Global Studies Security & Justice Alumni
GSSJ Capstone Theses
Expand the accordions below to read thesis abstracts
Class of 2023
Amacher, Samuel | Shaping the Narrative: A Critical Content Analysis of the Israel Defense Forces' Yoube Channel
In today’s digital era, social media platforms have become integrated into our daily lives. Whether using social media to maintain personal connections, entertainment, or news, social media has transformed the way in which information is spread and consumed. Among the abundance of platforms that serve as conduits for internet information, four platforms stand out: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and, of particular relevance to this paper, YouTube. YouTube holds a distinct position as a video-sharing platform with unparalleled reach and influence. As such, government and military institutions have recognized YouTube’s potential as a crucial tool for communication, outreach, and public engagement. The Israel Defense Forces in particular has embraced YouTube as a key instrument for its communication strategy. The Israel Defense Forces’ YouTube channel stands out from other state militaries who maintain a presence on YouTube as the IDF produces carefully curated videos with high production quality. In addition, the content is dynamic and diverse, which allows the IDF to extend its reach to different audiences across the globe. Given the enduring Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the motivation for this paper is to analyze what role the IDF’s YouTube channel plays in the conflict and the implications of the narratives that it constructs through its videos. Ultimately, this paper seeks to answer the following research question–how does the IDF shape its public image through its YouTube channel, and how does that affect the process of militarization?
Abdallah, Taha Ben | Democracy in Tunisia: A Look into the Potential for Tunisian Civil Society's Representation After 2021
I here analyze the public response to Tunisian President Kais Saied’s decision in July of 2021 to suspend parliamentary activity until March of 2023. I consider a multitude of perspectives rooted in different aspects of what is happening politically and economically in the state in an attempt to pinpoint whether the reduction in the voting power of the people is seen negatively or positively in the public’s eye. Many freedom organizations worldwide have called Saied's decision a “self-coup," but the Tunisian interpretation of a functioning democracy might not be the same as that of other democracies. In general, Tunisians feel disheartened about the government’s ability to solve economic problems since the Jasmine Revolution in 2011, and many welcome the president's suspension of parliament.
Chung, Morgan | The Prevalence of Islamophobia Pre and Post-9/11 in the News Media
How prevalent are certain terrorist attacks in the media? Is prevalence affected by casualties or injuries or religion? This study analyzes the prevalence of Islamic based terrorist attacks compared to other religious driven attacks. Using NexisUni, I conducted a quantitative analysis, which suggested that Islamic based terrorist attacks have a higher rate of media coverage pre- and post-9/11 with the rate increasing exponentially post-9/11. Because many people rely on the media as their source of information, the increased prevalence of Muslim terrorists in the news can create a false image of a “terrorist,” which has led to increased Islamophobia post-9/11.
Crivella, Jordan | When Belief Becomes a Battlefield: Investigating the Relationship between Religiosity and Violence in the World and Myanmar
In the context of the Rohingya genocide and the importance of religion in the lives of billions of people: what is the relationship between religion and violence on a global scale and within Myanmar? This thesis uses regression analysis to examine both societal-level and individual-level relationships between religiosity and violence. Analyzing national levels of religiosity in a sample of 82 countries from the WVS, I find that higher levels of people who view religion as very important and more people attending services more than once per week are associated with higher levels of violence. Analyzing individual levels of views about violence and religiosity in the WVS data on Myanmar, I find that greater levels of trust of people of different religions and nationalities were negatively related to views on the acceptability of violence among survey respondents. Economic and freedom controls also tended not to be statistically significant in either analysis.
Davie, Haley | The United States Defense Industrial Base: How Cross-Sectoral Cooperation Impacts Procurement and Acquisition
This thesis investigates the impact of the United States defense industry’s cross-sectoral cooperative structure on weapons procurement and acquisition, with a concentration on military technological innovation. Interviews with personnel in the defense industrial base contribute qualitative data on structural limitations in the defense industry that influence the nation’s ability to maintain its position as a global superpower. This qualitative research is conducted through interviews with personnel throughout the defense industry, including top level private sector executives, Department of Defense personnel, and active-duty military officers. Ultimately, this thesis seeks to identify areas of further research and improvement for the defense industrial base, specifically regarding cross-sectoral cooperation, in order to more effectively secure the nation’s position as the world’s top military power.
Dhinakaran, Mithra | Domestic and International Drivers of Chinese Military Escalation Towards Taiwan
Chinese military aggression near Taiwan has intensified over the past few years. Many experts and Taiwanese citizens anticipate that China will try to forcibly seize Taiwan within the next decade. While mainland Chinese leaders have often threatened to use force, only now does it seem that China may have the military capacity to launch and perhaps win an attack on the island nation. Recently, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan triggered several days’ worth of military exercises by the People’s Liberation Army. However, the effect of Chinese domestic factors on escalation in the Taiwan Strait has not been closely studied. This paper does a quantitative analysis of Chinese military escalations, potential provocations, and the electoral cycle. I find that while the proximity of the CCP National Congresses does not directly increase military activity, it causes China to respond more strongly and negatively to foreign visits and arms sales to Taiwan.
Dhonde, Mansi | Unlocking Australia's Economic Potential: The Case for Increasing Regulated Low/Semi-Skilled Migration
Australia has a growing demand for low/semi-skilled workers in several industries, however, the country's current immigration policies make it difficult for individuals without advanced skills or education to enter and work in Australia. This paper examines the benefits of increasing regulated avenues of entry for low/semi-skilled migrants to meet the needs of Australia's economy while also providing opportunities for individuals seeking a better life. Through an analysis of existing literature and data, this paper argues that an increase in low/semi-skilled migration does not have a negative impact on economic indicators and can, in turn, contribute to the overall economic growth of Australia. This paper additionally highlights the importance of regulating the entry of low/semi-skilled migrants to ensure that immigrants are protected and treated fairly in the workplace. Overall, this paper suggests Australia should take a proactive approach to migration policy and create more regulated avenues for all migrants.
Dolan, Virginia | An Analysis of Modern Perceptions of Benito Musolini in Italian Media
To what extent has Benito Mussolini been depicted positively or negatively in Italian media from 1998 through the present? In this thesis, I examined various Italian newspaper articles and newswires from both “Access World News” and “Nexis Uni.” Using these sources, I conducted a keyword analysis using a variety of positively and negatively connotated terms and phrases. Contrary to the many scholars who worry that Mussolini has recently been rehabilitated, I concluded that the Italian media has depicted Mussolini more negatively from 1998 through the present. Additionally, I found that in the past 24 years, the Italian media has made an effort to be more nuanced in their portrayal of Mussolini.
Elnagdy, Yehya | What are the Drivers of Middle Eastern Child Migration in the United States? Push and Pull Factors of Child Migration
Child migration is a global phenomenon affecting individuals of diverse backgrounds. This study delves into the motivations behind such migration and its impact, with a specific focus on the Middle East. Notably, the current literature on this region's child migration is limited, thus emphasizing the significance of this investigation. The research method utilized for this study involved conducting interviews with seven migrants who arrived in the United States as children. The paper initially examines the global factors contributing to child migration, followed by a comparative analysis of such factors in the Middle East. By adopting this approach, the study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the global and regional aspects of child migration, which can inform policy development and practical interventions to support migrant children.
Gates, Lily | Obscured War Crimes: Comparing the Coverage of Conflict Related Sexual Violence in Legal News
Sexual violence has been a persistent facet of conflict throughout history, but has gained increasing traction in the global consciousness in recent decades. These improvements are characterized by wider public awareness and improved legal accountability measures, but trial procedures and media coverage of them remain imperfect. Using reporting on cases involving CRSV, this analysis determines the extent to which cases adhere to three best practices in their prosecution. The chosen cases are from the ICTY, a Ukrainian domestic court, and the SCC for the Central African Republic. The analysis indicates that known best practices were utilized in these courtrooms to varying degrees. When CRSV cases are prosecuted, systemic issues of sexism and pervasive gendered biases in legal institutions fundamentally limit the potential for just outcomes. These injustices are compounded by media representations, which have the power to impact public perceptions of CRSV in both productive and damaging ways.
