Other Political Science Commons^™

Confucian Thought As A Strategic Veil: How Western Strategy Should Correctly Compete With China, Owen Miller

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The rise of the People's Republic of China as a peer competitor to the United States constitutes the defining geopolitical challenge of the twenty-first century, but even so, Western strategic analysis has consistently failed to engage China on its own terms. The recurrent pattern of Western misinterpretation results from projecting Western assumptions onto a state whose institutional and cultural drivers operate under fundamentally different premises, where key elements of Chinese strategic culture and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) instrumentalization of Confucianism as a moral veil are instruments of domestic legitimacy and external strategic narrative. The United States must recognize that …

The Autonomy Of Bulgarian Theological Scholarship: Institutional Control And Discursive Transformation Under The Communist Regime (1944–1960s), Diana Petrova Tyurkedzhieva

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the autonomy of theological scholarship in Bulgaria under the communist regime as part of the broader problem of academic freedom under authoritarian rule, focusing on 1944 to the 1960s. While existing research has primarily addressed the relationship between the Orthodox Church and the State through institutional restriction and political repression, this study analyses how theological scholarship was transformed institutionally and discursively. It combines historical and institutional analysis with an examination of speeches, public statements, and academic publications in ecclesiastical and theological periodicals. The article argues that the separation of the Faculty of Theology from Sofia University in …

Institutional Constraints On Investigative Oversight: Accountability And Governance Of The Investigation Supervision Bureau (Biro Pengawas Penyidikan) Of The Indonesian National Police, Mastalina Sinaga, Dhiajeng Prativi

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Investigative professionalism constitutes a fundamental pillar of the criminal justice system; however, its realization is frequently constrained by institutional design and procedural limitations within oversight mechanisms. This article examines the role of the Investigation Supervision Bureau (Biro Pengawas Penyidikan (Birowassidik)) of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Badan Reserse Kriminal (Bareskrim)) of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) in handling public complaints related to investigative performance. Rather than presuming the existence of a unified ‘Code of Silence’, this study adopts a qualitative critical analysis to assess the structural and procedural constraints inherent in Birowassidik’s mandate as a complaint-based supervisory institution. The analysis demonstrates …

Police Integrity And The Code Of Silence (Cos): Evidence From A Large-Scale Scenario-Based Survey In Indonesia, Dr. Indarto, S.H., S.Sos., S.I.K., M.Si -

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Issues of police integrity are not only driven by individual misconduct but are also sustained by organizational norms that inhibit the reporting of wrongdoing, known as the Code of Silence (CoS). This article reports the results of a large-scale, scenario-based police integrity survey conducted among personnel of the Indonesian National Police (Polri). After excluding responses that did not meet the honesty criterion, analyses were conducted on 57,574 respondents. Respondents evaluated six misconduct scenarios and assessed perceived seriousness, perceived deterrence (likelihood of detection and sanction), knowledge of rules, and willingness to report. Reliability tests indicated very strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α …

Illusions Of Fairness And Sacrifice, Brady Schwertfeger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The American West is a shifting landscape. An incongruous expanse of isolation and urbanity, wilderness and extraction, wealth and welfare, clear water and fire. Fifteen years ago, I moved to my mother’s ancestral homeland of Montana, and have been here ever since. Before that, I was born and raised in Texas, both the West and the South (and often something else entirely), depending on who you ask. My experiences in this region have shaped me indelibly, and have inspired this collection of essays built around culture, politics, and justice in the West. “Pinedale, Wyoming” considers the musician as itinerant wanderer …

The Tech-Nuclear Renaissance: A New Critical Juncture For American Nuclear Energy Policy, Henry P. Otte

CMC Senior Theses

Nuclear energy has re-emerged as a central priority in American energy policy. This thesis examines the Trump administration’s efforts to support nuclear energy development and plant restarts, and asks whether today’s nuclear renaissance represents a critical juncture for nuclear energy policy. By analyzing American, French, and Swedish nuclear energy history, this thesis applies a three-variable analytical framework, state autonomy and administrative structure, political permeability, and crisis influence, to identify the institutional conditions necessary for durable policy change and evaluate the structural characteristics of this new environment. The central finding is that today’s push is distinct from prior attempts at expansion, …

