International Relations Commons^™

Neopatrimonialism And Civil Conflict, Nick Florian

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The thesis examines the relationship between neopatrimonial regimes, those with institutionalized patronage networks, high levels of regime corruption, and single authoritarian leaders, and civil conflict. The primary emphasis of this research, borrowing from the understanding of horizontal inequalities among groups, is to present three theoretical mechanisms by which grievances may diffuse in a manner to mobilize resistance in non-ethnic civil conflict. This approach focuses mainly on attempting to disaggregate authoritarian regime qualities which may contribute to grievance diffusion. A current psychological understanding of ethnic conflict focuses heavily on the perception of group-grievances as a prerequisite to armed, organized conflict against …

The Gulf Cooperation Council's Policies Towards Iran, Mohammed Ahmed Al Sayed

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As the world moves forward in its efforts towards maintaining global security and peace, we witness that many nations face challenges while forming alliances as they encounter threats from neighboring states. The study of alliance formation in the field of international relations is mostly centered around the concept of security, however this thesis will highlight the importance of considering other factors that influence alliance formation such as religion and economy. The thesis will discuss the case of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council in dealing with the neighboring Islamic Republic of Iran which is considered a threat to …

The Political Power Of Religious Elites In Shaping Restrictive Reproductive Policies: A Comparative Analysis Of Poland And Indonesia, Patricia Buczynski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Why do some religiously conservative countries advance in reproductive rights while others do not? Previous research emphasizes that religiosity, political institutionalism, and social movement strategies influence political actors, including members of the legislature, to shape preferred abortion policy outcomes. This thesis seeks to contribute to the literature by arguing that the political power of religious elites explains restrictive reproductive policy outcomes. In this thesis, I investigate the case of Poland and Indonesia. Despite differences in colonial history, religion, culture, and region, both countries share similar outcomes of restrictive reproductive policies and powerful religious elites, which makes for a unique and …

Vaccine Diplomacy Game: The Race For Soft Power, Isaac Antwiboasiako

Articles

This article examines the motivations and dynamics of the donors and suppliers of the covid-19 vaccines to the global south countries in the context of public diplomacy to wield soft power. Thus, it investigates how the West and East use the vaccines as a public diplomacy tool to influence public opinion in other nations or continents in order to either enhance their global image and reputation or exert some form of international influence or have new allies. The article argues that covid-19 vaccines are a soft power asset; therefore, the manufacturing nations may use them to shape their target foreign …

Brazilian Alliance Perspectives: Towards A Brics Development–Security Alliance?, Zhen 'Arc' Han, Mihaela Papa

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

Scholars studying BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have traditionally argued that it is a development-focused partnership and not a military/security-based alliance. Yet BRICS members have been deepening their security integration, and Russia and China have been creating an alliance in the background. Although BRICS middle powers have traditionally demonstrated an aversion towards alliances, Brazil actively deepened security cooperation among BRICS members during its BRICS presidency in 2019. How does Brazil view alliances in contemporary power competition? This study examines Brazil’s perceptions by introducing and analysing a new data set of Brazilian expert discourses on alliances since 1990 …

Introduction To International Studies Course Syllabus, Stephen Ferst

Open Educational Resources

This course examines the impact and implications of today’s dynamic international context for nations and their citizens. To operate in this global context, citizens, corporations, and governments must know other cultures and political-economic systems and how global forces influence domestic activities, both public and private. Analyzing the social, cultural, economic, and current political characteristics of the international environment, students will learn how these characteristics may affect their lives and choices.

This course serves as an introduction to the interdisciplinary studies of global issues and to CSI’s International Studies program. Its curriculum draws on literary, cultural, and social scientific and historical …

In Search Of Unicorns: An Analysis Of Japan's Startup Ecosystem, Kaito Komoriya

CMC Senior Theses

While Japan previously dominated global consumer markets in innovative electronic products, the economy has failed to live up to this performance since the burst of the asset price bubble in 1992 and the subsequent lost decades. In the modern economy, startup companies have become synonymous with innovation. Most of these companies have emerged from Silicon Valley, as well as other startup hubs around the globe. However, critics have criticized Japan for the limited number of notable startup companies from the country.

My thesis seeks to answer the two following questions: First, what is the current state of Japan’s startup ecosystem? …

Does The Weapon Of Mass Destruction Impact Masses Equally? Examining The Disproportionate Impacts Of Nuclear Weapons, Carley Barnhart

CMC Senior Theses

Regarded as the most powerful weapon ever created, the nuclear weapon is associated with mass destruction and even total annihilation. This thesis aims to answer the question: does the weapon of mass destruction impact masses equally? The use of three theoretical lenses is employed to guide this thesis’ analysis: the lenses of internal colonialism, neocolonialism, and feminism. These lenses allow for previously marginalized experiences to be placed at the center of analysis. The entirety of the ‘nuclear web’, from nuclear scholarship and nuclear decision-making to weapons design, creation, production, and disarmament is analyzed to understand the total impacts of the …

