International Relations Commons^™

Plastic Bags And Bamboo Stools, Grace R. Bithell

Marriott Student Review

This paper conducts a critical analyses of microfinance institutions. It gives an overview of the complexities of credit in developing countries and shows how microfinance fits into the equations. It discussed the successes and failures of microenterprises in trying to alleviate poverty. It also delves into best practices pertaining to lending to the poor and how microfinance is impacted by culture in developing nations.

Ferguson To Geneva: Bringing An American Movement For Racial Justice To The World, Joel Pruce

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

In December 2014, nearly four months after the shooting of Michael Brown, a delegation that included Brown's parents testified in front of the Committee against Torture in Geneva, Switzerland. While protest continued on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri (USA), this team delivered a report to the Committee that articulated the human rights claims of protestors to the international community. But, why? What did the delegation hope to accomplish that could not be satisfied through domestic channels, especially in a liberal democracy? Drawing on interviews with delegates and primary source research, I will examine rationales that may explain the political strategy …

Contesting Human Rights Defenders At The Un Human Rights Council, M. Joel Voss

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Human rights defenders are being increasingly targeted across the globe. The rise of nationalist, populist regimes is of great concern to both human rights defenders and those that advocate for the rights of defenders. The problem is not only of domestic concern. The UN Human Rights Council, the UN’s preeminent human rights institution, is also seeing an increasing number of attacks on defenders, both in formal settings like discussions on resolutions and the Universal Periodic Review process and informally, through threats to participants at the Council.

This paper attempts to better understand and predict which states will both try to …

Human Rights And The Smart City, Tina Reuter

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

This paper examines how technological solutions, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and smart city initiatives can become avenues to produce urban spaces that reflect fundamental human rights values such as non-discrimination, equality, and access for all.Cities today are drivers of human rights activity and serve as hubs for technological advances, political and economic innovation, and social justice. Nevertheless, the inclusion of marginalized communities continues to be a challenge. ICTs and smart city initiatives are often cited to foster urban integration, to improve citizen participation in decision-making processes, and to enhancecommunity resilience. At the same time, using technologies can amplify social …

On The Need For Human Rights To Constitute Structural Change: Lessons For Colombia From The Arab Spring’S Failures, Anthony Chase

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Transitional processes have nowhere failed as spectacularly than in the wake of the Arab Spring's "revolutions." Contrary to popular expectations, these revolutions gave way to counter-revolutions rather than transitions to democracy and pluralistic politics. This article argues that, by settling for transitions to mere formal democracies, an opportunity was lost to engage in necessary structural change. While understandable that transitional processes shied away from addressing controversial issues -- including how to translate diversity in religious, gender, sexual, and ideological domains into the foundation of new political communities -- not doing so was a fatal error as it left untouched preexisting …

Counter-Diffusion: Does Russian Propaganda Wind Up In America?, Christopher F. Patane, Marc S. Polizzi

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Does the norm diffusion process work in reverse? Specifically, does the success of the Russian government in building counternarratives and counternorms to reinforce its authoritarian government mean they have the ability to diminish successful human rights advocacy in the United States? This project examines whether the rhetoric used to justify anti-LGBT policies in Russia are broadcast and adopted by anti-LGBT groups in the United States. In the United States, public support for LGBT civil rights is often cited as a success story in the adoption and diffusion of human rights norms. Often, this is used as evidence of broadening norm …

The Impacts Of Warming Coffee: The Climate Change-Coffee-Migration Nexus In The Northern Triangle Of Central America, Connor Lynch

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

As climate change continues to threaten every corner of the world, millions of people find their livelihoods and food security at risk as a result of a warming planet. With their human right to livelihood and adequate nutrition at threat, some make the difficult decision to emigrate in search of economic security. The climate change-migration nexus is illustrated in this poster presentation which shows how slow-onset effects of climate change jeopardize the production of coffee in the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA), a region that is particularly vulnerable. Thousands of people who depend on coffee production around Guatemala, Honduras, …

Fall 2019

Insights

A World of Opportunities: LAS in the Global Community; ISSUES - Study Abroad, Applied Diplomacy, HumanitiesX; In this issue of Insights, we celebrate all things global at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Science (LAS). We are deeply proud of the positive impact our students and alumni have had on the world, and of the many LAS academic initiatives that foster global engagement; New Advisory Board Chair Mitchell Goldberg; Study abroad turns LAS Honors alumni into global citizens; Depaul Expands the Borders of Diplomacy with this First of Its kind program; Landing in LONDON Spring break trip brings DePaul …

Public Perceptions Of Angela Merkel And Other Female Politicians In Germany: A Mixed Survey Approach, Erin Woggon

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This thesis seeks to understand public perceptions of women politicians in Germany, specifically Chancellor Angela Merkel, and evaluates these perceptions based on gender, region, and representation of CDU/CSU female legislators in the Bundestag. While literature suggests that there are benefits of greater female representation in legislatures, there is a lack of research regarding how this representation impacts perceptions held by the citizens these women represent. Important to the study is also the difference in perceptions according to gender and the former East/West divide in order to understand the gender gap in Germany and the extent of the social impact left …