Hoak, Rachel | Numbers of War: The Use of Casualty Counts in Russo-Ukrainian War Rhetoric
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, countless official and unofficial sources have publicly given estimates of casualties on both sides. While there have been many studies and articles that attempt to assess the accuracy of these numbers, less attention has been paid to the rhetorical usage of body counts. In this thesis, I analyze the official reports of casualties given by the governments of Russia and Ukraine, focusing on their utilization within broader rhetorical campaigns. I show how the Russian government develops their war narrative to a domestic audience through casualty counts and how the Ukrainian government leverages casualty counts for international support.
Kalavakonda, Akshi | Unveiling the Gaps: A Critical Analysis of the Institutional and Legal Response to Gender-Based Violence in Peacekeeping
Ending gender-based violence has been one of the main goals of multiple branches of the United Nations for decades. Yet, almost every peacekeeping mission has been tainted by the perpetration of gender-based violence by peacekeepers on the missions. This paper delves into the current UN reforms in place and identifies that no reform has truly addressed gender-based violence as evidenced by the cases that have come forth even after each reform has been rolled into effect. Additionally, this paper identifies a disconnect between international treaties and laws meant to support and protect women and children and the prosecution of such cases, as there have not been few outcomes where peacekeepers are prosecuted for the crimes they perpetrate. Finally, this paper proposes areas for improvement, including a legal oversight body
based on the analysis of the reforms and trials regarding gender-based violence.
Kao, Emily | Navigating Choppy Waters: An Analysis of Disputes in the South China Sea Using Open-Source Data
The South China Sea is a critical region to global trade that is subject to intense maritime, and island claim disputes despite past efforts to resolve this by the regional association of ASEAN and international maritime law under UNCLOS. The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the Republic of China (ROC) or Taiwan all lay claim to certain regions of the Sea. The United States also has many interests in the region causing further tension as relations between China and the United States continue to strain. As such, the United States routinely conducts Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea to demonstrate its protest of what it views as excessive maritime claims. This paper seeks to make use of recently published data sets concerning incidents in the South China Sea in order to identify trends and outliers over the past ten years.
Khemani, Ishika | The Modern Cyber Threat and International Conflict: The Limits of Cyber War
Concern over the use of cyber weapons in international conflict has grown rapidly in recent decades. However, there is a lack of consensus about the degree of the cyber threat and the future incorporation of cyber operations into international conflict. My research provides clarity on this key topic by answering the question: To what extent is cyber a threat for the U.S., and will cyber operations replace nuclear and conventional weapons as means of conducting warfare? To answer this, I interviewed 7 experts in the cybersecurity, national security, and international conflict spheres. My findings reveal that the U.S. is adequately prepared for the cyber threat, and that cyber warfare is not the future of global warfare- rather that the greatest concern should be using cyber to degrade military capabilities. This research makes evident that the possibility of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure receive an unnecessary amount of concern.
Mann, Maura | Exploring the Link Between Connectivity and Terrorism: A Time Series Analysis Understanding the Effect of the Internet on Violence
This study looked to examine whether an increase in connectivity was correlated with an increase in terrorist attacks. “Connectivity” was defined through the percentage of Internet users in a country. Data was collected for the fifty most populous countries in 2023 that included annual number of terrorist attacks and annual percentage of individuals with Internet. The data was then examined through a time series analysis
that looked at growth in Internet user percentage and whether there was similar growth in the frequency of terrorist attacks through the time period 2012-2020. The time period is short and occurs later than the introduction of the Internet for many countries. With this said, the results are preliminary from the data that was able to be collected. The results showed that rather than a positive direct relationship between percentage of individuals with Internet and terrorist attacks, there was an inverse relationship between the two.
Mendes, Jonas | Changing Tides: Comparing LGBT Acceptance in the US Navy VS a Security Consulting Firm
In this paper, I compare LGBT acceptance in organizational cultures and workplaces in the US military and private military-adjacent companies. The methodology includes interviews with US Navy sailors and private Navy consultants. The central theme of the interview questions is to gather information about the culture, policies, and experiences to determine if meaningful differences exist. The Navy sailors interviewed provided mixed feedback. The consultants unanimously praised their accepting culture, which is made possible by promoting LGBT visibility, leadership, and opportunities. These findings illuminate (1) the cultural differences between US military and private military-adjacent organizations, (2) the impact of policies on behavior and culture, (3) the importance of leadership in promoting acceptance, (4) the impact of remote work, and (5) the lack of transgender acceptance and inclusion. Overall, the interviews highlighted the biggest problems that require greater cultural progression while providing insight into how cultures typically change.
Paz, Gabby | Connection, Circumvention, and Education: The Advantages and Risks of Social Media for Sex Workers
This capstone explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sex work industry, including the harm caused by the pandemic and the adaptations and resilience demonstrated by sex workers. The review specifically focuses on how sex workers have used social media platforms such as TikTok to create a virtual space for themselves and to destigmatize the industry. The review also discusses how the TikTok algorithm can both benefit and harm sex workers, and how user preferences can impact the results of a search on the platform. Overall, this review highlights the ways in which the pandemic has exposed the flaws in our systems and how sex workers have been able to use technology to create community and advocate for change.
Santana, Taina | U.S. Carceral Ideology & Systems: Rotten at The Core, A Call for Decarceration and Abolition
Abolition and decarceration are regarded by some as radical, for others, abolition and decarceration point to a need for immediate reform in the face of human rights issues. Calls for abolition have been around since the birth of prisons themselves, yet in recent years modern events such as COVID-19 have caused a shift in these movements, more specifically shifts in their approaches. Abolitionist ideology has long standing academic ties with anticolonialism theory as well as Black feminist and liberation ideologies. This paper features an analysis of the ideology that upholds the system of mass incarceration in the U.S. as well as facts and figures used to judge the effectiveness of a carceral system. Featuring a case study comparison to Norway’s carceral system this paper illuminates the uncomfortable truth of the ideology that upholds the U.S. carceral system and the path to a system that would finally do more good than harm. Ultimately asserting that decarceration and abolition are not only on the horizon but also vital.
Simkin, Addie | Performing Nationalism by Remembering Colonial Trauma: The Comfort Women System in North Korean International Discourse
This paper analyzes the role of the comfort women system in the propaganda efforts of North Korea’s foreign language media to remember Japanese colonization and promote nationalism. This paper examines both the symbolic value of womanhood in North Korean national identity and the nationalist tendencies of Juche thought, the official state ideology of North Korea. This paper theorizes that the way North Korea discusses the gendered trauma of the comfort women system supports the ideological prerogatives of Juche thought and ethnic nationalism in the country. The comfort women system reinforces North Korea’s historical narrative of the Japanese colonial period and exemplifies the symbolic value of women in North Korean nationalism. This paper argues that North Korean foreign language media about the comfort women system is a performance of nationalism and assertion of Juche values to reject imperialism and promote national independence.
Soja, Sophia | Understanding the Gendered Barriers in Counter-Radicalization: Examining the Roles and Impact of Women in Preventing Violent Extremism
This thesis explores the utilization of women in counter-radicalization efforts and the impact of gender and gendered language on these programs. Initially framed by the question, "How are women currently utilized in counter-radicalization of religious extremists and terror prevention?", the research aimed to identify the roles of women in counter-radicalization and highlight the need for a deeper understanding of the implications of gendered approaches in preventing violent extremism. Main research components included a review of scholarly literature and language analysis of government programming focusing on comparing documents from the United Kingdom and the United States. The impact of stereotypes in programming was also reviewed. The researcher’s main findings were that as a response to critical literature, the two countries varied greatly in amendments to CVE policy. By examining the implications of gender utilization in counter-radicalization, this thesis contributes to the development of more equitable and effective counter-radicalization policies and programs.
