International Relations Commons^™

Review Of Jacob S. Eder, Holocaust Angst: The Federal Republic Of Germany & American Holocaust Memory Since The 1970s, Carol A. Leibiger

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Specialist Communities In China’S Aerospace Technology And Innovation System: The Cultural Dimension, Alanna Krolikowski

History and Political Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Only two decades ago, China was a marginal player in the global aerospace industry. Today, the pace of China’s space programs is unparalleled and it has joined the sector’s leading ranks. China is the only country after the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States to independently send humans into orbit and a rover to touch down on the Moon. A Chinese station will likely soon be only the only long-term human habitat circling the Earth alongside the International Space Station. Within a decade, China could become only the second country in history to land a person on the Moon’s surface. …

The Effects Of Military Budget On American Perception, Charlie Hollis Whittington

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

How do Americans' perception of a state formulate based on the state's military expenditure? Conventional research theories indicate that Americans might feel a shared political culture with other democratic nations. Such feelings of solidarity may engender Americans' trust and favorability of some states' military development, but provoke negative feelings toward others. Using data mostly from Gallup and the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, this study examines Americans' attitudes toward major states' in the world (vis-à-vis military expenditure).

Deborah Olsen Public Service Scholarship Essay, Maura Hand

Examples of Student Work

In this essay, Maura Hand reflects on the ten weeks she spent interning with the State Department's Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) in San Francisco, California.

Self-Confidence In Moroccan Women: Understanding And Implications, Bethan Owen

Student Research – Stevenson Center

This research seeks to explore the theory outlined in the article “Supplemental material for age and gender differences in self-esteem—A cross-cultural window,” which states that women in developing countries are more likely than women in developed countries to have high levels of self-confidence. An observational study was conducted by the author on 30 women in the town of Imouzzer Kandar, Morocco. Based on this very limited sample size, results suggest that these women do, generally, have high rates of self-confidence. Morocco-specific cultural influences are examined, as well as results found in other studies and the author’s personal experiences in the …

Foreign Influences On Contemporary Japanese Remilitarization: The United States, North Korea, And China, Allison Lee

Honors Undergraduate Theses

After surrendering in World War II, Japan's new American-crafted constitution forced the formerly imperialistic country into pacifism. In accordance with Article 9 of the constitution, Japan was to be completely demilitarized and was therefore barred from keeping a standing military of its own. Over the course of the seven decades that have passed since the implementation of Supreme Commander MacArthur’s nonviolent constitution, Japan has slowly regained military strength. Rather than being the direct result of domestic politics and civic wishes, however, the rearmament of Japan has come as a result of foreign influences. Namely, the United States, North Korea, and …

The Colonial Legacies Of Trade Agreements With The European Union, Mia R. Warshofsky

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As European colonialism was the dominant system of long-distance governance and resource appropriation for centuries, its economic legacies are diverse albeit understated. The existing research looks mainly at the effects of colonialism on a former colony's internal development. This study broadens that scope, looking at which factors are correlated with the presence or absence of a trade agreement with the European Union as well as the number of restrictions to free trade within them. This was carried out through four large-n regressions. The first compared current former- and non-colony trading partners. The second narrowed the scope by comparing only former …

A Contemporary Analysis And Comparison Of Kurdish National Movements: Syria, Iraq, And Turkey, Grayson Lanza

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As commonly understood, and particularly espoused by Kurdish nationalists, the Kurds are by far the largest ethnic group in the world without their own nation-state. An estimated 2 to 2.5 million ethnically Kurdish people inhabit portions of Syria. There are approximately 6.5 million ethnically Kurdish people in Iraq, 7.6 million in Iran, and 16 million in Turkey. Overall, there are about 30 million Kurds in the world. In the broader context of the Kurdish nationalist struggle, this paper suggests that there is a growing bipolar hegemony for power over the control of Kurdish land and politics. Research was predicated around …

Enforcing The Fcpa: International Resonance And Domestic Strategy, Rachel Brewster

Faculty Scholarship

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), which bans corporations from offering bribes to foreign government officials, was enacted during the Watergate era’s crackdown on political corruption but remained only weakly enforced for its first two decades. American industry argued that the law created an uneven playing field in global commerce, which made robust enforcement politically unpopular. This Article documents how the executive branch strategically under- enforced the FCPA, while Congress and the President pushed for an international agreement that would bind other countries to rules similar to those of the United States. The Article establishes that U.S. officials ramped up …

The Impact Of Arab Revolutions On Asia: A Study Of Diffusion Theory, Mohammad El-Sayed Selim, Gamal M. Selim