Strategic Implications For The United States Of The Belt And Road Initiative In Africa, Alec Monnie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The belt and road initiative is one of the most significant developments of the twenty-first century, which the United States will need to learn to adapt to. Much of the academic literature regarding the belt and road initiative mentions that Africa is a significant participant in this policy development, but fail to elaborate as to why that is, or what the implications for this are for the United States. This article expands upon the strategic significance of the African continent, and explains the implications thereof for the United States and China. This article argues that the belt and road initiative …

Football And National Identity: A Triangle Of Spain’S Regional Attitudes, Jaelin Kinney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The last century of Spanish history has been characterized by entrenched division between Spain and its regional communities. The Basque Country, Catalonia, and Spanish central government all remain divided on Spain’s status as a plurinational State. Today, Spanish football has become a direct representation of this dilemma, an ethno-regional arena for intense competition between Spain’s prominent nationalities: Basque, Catalan, and Spanish. With differing stances on independence and the state of Spain, these regions have used their football clubs as a representation of their regional identities. In this paper, I will analyze the identities of Spain’s top three football clubs: FC …

The Making And Silencing Of “Axé-Ocracy” In Brazil: Black Women Writers’ Spiritual, Political And Literary Movement In São Paulo, Sarah S. Ohmer

Publications and Research

In this article, I will focus on two influential writers from the south of Brazil, Cristiane Sobral who currently lives in Brasília, from Rio de Janeiro, and Conceição Evaristo who currently lives in Rio de Janeiro state, from Minas Gerais. I got to know them in São Paulo in 2015 at a public event: the “Afroétnica Flink! Sampa Festival of Black Thought, Literature and Culture.” I will include references to some of their younger contemporaries such as Raquel Almeida, Jenyffer Nascimento, and Elizandra Souza, all of whom reside in São Paulo, in order to illustrate the Black Brazilian women writers’ …

Effects Of Un Peacekeeping Missions, Blake I. Dudley

Student Publications

Of everything the United Nations does, probably one its most scrutinized programs is its peacekeeping missions across the globe. Even though humanity is experiencing an unprecedented level of peace, deadly civil wars still occur across the world, especially in developing nations. The UN has become involved in many of these conflicts, sending peacekeeping forces to the country in crisis. UN peace efforts are very important because they have the potential to save thousands of lives and preventing the further damages of war. It is for this reason that it is vital to examine the UN peacekeeping missions and evaluate the …

Crisis In Crimea: A Case Study In Geopolitics, Jesse Clarke

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research project conducts an analysis of the current situation in Crimea and attempts to contribute to the literature around a possible solution. Done so with the help of geopolitical analysis, the history of the region of Crimea is examined in-depth in an attempt to shed light on strategies for a resolution and provide background information. Geopolitical analysis as a form of study is then briefly explained and its relevancy for looking at global events and predicting outcomes explained. Next, three possible strategies for a solution are then presented and their viability analyzed through a geopolitical lens. These three strategies …

The Inclusion Of Displaced Women In The Women, Peace, And Security Agenda, Ava Strasser

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

On October 31, 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, which stresses the importance of women’s involvement during times of conflict as decision-makers in peace-building processes. While this resolution and the broader Women, Peace, and Security agenda are dedicated to including women in important post-conflict reconstruction processes, the international community; comprised of states, international organizations, and civil society; has been criticized for its failure to implement this agenda. Further, it is evident that displaced women are a large population whose voices are widely left out of the post-conflict reconstruction processes. Within the discourse regarding the experience of displaced …

Barriers Between Effective Transnational Changemaking: Relationships Between Ingos And Moroccan Ngos, Julia Walters

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper seeks to explore the relationships held between international non-governmental organizations, primarily based in the West, and Moroccan NGOs. The existing literature on the topic explores the ways in which international NGOs can both benefit and harm domestic NGOs, which seek to fix issues not thoroughly addressed and solved by the state or by the market, such as issues of gender-based violence, female education, and lack of rural healthcare. The data gathered was organized into two types of relationships; financial and non-financial. Financial relationships between INGOs and NGOs were often depicted as crucial in enabling critical projects, such as …

El Socio No Tradicional: Un Análisis De Las Inversiones Chinas En La Argentina Y La Articulación Bilateral Argentino-China / The Nontraditional Partner: An Analysis Of Chinese Investment In Argentina And The Argentine-Chinese Bilateral Articulation, Lucy Hale

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación se enfoca en la relación comercial bilateral que tienen Argentina y China. Se analizan las inversiones extranjeras directas (IED) chinas en Argentina en el período 2003 hasta 2019 y trata de entender las dos siguientes preguntas: ¿Qué revelan las inversiones chinas en la Argentina sobre la relación de estos dos países en términos de oportunidades políticas y económicas para cada uno de ellos? Y ¿de qué tipo de articulación bilateral son indicativas estas inversiones? Esta investigación cuenta con una base de datos agregados de varias fuentes académicas, gubernamentales y periodísticas. Además, cuatro entrevistas fueron llevadas a cabo con …