Szantruczek, Ania | An Evolving Region: Poland's Ascent in Geopolitical Power in the Wake of the Russo-Ukranian War
This paper examines the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, specifically focusing on Poland’s role in mitigating the conflict and bridging the gap between East and West. The thesis utilizes numerous methods, including historical analysis, analysis of primary and secondary literature, and original interviews. It examines how Poland, with its strong Western alliances, takes a leading role in upholding democratic ideals and providing aid in the war, aiming to secure its status as a Western democracy and protect regional stability. The paper goes on to explore how international law and norms face limitations in disciplining Russia's actions; and how Poland's position as a strategic ally for the West, particularly in countering Russia's influence, strengthens its significance in the region. Overall, Poland's response to the Russo-Ukrainian War presented an opportunity for the country to solidify its geopolitical status and assert itself as a democratic nation on the global stage.
Tamte, Elisabeth | Global Actors, Local Impacts: How Ineffective Governance of Multinational Corporations Fails to Discourage Exploitative Colonial Practices
Multinational corporations (MNCs) are powerful global actors yet operate with relative impunity for transgressing internationally recognized standards due to their extraterritorial nature and unclear legal status. This thesis identifies connections between MNCs and colonial exploitative projects through six impact criteria, namely, (1) exploitation of natural resources and environment, (2) human rights violations, (3) unequal relations with host countries, (4) contribution to violence, (5) self-determination infringements, and (6) asymmetric power relations. Using this impact criteria, I assess the governance environment facing MNCs by examining the rules, mandates, court cases, policy, and governance mechanisms of institutions at the state, regional, and international levels. This work identifies best practices and areas in need of reform at the included institutions. I argue that while many institutions have, or are in the process of developing, stricter expectations for MNCs’ behavior, the current governance environment does not sufficiently disincentivize nor hold MNCs accountable for misconduct.
Wolf, Alma | Arms Control Between Russia and the United States in a post-New START World
The United States and Russia have a storied history of nuclear arms control. The most recent treaty limiting warheads, called the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, has been in force since 2011, was extended in 2021, and will expire 2026. Russia recently suspended participation in New START, neither nation has been able to verify compliance for several years and talks between the nations stalled. This paper aims to answer, “How will the US and Russia approach nuclear arms control in the next five to ten years?” I conducted six expert interviews and arrived at five conclusions that help characterize the future of bilateral arms control: there likely will not be a treaty following New START’s expiration, we are not in danger of an arms race, nonstrategic nuclear weapons will be important, China cannot be excluded from arms control discussions, and modernization schemes do not have significant bearing on arms control.
Wright, Tessa | Preserving Sovereignty in an Age of Climate-Endangered States: Sea Level Rise and the Sub-Sovereign Nation in Pacific Islands Countries and Territories
Within the century it’s likely that countries will become completely inhabitable due to climate change. This is unprecedented in international law, and the implications of such an event on state sovereignty have yet to be explored. This paper analyzes and builds upon existing literature and theory to explore the questions of how climate-endangered states, specifically the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), can adapt or engage in mitigation efforts, and how the global community should respond. It identifies the limitations of the current practice and theory and concludes with the need for a new theory – one that protects and integrates state sovereignty and human rights while incorporating the realities of global migration systems. This paper therefore introduces an alternative framework called the “Sub-Sovereign Nation,” which builds upon existing deterritorialized state theory to preserve the sovereignty of climate-endangered states. The paper concludes by applying the model to New Zealand and Australia.
Ziegler, Kayleigh | Water Strategies for a Viable State: A Decade of the Palestinian Water Authority’s Planning
Over the past decade, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) has collaborated with donors and development agencies to produce strategies for effective water governance and tackle the unique constraints of occupation. To understand the key themes of the PWA’s agendas, this paper conducts a content analysis of the Palestinian Water Authority's (PWA) published documents, from 2013 to 2023 categorized as plans, strategies, laws, and regulations. This paper finds that the constraints faced by the PWA render strategizing for water management unpredictable and difficult; however, despite these barriers, data suggests Palestinian progress on the sixth Sustainable Development Goal on clean water and sanitation. Nevertheless, the PWA’s goal of an effective, self-sufficient water authority to manage and develop water resources has not been actualized, but efforts continue to be made to improve its institutional capacity and support the sustainable water management.
Class of 2022
Bailey, Cassandra | Prison Protests in Response to Pandemic Policies: An analysis of cases from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States
This thesis examines the relationship between COVID-19 policies in prisons and related acts of protest from incarcerated individuals. I hypothesize that pandemic policies that were more favorable to incarcerated individuals were correlated with fewer acts of protest. I first gathered news stories and information about prison protests and jurisdictional COVID-19 policies in 2020. I found that there was considerable variation in the type and cited cause of protests across the four countries in my study. While there was also variation in which policies jurisdictions implemented, all countries drew from the same general set of policies. Regression analyses to test my hypothesis do not find a relationship between prison policies and protests. I theorize that mitigating factors like good management and perceived policy fairness are more predictive of protests than prison policies themselves.
Dorian, Katerina | Who Survived? A Case Study of the Armenian Genocide
My project examined whether one’s chance of surviving the 1915 Armenian Genocide was impacted by variables such as gender, age, economic status and/or religiosity. I analyzed a variety of survivor interviews, memoirs and personal testimonies to collect a plethora of qualitative data. I also studied secondary sources that were focused on the nature of genocide in general or which dealt with other cases. My findings indicate that during the Armenian Genocide, one’s degree of religiosity and one’s socioeconomic status appear to be negatively correlated with one’s likelihood of genocidal survival, while factors such as one’s willingness to assimilate into the predominant Ottoman culture is, perhaps unsurprisingly, positively correlated. Additionally, factors such as being a small child, receiving outside/international assistance and being a woman also appear to be correlated with lower rates of mortality.
Elmas, Zoe | Community Reentry During a Pandemic: How Did Rapid Decarceration due to COVID-19 Impact the Wellbeing of Former Prisoners?
This study was conducted by interviewing individuals associated with prisoner advocacy organizations, the Department of Corrections, mental health experts, and community service providers to determine how formerly incarcerated individuals released during the COVID-19 pandemic fared in their community reentry process, in regards to mental health and general societal reintegration. The interviews highlighted the double-edged sword that accompanies any prison release: happiness and relief as well as stresses such as finding a stable job and home, and entering into the unfamiliar territory of a changing world. In support of existing literature emphasizing the importance of community supports post-release, the stresses of being released seemed to be exacerbated by the pandemic, as reentry services were stretched thin and many job industries were put on hold. In contrast to the literature, however, a large number of interviewees believed that early release was more beneficial for ex-offenders, despite sparse community resources.
Fox, Lane | Do They Have What It Takes? Regional IGO Efforts to Ban Online Child Pornography
This thesis analyzes the efforts of regional IGOs to determine if, and how, they have effectively contributed to international child pornography legislation as the internet fosters a larger issue. Through a legal and archival analysis, it is clear that regional IGOs are effectively addressing the threat of online child pornography through various efforts, including legislation, plans of action, and multilateral collaborative initiatives. Crucially, the EU and AU have enacted legislation that adheres to and extends upon international law, the OAS and CARICOM enacting model legislation to do the same. Additionally, the EU, AU and ASEAN have implemented plans of action that commit to proactively address the issue as it grows and evolves in the future. Individually, as well as through multilateral collaborative efforts, regional IGOs have undoubtedly contributed to international child pornography legislation, with their efforts effectively assisting in banning online child pornography.
Francois, Gabryelle | Long-Sanctions: Analyzing the Lasting Consequences of Post-Sanctioned South Africa
International economic sanctions are often utilized as an alternative to war with the goal of altering an entity's behavior. Past research on sanctions has explored the effects, ethics, and effectiveness of their use, but we lack an understanding of their long-lasting effects. This is a critical component of the discussion when leaders consider whether or not to impose sanctions that are missing. In order to learn more about the long-term effects of sanctions I have chosen to investigate it in terms of South Africa and the anti-aparthied economic sanctions that were imposed on the country in the mid-1980s. To analyze the effects I looked through the lens of the economy and analyzed South Africa’s unemployment rates over time to see if there is a correlation between the rates and the anti-aparthied sanctions. My findings showed that while there may be a correlation there is not enough data available to prove causation. Nevertheless, the data exhibits a pattern in the unemployment rates that seem to correlate with the sanctions.
