International Relations Commons^™

Rafi & Patra, Rafi, Patra, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Rafi and his family have been stuck on the border between Greece and Macedonia for almost four months. They made their way from Afghanistan, received certificates in Greece to help them on their journey, but were then stopped at the border of Macedonia. The Macedonians said that they were no longer allowing Afghans into their country. Now all they can do is wait and hope. In Afghanistan,Rafi was a military man. As a young man, he was a part of the Revolution army, but later was made a soldier for the Government Security of Kabul. During that time, he was …

Governance In A Globalised World, Richard Woodward

Books/Book Chapters

Discussions surrounding the sources of power and authority that govern the social world have taken place since ancient times. Finally, in the latter half of the twentieth century, it appeared that this debate had been decisively resolved in favour of the view that governance was the preserve of governments. This was a consequence of the ascendance in the social sciences of methodologies that presupposed human activities to correspond to the territorial boundaries of sovereign states. The privileging of sovereign territoriality did not reflect a poverty of scholarly thinking but was a by-product of their social world. (Taylor, 1996). By the …

The Prosecution Paradox: How The International Criminal Court Affects Civil War Peace Negotiations, Julia Reilly

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Since the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s inception, observers have disagreed about how it would affect prospects for peace when it is involved in situations of ongoing conflict. Therefore, I ask, why do some of the civil war peace negotiations involving the ICC end with full peace agreements, while others end with resumed violence? I argue that how the Court affects the occurrence and outcome of peace negotiations is largely a function of the role that it plays in the situation. Due to its institutional design, the Court has the capacity to play either an oversight or a prosecutorial role in …

At The Hands Of Fate: The Political Economy Of Islamic Insurance In Indonesia, Malaysia, And Pakistan, C. 1980 To The Present, Muhammad S. Rahman

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Why have Islamic insurance systems developed well in some countries, but not in others? Malaysia is considered as Islamic insurance elite due to its relatively large number of operators it houses as well as the sustained growth of Islamic insurance sales within the country, while Indonesia and Pakistan are still in early stages of development. Analyzing the political and social history of Islamization of insurance systems in these three Muslim majority countries in Asia since 1980s, this dissertation demonstrates the development gap between these countries on Islamic insurance results from; firstly, complex bargains made between various groups within each country …

Media Discourses That Normalize Colonial Relations: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of (Im)Migrants And Refugees, Meng Zhao, Jorge Rodriguez, Lilia D. Monzó

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The im(migration) and refugee crisis that are being exacerbated under the Trump administration, is a manifestation of empire-building and the long history of colonization of the Global South. A Marxist-humanist perspective recognizes these as consistent aspects of a clearly racist global capitalism that functions in the interest of multibillion dollar U.S.–based corporations and increasingly transnational corporations. Trade agreements, international economic policy, political intervention, invasion or the threat of these, often secure corporate interests in specific countries and regions. The authors use critical discourse analysis to examine the discourses around Mexican, Central American, and Syrian im(migrants) and refugees as examples of …

Speech We Hate: An Argument For The Cessation Of International Pressure On Japan To Strengthen Its Anti-Child Pornography Laws, Alison Rapp

Augsburg Honors Review

One can hardly mention child pornography, even as a subject of serious academic research, without receiving questioning, fearful, or even disgusted looks. The creation, dissemination, and possession of child pornography is severely criminalized in many countries, and continues to be a topic of intense controversy in countries that have "lagged" in passing laws condemning the trade (though the word "trade" is misleading, as most child pornography is created, disseminated, and consumed almost entirely free of charge). Yet, there is also a great deal of confusion, misunderstanding, and sheer ignorance surrounding child pornogaphy and its connections (or lack thereof) to lowered …

Uzbekistan In The Turkic Council: Common Interests, Opportunities And Potential For Cooperation, Sh. M. Abdullayev

International Relations: Politics, Economics, Law

The article is devoted to the opportunities and potential of Uzbekistan’s membership in the Turkic Council. Historically, linguistically and civilizationally, Uzbekistan is part of the Turkic world. Uzbekistan maintains large-scale and close ties with the member states of the Turkic Council. Recognizing its Turkic identity, Uzbekistan is deeply interested and ready for close geo-economic and humanitarian cooperation with the Turkic world without prejudice to third countries.

