International Relations Commons^™

The Softer Sex? Women Legislating War, Shanil Verjee

CMC Senior Theses

There is a long-standing assumption in feminist international relations theory that women are more peace-oriented than men, and that, therefore, if more women were put in positions of power, there would be less war. This paper explores whether this assumption holds true in the United States federal legislature by examining the voting and congressional records of women in Congress over time, in both the Republican and Democratic parties, and comparing them to the records of male members of Congress to determine whether women exhibit a significantly different legislative approach to war.

Making The Connections: Gender Quotas, Representation, And Critical Mass In Latin America, Katherine O'Neill

CMC Senior Theses

Using Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico as case studies, this paper examines how women’s collaboration influences the effects of gender quotas on women’s representation. The efficacy of gender quotas in increasing the numerical representation of women and improving gender equality outcomes is well-researched, but questions remain about the precise linkages between the numerical representation of women and the substantive representation of women. This thesis analyzes previously identified linkages alongside actions by women’s organizations in national legislatures and civil society to better understand women’s roles as critical actors in making gender quotas successful. The findings suggest that women’s collaboration is crucial …

The United Nations' Responsibility To Protect (R2p): Policy, Preference, Or Politics, Carl Ruth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is a three-pillar document that was unanimously approved and adopted at the 2005 World Summit Meeting by members of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to serve as a guideline for addressing mass atrocity crimes. The research problem concerned the successful implementation of the third pillar, a key fixture of R2P, which allows the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to use forceful measures, as a last resort to address mass atrocity crimes. However, a climate of division within the UNSC has led to inaction. Using the R2P doctrine as a theoretical framework, the purpose of …

Post-Conflict Transition In Chile: Considerations For Dealing With A Resistant Armed Forces, Patrick Paterson

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Compliance and control of the Chilean armed forces, a powerful and politically influential organization, is critical to a healthy democracy in the country. The period of the transition to democracy, from the end of the 17-year military government in 1990 to the consolidation of a liberal democracy in 2010, was marked by tension and strained relations between Chilean military officers and civilian elected officials. Chilean civilian government officials – outside military circles – need to understand the reasons for military institutional resistance to identify constructive negotiation techniques. The research question is: “what negotiation techniques of civilian leaders worked best to …

International Cooperation Networks And Economic Sanction Effectiveness, Gargi Vyas

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

An economic sanction issued by a group of states can impose large costs on a target state and induce a change in its behavior. However, there is considerable variation in the success of multilateral sanctions. I argue that multilateral sanctions will be more effective with higher cohesion within the sender network. This is because linked senders can use the threat of withdrawing cooperation on other issues to encourage their partners to enforce sanction laws domestically. I contend that the likelihood of sanction effectiveness increases with higher cohesion within the sender network and test this argument using social network analysis. Results …

The Transnational Diffusion Of Human Trafficking Policy, Glenn M. Harden

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

Globalization has promoted the transnational diffusion of public policies. Recognizing that policies of one country are shaped by policies of others, scholars have developed several theories to explain policy diffusion. Because empirical evidence for these theories is contested, this study evaluates the relative explanatory power of the major theories of policy diffusion for human trafficking policies. To test competing theoretical claims, this study uses quantitative methods on an original, cross-national data set to analyze how human trafficking policies diffused. The results reveal that for the diffusion of human trafficking policies coercion and constructivist theories have robust support, while support is …

China-Africa Relations: The Northern Nigerian Textile Industry, Afolabi Toye

International Studies (MA) Theses

This project takes a critical look into China’s policy in Africa. The work assesses the significance and challenges of China-Africa cooperation focusing on Nigeria. The paper argued that analyzing the nexus between Beijing and Africa should not center on China’s investments and financial aid. Instead, it should reflect on the competitive hedge China enjoys through these investments in terms of direct access to each market sector of the African economy, and it impacts on local businesses. The study examines the impacts of China’s approach on the textile industry in Kano and Kaduna states in northern Nigeria, to provide an insight …

Brock On Open Borders, Javier S. Hidalgo

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Justice for People on the Move includes rich and insightful discussions of many areas of immigration policy. But, in this paper, I’ll focus on evaluating Brock’s arguments against open borders. Justice for People on the Move includes rich and insightful discussions of many areas of immigration policy. But, in this paper, I’ll focus on evaluating Brock’s arguments against open borders.