Hartman, Alexandra | Recovering Relief: Formulating Reparations for the Trump Administration’s Migrant Family Separations
In this paper, I propose reparations for migrant families harmed by the Trump administration’s family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border between 2017 and 2019. My research expands on existing legal and historical scholarship through interviews with attorneys, researchers, academics, and government officials who have worked on family separation and reunification. Based on these interviews and legal analysis, I determine that the migrant families separated under the zero-tolerance policy have a meaningful claim to monetary and nonmonetary compensation, and that the Biden administration would save money by offering a global settlement instead of litigating each family’s case in court. I propose that the Biden administration attempt to revive public awareness of family separation and build support for reparations through a truth and reconciliation effort, and then develop a base sum and payment scale settlement scheme for separated families, with reparation amounts based on the conditions of each family’s separation.
Haskiell, Alexis | Activism Against Extremism: Successful Strategies in Non-Violent Environmental Activism across Post-Colonial Africa
My research question is, ‘What non-violent strategies are groups in post-colonial African countries using to promote environmental security through eradicating environmental poverty?’ I conducted a series of interviews with different groups including, but not limited to, non-governmental organizations in Africa and academics doing research on related issues. I examined WHAT the environmental issue is, HOW it affects members of the community, WHO is supporting these negative impacts, and WHO is actively playing a role in trying to stop this activity. My preliminary findings expose post-colonial industry and legislation as the primary culprits and women as the #1 contributors to non-violent environmental activism. When asked what the non-violent solution to environmental degradation is, the majority of interviewees and sources cited literacy as a means to political participation.
Islam, Fara | To what extent do Social Virtual Worlds (SVWs) and their role in the production of Metaverse influence human health and behavioral cognition?
Despite millions of people spending most of their time on virtual reality and augmented reality) platforms, there are very few studies on the health and behavioral impacts of such activity. Through this thesis, it is aimed to contribute and intersect the few studies revolving around SecondLife and Metaverse while emphasizing potential correlation and impact they have created on human behavioral cognition and health. YouTube videos were selected to gain insight on sentiment from comments online users make of these platforms. Around a sample size of 150,000 comments were scraped and analyzed to further understand online users’ general sentiment on the topic, sentiment on SecondLife, sentiment on Metaverse, and sentiment on real life application. This analysis will capture the advantages and harms of SVWs currently in place and be used to promote recommendations on how to better the potential of Metaverse.
Kesser, Leigh | Comparing Local, Regional, and International Organizational Discourse on Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation in Africa
With the development of international governing bodies such as the United Nations and the increase in globalization, Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation (FGC/M) is viewed as a human rights violation by many countries and international bodies. This paper explores the extent local, regional, and international discourse on FGC/M vary across time and place in Africa. I conduct a content analysis comparing organizations in Africa to international organizations that promote and/or do not promote FGC/M. I find that regional and international organizations tend to have similar, if the not the same, stance on eliminating the practice of FGC/M. I also find that some local organizations in Africa have moved towards language and discourse that is like international organizations’ regarding FGC/M. Finally, I find that all the organizations, even if it is not their goal to end FGC/M, seem to be moving towards abandoning the practice of FGC/M.
Kim, Lauren | Culture or Authority: Comparing Sexual Assault Prevention Training Methods at U.S. Naval and Army Military Service Academies
This paper compares peer-led initiatives versus full-time professional resources as sexual assault prevention methods in Military Service Academies (MSA). Sexual Assault programs, though overseen and recommended by the central Sexual Assault Prevention Office (SAPRO) are left to implementation discretion by each MSA. I examine the effects of peer-led prevention initiatives on unrestricted reports in the US Naval Academy (USNA) and the effects of professional SAPRO assistance for West Point (USMA) and ask whether professional or cultural initiatives are more effective. I compare the number of restricted and unrestricted reports and the length of time between alleged assaults. Findings show that after peer-led and authoritative programs, restricted reporting both rose 10%. Time to report shortened for USMA suggesting increased willingness to report while USNA midshipmen took longer to report.
Komodromos, Zoe | CRISPR-Crazed: What the World Should Do About CRISPR-Related Security Threats
Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9, shortened to CRISPR) is gene-editing technology that is fast, cheap, and extremely easy to use. To gain a better understanding of what should be done on an international level about potential CRISPR-related security threats, I interviewed experts in both the scientific and legal communities and found them most concerned about the intentional, reckless, or accidental misuse of CRISPR in the environment; a rogue gene drive could have devastating ecological consequences. I therefore concur with Ann Chapman’s proposal for an International Gene Editing Ethics Commission, which would be effective at creating norms within the scientific community, as well as Kevin Esvelt’s advocacy of a global Nucleic Acid Observatory to surveil and detect rogue genetic editing activity, supplemented by cooperative efforts, information-sharing, and increased funding.
Kurcina, Grace | Looking Local: A Comprehensive Study on the Practice of Child Marriage in Present-Day Nepal according to Local NGOs
This paper seeks to answer the question: “What driving force(s) contribute to the continued practice of child marriage in Nepal despite the practice’s illegality, and what can be done to best combat it?” Unlike past studies, my analysis looks at the work of NGOs local to Nepal to find answers. After examining previous literature on the subject of child marriage, my research analyzes the work of nine local women’s and children’s rights organizations. From these, I draw the main causes of child marriage and effective efforts to combat the practice. The paper confirms NGO findings, but ultimately finds the lack of accountability—in the judicial system and by law enforcement—to be the root of the problem. This can be remedied by the adoption NGO-recommendations. These will change the culture surrounding the status of girl children in Nepal, which in turn will push for accountability for crimes such as child marriage.
Linkous, Caroline | Hacking Hospitals: An exploration of ransomware mitigation tactics and incentivization strategies
This thesis explores what measures should be taken to prevent ransomware attacks and what can be done to incentivize hospitals to take these measures. I interviewed several individuals, most of whom were cybersecurity professionals, aggregating their opinions on this topic. In addition, I interviewed a few hospital security professionals. I find that the top recommended preventative measures are multi-factor authentication, increased user training, keeping current backups, principle of least privilege, and only using current and updated operating systems. In addition, the most recommended incentivization strategy is enacting a regulation for hospitals to take preventative measures, while also putting into place a grant process to assist smaller, under-funded hospitals in being able to comply with this new regulation. In my discussion, I make a recommendation for what this could look like.
Luz, Nicole | Sub-Saharan Migrant Youth in France and Morocco: Developing Social Belonging in a “Destination” vs. a “Transit” Country
In the wake of the global refugee crisis spanning the last decade, “transit migration” through North Africa into Europe has become a common phenomenon with understudied social and emotional effects on migrants. This qualitative research project considers Sub-Saharan African migration to France and Morocco to attempt to answer the question: How do the social integration contexts of a “destination” country versus those of a “transit” country affect migrant youth’s social belonging? The research analyzes Sub-Saharan migrant youth’s feelings about their social belonging in Morocco or France, as indicated in news articles, grassroots advocacy publications, and blogs. Through a comparative analysis of how each country’s social integration models manifest in various sectors of migrants’ lives through migrant youth’s eyes, my research brings migration studies closer to understanding whether any one “type” of country can be considered more socially favorable for migrants, and for resettlement at large.
