Political Science Commons^™

An Examination Of The Varying Role Of The United Nations In The Civil Wars Of Rwanda And El Salvador, Vanessa Jaramillo-Cano

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this work is to examine the efforts of the United Nations in the Post-Cold War era with special emphasis on peacekeeping missions. A comparative study of recent United Nations peacekeeping operations will be completed to identify the variables that encourage or discourage international (UN) involvement in cases of civil conflict. For the purpose of this work, civil conflict will be narrowly defined as a domestic conflict with two major armed groups (ie: civil wars). Two countries will be studied to explore the nature of the respective conflicts, the transitional methods used by the peacekeeping mission to return …

Linking Social Capital To Disaster Recovery, Ryan Gregoire

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Explaining Attitudes Toward Racial Preferences And Affirmative Action: A Multi-Racial Perspective, Rebekah Myers

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Leader Psychology And Involvement In International Events, John Beieler

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Amending The Stafford Act: Considerations For A Catastrophic Declaration, Ernest Brian Baudoin

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Review Of The Evolution Of Modern States: Sweden, Japan, And The United States By Sven Steinmo, Devin K. Joshi

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Sven Steinmo’s fascinating new book on the evolution of modern stateschallenges us to view national political economies, tax structures, andsocial welfare policies not as distinct entities but as unique and intertwined“systems” that evolve over time. Two issues stand out in thisexceptional book. First is the application of evolutionary theory, whichposits “social systems” to be “fundamentally different than inanimatematter. Similar to living organisms, they change, adapt and evolve” (10).From this perspective, complex multivariable causation and interactiveeffects are common because the human world is made of complex adaptivesystems and interacting emergent phenomena. Building a prospectivebridge between historical institutionalism and interdisciplinary evolutionarytheory, Steinmo …

A Proxy War Or A Struggle For National Liberation: The Ideological Motivations And Human Rights Considerations Of The United States-Contra Alliance, Sarah Cassel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite the vast amount of literature on events of the Sandinista Revolution and Sandinista political aspirations, minimal research has been done on the perspectives of fighters in the counterrevolutionary forces. This study therefore examines the motivations of the Contra army, their respect for human rights considerations, and their perceptions of the United States’ involvement in the Contra War through qualitative interviews with former Contra soldiers and commanders. An analysis of the responses reveals a diversity of motivations among the Contra, ranging from a desire for indigenous autonomy to a struggle for political representation to a reaction to personal attacks. Furthermore, …

Welfare Reform: The Politics Of Redistributive Policy, Carolyn Winfrey Holcomb

All Student Theses and Dissertations

My analysis will focus on whether the goals of Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reauthorization Act (PRWORA) of 1996 was self-sufficiency or was it designed to eliminate redistributive public policies and the implementation of morality policies. The purpose of this research was to analyze the barriers or impediments that the single mothers living in poverty encounter in society and whether PRWORA adequately addressed the barriers facing single mothers living in poverty. Specifically, my research analyzed the barriers of the family structure, culture of poverty, residential mobility, inadequate education, and the lack of social capital that may or may not have …

South Africa, Multilateralism And The Global Politics Of Development, Eduard Jordaan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

South Africa was recently included as a member of the BRICS grouping. South Africa's formal association with the powerful original members suggests that it possesses some international clout. Although South Africa pursues an active foreign policy, for example, as a region organizer, notably through New Partnership for Africa's Development, and as an issue leader championing development-related concerns, the normative direction of South Africa's international involvement has been unclear and often contradictory. This article illustrates how South Africa adheres to and departs from liberal principles when involved in the global politics of development. Middlepowership and domestic politics are identified as two …

Sacrée Et Inviolable: The Hiv+ Mother In Ivoirian Health Policy, Amber Alaniz

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

« La personne humaine est sacrée (2)… Le domicile est inviolable. Les atteintes ou restrictions ne peuvent y être apportées que par la loi. (4) La famille constitue la cellule de base de la société. L'État assure sa protection. (5)» Constitution of La Côte d’Ivoire, Articles 2,4,5[1]

The Ivoirian national constitution, authored and enacted in July of 2000, while expressing a devotion to democratic thought (Preamble) and to the sovereignty of the individual (Article 2), also acknowledges the primacy of the Ivoirian family and collective identity as the basis of society and advances a moral duty on the part …

Rethinking Legality/Legitimacy After The Iraq War, Christine Chinkin

Book Chapters

My topic is legality and legitimacy after the Iraq war. I will start by problematizing the question. First, it is too limited. Why should the question be defined in terms of "after the Iraq war;' not after some other event such as the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where some four million people have died and where the health consequences of HIV/ AIDS will continue for generations? Events, even catastrophic events, from which powerful actors have remained aloof, have little visibility as key incidents in the evolution of international law. They are not deemed the "moments of …