God And Governance: Reflections On Living In The Belly Of The Beast, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

In this critical rage article, Peter McLaren unleashes his revolutionary critique aimed at capitalist injustice behind postdigital socio-technological developments, historical forms of injustice such as racism and colonialism, and recent political events and developments including but not limited to US interventions in Latin America and the presidency of Donald Trump. Rising from two important prongs of McLaren’s work—revolutionary critical pedagogy and liberation theology—the article connects myth, religion, science, politics, technology, and humanity. The article reveals McLaren’s most intimate thoughts and experiences and aligns them with sophisticated theory and philosophy. It dances between the individual and the collective, the realistic and …

A Treaty Under A Cloud: Diplomats And National Leaders Are Failing The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The article discusses contemporary challenges and debates surrounding nuclear weapons, focusing on the actions and doctrines of the P5 countries (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States). It critiques the P5's role in nuclear proliferation through modernization efforts and their impact on international disarmament efforts, particularly in the context of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The article highlights tensions and geopolitical maneuvers involving nuclear arsenals, such as NATO's responses to Russian assertiveness and U.S. policy shifts under President Trump. It calls for renewed efforts in arms control and disarmament, urging reflection on the effectiveness and ethical implications of nuclear deterrence …

Military Intervention: Why It Fails To Promote Democracy, Ashleigh N. Clayton

OSRI Journal of Student Research and Innovation

International security concerns often circulate around regional stability and maintaining that balance. Foreign interventions are often undertaken by the international community when regional stability is tantamount to international stability. Interventions are often launched in for humanitarian assistance to protect citizens against violent autocratic regimes. Repeatedly, intervenors have attempted to assist the local population with regime transition, but changes to democracy rarely have lasting power. Modernization theory fully explains that the building blocks of democracy, semi-homogenous society, post-industrial economy and autonomous self-expressing citizens, must be present in the target country before intervention for democracy to take hold. The competing principals of …

Assessing Louisiana State University College Of Agriculture Faculty Members' Cultural Intelligence And Kenyan Workshop Participants' Knowledge And Attitude Towards International Development Projects, Cristina Cossich

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The main objective of this dissertation was to assess Louisiana State University College of Agriculture Faculty Members' Cultural Intelligence and Kenyan Workshop Participants' Knowledge and Attitude towards International Development Projects. The study examines key aspects that contribute to the implementation of international development projects: describing the landscape of what is known about international development projects in Kenya; assessing perceptions of faculty members of a southern United States land-grant university who are in charge of the development and implementation of international development projects; and evaluation of program impacts on selected local participants of a project in Kenya.

The overall findings of …

Any Port In A Storm: Vessel Activity And The Risk Of Iuu-Caught Fish Passing Through The World’S Most Important Fishing Ports, Gilles Hosch, Bradley Soule, Max Schofield, Trevor Thomas, Charles Kilgour, Tim Huntington

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

This study assesses the risk of fish from illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) sources passing through the world’s most important fishing ports and explores the drivers of this risk.

Like previous studies it has attempted to rank ports and States based on landings and vessel visits reported by governments by using Automatic Identification System (AIS) positional data transmitted by fishing and fish carrier vessels to identify the locations of ports and rank them based on the frequency of visits by foreign-flagged and domestic-flagged vessels. It advances our thinking in that (i) the analysis includes an estimation of the hold capacity …

Marta, Marta, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Marta is a member of the support community for Central American refugees arriving in the southwest US. In this interview, Marta shares her own story of crossing the border at a young age with her daughter and her life in the US. Marta was self-employed for many years and later went on to serve in the US Army in Iraq. For the last 9 months, she and her husband Israel and son Josue have worked tirelessly to help make sure the current refugees arriving are cared for after they are released from detention centers and begin their lives in the …

Book Review: The Justice Façade: The Trials Of Transition In Cambodia, Sabah Carrim

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Crisis In The European Union: The Politics Of Integration, Engagement, And Dissent, 2008-2016, Edward I.C. Reminiskey

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis is a comprehensive interpretation of European political history in the periodization from 2008 to 2016. The history begins with an exploration of the intellectual and political origins of the post-World War II project of European integration and the development of, and opposition to, the early institutions that eventually formed the contemporary assemblage of the European Union. Following a traditionally structured history, this work is styled as a ‘history of the present’ that specifies the role of the European Union in precipitating and attempting to overcome the financial and monetary crises, foreign policy quandaries on its Eastern periphery, an …

Is The East-West Political Bipolarity The Foundation Of The Ecumenical Movement? The Cold War As A Meta-Narrative Of The World Council Of Churches, Katharina Kunter