Ma, Emily | Defining the Refugee: Common Law Approaches to Interpreting and Applying “Membership in a Particular Social Group”
The unprecedented wave of modern global migration has brought renewed focus on the limitations of the current international refugee regime. This paper examines the legal application and interpretation of the 1951 Convention’s phrase “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of…membership of a particular social group” as a ground for refugee status. Looking at particular social group cases adjudicated in major common law countries – the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia – I compare outcomes between them in order to ascertain international divergence in PSG jurisprudence. Results suggest the current U.S. approach is more restrictive than either the protected characteristic (used in the U.K. and Canada) or social perception approach (used in Australia), the two of which had roughly equal case outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether national variation in political attitudes towards immigration may actually be more determinative for refugee adjudications than interpretational approach.
Marsh, Stratton | Feminicide Unrecognized? An analysis of the classification of feminicide and intentional homicide in Mexican states
I examined the relationship of feminicide rates in Mexico with each of the 32 state’s Criminal Code, as well as examined the correlation between feminicide rates and socio-economic factors such as percentage Afro-descended population, percentage Indigenous population, and poverty rate in each state. I found that there is a significant difference in the proportions of murders classified as feminicides versus intentional homicides in states that have incomplete feminicide codes compared to those with complete feminicide codes.
Martinez, Angel | Changes in Consumer Purchasing Decisions in a post-Pandemic Era and What it means for a Sustainable Future in Fashion
With the great economic impact incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to gain insight into what consumers consider while making a purchase. In this research, participants were asked to answer questions regarding how familiar they were with the ethical conduct of businesses they shop from, what is most important to them as consumers, whether they take Corporate Social Responsibility into consideration, and if they believe businesses should conduct business ethically/sustainably. The goal of this study was to: 1) gain clarity on consumer purchases, 2) uncover how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the consumer patterns, and 3) reveal how these decisions are different for consumers of different age groups, racial groups, and income groups. The data revealed trends among younger consumers who demonstrated an increased interest and understanding of business ethics. Highlighting the importance of consumer opinions on this matter, and the impact it may have on businesses as we look towards a more ethical/sustainable industry.
Medicherla, Keerthi | Biometric Surveillance in Migration Settings: Examining Technical and Academic Perspectives
Biometric technologies are increasingly being used in migration settings, posing questions about the appropriateness and extent of their use. The perspective of technologists working to create these tools is often omitted from the academic literature, a gap which impacts our ability to fully understand the biometric environment. To account for a wide range of perspectives, I conducted interviews with 9 individuals: 6 academics with migration-relevant experience, and 3 technologists working in and around cybersecurity and biometrics. I examine my interview results to understand how technical and non-technical perspectives on this issue agree and conflict. I find that technologists and academics agree on several points, including the importance of privacy and recognizing and ameliorating algorithmic bias. However, I discuss how non-technologists, unlike technologists, also address other issues, including the equitable testing of these tools. This paper culminates in a discussion of these perspectives and requirements for a successful path forward.
Mercedes, Andrea | Defense Of Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic: What are activists fighting for in the country?
The development of tourism began in the Caribbean, the center of the world. It is the site of many firsts, including the first interaction between Europeans in the New World. Hispaniola has suffered through many phases of slavery, from plantation slavery to sex tourism. The gendered violence adds another layer of control by the nation and imperialist powers. Many “tourists” are traveling to countries in the Caribbean to be treated as if it were paradise. Oftentimes, tourists are not paying attention to long term effects that tourism takes on the country. It is believed that tourism helps the economy, however it actually causes more harm than good. Tourism in general exploits the country and its people, benefitting only the few who control the tourist industry within the country. In this paper I seek to interact with literature, activists and policies to discuss the general conversations of sex trafficking and sex work within the Dominican Republic. I investigate social media pages and websites to find information on the discourse surrounding sex work and look for what is at the forefront of the conversation.
Safi, Nour | A Content Analysis of French Discursive Strategies of Othering Islam
The rise of Islamophobia in France begs the question of whether this has been exacerbated by the concept of laïcité and the debate over its justification of religious limitations. This raises the question of how Islam is portrayed through the media and the ways in which it is vilified across dominant discourses. This thesis proposes to examine the representation of French Muslims in the media through a media content analysis, where prevalence of key words in newspaper articles will be measured accordingly. Through this media analysis, means of discursive othering will be compared in order to assess the way in which Islam is continuously Othered in the media. Additionally, through conducting this analysis, the question of what the greatest Othering strategy appears to be (Christianity versus Laïcité) will be answered. The findings indicate that Christianity, in conjunction with laïcité, is the most notable Othering strategy of Islam in French discourse.
Schwartz, William | Early Assessments of Drug Decriminalization Policy in the United States: An Analysis of Media Content Concerning Oregon’s Measure 110
Given a lack of data concerning the impacts of Oregon’s Measure 110, a bill that decriminalized small-scale possession of all narcotics in the state, I wish to use alternative methods to gain insight into the measure’s early successes and failures. To do so, I examined relevant content in national media to assess the popular discourse regarding this measure and illuminate its early stage impacts in a way that data has been unable to. While I conclude that overall content is more negative than positive in its discussion of Measure 110, this is not an indication that the policy has failed. The policy’s adolescence as well as the presence of extraneous factors, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, prevent one from concluding that the prevalence of negative discourse indicates failure. Instead, I argue that the continued optimism within analyzed content highlights its potential for success.
Shaheen, Leah | Reconciliation, Recovery, and Memory: Alternatives to the Ta’if Agreement and Lebanon’s 1989 Peace Process
Since 2019, Lebanon has suffered from the Beirut Port Explosion, a COVID-19 crisis, political instability, and economic collapse, in addition to the unresolved problems and legacy of the Civil War. There is extensive literature criticizing the Ta’if Agreement, detailing its failures, and blaming it for Lebanon’s current situation, yet there is little research investigating potential solutions to Lebanon’s pervasive sectarianism and evaluating their feasibility. Acknowledging a problem and ascribing blame is helpful only up to a certain point. It is necessary to look to the past because scholarly understandings of Lebanon’s post-War situation inform current policies in the country. I interviewed seven Lebanese individuals of different backgrounds about their thoughts, memories, and experiences from the War to reconstruct the environment around that time. Using thematic analysis, I conclude that there were things that could have and can still be done differently, namely, centering civilians and individuals in the reconstruction process. Additionally, I discuss the possibilities and constraints of this approach.
Shiehn, Sagarika | Terrorism or Revolution?: The Role of Neutral News Media in Classifying Global Government Opposition Movements
“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” simplistically condenses academia’s ongoing struggle to define terrorism and revolution. Yet, the semantics of terror and revolution can become dangerous when states exploit scholarly dissonance to justify their repression of opposition movements. Their labeling of movements as “terrorist,” despite the opposition’s alignment with revolution conflates violent terrorism with true struggles against oppression. This thesis is an effort to disentangle revolution and terrorism through differing state and self labels. First, I conduct a content analysis of foreign sources for several global opposition movements to create baselines of classification through neutral media. These movements include Khalistan, the Egyptian Arab Spring, the Orange Revolution, Sudanese protests, and the Nicaraguan Revolution. Then, I assess state and self definitions’ deviations from this baseline through archival and scholarly evidence. Findings suggest that neutral media most often reflects self definitions of revolution rather than state labels of terrorism.
Sjurseth, Alexandra | What Motivated the Relationship between the Soviet Union and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) during the Cold War?
There is ample historical evidence to showcase that the Soviet Union supported the Palestinian cause during the Cold War by financing and aiding the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). During the time of this support (1960-1980), the PLO was deemed a terrorist organization by the West, therefore transitively showcasing that the Soviet Union was aiding terrorists. This research attempts to uncover the extent of Soviet aid during this time, and it also attempts to understand the motivations for such assistance. This research utilizes the archives of both the US and the Soviet Union to analyze the extent of the relationship between the Soviet Union, the PLO, and also Israel through thematic variables. This research deviates from the normal realpolitik assessment that the Soviet Union was strictly a power politics agent and lends itself towards the idea that there may be religious motivations and specific reasons for actions against the nation of Israel.