Debt, Death, And Deregulation: Neoliberalism, Human Rights, And American-Argentine Relations, 1976-1983, Billy Davis

Masters Theses

Between 1976 and 1983, Argentina was governed by a military government that oversaw both a brutal campaign against communism and a process of neoliberalization. During this period, the United States provided substantial economic support to Argentina through its approval of loans that enabled Argentina’s economic transformation. Early on, the United States was largely apathetic and complacent in regard to Argentina’s Dirty War. During the administration of Jimmy Carter, the United States attempted to confront the Argentine military government about its human rights abuses. However, a substantial contingent within the Carter administration pushed back against this initiative and worked to protect …

Socioeconomic Effect Of Tourism In Nur-Sultan After Expo-2017, Dana Kurmasheva

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Experts have studied tourism as an economic or social phenomenon but have overlooked its dual socioeconomic nature, which prevents public administrators from understanding the industry’s impact on local communities. This qualitative study conducted in a city in Central Asia addressed this problem by considering the views of tourism stakeholders related to the industry’s socioeconomic impact on the city’s local community in 2017. The theoretical framework included corporate social responsibility theory and organizational economics theory. Open-ended interviews with 15 tourism stakeholders from the city’s business, NGO, and government sectors provided data that were analyzed using two-cycle coding. Themes related to business, …

Important Not To Let Hsr Termination Hobble Further Cooperation, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Strong people-to-people ties can help temper political histrionics, moderate negative impact on political ties. The tantalising prospect of being able to leave Singapore and arrive in Kuala Lumpur in just 90 minutes remains a pipe dream after the High Speed Rail (HSR) agreement was terminated last Friday, along with what could have been an important confidence booster to bilateral ties between Singapore and Malaysia.

The Human Development And Capabilities Approach As A Twenty-First Century Ideology Of Globalization, Devin K. Joshi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

While many scholars have analysed neo-liberalism (i.e. market globalism) as an ideology of globalization, much less is known about alternative and emerging ideologies that challenge neoliberalism on a global scale. Addressing this gap, I critically examine the ‘human development and capabilities approach’ (HDCA) as a counter-ideology to neoliberalism promoted by the United Nations. Applying morphological discourse analysis and incorporating critical insights from recent work by Manfred Steger and Paul James, this study demonstrates how the HDCA (i.e. capabilities globalism) functions as a well-developed ideology steeped in a global imaginary. Yet, despite having multiple strengths, HDCA morphology and deployment have limited …

Asean's Ineffective Response To The South China Sea Disputes, Rithiya Serey

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since 1992, five ASEAN member states (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam) have been involved in territorial disputes with China at the South China Sea (SCS). China’s presence in the SCS has prevented the populations of the five ASEAN member states from getting safe and productive access to the lucrative natural resources and trade routes to the outside regions. Even though the SCS disputes have caused economic and security problems for at least half of ASEAN member states, it is puzzling that ASEAN has been suboptimal and ineffective in responding to the disputes. To answer this puzzle, I argue …

Strategies Required For Complying With North American Free Trade Agreement, Daniel Arthur Chavez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The failure of U.S. small home textile business owners to comply with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) regulations can have adverse business outcomes. Small U.S. textile owners must comply with NAFTA regulations to sustain business operations. Grounded in the resource-based view theory, the purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore strategies small home textile owners use to comply with North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) regulations when trading with Mexico. The participants were four owners of SMEs located in the greater New York City area who use successful strategies to export to Mexico. The data were …

