Political Science Commons^™

Book Review: A Challenge To The Progressive Ascendancy, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

"Everybody talkin’ ‘bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.” The most popular vision of heaven these days is the prospect of some version of heaven on earth. The spirit of our times seems to embody so many possibilities. Todd Huizinga in The New Totalitarian Temptation (2016) scrutinizes the “soft utopia” of the European Union’s path to “global governance.” Mary Eberstadt in It’s Dangerous to Believe is equally critical in her analysis of the “neo-puritan” secularism that is directed at “marginalizing, silencing, and punishing its traditional competitors” via the sexual revolution. What seems to be heaven on earth is just the opposite for …

Rethinking Counterinsurgency: A Case Study On Boko Haram Insurgency In Nigeria, Abdulqadir Muhammad Buba

Capstone and Graduation Projects

The Boko Haram issue in Nigeria has become a threat to both internal and international security with ever-growing violence and attacks on security forces, civilians, places of worship, media houses as well as international bodies such as the United Nations. With the increased numbers of squads, improved and sophisticated weaponry, suicide bombing and well organized guerrilla tactics, Boko Haram’s challenge to the Nigeria stretches across the entire 36 states of Nigeria, thus affecting its economic and social-political growth. With an aim of finding a solution that could lead to success in fending off the Boko Haram insurgency, this project explores …

The Prudential Carve-Out Clause: Is Risk The New Corrupt Moral?, John Anwesen

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

International Legal Instruments And New Judicial Principles For Restitution Of Illegally Exported Cultural Properties, Ho-Young Song

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Caught In The Act But Not Punished: On Elite Rule Of Law And Deterrence, Francesca Jensenius, Abby Wood

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Abused, Abandoned, Or Neglected: Legal Options For Recent Immigrant Women And Girls, Meaghan Fitzpatrick, Leslye Orloff

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

The Forgotten Victim: Men And Domestic Violence - Issues For The I-360 Petition, Christine Grant

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence Victims Need Support At State Level, Rep. Scott Conklin

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Violence Against Women Symposium And Collected Works

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Reorienting Pak-Us Ties, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

The US has recently decided to cut both military and economic aid to Pakistan sharply, which is a welcome move for both countries. The US has domestic political imperatives and its foreign policy priorities are changing. Pakistan has to get out of the vastly exaggerated, but perceptually well-entrenched, ‘aid dependence syndrome’. Pakistan would be well advised to take a fresh look at the nature of its future strategic relationship and reorient its ties with the US. The 21st century is going to be marked by a dramatic shift from an industrial economy to one that is knowledge-based. The planning commission’s …

Commandeering Federalism: The Rise Of The Activist State Attorneys General, Paul Nolette

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Content Analysis Of The Media Statements Made By Select Armed Groups Operating In Egypt 2013-2015, Karim Sherif Marzouk

Capstone and Graduation Projects

The project discusses the justifications that the armed groups operating in Egypt provide for their use of violence. The paper classifies the groups that use violence for political reasons in accordance to their motivations as presented in their statements. The major three reasons the terrorist/insurgent groups give for justifying their use of force are the religious, nationalist, and grievance justifications. The paper’s aim is to provide a result upon which an action plan for handling the problem can be developed. The paper suggests that grievance is the most common justification among the armed groups in Egypt, according to the studied …

China And Africa’S Peace And Security Agenda: The Burgeoning Appetite, Oita Etyang, Simon Oswan Panyako

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

China and Africa have had contacts since time immemorial. It is, however, in the last two decades that China vastly increased its engagement with Africa, following the first Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that took place in 2000 and the Beijing Summit held in 2006. China has skillfully utilized its international strategy of multipolarity and non-interference to champion its economic interests as well as its hegemonic quest. It is undeniable that China has heavily invested in Africa through Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), and infrastructure development. China has also increased its appetite on matters peace and security. …

The Cost Of Inter-Ethnic Conflicts In Ghana’S Northern Region: The Case Of The Nawuri-Gonja Conflicts, Emmanuel Debrah, Seidu Alidu, Isaac Owusu-Mensah