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "...the following remarks provide an overview of the role of churches during the Cold War. Very often, the role of churches will be represented by developments and discussions within the WCC, which can be understood as a sort of role model, because it provided the "bell" for similar developments in the Western and Northern European countries. Three topics were prioritized. First was the dilemma of an ecumenism between the East and West in the early phase of the Cold War during the late 1940s and 1950s, which accompanied the founding of the World Council of Churches in 1948. Second, …

There And Back Again: What The Cold War For Southeast Asia Can Teach Us About Sino-Us Competition In The Region Today, Wen-Qing Ngoei

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Expert commentary today typically focuses on the agendas and actions of the two big powers, the United States and China, which misses the bigger picture. During the Cold War, leaders of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) played a critical role in containing Chinese influence, shaping the terms of Sino-U.S. competition and rapprochement, and deepening the U.S. presence in Southeast Asia. The legacy of ASEAN’s foreign relations during and since the Cold War militates against the popular notion that Chinese hegemony in Asia is inevitable.

Lennart's Innan Murarna Föll: Svenska Kyrkan Under Kalla Kriget [Before The Fall Of The Walls: The Church Of Sweden During The Cold War] - Book Review, Norman A. Hjlem

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"This volume, like several others,1 is the product of historians, theologians, and churchpersons who, largely stimulated by the Finnish churchman Risto Lehtonen, have in recent years been exploring the role of and impact on churches of the Cold War, 1945-1989/90. The present work by Swedish scholars is unique in that Sweden was “non-aligned” during that time, and the Church of Sweden was (until 2000) a state church which did not enjoy the independence—political and otherwise—characteristic of churches in many other lands. This created a singular context for Sweden’s relation to the tensions and upheavals of the Cold War."

Us And The Cold War In Latin America, Thomas Field

Publications

The Cold War in Latin America had marked consequences for the region’s political and economic evolution. From the origins of US fears of Latin American Communism in the early 20th century to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, regional actors played central roles in the drama. Seeking to maximize economic benefit while maintaining independence with regard to foreign policy, Latin Americans employed an eclectic combination of liberal and anti-imperialist discourses, balancing frequent calls for anti-Communist hemispheric unity with periodic diplomatic entreaties to the Soviet bloc and the nonaligned Third World. Meanwhile, US Cold War policies toward …

Forced Migration: A Syrian Exodus To Germany, Taylor Witt

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Syrian Civil War has killed over 500,000 people and displaced over 12 million since it began in 2011. The conflict has resulted in forced migration on a massive scale. Syrian people have been displaced within Syria, to the surrounding Arab states and to Europe. This has led to an immigration crisis in some parts of the European Union. Germany has become a primary destination for these refugees, but nationalist, xenophobic forces have started pushing back against what is perceived to be an invasion of foreigners into their land and their borders. This project examines the sentiments of German citizens …

The Annexation Of Hawai'i: A Violation Of Foreign Sovereignty By The United States Of America, Larissa R. Schuermyer

Honors Projects

The Kingdom of Hawai’i was annexed by the United States of America in 1898 and was given statehood in 1959. Prior to its annexation, the Kingdom of Hawai’i had a legitimate functioning government with sovereign recognition from many in the international arena, including the United States, as early as 1840. This article analyzes current and past definitions of the state and sovereignty, as well as precedence from international law, to determine if the United States violated the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawai’i before and during the annexation process. A preponderance of evidence, including explanations of the preexisting Hawaiian political …

Analyzing The United States’ Limited Response To The Syrian Refugee Crisis, Carolina Romero

Political Analysis

The Syrian refugee crisis can be described as one of the biggest, if not largest, humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. The crisis is a result of an ongoing civil war between rebel groups and the government forces of the Assad regime. Since the beginning of the war in 2011, over 400,000 have been killed and a combined 11 million have been displaced either internally or externally from their homes (Human Rights Watch, World Report 2018). The United Nations and the international community have openly expressed discontent with the dealings of the Assad regime, and as a result, have attempted …

Regime Change, Deferred: Regarding United States’ Foreign Policy In Syria, Rosa Mazza–Hilway

Political Analysis

In 2011, President Obama proclaimed, “the time has come for President Assad to step aside” (“President Obama”). The question then becomes: why has the United States failed to act upon this declaration and been unsuccessful in achieving regime change in Syria? While there is evidence to suggest regime change is the ultimate goal in Syria, there has been a lack of action taken to facilitate the deposition of Assad. In this paper, there will be an emphasis on the policies and rhetoric that indicate the desire to catalyze a shift in governmental power through the disposal of the Assad regime. …

A Longview On Iran: Echoes From The Ancient Middle East, Jason M. Schlude

Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

With its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps blacklisted, Iran responded in kind, classifying United States Central Command as a terrorist organization. In the midst of a buildup of U.S. military in the Gulf, President Rouhani indicated Iran’s willingness to return to its previous program to develop nuclear arms. Where will this lead? Ancient history provides an illuminating—if unsettling—perspective.