Political Science

يجيب هذا البحث عن أربعة أسئلة، هي: هل تنتشر الظواهر السياسية بالفعل من إقليم إلى آخر، وما العوامل التي تحدد المدى المكاني والزماني للانتشار، وما آثار هذا الانتشار، ولماذا تنتشر الظواهر الثورية في النظم الديمقراطية، ويجيب البحث عن الأسئلة من زاوية نظرية الانتشار مع اشتقاق فروض من تلك النظرية لاختبارها في حالة انتشار ظاهرة "الثورات العربية" إلى آسيا. ومن ثم يعرض البحث لأصول نظرية الانتشار وتطبيقاتها وأدبياتها، مع عرض الإطار النظري لمفهوم الانتشار. ومن هذا الإطار اشتق ثمانية فروض تدور حول محددات انتشار الظواهر، واختبرت تلك الفروض في حالة انتشار ظاهرة "الثورات العربية" في الدول الآسيوية منذ سنة 2011. وقد …

Leftovers Of A Dissolved Empire: Assessing The Political Stability Of The Former Soviet Republics Of Kazakhstan, Georgia, And The Ukraine, Taraleigh Davis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore why when compared to the former Soviet Republics of Ukraine and Georgia there is a measure of stability in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has made it a priority to slowly build a sense of its own nationalism after decades of Soviet control. In over 20 years of independence it has only known violence for an 18-month period. The Republic of Kazakhstan has gone from the leftovers from a dissolved empire to a stable regional power. Kazakhstan’s hegemony in Asia and peaceful ethnic-governmental relations has made it possible for Kazakhstan to have a multi-faceted foreign …

Do Muslim Village Girls Need Saving? Critical Reflections On Gender And Childhood Suffering In International Aid, Rania Kassab Sweis

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Without contesting the idea that many Muslim girls around the world do constitute victims in very real ways. In this chapter, I want to raise a different set of questions. What does it mean when powerful actors in western-based international NGOs recognize the Muslim village girl as the ultimate savable victim? What gendered and racialized logics are at play in this category's strategic deployment, and what are their tangible effects for both NGOs and village girls who receive aid?

'Confounding Powers: Anarchy And International Society From The Assassins To Al Qaeda' By William J. Brennar (Review), Zachary C. Shirkey

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Functional And Dysfunctional Themes In Successful Peace Agreements Arising From Intractable Conflicts, Sharon Ryan Ryan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An important challenge facing humanity today is to determine how to resolve intractable conflicts. Intractable conflicts are intensely violent conflicts that are difficult to resolve and last at least one generation. The purpose of this study was to explore the themes leaders used in resolving intractable conflicts by writing peace agreements, which achieved at least a ninety percent implementation rating by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The research questions focused on the distribution of societal themes defined by Bar-Tal as present within societies experiencing an intractable conflict. This study used a multicase …

A Tale Of Two Neighbors: A Comparative Analysis Of The Processes Of State Creation And Regime Formation In Colombia And Venezuela, Alexander Mintz

Government and International Relations Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

The Political Personality Of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, Aubrey Immelman, Joseph V. Trenzeluk

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian Federation, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data regarding President Putin were extracted from open-source intelligence and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with Axis II of DSM-IV.

The personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed on the basis of interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and Millon Index of Personality Styles manuals. Putin’s primary personality patterns were found …

The Bald Eagle Nests: The United States Role In State-Building: Germany, Kosovo, And Iraq, Visar Xhambazi

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) This paper aims to explain and analyze the role and the commitment of the United States in state-building, looking at three case studies coming from different regions and periods of time – from Germany to Iraq and Kosovo. The objective is to answer some critical questions such as how successful was the transition of state-building when it comes to security, economy, and institutions; what was the U.S. commitment; what happened for the better and for the worse; why in some countries was the state-building successful and in some countries not; and last but not least, how important is …

Drowning In Rising Seas: Navigating Multiple Knowledge Systems And Responding To Climate Change In The Maldives, Rachel Hannah Spiegel

Pitzer Senior Theses

The threat of global climate change increasingly influences the actions of human society. As world leaders have negotiated adaptation strategies over the past couple of decades, a certain discourse has emerged that privileges Western conceptions of environmental degradation. I argue that this framing of climate change inhibits the successful implementation of adaptation strategies. This thesis focuses on a case study of the Maldives, an island nation deemed one of the most vulnerable locations to the impacts of rising sea levels. I apply a postcolonial theoretical framework to examine how differing knowledge systems can both complement and contradict one another. By …

Baseball And The U.S.-Cuban Diplomatic Relationship: Why Did Baseball Serve As An Ineffective Diplomatic Tool For The United States And Cuba?, Abbygale Sarah Martinen

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Successful Interventions: Identifying And Influencing Key Variables, Braeden J. Campbell

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This research paper was inspired by a desire to see the United States (U.S.) have continued success in the 21st century. The problem that spurred this research was the realization that the U.S. has an opportunistic, short-term, military centric, foreign policy strategy. I believe that in the 21st century, a steady state, balanced, long-term strategy will ensure continued success. This research paper posits that an already strong networked opposition, a repertoire of resistance, and physical infrastructure are both jointly necessary and sufficient for a successful intervention. To test for this pattern, I first explore a common variable attributed to determining …

While The Enemy Is Preoccupied : A Distractionary Theory Of Interstate Crisis Initiation, Steve S. Sin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study examines the implications of distraction theoretically and empirically, with a focus on the effects of external distraction on the likelihood of interstate crisis initiation. To this end, I develop the Distractionary Theory of Interstate Crisis Initiation and conduct empirical tests on the theoretical models to determine the impact of distraction on interstate crisis initiation.