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

The article assesses the socio-economic and human repercussions of one of the fiercest ethnic conflicts in Ghana’s Northern Region on people and society. While Ghana remains a stable democracy, sporadic ethnic and chieftaincy conflicts have been a recurrent feature of the political process. Analyzing data from survey opinions and interviews from wide spectrum of respondents, the study noted that the Nawuri-Gonja conflicts have destroyed the fabric of the society leaving behind squalor, breakdown of healthcare, education and psychological trauma. Women and children have suffered rape assaults and unprecedented high rate of mortality due to malnourishments respectively. The plights of these …

Conflict Of Interest In Exploitation And Utilisation Of Transboundary Natural Resources On Lake Victoria, Edmond M. Were

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

The management of Lake Victoria as a “regional common” is expected to adhere to the global principles of transboundary natural resource management. However, national interest and power asymmetry amongst riparian states buoyed by external demand have overwhelmed global and regional norms leading to incessant exploitation of the common resources. This paper uses idealist and realist perspectives of power relations to inform the analysis of conflicting interests in transboundary natural resource exploitation. It partly relies on 2012-2013 primary data from purposively selected Beach Management Units in Kenya and Uganda and secondary data from regional fisheries institutions. Notwithstanding the normative value of …

How Civility Works, Keith Bybee

Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media at Syracuse University

Is civility dead? Americans ask this question every election season, but their concern is hardly limited to political campaigns. Doubts about civility regularly arise in just about every aspect of American public life. Rudeness runs rampant. Our news media is saturated with aggressive bluster and vitriol. Our digital platforms teem with expressions of disrespect and trolls. Reflecting these conditions, surveys show that a significant majority of Americans believe we are living in an age of unusual anger and discord. Everywhere we look, there seems to be conflict and hostility, with shared respect and consideration nowhere to be found. In a …

Peace Through Partnership: Igo Membership And Military Spending, Isaac M. Castellano

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper examines the role International Intergovernmental Organization (IGO) memberships have on defense expenditures, arguing that state leaders substitute high military spending rates for IGO membership as the information transmission mechanisms of IGOs offer more accurate information about the security environment that diminishes the need for military spending. States do not become pacifists as they are integrated into the international network of IGOs; rather, they find a reduced usefulness in and need for a robust military. This project empirically tests this relationship, and findings indicate a small but significant relationship between military spending and IGO membership. The most integrated states …

Invisible Children: The Effectiveness Of Non-Governmental Organizations (Ngos) In Primary Education In Central America, Megan Skaggs

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

what extent are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) an effective tool in primary educational development in Central America? To address this concern, this project addressed the results of several months of research in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and at the U.S. NGO headquarters, where interviews with educators, NGO workers, and citizens were conducted regarding the role of NGOs in addressing educational concerns effectively. Interviewees included: Pueblo a Pueblo, Serving Orphans Worldwide, U.S. Agency for International Development, Let Girl’s Learn Program, and varied individuals connected with education or non-profit work in that region. My research analyzed the historical and social structures of Nicaragua and Guatemala, …

The Role, Accomplishments, And Challenges Of The Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust, Ron E. Armstead

William Monroe Trotter Institute Publications

In 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) began its seminal investigation of racism in the military. A year into the investigation, the caucus reported the military had done little, if anything, to address racism in the ranks (188 Cong. Rec., 6739-6744, 1972). The problem continued as one of the most critical issues for the CBC during the latter years of the Vietnam War (188 Cong. Rec. pp. E8674-8688).

Concurrently, in 1971, the CBC held its first annual dinner, which some 500 people attended, including the late actor Ozzie Davis. Over the years, this dinner has grown into a five-day legislative …

Paanësia E Gjnd-Së Dhe Interpretimi I Shpalljës Së Pavarësisë Së Kosovës, Lirjeta Fazliu

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim diplome përmban një përmbledhje, kronologji dhe analizë të gjithë procesit që ka përshkuar Kosovën në periudhën që nga lufta e deri tek mendimi këshillëdhënës i Gjykatës Ndërkombëtare të Drejtësisë (1998-2008). Në konsulta të vazhdueshme dhe me rekomandimin e mentorit të temës Prof. Abdulla Azizi, fushëtrajtimi i këtij punimi do të jenë efektet në aspektin e shtimit të njohjeve pas mendimit të GJND si dhe ndikimi që mendimi këshillëdhënës i këtij mekanizmi ndërkombëtarë të drejtësisë ka në forcimin e subjektivitetit ndërkombëtarë të Republikës së Kosovës. Në brendi është bërë një përshkrim analitik nga shpallja e pavarësisë deri në dhënien …