Political Science Commons^™

China’S Belt And Road Initiative And The New Eurasian Order, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

As Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has redirected the structures and the objectives of both foreign and domestic policy in the PRC. BRI’s goal is primarily economic: to increase trade and investment along China’s periphery by funding and building infrastructure projects. But it is more. Through an analysis of official and semiofficial sources, this policy brief will show that BRI aims to weave neighboring countries into a network of economic, political, cultural, and security relations centered around China. BRI is a new project that is still taking shape. Yet, its objectives are ambitious: …

Statewide Survey Of Louisiana Likely Voters On David Duke, Edward Chervenak, Tony Licciardi

Survey Research Center Publications

Our goal was learn about the public’s perception of David Duke-R since he recently announced his candidacy for the open US Senate seat in Louisiana. The poll gauged Duke’s favorability ratings among likely Louisiana voters. We then asked respondents whether they would vote for him in the primary. We also asked Louisiana voters if they would support him if he faced a Democrat in the runoff. Finally, the survey asked respondents whether they approve or disapprove of Governor John Bel Edwards’ job performance. Demographic variables include race, gender, age, and education. Respondents were also asked to self-report their party identification.

Counting Down On The Gop Senate’S Days Of Shame, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

A newspaper column by Evan Barrett.

Published newspaper columns written by Evan Barrett on this topic, which vary somewhat in content from this commentary, appeared in the following publications:

Missoulian, July 27, 2016

Montana Standard, August 1, 2016

Last Best News, August 4, 2016

Keeping The Peace: Canada Should Jump-Start A Un Emergency Peace Service And Canadian Peacekeeping Training Centre, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

Canada should spearhead the establishment of a UN Emergency Peace Service (UNEPS) and re-open a Canadian peacekeeping training centre in Kingston. The Global Peace Index reveals that global violence costs 13.4% of GDP, with only 10 conflict-free countries and increasing arms sales. While Canada ranks as the world's second-largest arms exporter, civil society organizations advocating for peace are struggling due to cutbacks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's commitment to peace is overshadowed by Canada's participation in arms trades and NATO military contributions. A UNEPS could offer rapid, reliable responses to conflict and humanitarian crises. Re-establishing the Lester B. Pearson Multinational Peacekeeping …

Call For Nominations; Staff Council Special Election, Greg Hackbarth

Staff Council

Call for nominations for special election to fill new positions on the WKU Staff Council.

Investigating Asylum And Assimilation Procedures In European Countries As It Relates To The Independence Of Women, Katherine R. Avetta

International Relations Summer Fellows

This project investigates and analyzes immigration policy, specifically focusing on asylum seeking women, in European countries including, but not limited to, Germany and Sweden. Many European nations have limited immigration policy that ultimately negatively affects immigrants from Middle Eastern and African nations, especially female migrants fleeing those nations in order to gain independence and freedom from torture and gender based persecutions. However, what little policy European countries do utilize inevitably hinders women from gaining independence and rather mirrors the male dominated socio-cultural societies from which these very women fled. Through the examination of articles and policy, this project will analyze …

Jury Bias: Myth And Reality, Callie K. Terris

Politics Summer Fellows

Juries are often thought of as being fair and crucial to producing fair trials. Things such as scientific jury selection (SJS), peremptory challenges, jury size, and jury nullification skew jury verdicts by introducing biases that reflect the attitudes, characteristics, and behaviors of jurors. This paper demonstrates how bias is formed starting during the voir dire process and continuing until the rendering of a verdict. Each bias can lead to wrongful convictions such as conviction of the innocent or acquittal of the guilty. With a system that prides itself on the notion that justice is blind, the bias that is created …

Why You Can’T Count On Congress To Rein In A President Trump, Lori Cox Han

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

"Donald Trump has made many promises on the campaign trail about things he will fix (a broken immigration system), change (the way trade deals are negotiated), and build (a wall on the southern border) if elected president. Those who do not support Trump, regardless of political party, comfort themselves with the constitutional reminder that our government includes three co-equal branches designed to protect against the accumulation of too much power in too few hands. Those checks and balances aside, could President Trump accomplish any of his stated objectives through unilateral actions?"

Pragmatism And The Mass Public, Richard T. Longoria

Political Science Faculty Publications

This article examines public opinion as it relates to the primary tenets of the pragmatic philosophy. Anti-foundationalism, fallibilism, and an emphasis on practical consequences are observed in American public opinion. In addition, there is strong support for pragmatic politics in America. The evidence suggests that pragmatism is a common cultural attribute in American society.

Tillinghast, Joseph Leonard, 1790-1844 (Sc 3029), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3029. Letter, 14 October 1842, of Joseph L. Tillinghast, Providence, Rhode Island, to a Kentucky political committee. While declining their invitation to visit Frankfort for an event on 26 October, Tillinghast, a Whig and U.S. Representative, offers lengthy praise for the party’s work in the 27th U.S. Congress and pays homage to Henry Clay and Kentucky.