La Integración Y Percepción De Los Inmigrantes Venezolanos En Tacna Y Prácticas Transnacionalistas, Darla Chavez Chavez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Hay dos objetivos dentro de este estudio. El primer objetivo es examinar la percepción de los peruanos que residen en Tacna en relación con los migrantes venezolanos. El segundo objetivo es estudiar la integración de los migrantes venezolanos en la sociedad y la cultura tacneña. Desde la caída de los precios del petróleo en Venezuela en 2014, la economía venezolana se ha contraído drásticamente. La inestabilidad económica de Venezuela ha impactado en una variedad de sectores y, en general, ha tenido un impacto negativo en los ciudadanos venezolanos. Esto ha provocado una migración masiva de ciudadanos venezolanos que buscan oportunidades …

From Compassion To Resistance: Lesbos Refugee Crisis, Luz Diaz

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

“What would I do if I wasn’t given freedom? I would protest every day.” This illustrates the empathy that locals in Lesbos shared with the struggles of refugees when the European Refugee Crisis arrived on the shores of Lesbos in 2015. Locals on the island helped refugees get off boats—or saved them from the water—and offered to take them to the city center to claim asylum. But soon, with the arrival of humanitarian aid organizations, life on Lesbos changed considerably. Meanwhile, refugees continue to sit in camps that are over capacity to await asylum processing. Echoing the frustration on the …

Open Letter: To Eliott Abrams (U. S. Venezuela Envoy), Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

An open letter from Peter McLaren to Eliott Abrams, the the Special Representative for Venezuela at the U.S. Department of State.

A Spanish translation is available here.

Table Of Contents

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

No abstract provided.

Foreword

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

No abstract provided.

Internship In International Relations Psc 551, Michael Vocino

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Practicum In International Relations Psc 552, Michael Vocino

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Recent U.S. And International Assessment Of Baltic Security Developments, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to analyse Baltic security developments from U.S. government and military resources, scholarly journal articles, and multinational public policy research institute assessments. METHODS: The aim is to analyse the content and rhetoric within these resources to learn how those producing these materials view Baltic security developments and their viewpoints on how the U.S. and its allies should respond to these developments focusing on increasing Russian regional assertiveness. RESULTS: The author provides interpretations of Baltic security developments, Russian Baltic policy, and U.S. and NATO responses to these developments in materials produced by U.S. civilian and …

Political Economy Of International Migration Psc 588, Michael Vocino

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

The Rohingya: Ethnic Nationalism, Domestic Diversionary Targets, And Burmese Post-Colonial Nation Building, Ibrahim Abd-El-Barr

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the question of whether recurring episodes of violence, forced displacement, and other forms of repression against the ethno-religious sub-nationalist identity group, the Rohingya, across Burma's (Myanmar) modern history, are rooted in the implications of post-colonial nation-building or represent independent and self-contained incidents of communal/ethnic violence. The sub-question of whether the modern construct of the Burmese state accurately fits the description of a modern nation-state or whether other paradigms or ideal types better capture the development of the post-colonial Burmese state, is also explored. By revisiting the main events/national framework which have amounted to the Rohingya's exclusion from …

A Deal With No Peace: Us-Taliban Deal Will Not By Itself Bring About Civilians’ Hope For An End To Afghanistan’S Long-Running War, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The article examines the recent U.S.-Taliban agreement reached in Doha, which aims to initiate a phased withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan and pave the way for peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Despite the historic nature of the agreement, there are significant concerns about its effectiveness in ending the long-running conflict. The Taliban have stated they will continue their fight against the Afghan government, raising doubts about lasting peace. The article highlights the geopolitical motivations behind the agreement, including the upcoming U.S. elections and Afghan general elections. It also discusses the historical context of …

Empowerment, Resistance And The Birth Control Pill: A Feminist Analysis Of Contraception In The Developing World, Abigail S. Trombley

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

The vast majority of literature on the use of contraception focuses on its frequently documented connection to socioeconomic development. Thus, contraception has become a favored programmatic element of western organizations that deliver it to women in the developing world. I analyze discourse from transnational organizations that advocate for women’s use of birth control in the developing world, as well as deliver contraceptive services themselves, in order to uncover the dominance of liberal, capitalist assumptions therein. A primary consequence of this discourse is the reconstruction of colonial relations between the global north and global south. My alternative analysis, informed by a …

Till Death Do Us Part: Will Longstanding Rivalry Impede The Ethnic Coalition Of Isis And Al Qaeda?, Bianca L. Pergher

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

According to Dr. Tricia Bacon’s and Dr. Elizabeth Grimm Arsenault’s, “Al Qaeda and the Islamic State's Break: Strategic Strife or Lackluster Leadership?,”the “strategic differences between Al Qaeda and ISIS were not sufficient to cause the split,” the strife that ensued between al Nusra and ISIS caused this complex alliance to rupture. Osama bin Laden’s effective leadership aligned a terrorist network that amassed rebel groups for the global jihadist cause. Unlike bin Laden’s elitist view to destabilize the West, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi believed the principal enemies of the jihadist movement were Shiites for their false interpretation of Islamic theology and …