Coolies Of Shimla: Modern Slavery As Relic Of The British Raj, Priya Kapoor

Politics and Global Affairs Faculty Publications and Presentations

Coolie labor needs to be understood as a contemporary transnational practice rooted in local practices of feudal kings and the British Empire. When the British Raj established Shimla as its summer capital in 1864, they did not eliminate archaic labor practices; instead, they cleverly modified them to serve the Empire’s infrastructural needs. Under the guise of reform, the British introduced nominal pay to bypass anti-slavery laws, effectively rebranding the forced laborer as the "coolie"—a racialized linguistic construct that signified a state of permanent subalternity. This labor force was the veritable backbone of the Raj, manually carving the treacherous Hindustan-Tibet Road …

Book Review: Victim-Centred Peacemaking: Colombia’S Santos–Farc-Ep Peace Process, Patricia M. Rodriguez

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Reexamining The Abraham Accords: The Dynamics Of The Abraham Alliance Amid Geopolitical Uncertainly, Wahyu Dwi Pambagyo, Ali Maksum

Journal Of Middle East and Islamic Studies

Several studies have discussed the bilateral economic impact of the Abraham Accords, but few of them have thoroughly examined how this agreement has evolved into a collective security framework amid global geopolitical changes. This study attempts to fill the existing research gap by analyzing the transformation of the Abraham Accords into the Abraham Alliance using the Balance of Power theory framework developed by Stephan M. Walt. Using a qualitative approach and case study mode, this study examines secondary data from 2020 to 2025, using academic journals, government policy documents, and reliable news media as sources. This study concludes that the …

What Is The Most Important Issue In Indonesia’S Political Belief System? Network Analysis Of Attitude And Voting Behavior In 2014 And 2019, Khaerullah Fadhli Arasy Hasan, Whinda Yustisia, Mirra Noor Milla, Mark Brandt

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

Previous research has shown that attitudes toward political issues have a significant influence on voting behavior (Bukari et al., 2022). However, not all issues exert equal influence, and some may have a more direct impact on voting behavior than others. This study applies network analysis within the framework of the PBS model (Brandt & Sleegers, 2021) to explore the issues that most strongly shaped voters’ choices in Indonesia’s 2014 and 2019 elections. To answer the research question, we used data from a national survey (n = 962) conducted in 2018. The analysis was conducted by evaluating the shortest path values …

Pronatalism In The United States: How Political Ideals Surrounding Family And Reproductive Health Care Contribute To Neglect In The Foster Care System, Carson Sebree

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Within the past decade, conservative reproductive politics in the United States have experienced an ideological shift from pro-life toward pronatalism. This has been intensified through the rollback of reproductive rights and the rise of Christian nationalism. However, there has been no commensurate additional funding for the foster care system. This project asks the interrelated questions of: “how is pronatalism linked to neglect within the foster care system?; and, how do theories of democratic care highlight the necessity to rethink support for the foster care system and create policies that will address its shortcomings, given the rise of pronatalist aw and …

How Armenia And Azerbaijan Are Lobbying For Influence In D.C., Gibran C. Boyce, Dawn Kikel

Capstones

In the wake of President Trump taking office, foreign government agencies and U.S.-based non-profits serving Armenian and Azerbaijani interests have been hiring lobbyists in Washington, D.C. as part of their concerted efforts to curry favor, gain influence, and seek policy changes that would benefit the rival post-Soviet nations.

Chinese Intellectual Property Theft On United States Innovation In The Aerospace, Energy, And Pharmaceutical Economic Sectors Through Human Intelligence And Cyber Intelligence Collection, Preston Martz

Honors Theses

In cases of Chinese intellectual property theft on aerospace, energy, and pharmaceutical sectors in the United States, does Chinese intelligence collection favor HUMINT or CYBINT for collection? Sub questions also arise, including: to what extent does the amount of information collected vary by collection through HUMINT vs. CYBINT? Furthermore, does the sector where IP theft is used change the method of collection used? Finally, to what extend do case factors and outcomes affect the collection method used?