What Does Populism Mean?, Jeff Taylor

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Populism is linked to equality and decentralized power."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­the history of political ideologies from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/what-does-populism-mean/

What Does Social Democrat Mean?, David Schelhaas

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Social democrats see the state as playing a major role in creating a good and just society, often using taxes to pay for the public services and other social changes they desire."

Posting about the merits of a social democracy from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/what-does-social-democrat-mean/

How Personality Affects Vulnerability Among Israelis And Palestinians Following The 2009 Gaza Conflict, Daphna Canetti, Shaul Kimhi, Rasmiyah Hanoun, Gabriel A. Rocha, Sandro Galea, Charles A. Morgan Iii

National Security Faculty Publications

Can the onset of PTSD symptoms and depression be predicted by personality factors and thought control strategies? A logical explanation for the different mental health outcomes of individuals exposed to trauma would seem to be personality factors and thought control strategies. Trauma exposure is necessary but not sufficient for the development of PTSD. To this end, we assess the role of personality traits and coping styles in PTSD vulnerability among Israeli and Palestinian students amid conflict.We also determine whether gender and exposure level to trauma impact the likelihood of the onset of PTSD symptoms. Five questionnaires assess previous trauma, PTSD …

Bee Cause: Is Legislative Action Protecting Bees From Neonicotinoids Justified?, Ursula A. Squire

Dissertations and Theses

The potential harm caused to bees and other pollinators by the widespread use of neonicotinoids has the capacity to pose a real and immediate threat to both the environment and humans. The benefits that bees and other pollinators provide, combined with the potential of harm they may face, are important enough to warrant a more comprehensive testing apparatus by which to evaluate threats to their population. Environmentally, bees and other pollinators are an important piece of ecosystemic balance--from pest management to pollination of plants that are a part of many species' diet. Anthropologically speaking, the way of life humans have …

Crime, Morality, And Republicanism, Richard Dagger

Political Science Faculty Publications

One of the abiding concerns of the philosophy of law has been to establish the relationship between law and morality. Within the criminal law, this concern often takes the form of debates over legal moralism--that is, "the position that immorality is sufficient for criminalization" (Alexander 2003: 131). This paper approaches these debates from the perspective of the recently revived republican tradition in politics and law. Contrary to what is usually taken to be liberalism's hostility to legal moralism, and especially to attempts to promote virtue through the criminal law, the republican approach takes the promotion of virtue to be one …

Brexit Vote Could Allow For Nuclear Weapons Rethink, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The Brexit vote has significant implications for nuclear weapons policy, particularly regarding Scotland and the UK's Trident system. Should Britons vote for Brexit, Scotland, led by the Scottish National Party (SNP), might pursue independence and seek the removal of Trident nuclear submarines currently based at Faslane. This would force the UK to find an alternative location for its sea-based nuclear warheads, potentially costing billions. The decision could also impact broader nuclear disarmament efforts, as an independent Scotland and a changing UK stance might align with NATO states that prohibit nuclear weapons on their soil. Such shifts could contribute to international …

H-Diplo Roundtable Xvii, 27 On Richard Nixon And Europe. The Reshaping Of The Postwar Atlantic World, Thomas A. Schwartz, Nigel Bowles, Evanthis Hatzivassiliou, Geir Lundestad, Luke A. Nichter

Presidential Studies Faculty Articles and Research

A set of reviews of Luke A. Nichter's Richard Nixon and Europe. The Reshaping of the Postwar Atlantic World, with a response from the author.

#Warcrimes #Postconflictjustice #Balkans: Youth, Performance Activism And The Politics Of Memory, Arnaud Kurze

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

While literature in transitional justice has addressed conventional retributive and restorative justice mechanisms, scholarship focusing on the rise in youth activism to confront war crimes is underdeveloped. This article draws on over two-dozen in-depth interviews with youth activist leaders across the former Yugoslavia, focusing on their performance-based campaigns. I explain why the emergence of transitional justice youth activism in the Balkans falls short of the significant institutional reforms of earlier youth movement mobilizations in the region. I also throw light on why their performance activism is distinct from practices of older, established human rights organizations in the region. Notwithstanding, I …

Aisha, Aisha, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Aisha, a Syrian native, lived in Latakia with her Palestinian husband and six children. Their children were not allowed to attend school because of their Palestinian heritage. During the war, mortars and missiles hit the city, and Aisha's brother lost three children. Aisha's uncle in Jordan helped to smuggle their family into Turkey after they decided to escape.

They sailed to Greece with a boat carrying about 350 people. The ship's drivers abandoned it during the journey. To save the children on board, Aisha's husband steered the sinking ship. Her husband was arrested in Greece, and Aisha, who was five …

Shaping Climate Citizenship: The Ethics Of Inclusion In Climate Change Communication And Policy, Lauren E. Cagle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The problem of climate change is not simply scientific or technical, but also political and social. This dissertation analyzes both the role and the ethical foundations of citizenship and citizen engagement in the political and social aspects of climate change communication and policy-making. Using a critical discourse analysis of a policy recommendations drafted by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, I demonstrate how climate change policy documentation naturalizes a particular version of citizenship I call “climate citizenship.” Based on environmental critiques of liberal and civic republican citizenship, I show how this “climate citizenship” would be more productive and ethical …