Are Microfinance Institutions Immune To Science?: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Matthew R. Brigham, William T. Matthias, Chase Petrey, Daniel Nielson

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) allow the poor access to capital in order to overcome the poverty trap and lift themselves into prosperity. With the success of Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank, MFIs have become a popular solution to poverty alleviation in the developing world. However, their objective impact on poverty remains uncertain. Researchers have performed studies and experiments with mixed results. Despite its popularity, microfinance may not be as effective as people believe. Do MFIs value scientific information on their effectiveness? If so, the poor may be more likely to benefit from effective programs as MFIs make changes responsive to …

The Fox News Effect: Does Polarized News-Media Fill Traditional News Roles?, Richard Davis, Braden W. Johnson

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Since the formation of the Cable News Network (CNN) in 1980, cable news channels have grown in scope and influence. Traditional news providers are often critical of the bias and "spin" that are frequently associated with such cable news channels but few have looked for the unique benefits that polarized news can have on its consumers. This study seeks to prove whether or not polarized news has beneficial effects on its consumers. Using a 2010 media survey conducted by the Pew Media Center, I group the respondents into categories representing those who view polarized media (n=780) and those who do …

More Than Words: Rhetorical Devices In American Political Cartoons, Lawrence Ray Bush

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that literary theory applied to political cartoons shows that cartoons are reasoned arguments. The rhetorical devices used in the cartoons mimic verbal devices used by essayists. These devices, in turn, make cartoons influential in that they have the power to persuade readers while making them laugh or smile. It also gives examples of literary theorists whose works can be applied to political cartooning, including Frederick Saussure, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Wolfgang Iser. Not only do those theorists' arguments apply to text, they also apply to pictorial representations.

This thesis also discusses changes in the cartoon art form over …

The Life Of A Bill In The Utah Legislature: Following House Bill 49- Firearms Revisions, Scott Robbins

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

There have been some recent cases of firearm owners legally carrying their firearms, who have faced criminal prosecution and fines, though they broke no law. House Bill 49 was was introduced by Rep. Paul Ray in order to protect firearm-carrying citizens from receiving fines and criminal charges from two conflicting laws.The bill mainly clarifies the open carry and disorderly conduct aspects of existing Utah law. Because HB49 was incremental and fit with the majority opinion of Utah, it was able to get through to the senate where it was stalled from an amendment. Since the legislative session ended before the …

Wanted "Dead Or Alive": The Effects Of Charismatic Leadership On Terrorist Organizations, Cameron S. Harris, Kirk Hawkins, Daniel Milton

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Charismatic leadership profoundly moves terrorist organizations to more violence and longer organizational life-spans.

Understanding The Instruments Of National Power Through A System Of Differential Equations In A Counterinsurgency, Cade M. Saie

Theses and Dissertations

Models that account for the progression of nation-building and the impacts of the instruments of national power -- Diplomacy, Informational, Military, and Economic effects -- are rare. This research proposes the development of such a model. Through the derivation of state indices for the operational variables of Political, Military, Economic, Social, Infrastructure, and Information, a functional form of a system of differential equations is developed to account for the interactions between the state indices and instruments of national power. This methodology is a mean-field inverse problem which solves for the coefficients of the differential equations in a data-driven manner. Publicly …

Anarchy, Play, And Carnival In The Neoliberal City: Critical Mass As Insurgent Public Space Activism, John Andrew Blue

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Naccs 39th Annual Conference, National Association For Chicana And Chicano Studies

NACCS Conference Programs

NACCS@40 Celebrating Scholarship and Activism
March 14-17, 2012
Palmer House Hilton

Delegitimizing Al-Qaeda: A Jihad-Realist Approach, Paul Kamolnick

ETSU Authors Bookshelf

Disrupting, dismantling, and ultimately defeating al-Qaeda based and inspired terrorism is a declared policy of the U.S. Government. Three key strategic objectives have been identified for accomplishing this: attacking al-Qaeda’s terror network, undermining radicalization and recruitment, and hardening homeland defense. The present monograph proposes a distinct "jihad-realist" approach for undermining radicalization and recruitment to al-Qaeda. First, a brief discussion of six means for ending terrorist organizations is provided. Second, the premises of a jihad-realist approach are described. Third, a jihad-realist shari’a case against al-Qaeda’s terrorism is presented. In conclusion, key assertions are summarized, and several specific policy recommendations offered for …