Imagery Intelligence And Presidential Crisis Decision-Making: The Case Of The Cuban Missile Crisis, Codie Mcdonald

Honors Theses

Although the Cuban Missile Crisis was a short period of time relative to our nation’s history, this research has illuminated how much information, tension, and impactful moments lie within each minute; and the fact is, intelligence collection absolutely is a main factor in the de-escalation of the nuclear threat. Without the intelligence collection and production that was completed and given to Kennedy, policy would not be able to be made nearly as easy. Throughout each moment of the crisis, generally speaking, IMINT was able to provide and support the most aid to President Kennedy and his advisers. While the degree …

Echo Chambers In Encryption: How Germany's Netzdg Law Displaced Far-Right Discourse And Bolstered Afd Support On Private Platforms, Jackson Pace Campbell

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This study examines the relationship between social media political engagement and support for Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party in 2021, arguing that the 2017 Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) inadvertently displaced anti-immigration discourse from moderated public platforms into private encrypted spaces, fostering echo chambers and radicalization. Drawing on data from the German Longitudinal Election Study pre-election survey (N=5,119 nationally representative voters), logistic regression analyses test associations between AfD support and social media political use, controlling for socio-demographic and attitudinal factors. Findings confirm hypotheses: overall social media political engagement nearly doubles AfD support odds; private encrypted apps like Telegram and …

Loneliness And Support For Political Violence Within The United States, Kellen Downey

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Although loneliness is a growing public health issue in the United States, its political effects remain understudied. This paper seeks to understand the relationship between loneliness and the support of political violence by utilizing the Chapman Survey of American Fears (CSAF Wave 11). This survey, which is a component of the 2025 Chapman Survey of American Fears, includes the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, as well as two separate items specifically measuring political violence. Using a national survey (N=1,015), I address the following questions: (1) Are lonely individuals more likely to support violence on political grounds? (2) Does strongly identifying with …

Performance As Political Resistance: Looking At Theatrical Approaches To Advocacy/Public Policy Through The Lens Of The Aids Crisis, Abby Campion

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Personality Profile Of U.S. Vice President Jd Vance, Aubrey Immelman, Logan Butler

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper presents the results of an indirect personality assessment of U.S. vice president JD Vance, from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Psychodiagnostically relevant data relating to Vance were collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5-TR.

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

Between Hard And Soft Power: A Historical Analysis Of U.S. Defense Diplomacy, Shuhei Takahashi

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

In recent years, countries around the world—those of Europe but also Japan, China, and Russia—have accelerated their efforts to use military assets as instruments of diplomacy. This trend has contributed to the rising prevalence of the term “defense diplomacy” in national security discourse. The United States is no exception. Its abundant military assets and its global network of bases clearly demonstrate that it is the world’s leading practitioner of defense diplomacy. Yet the United States lacks a clear strategic document outlining the concept. Moreover, because existing definitions remain theoretically ambiguous and methods for assessing the effectiveness of defense diplomacy initiatives …

A Certainty-Weighted, Belief-Based Model Of Political Attitudes: A Bayesian Analysis Of American Public Attitudes Toward The Affordable Care Act, Gabriel Miao Li, Josh Pasek, Jon A. Krosnick

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study proposes a novel, certainty-weighted account of the process by which political beliefs shape political attitudes. Building upon expectancy-value frameworks, this paper introduces belief certainty as a moderator of belief impact. A Bayesian partial-pooling approach is used to test a model positing how beliefs about what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does and does not do relate to overall attitudes toward the law. This analytic method manages the complexity of multiple potentially correlated beliefs and evaluations by imposing a structural constraint to avoid multicollinearity and enable accurate estimation of parameters. Data from a nationally representative sample survey …