Disembedded Liberalism: The Global Pressure On Democracy, Hallie Spear

CMC Senior Theses

The international political order is at a crossroads with divergent paths. Liberal democracy is once again threatened on the international stage. What's more troubling is that the most stable and influential democracies, the United States, those in Europe and India, seem to be vulnerable to the autocratic wave sweeping through the world. This thesis completes a critical analysis to understand the root causes of the recent disruption to democracy the world has observed. Focusing on three established, diverse, and populous democracies, this thesis investigates the economic conditions at play that made each nation vulnerable to populism. Neoliberal economic policies implemented …

Mano Dura And Beyond: An Analysis Of Police Reform In Latin America, Ari Moore

CMC Senior Theses

Physical insecurity and high rates of crime plague Latin America. The problem is economically costly, detrimental to physical and mental health, and damaging to political legitimacy, while also fueling a migration crisis and negatively impacting societal views on human rights. The police are tasked with responding to and investigating crime, but have been historically ineffective at doing so. In recent decades, many countries in the region have implemented significant police reforms in pursuit of decreasing crime and insecurity. This thesis will analyze reforms in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico to determine regional themes of reform. The lessons from those case …

The Impact Of Social Movements On Austerity Measures: An Analysis Of Argentina’S Piquetero Movement And Greece’S Anti-Austerity Movement, Katrina D. Frei-Herrmann

CMC Senior Theses

Social movements have sprung up in countries after their respective economies experience an economic crisis and the International Monetary Fund places restrictions on a country’s fiscal policy. Argentina’s piquetero movement and Greece’s anti-austerity movement have both mobilized after economic crises to protest the neoliberal shifts to their economics, yet their success at shifting those policies have not been studied sufficiently. The dominant explanation for social movement success involves analyzing political opportunities or seeing the social movement as an actor with limited resources. These existent methods fail to answer how nuances about internal decisions or forms of protest could influence the …

How A Supply Chain Stumble Changes A Company’S Policies And Progress 20 Years Later: A Case Study Of Gap Inc., Alexandra Futterman

CMC Senior Theses

Gap Inc. is the third-largest American retailer. Founded in 1969, Gap Inc. holds four brands, Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta. In the late 1990s and early 2000s Gap Inc. made headlines for child labor abuses along with many other large brands. After this negative attention, Gap Inc. began developing policies and practices to combat ethical supply chain issues. These policies included a Human Rights Policy, a Code of Vendor Conduct, working conditions standards, and even capacity building programs that boarded company reaches into communities they touch. In conjunction with the policies Gap Inc. has published several social responsibility …

The Past And Future Of Migration, Poverty, And Small-Scale Agriculture In Mexico, Kimberly Zamora Delgado

CMC Senior Theses

The conflated pattern between poverty, rurality, and indigeneity in Mexico signifies drastic inequality between populations. Poor, rural communities often do not receive as much public services, infrastructure improvements, and employment opportunities as urban areas, which causes out-migration into the cities. Some of the few jobs available in rural areas are in the agriculture sector, either through small-scale subsistence farming or seasonal employment on a large-scale farm. Historically, certain wealthy states such as Sinaloa, Michoacán, and Sonora received greater support to up-scale into modernized agriculture, which made them into the largest agro-exporters. On the other hand, poor states with greater indigenous …

Structural Causes Of The “Gender Gap” In Nuclear Security: An Overview, Şebnem Udum

International Journal of Nuclear Security

This article elaborates on the discussion from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS) 2020 conference and discusses the reasons for the gender gap between professionals working in nuclear security. It puts forward the structural causes for women's choice of field and the formation of gender biases from the perspective of Political Science. It emphasizes the importance of having role-models for women working in the field and provides recommendations to increase the number of women working in nuclear security.

Gift Baskets For South Asia: Nuclear Risk Reduction And Crisis Management, Amber Jamil, Megan Goyette

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Gift Basket diplomacy is an interest-based approach to negotiation that encourages voluntary commitments as incentives for cooperation. International diplomats used this approach during the Nuclear Security Summits (NSS), and it is the new standard for international cooperation. This model was successfully replicated in climate talks and led to a global effort to combat climate change. The use of house presents, and gift baskets encourages leadership and team building, to excel beyond intractable consensus-based stalemates. The Gift Basket Diplomacy model may reduce South Asia’s nuclear risk and enhance crisis management by increasing diplomatic efforts during regional party talks and cooperative engagements, …

The World Health Organization, The Trump Administration, American Public Opinion, And China: A Principal-Agent Problem, Megan Patrice Larson

Master's Theses

Why did the United States perceive the World Health Organization as ineffective during the COVID-19 pandemic? To answer this question, this research delves into current principal-agent model literature to reproduce mechanisms present by the WHO and the United States. Current research fails to explain the WHO's effectiveness. By borrowing from realist theory and political psychology and analyzing various declarations made by the United States, this analysis found preliminary evidence that the idea of WHO's ineffectiveness was primarily shaped by the Trump Administration and American public opinion. Moreover, because of the disinformation and misinformation spread by the Trump Administration, the WHO …

Exploring Resistance Movements In Interstate Conflict And Integrated Deterrence, Michael G. Harris

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Despite an increase in interstate conflict, including manipulation of information and civil populations by state actors in gray zone campaigns, the study of resistance has concentrated on intrastate conflict. A detailed literature review of resistance was conducted, revealing researchable gaps in understanding of the topic, including: the resistance movements from a security studies and interstate conflict perspective, the resistance as a form of interstate conflict from the perspective of Russian and Chinese security leaders, and the integrated deterrence options in gray zone campaigns as a strategy of international conflict prevention.