Nontransferability Of The Skills And Qualifications Among The Caribbean Diaspora In Toronto, Canada, Carla Lucia Ibanzo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

About 35% of the Canadian labor market is made up of highly skilled immigrants, yet they have the highest unemployment rates. This study filled a gap in knowledge related to reasons Caribbean credentials are not more widely recognized and accepted in Canada and why their skills and qualifications are nontransferable. The purpose of this qualitive research was to identify the barriers to the successful integration of Caribbean immigrants into the Canadian job market and to obtain strategies to remove them. The theoretical framework that underpinned this study was Rawls Social Justice theory. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with …

Private Military And Security Corporations In Civil Conflicts, Paul Robert Olander

Dissertations

Paul R. Olander

Loyola University Chicago

PRIVATE MILITARY AND SECURITY CORPORATIONS IN CIVIL CONFLICTS

Why do states fighting civil conflicts hire Private Military and Security Corporations (PMSCs)? Does doing so hasten state victory? Many states have turned to PMSCs for help defeating rebels, yet we lack a broad understanding of the causes and outcomes of this choice. I build upon insights from principal-agent theory and utilize statistical analyses to explain when states delegate tasks to PMSCs during civil conflicts, and what conditions affect when PMSCs help states achieve victory. I also examine the Nigerian government’s decision to hire the PMSC …

Foreign Election Interference And Hybrid Warfare, Jonathan Davies

Senior Independent Study Theses

Election interference has long been a tool of foreign policy available to state actors but has recently risen in prominence as a result of Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election in the United States. Although much has been written about election interference, most existing scholarship focuses on its use to promote a certain candidate or party. Hybrid warfare theory, which posits that modern conflict is increasingly characterized by the coordinated use of a wide range of tactics, provides a powerful alternative framework for understanding election interference. This Independent Study considers election interference through the lens of hybrid warfare …

"The Refugees Are Better Off Than We Are": Evaluating The Impact Of Syrian Refugees On Jordanian Labor Markets, Maggie Dougherty

Senior Independent Study Theses

This thesis analyses the labor market impacts associated with hosting Syrian refugees in Jordan through the Syrian conflict. We provide a critical analysis of the sentiment that ‘the refugees are better off than we are.’ This sentiment derives from the perception that the poor economic conditions are the fault of refugees, because they take jobs from native citizens, or because of the international humanitarian aid that refugees receive. We suggest that this perception is a ‘false narrative’ which does not accurately describe the many causes of economic hardships in Jordan, thereby misplacing blame on refugees. The article analyzes the structural …

Corporate Pressure Makes Regime Diamonds: An Analysis Of The Impact Of Multinational Corporations On International Environmental Regime Effectiveness, Katie Harvey

Senior Independent Study Theses

Despite the tendency for multinational corporations to overexploit natural resources and pollute the Earth, the immense power of capital in a globalizing world has presented a unique opportunity for corporations to become drivers for positive global environmental change. To make sense of this puzzle, this study asks how does an international environmental regime’s relationship to the economic marketplace impact its institutional and ecological effectiveness? Through a small-n case study, this project analyzes the historical context, market interactions, and regime outcomes of four distinct instances of global environmental governance: the stratospheric ozone regime, the climate change regime, the global oceanic regime, …

A Case Of Mistaken (Ethnic) Identity: Rethinking Civil War Duration, Ethnic Saliency, Terrorism, And The Real Factors Discouraging Resolution, Angie Bittar

Senior Independent Study Theses

The field of political violence has consistently emphasized understanding the way that civil wars end, with less emphasis placed on the circumstances which elicit extended civil war duration. This analysis shifts the focus of study on to the internal factors of civil war, following the question: What are the domestic factors of civil war that cause some wars to be more durable and resistant to resolution than others? Building off of several prominent theories within the field of political violence and the anthropological study of ethnic saliency, I hypothesize that civil wars that are characterized as identity based will be …