Smolen, Eli | Reimagining Justice From Personal to Public: A Content Analysis Approach to Defining Justice
Using content analysis, this study assesses how victim families and others consider the concept of justice in regard to the cases of Philando Castile, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. I first examine victim family statements and code them per Leo Barrile’s spectrum. By considering common sentiments discussed in a post-ruling environment we can make assumptions as to a family’s normative understanding of the justice system. The second piece of this research follows the same logic but by analyzing tweets of those not personally affected. Using search terms such that every tweet contains a victim's name and the word “justice,” this analysis reveals other common sentiments associated with justice in each particular case. While my findings are in accordance with the literature and fail to provide a narrow definition of justice, they consistently remind us that justice is a systemic issue. Given the many limitations of this study, future research would be bolstered by a more comprehensive data set and could benefit from a sentiment spectrum that is public oriented.
Thai, Tiffany | “Righting” Literacy: Examining the Politics of International Literacy Programs
With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development renewing the interests of intergovernmental organizations in literacy education, this thesis examines neocolonial influences in literacy programs, particularly those sponsored by the World Bank and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In an update to Corrine M. Wickens and Jennifer A. Sandlin’s 2007 article examining neocolonialism and literacy, I performed a discourse analysis of UNESCO- and World Bank-sponsored policy documents to examine how literacy is defined and funded. These findings suggest that progressive shifts towards rights-based literacy are dampened by financial models that prioritize foreign powers over local control, and international literacy programs must be decolonized to be truly beneficial for local communities.
Voss, Jule | Feminist Leadership and the Global Humanitarian System: A Feminist Analysis of Humanitarian Aid in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and the Syrian Regional Response
Over the past two decades, the global humanitarian system has experienced a multitude of reforms designed to improve leadership, coordination, and accountability. However, the system continues to struggle to meet many of its goals and commitments, including those to address gender-based violence and promote localization and accountability to affected populations. Thus, it is necessary to consider new models of leadership that meet the unique demands of crisis response and equip leaders to accelerate progress across a range of cross-sectoral and population-specific priorities. Through a desk review of more than 500 humanitarian program documents from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and the Syrian Regional Response, this project analyzes the degree to which five key feminist principles are reflected in the humanitarian system. I find that the humanitarian response in Bangladesh has the greatest alignment with feminist leadership principles, but each case study has strengths and weakness when assessed against a feminist framework.
Class of 2021
Acker, Alixandra | Investigating Indoctrination to Incitement: What is the Relationship between Hate Media and Genocide?
This thesis utilizes a synthetic, thematic approach to evaluate the role of hate media in inciting genocidal violence in six historical cases: Rwanda, the Islamic State, Myanmar, Guatemala, Yugoslavia, and Germany. Many scholars have debated the centrality of hateful discourse in cases of state violence, especially when voiced in a politically and economically charged context. This enduring debate has risen to the forefront of international jurisprudence, beginning with the trials of Nazi propagandists at the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal. The consequent “Media Case” in Rwanda held media executives accountable for inciting genocide. Moving into the modern century, the “media effects” debate remains unsettled: does hate media directly incite violence, or does it serve as a secondary driver of violence? This thesis will examine if hate media can be deemed as culpable for incitement to genocide as those who drew up the extermination plans, wielded weapons, or manufactured military munitions.
Baker, Lyndsay | Terrorist Rehabilitation in Response to the New Wave of Domestic Far-Right Extremism
How can terrorist rehabilitation programs address the far-right threat in the US? There has been an increase in far-right activity in the US over the past two decades and there is been a very limited policy response. Terrorist rehabilitation programs are one type of countering violent extremism (CVE) interventions that aim to deradicalize extremists and reduce repeat acts of terror. I post that there are clear gaps in US counterterrorism initiatives against far-right extremists through a review of US policy, global rehabilitation programs, and program methods. My research consists of expert interviews and analysis of Congressional committee hearings to gather information on the most effective rehabilitation methods and key characteristics of far-right extremists that programs must target. Analysis of this evidence yields a program focused on educational, vocational, and social rehabilitation that can be adapted to individual extremists’ circumstances ofradicalization. The success of these programs must be measured on the individual level and also through tracking trends in recidivism among far-right extremists.
Bhagat, Sahana | “Invasive” Sexuality: Migrant Reproduction, Eugenics, and the Nation
Recent allegations of forced hysterectomies on migrant women in American detention centers drew public attention to the biopolitical and eugenicist logic of border control. Public outrage, however, was limited, lasting only one news cycle and seemingly only sparking outrage among the political left. A discourse analysis of right-wing social media was conducted in an attempt to explain a lack of public rebuke. Findings reveal a series of justifications for sterilizations of migrants – cultural, economic, penal – that suggest sterilization is viewed as a “banal” evil in order to protect the American nation. These results suggest sterilization is not necessarily a policy to police migrant women’s bodies, but rather a policy to protect American white nationalism. As migration to the United States rises in tandem with xenophobia, constructions of the American nation as built on whiteness in contrast to immigrant “others,” as well as how xenophobia and white nationalism are expressed become increasingly significant in the language and policy of border control.
Burgess, Lane | Required Rehabilitation: Analyzing Treatments for Substance Use Disorders in Virginia’s Drug Courts
This study utilized interviews with various drug court staff across Virginia to examine the specifics behind how drug courts effectively rehabilitate their participants and what challenges are present in rehabilitation. These interviews highlighted certain less surprising aspects of drug courts, such as their reliance on national standards for their rehabilitation methods and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their operations. Some of the more surprising findings revealed in these interviews included an emphasis on the need for housing and stable environments for drug court participants and the prevalence of societal stigma which hinders the operations of drug courts across Virginia. Despite the generalizations made in this study, however, it is important to recognize that Virginia’s drug courts are each unique in their operations and challenges based on the distinct factors of the environments in which they are situated.
Clarke, Allie | Violence in the Name of God: The Use of Religious Passages in Public Propaganda and Recruitment Materials by Islamic Terrorist Organizations
How do Islamic terrorist organizations utilize religion and religious texts to convince individuals to participate in extremist violence? This thesis analyzes the public theology and propaganda documents published by Al Qaeda in Raymond Ibrahim’s The Al Qaeda Reader, which contains direct translations of nearly two dozen essays, treatises, letters, interviews, press releases, and calls to action. The analysis of the religious passages is separated into several distinct categories: verses from the Quran, sunna and hadith (the teachings and words of the Prophet Muhammad), fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), and other religious references. Additionally, this thesis includes consideration of leading explanations for participation in religious violence, including political, economic, and territorial motivations. The leaders of Al Qaeda strategically utilize religious texts far more extensively in theology documents intended for devout Muslim followers than in propaganda documents with much broader audiences, which have a much greater focus on the political, economic, and territorial justifications.
Curran, Charles | A Deal with the Devil: Examining the Motivations of Ottoman and German Genocidaires
Though the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust have been the subjects of copious scholarship, their economic underpinnings are often neglected. Utilizing a range of scholarly literature, this paper presents separate analyses of each case, followed by a discussion of their similarities and differences. Motivating factors are elaborated, with particular emphasis on the extent to which the perpetrators were motivated by economic incentives. The findings suggest that significant correspondence exists between the ideologies of the perpetrators, the methods utilized, and the rhetoric employed to describe the victimized groups. Furthermore, they indicate that Ottoman and German genocidaires were influenced substantially by the lure of economic gain. The apparent voracity with which looting and robbery were carried out by both state and non-state actors and the extent to which these practices were intertwined with killing seem to demand reconsideration of the central drivers in each case.
Davis, Eric | Impractically Disclosed: International Intelligence Sharing and Its Drawbacks
Well before the onset of the First World War, the practice of collecting intelligence was crucial to the livelihood of nation-states. However, the First World War helped produce an understanding of the importance that the collected intelligence and information might need to be shared with other nations. Now, over a century later, scholars must ask themselves what drawbacks, difficulties and limitations have emerged in the practice of international intelligence sharing. A review of scholarly literature helped guide this investigation into impractically disclosed intelligence. Taking historical examples of complications within the practice of intelligence cooperation, this investigation looks at the impact that certain components have on the nature of intelligence sharing. These influences are the nations that are involved in the sharing or leaking, the channels and avenues that are being utilized in cooperation, and the break downs that are experienced in intelligence sharing. Combining these influences with interviews of experts in intelligence collection and dissemination, it becomes apparent that much of the impracticality is derived from tensions or strains in existing international relationships, coalesced with previous interactions or endeavors of cooperation with a given nation.