Two complementary studies were conducted to explore the identified areas. …

ผลกระทบจากการขยายอิทธิพลของจีนในกัมพูชาต่อความมั่นคงทางทะเลของไทย, สุรพงษ์ ศรีวัลลภ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สารนิพนธ์ฉบับนี้มุ่งศึกษาการขยายอิทธิพลของจีนในกัมพูชา โดยผู้วิจัยได้ใช้กรอบแนวคิดสัจนิยมเชิงรุกมาวิเคราะห์พฤติกรรมของจีนที่จะส่งผลกระทบต่อความมั่นคงทางทะเลของไทยในมิติต่าง ๆ กรณีความร่วมมือทางเศรษฐกิจระหว่างจีนกับกัมพูชา สะท้อนให้เห็นว่าการพัฒนาเศรษฐกิจของประเทศที่เข้าร่วมจำเป็นต้องพึ่งพาจีน ส่งผลให้จีนมีอิทธิพลต่อประเทศเหล่านั้น และนำไปสู่แนวโน้มที่จีนจะขยายกิจกรรมทางทหารเข้ามาเพื่อดูแลผลประโยชน์ในภูมิภาค โดยเฉพาะในทะเลจีนใต้ ซึ่งจะสร้างความได้เปรียบในด้านภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ ที่เอื้อต่อการขยายอำนาจ พฤติกรรมดังกล่าวแสดงให้เห็นว่าจีนดำเนินนโยบายแบบสัจนิยมเชิงรุก โดยใช้เครื่องมือทางเศรษฐกิจเข้าครอบงำ ให้ได้มาซึ่งอิทธิพลทางการเมืองและการทหาร ซึ่งจะส่งผลให้สหรัฐฯ เข้ามามีบทบาทเพื่อจำกัดการขยายอำนาจของจีนในภูมิภาค โดยเฉพาะในอ่าวไทยมากยิ่งขึ้น และจะส่งผลกระทบต่อความมั่นคงและผลประโยชน์แห่งชาติทางทะเลของไทย

ซาอุดิอาระเบียในความขัดแย้งระหว่างซาอุดิอาระเบียกับกาตาร์ ระหว่าง ค.ศ. 2017 - 2021, ปนัสยา พหลเดชา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

บทความวิจัยฉบับนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยที่ทำให้ซาอุดิอาระเบียตัดสินใจตัดความสัมพันธ์ทางการทูตกับกาตาร์ ระหว่าง ค.ศ. 2017 - 2021 โดยใช้แนวคิดมหาอำนาจในระดับภูมิภาค การศึกษาพบว่าซาอุดิอาระเบียใช้ความเป็นมหาอำนาจกำหนดทิศทางการเมืองทั้งหมดในภูมิภาคตะวันออกกลางและไม่ต้องการให้กาตาร์แสดงศักยภาพและบทบาทในทุกมิติเกินหน้าซาอุดิอาระเบีย กล่าวคือ หลังทศวรรษ 2000 เป็นต้นมา กาตาร์ดำเนินนโยบายต่างประเทศเพื่อยกระดับบทบาทของตนในภูมิภาคตะวันออกกลาง ทำให้ซาอุดิอาระเบียมองว่าเป็นความพยายามที่จะขยายอิทธิพลแข่งกับตน การตัดความสัมพันธ์ทางการทูตกับกาตาร์ในครั้งนี้ถือเป็นการแสดงถึงความเหนือกว่าทางอำนาจ โดยใช้มาตรการลงโทษขั้นเด็ดขาด เพื่อรักษาไว้ซึ่งอำนาจ อิทธิพล และผลประโยชน์ของซาอุดิอาระเบีย และเป็นการจัดระเบียบภูมิภาคตะวันออกกลางเสียใหม่เพื่อให้กาตาร์กลับมาอยู่ในวงล้อมอำนาจและปฏิบัติตามแนวทางของซาอุดิอาระเบีย

Political Cultures In Times Of Crisis: Measuring The Effects Of Liberal Values On Interstate Crisis Onset, Timothy Milosch

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The belief that democratic states are less likely to engage in war or initiate conflicts in the international system is deeply embedded in the international relations literature, but also hotly contested. Despite close to two centuries of theoretical presence and decades of empirical analysis, the democratic peace theory project still struggles to explain and measure the role democracy (understood as representative government, liberal culture, or both) plays in interstate relations generally, and the onset of conflict specifically. In the empirical international relations literature, in particular, problems persist surrounding measures for democracy and the modeling of interstate interactions (country level, dyad …