Xenophobia, Populism, And The Rise Of The Far-Right In France And Germany, Veda Elizabeth Beltran

CMC Senior Theses

The purpose of this study is to further examine the populist wave that has struck the West, with specific regards to France and Germany. The growing anti-immigrant sentiment, the discontent with “establishment” politics, and fear-mongering tactics has given rise to far-right political parties such as the National Front and the Alternative for Germany. These political parties prove threatening to the democratic institutions in place, for they wish to limit the liberties of those who seem too different. Through delving into the core values of these countries and specific events revolving around foreigners, I explain how xenophobic ideology has been allowed …

A Multi-Causal Approach To The Thirty Years’ War, Ethan Haan

Grand Valley Journal of History

The Thirty Years’ War was arguably the most consequential war of the Wars of Religion and of the wider European conflicts in the 17th century. The historiography on the causes of the war has been present ever since literature on the conflict became available shortly after its cessation. Since 1900, the debate over the underlying motivations has intensified and has become muddied in some areas. This study aims to summarize and clarify the previous positions that historians have taken on what caused the war, from religious urges to socio-economic and political factors. This study also attempts to clearly define where …

Explaining The Rise Of Isis, Anas Alqaed

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In this paper I study the circumstances that led to the rise the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS/Daesh) and its economic power. I use articles, testimonies before US House of Representatives and analyze economic data to generate facts and draw conclusions. All references rely on primary source documents that were not released in an official capacity by ISIS. These are documents that have been released online by pro or anti-ISIS activists or information that was gathered and analyzed by research centers and international organizations. It is worth noting that non-officially released documents were very helpful in shedding more …

The United States And The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child, 1989-1995, Katie St. John

Undergraduate Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Redefining Human Rights: Non-Governmental Organizations, United States Foreign Policy In Chile, And The 1970s, Thomas Michael Spencer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Policing The Traffic: The Capacity Of Legal Change To Arrest Human Trafficking In The European Union, Charlotte Mcdonald

Honors College Theses

Intense violence in the Middle East continues to force millions of displaced people to immigrate to Europe. Governments tighten border controls to stem the influx, and desperate individuals fall victim to human traffickers. Though European Union members have made progress in developing a legal framework for combatting this evil, past attempts to coordinate national laws failed to address the growing need. Research is needed to understand the causes of success and failure in this endeavor. Through a comparative case study of three states from different parts of Europe- Germany, Hungary and Turkey- I examine the extent to which to adoption …

The Future Of The Iran Nuclear Deal: Pretty Bright From Its Verification Lens, Mutti Anggitta

International Journal of Nuclear Security

This manuscript discusses the JCPOA’s verification mechanism, especially its four innovative additional safeguards measures: much broader monitoring of Iran’s nuclear program, access with a deadline and dispute resolution mechanism, the Procurement Channel, and the prohibition of weaponization activities. It considers the possible implications of such safeguards measures for the future of the deal and for the non-proliferation regime. This manuscript found that the four additional safeguards measures, if implemented with the Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol, would increase the effectiveness of monitoring and verification measures under the deal. In short, they will significantly contribute to the success …

The Future Of Narcoterrorism: A Comparative Analysis Between Traditional And Contemporary Terrorism And Its Implications On Narcoterrorism, Lucy Clement La Rosa

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The nexus between terrorism and narcotics is historically well documented. However, its contemporary development is rarely brought to light. Rather, narcoterrorism is often considered to be an outdated phenomenon and characteristic of only Latin America. Nevertheless, narcoterrorism continues to be a global security concern. As terrorism has evolved over the recent decade, terrorist relations to the narcotic industry have also evolved. Understanding the unique characteristics of contemporary narcoterrorism is important to effectively combating both terrorism and narcotics globally.

The intent of this thesis is to comparatively analyze the differences between traditional and contemporary terrorist organizations, and how these differences will …

The Empowerment Of Women In The Middle East, Ailbhe M. Rice

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis assesses the current rights of women in Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Within each case study, four main factors are measured based on their individual influence in each state. The first factor, historical context, examines various historical influences and their effect on the empowerment of women in their country. The second factor, the socio-cultural context, describes social and ethnical effects on society such as the influence of tribal lineage. The third factor researched is the political structure of the state and the impact that each different political system has upon gender equality in that region. …