Dinko, Marisa | Healing After Conflict: Imagining Gender-Conscious Rehabilitation and Empowerment for Girl Soldiers
The term ‘child soldier’ technically includes the vast experiences of children as combatants, sex slaves, spies, and more. However, when it comes to Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration efforts, these diverse roles that all child soldiers—but especially girl soldiers—play in conflict are often ignored. Through a series of interviews with field workers, academic researchers, and policy makers, this paper will assess what the true physical, mental, and communal needs of girl soldiers are and how current programming is and is not meeting them. By first exploring the existing literature on gender and war, as well as the experiences of girl soldiers more broadly, original research can be done to mitigate gaps in knowledge regarding program effectiveness. Moreover, this original research explores reasons for recidivism, causes of recruitment, and challenges to program engagement. Finally, this paper will conclude with an assessment of the interview data and recommendations for future work.
Fletcher, Avery | Undocumented, Unseen: Exploring the Marginality of Undocumented Americans in the Archives of U.S. Sex Work Decriminalization Initiatives
This thesis critically examines initiatives to decriminalize sex work within the United States in order to determine the extent to which undocumented Americans are included in policy frameworks and discourse. Through an archival analysis of legislative initiatives, advocacy documents, and organizational memorandum, this thesis explores decriminalization efforts in the state of Rhode Island and the city of Seattle to ascertain whether these cases included substantive considerations for undocumented Americans. My research concludes that very few robust considerations exist within these initiatives, although significant variance exists between the major state and municipal cases. This capstone demonstrates that, despite some encouraging evidence, U.S.-based decriminalization initiatives must dedicate greater attention to the undocumented populations who are uniquely and inextricably linked to global trafficking schemes.
Habit, Brooke | Spaces of Interaction and Tools of Subversion on the MINUSTAH Facebook Page
To study how Haitians perceive the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping in Haiti during the period of the United Nation Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), I conducted a content analysis of MINUSTAH Facebook posts and their comments from the last two years of the mission mandate (2016-2017). In contrast to previous ethnographic and theoretical research, I conducted the first dialectical analysis of MINUSTAH social media presence. Utilizing a system of comment classification as positive toward MINUSTAH, negative toward MINUSTAH, or “other” in conjunction with a close discursive analysis of select posts, study suggests many Haitian people are frustrated not with MINUSTAH’s social initiatives, but with its failed administration. The comments section of MINUSTAH posts overall represent not only a place of interaction between UN actors, but also a tool of subversion for commenters to contradict the prevalence of MINUSTAH’s metanarrative of success in many of their Facebook posts.
Hendrick, Moriah | Abolition in Whose Lifetime? An Analysis of Change Within the American Abolition Movement
Depending on who you ask, carceral abolition might be described as a radical, fringe ideology, a well-defined scholarly field, or an immediate need for society. While the effort to abolish prisons has been around for as long as prisons themselves have existed, demands for “Abolition Now” and “Abolition in Our Lifetime” have grown louder than ever in the past year, as the global resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic cause a moment of intense change across the movement. Recently, the trial of Derek Chauvin further demonstrated the tension between the use of America’s existing carceral system and the hope for a better, radically reimagined system in the future. Through interviews with longtime abolition scholars and younger student organizers, this project aims to explore generational differences in the movement, place the changes of 2020 within the larger history of abolition, and illuminate the ways that these efforts will develop in the future.
Henriquez, Andrea | Sympathy in Crisis: Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Immigration Discourse in Nationwide Newspapers from Mexico and the United States
This thesis provides findings concerning the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic's impact on immigration discourse in nationwide newspapers in the United States and Mexico. The emergence of COVID-19 heavily affected global migration as countries attempted to slow the spread of the pandemic with safety precautions such as border closures and travel bans. On March 21 2020, a U.S.-Mexico joint initiative temporarily restricted all non-essential travel. Through the application of a critical discourse analysis, the words and language used by U.S. newspaper The New York Times and Mexico newspaper El Universal were compared and analyzed for anti-immigrant sentiment. The findings suggest that representation of immigrants in the media may be improving, particularly in the US, through a visible decline in anti-immigrant terms such as "illegal alien."
Kezman, Isabel | Applying a Plaintiff Selection Perspective to the Climate “Refugee”
Each year, millions of people are displaced by the effects of climate change, including shoreline erosion, desertification, agricultural disruptions, flooding, water scarcity, and other extreme weather events. This nexus of climate change and migration has become a central issue on the international stage, as there are currently no legal protections in place for those whose lives have been uprooted by climate change. The forced nature of climate-induced migration has caused many scholars and lawyers to call into question and test the applicability of the 1951 Refugee Convention for cross-border displacements caused by climate change. Thus far, no refugee or asylum claims based on climate change have succeeded. This paper attempts to increase the likelihood of success in a future climate refugee claim by answering the following question: "From a plaintiff selection perspective, what characteristics make the “perfect plaintiff” for cases seeking refugee protections due to the effects of climate change?
Lavoie, Maggie | An Analysis of Arizona State Legislature’s Securitization Rhetoric and Voting Patterns onImmigrationLegislationduringthe54th Legislature (2017)
This paper investigates the securitization of immigration legislation on a local level, specifically in the 2017 Arizona State Legislature. The research aims to answer the question, ‘Is securitizing rhetoric present in Arizona State Legislature records related to immigration? If yes, who is securitizing and are there demographic predictors of those securitizing?’ The content analysis of immigration bills reveals that securitization rhetoric is present, and more research is needed on whether demographic predictors can reliably predict whether a legislator will securitize. The findings indicate that Republicans securitize more than Democrats, Males more than Females, and Anglo Legislators more than Latinx Legislators. These groups that securitize more frequently also take anti- immigrant votes more frequently than their counterparts who securitize less. Party Identification (Democrat v Republican) proved to be the only statistically significant predictor of how legislators vote on immigration related bills. The content analysis also revealed the need to further define securitization into more nuanced categories: Securitization of Latin American Immigration, Securitization of Non-Latin American Immigration, and Counter-Securitization.
Lockwood, Emily | The Nerdiness of Evil: Creating Persuasive Narratives of Drones
This investigation will evaluate the persuasive tactics used by drone producing companies to create a favorable public image. Media from these companies which includes social media, podcasts, website articles, is relatively new to the realm of media studies and academic investigation. In analyzing the language and media narratives, I hope to bridge the creation with the impacts and provide an explanation for why such violence continues unjustly. In doing so, the drone producing companies omit how their weapons are used and reframe the weapons system to be a feat of scientific innovation that is good fo humanity. Using concepts from Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem and Bill Joy’s “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us,” I attempt to put the media sources in conceptual lenses that highlight the sterilization of violence and how normal people---the engineers—rationalize creating weapons.
Neukrug, Emma | Women’s Incarceration and the Bangkok Rules: To What Extent Do Laws in the United States Meet International Standards?
The Bangkok Rules are a set of guidelines passed by the United Nations to support the rights of incarcerated women internationally. This paper examines the extent to which state laws in the United States follow the Bangkok Rules in the categories of providing appropriate healthcare, treating women humanely, preserving dignity during searches, protecting from violence, and providing for prisoners’ children. Results suggest that many state laws follow these rules to some extent, but that some states do better than others, and as a whole they prioritize pregnant women’s rights over those of women who are not pregnant. Results also indicate that states with a higher percentage of Biden voters in the 2020 election have more laws upholding incarcerated women’s rights, but the racial makeup of prisons does not play a significant factor in effecting the quantity of laws in each state.
