domestic Inequality And Multilateral Action: An Examination Of Directional Relationships, Olivia Z. Miller

Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV

This paper seeks to examine the relationship between domestic level inequalities and broader international behavior, specifically that involving multiple state actors. It is hypothesized that increasing levels of domestic inequality will lead towards a decrease in willingness towards multilateral action. The sampling of inequalities spans the realms of income distribution, gender, and educational attainment while attitudes towards multilateral action are characterized by participation in treaties and participation in international organizations. Poisson regression analysis is used to analyze the compiled statistical findings, and a high degree of significance is shown in both models for the dependent variables, though neither is remarkably …

Nonstate Actors And International Law: Just War Theory Or The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights?, Jason Lee Mitchell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is a debate taking place within the global war on terror (GWT), and its legal and moral parameters are established by two basic arguments. The first is that “Citizens who associate themselves with the military arm of the enemy government, and with its aid, guidance and direction enter this country bent on hostile acts are enemy belligerents within the meaning of the Hague Convention and the law of war” (Ex parte Quirin, 37). The second is that an “Enemy combatant” is a general category that subsumes two sub-categories: lawful and unlawful combatants. The conclusion as it currently stands is …

Commercial Interests In American Foreign Policy, From Dollar Diplomacy To The Trump Administration, Geoffrey Gertz

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Throughout history, foreign investors have often relied on their home governments for support in managing complex relationships with foreign governments. This commercial diplomacy is particularly important for businesses in highly-regulated industries, such as mining and natural resources. This lecture assesses how American diplomats have responded to these private pressures, and explains why commercial diplomacy has (re)emerged as a key priority in American foreign policy.

Institutional Dissonance And Reserved Cooperation: Theory And Evidence From International Environmental Agreements, Erika Komura Masaki

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As global environmental problems have received more attention in the international arena, questions of global environmental governance have become more salient. The increase of international and multilateral environmental agreements has raised questions about participation, compliance, and ultimately, effectiveness of these institutions. Consequently, this dissertation seeks to understand what factors affect participation in and compliance with international environmental agreements. Specifically, I find that treaty design plays a critical role in levels of participation. Using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, I also examine the case of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) as a case study, and find that …

You're Out! Explaining Non-Criminal Diplomatic Expulsion, Anthony Jordan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The practice of diplomatic expulsion, as well as expulsion of other foreign personnel by an executive, has received little attention in the field of International Relations or in Political Science more broadly. If expulsion were analyzed under the broader category of diplomatic relations, then studying the variation in expulsions could improve our understanding of international relations. It would be understood as one of the many tools executives use in negotiation between states. Executives, however, appeared to treat expulsion specially. Although no international convention requires executives to notify the public of the expulsion of a diplomat, ambassador or other personnel, it …

All In - And More! Gambling In The James Bond Films, Pauliina Raento

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Scholarly analysis of gambling in the James Bond films is rare, despite the multitude of topics in Bondology and the fictional agent’s global fame. The odd commentary in gambling scholarship criticizes the franchise from the perspective of harm prevention. This article counters both groups of scholars with a qualitative interpretation of Bond’s gambling habits and the role of gambling and risk taking in the film series. A basic toolkit of visual methodologies is applied to the 24 EON-produced Bond films released in 1962–2015. The examination shows the critical importance of gambling to character identity, power hierarchies and communication, atmosphere, and …

International Responses To Human Trafficking: A Comparative Secondary Data Analysis Of National Characteristics, Olivia Germaine Tuttle

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Human trafficking is a rising international issue that has become a key concern for human rights organizations and governments throughout the world. As such, new policies are being developed and implemented to combat the problem. A guiding standard for these policies is the United Nations (UN) 2003 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which established a formal definition of human trafficking. While the UN Protocol was a significant step in the fight against human trafficking, it is limited by its framework, which focuses heavily on criminalization and punishment of traffickers. Recent discourse and …

The Arab Uprisings: An Assessment Of The Roots And Implications Of Contemporary Mobilization In The Arab World, Autoosa Elizabeth Kojoori-Saatchi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Much of the existing theories of mobilization appear to focus on either micro or macro level elements that lead to mobilization, very few seem to focus on fusing the two; specifically psychological dynamics with macro structural components. This dissertation seeks to synthesize the two together to explain how psychology, specifically the perception of deprivation exacerbated by heightened social interaction through technology has introduced a new element to politics in the Middle East and North, which has furthered awareness of the exploitative nature of neoliberalism and the impact that the system has on the greater Arab populace. This dissertation explains how …