An Unnatural Partnership? The Future Of U.S.-India Strategic Cooperation, Samit Ganguly, M. Chris Mason

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

As global competition with an increasingly assertive Chinese Government expands, the strategic relationship between India and the United States is assuming ever-greater importance. From a superficial perspective, a strategic partnership seems to make a great deal of sense for both countries. Yet, enormous political, cultural, and structural obstacles remain between them, which continue to slow the progress in security cooperation to a crawl, relative to China’s economic and military advances. The authors explore these impediments frankly and suggest practical ways to build trust and establish confidence.

Humanitarianism And Refugee Crisis: A Comparative Analysis Of Germany And Turkey Towards Syrian Refugees In The Wake Of The Syrian Civil War, Magda Gebarski

Senior Theses

The Syrian Civil War, which has generated more than 6.2 million refugees, has brought about one of greatest humanitarian crisis’ that Germany and Turkey have faced in modern times. It is argued that both counties were unprepared for this massive influx and responded to the situation in varying ways. Embracing humanistic and liberal ideals, along with the need for people to fill in the ageing workforce are among the reasons that made Germany the ideal destination for Syrian refugees. However, Germany’s initial welcoming response changed as the amount of refugee’s entering the country continued to grow. Turkey, a neighbor to …

Radicalization Through The Internet: How Isis Became So Successful And Why The United States Needs To Catch Up, Ana Sofia Florez

Senior Theses

It is no secret the Islamic State of Syria, otherwise known as ISIS, has become one of the most dangerous and brutal terrorist organizations in recent history. In recent years the Islamic State has been gaining strength and followers from around the world. Individuals from other countries will leave their homes and families after contact through social media to travel to Syria and fight alongside the organization. This thesis provides insight on the dangerous implications ISIS’s perfection on online recruitment and their successful radicalization tactics has. It will also provide an explanation as to why nations, specifically the United States …

Ignoring The Learning Curve: The Failure Of U.S. Foreign Intervention In Chile And Afghanistan, Leanna Shea Nichols

Senior Theses

There are several identifiable and ubiquitous reasons why U.S. democracy building interventions fail abroad. The literature has shown that the principal reason that U.S. democracy building efforts fail is that they prioritize seeking immediate stability over creating long-lasting support for liberal democratic institutions. Additionally, contributing factors are also: lack of knowledge of the political history of a nation, lack of knowledge of the complexities within the domestic politics of each nation, lack of local and grassroots inclusion in planning processes, and the use of destabilizing covert and overt operations in an attempt at immediate results, with little force put behind …

The Caged Bird Still Sings: The Poetics Of Peace, Sofia Diane Skavdahl

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Although poetry has been used as a method of peacemaking since Homer’s Iliad, little research, theory, or analysis has been done evaluating precisely what role poetry holds in the realms of peacemaking and conflict resolution. Poetry, along with other arts-based practices of peacemaking, is beneficial because of its ability to encourage personal autonomy and emotional communication, while offering an open and creative space to heal from violent conflict. In terms of the arts, poetry is especially unique because it holds the ability to transform relationships between adversaries and the relationship with the self. This paper seeks to analyze both the …

Aggression, Information, And Economics: Reinterpreting The Hermit Kingdom In The Era Of Kim Jong-Un, Margaret Pence

Master's Projects and Capstones

North Korea has been the most isolated country on the planet for the past sixty years. Due to its isolation, the Hermit Kingdom has naturally become mysterious, resulting in a common narrative that describes Pyongyang as aggressive and driven by nuclear weapons. Missing from this narrative is what motivates North Korea and its young leader, Kim Jong-un: survival. However, Kim Jong-un has a lot more than the outside world to contend with, as the North Korea he has inherited is much different than that of his predecessors. In response, Kim Jong-un has subtly shifted away from the state ideology of …