Nuelle, Skyler | Offset Voices: An Analysis of African Environmental Activism and Foreign Climate Offsets
This thesis examines online publications by African environmental organizations and activists to assess African attitudes and concerns about foreign CO2 offsetting projects in Africa (i.e., those offsetting projects funded by foreigners that are based in Africa). Using archival analysis research methodology, this study identifies patterns in organizational perceptions of CO2 offsetting, problem identification, and actions taken in response to the projects. Findings indicate that African environmentalists are predominately opposed to the offsetting projects, especially those characterized by mass monoculture or afforestation. These stakeholders are primarily concerned with the implications of offsetting projects and associated carbon markets on those local African communities that are immediately adjacent to the CO2 offsetting projects. Aligning with other global environmental justice movements, African environmentalists reference resource exclusion, environmental degradation, dispossession, and neocolonialism as their primary concerns with CO2 offsetting projects in the continent. CO2 offsetting is not the only means of remediating the global climate crisis, and alternative policies should be considered in future climate negotiations.
Sauvage, Livia | Intimate Partner Violence: The Prevalence of Family Violence in a Refugee Camp as Understood by UNHCR and Partner Organizations
This thesis investigates the multifaceted approach to addressing the pressing issue of intimate partner violence (IPV) throughout refugee camps. As policy by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) informs international organizations (IOs) and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) how to best research and address gender-based violence (GBV) in refugee camps, this thesis analyzes how their policy goals relate to the current research on IPV, subsequently influencing our understanding of what drives IPV. Through the documented research, IPV is accurately framed as a complicated form of violence. Nevertheless, UNHCR neglects to recognize the fact that unsafe refugee camp conditions are directly influencing the drivers of IPV, placing refugees – of all ages – at a heightened risk for family violence. Future research needs to intentionally go beyond simply acknowledging these perilous conditions and position IPV into the discourse as a severe form of GBV that is exacerbated when located within refugee camps.
Saxena, Nishant | Cross-National Thinking: Ideological Differences Across the Alt-Right
Since the rise of the Alt-Right in 2016, there has been an exponential growth in its membership both domestically and internationally. As the Alt-Right spread across the world, so did many of its ideological beliefs. Many would assume that the Alt-Right would act as a cohesive unit and would follow a singular ideology. For this paper, I focused on three nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. For each case study, I read academic literature as well as analyzed raw rhetoric on Alt-Right message boards to determine if there were discrepancies in how each nation’s Alt-Right interacted with the themes of white identity, religion, economics, and politics. Ultimately, I found that there were, in fact, discrepancies amongst the nation’s Alt-Right movements. This finding suggests that there are ideological differences in the Alt-Right cross-nationally and that the Alt-Right is not a unitary movement following a single ideology.
Setchel, Zachary | Quality over Quantity: Are Special Operations Centric Approaches the Answer to Combatting Insurgency?
Operations of counterinsurgency are a global concern that have perplexed American politicians and military leaders alike over the last several decades. Two key arguments underlying the issues of counterinsurgency relate largely to the methods in which these operations are carried out. My collective work dissects not only the current policies of the United States, but also several case studies regarding both successful and unsuccessful operations throughout the Twentieth Century. Counterinsurgency requires surgical-like precision, consequently it requires soldiers with a unique skillset. More specifically, it requires individuals who are culturally trained and capable of interchangeably playing the role of both a combatant, and a “boots on the ground” diplomat. Special operations soldiers are able to navigate the uncertainties of insurgency, and adhere to the unique political, religious, and cultural needs of counterinsurgency operations. This unique capability and understanding is why special operations forces should be the keystone of counterinsurgency operations.
Shrestha, Apurva | How to Win Hearts and Influence Minds—An Analysis of Civilian-Military Interactions in Counterinsurgency Operations
My research question hopes to primarily take a look at the US military’s efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq as case studies to examine the best way to foster civilian-military interactions when conducting counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. The data comes from the memoirs, studies, and accounts of people who studied and experienced COIN efforts in those two countries, and from interviews from people who enacted these policies on the ground. I hope to temper my academic findings with the real-life experience people have had working under these policies. My preliminary findings show that COIN is such a complex topic that there might not truly be a “right” answer, as something that might work in one situation in one area of the world might not work in another. I examine how as the problems of COIN are unique, so are the solutions.
Still, Caroline | All the News that’s (Un)Fit to Print: A News Media Analysis of U.S. Perspectives on Election Security from 2016-2020
Both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections raised concerns over U.S. election security and integrity. In 2016, the intelligence community confirmed Russian interference in the form of a targeted disinformation campaign and the hacking of the Democratic National Convention. In 2020, concerns shifted to a more domestic nature when top public officials like President Trump promoted widespread, baseless claims of voter and election fraud. This thesis examines the extent to which American perception of election security changed between the 2016 and 2020 elections, focusing specifically on how news publications and social media shaped national narratives surrounding misinformation. Significantly, my analysis supports the general conclusions that the framing of election interference in 2020 shifted to domestic rather than foreign actors, and that this brand of disinformation politics will continue to impact both future elections and American confidence in the democratic institutions.
Wirtz, Ryan | Rebel Movement(s) in the African Great Lakes: A Study on the Effect of Border Porosity on Transnational Conflict in the African Great Lakes Region 2000-2019
This paper attempts to analyze the relationship between border porosity and transnational violence by using refugee flow and trade flow data in the Great Lakes region of Africa. This research focuses on the relationships between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. This research takes refugee flow and trade flow as proxy variables for the much more nebulous concept of “border porosity,” which is an as yet under researched topic within statistical research. I present three possible models of the data and ultimately find that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between total refugee and trade flows across a given boundary and instances of transnational violence within countries that share a porous border.
Class of 2020
Abdel-rahman, Ali | From Purported Ideology to Lone-Wolf Terror Attacks: ISIS 2014-2017
After ISIS was driven out of the Syrian town of Dabiq, it ended publication of its online magazine of the same name and created a new magazine under the name of Rumiyah. The re-capturing of Dabiq from ISIS, as well as the loss of other land, was a blow to ISIS, both ideologically and tactically, and the changing of the magazine name reflects, to some degree, a recalculation following a loss. So the question is: “Is the tone of Rumiyah more or less radical than that of Dabiq?” From my research, and as I had hypothesized earlier, the answer is a resounding yes; not only in terms of rhetoric but also within the context of directly provoking mainly lone-wolf terrorist attacks against virtually every Western populace.
Akinola, Temi | Perspectives from African Media Coverage on the International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the only permanent tribunal with global jurisdiction over genocide and crimes against humanity. Though it was initially established to ensure accountability following WWII, many have accused it of being a European court that unfairly targets Africans. Thus, this paper assesses how African societies currently regard the ICC. For the analysis, I read articles from over 14 African nations, some of which include, Kenya, Sudan and Nigeria. The obtained statements were made by action groups, news editors and local leaders. 52 percent of the articles contained an overall negative response which reveals that despite the ICC’s stated mission of redressing global crime, many affected communities are wary of the Court’s ability to impartially administer international justice.
Bertron, Cameron | Unification or Annexation? Discussions of Crimean Independence in the Russian Blogosphere
The Russian blogosphere is a place where Russians can voice diverse political opinions and criticisms which could not be published through mainstream media, as such it serves as a helpful metric of the oppositional political spectrum. However, on the topic of the 2014 Crimean annexation, relatively little oppositional blog posts exist. This paper uses content analysis of over 65 blogposts and mainstream news articles to investigate the diversity of public opinion on the topic of the Crimean annexation. It analyzes how much support or opposition is expressed in the blogosphere among different political leanings, the persuasiveness of certain arguments with different political affiliations, as well as how closely blogosphere discussions mirror mainstream media articles.
Buck, Joana | How Social Media Can Impact Your Opinions: A Survey Experiment on the Effect of Comment Sections on Opinions
In this survey experiment, I studied how comments containing unverified information can affect opinions on a topic. I used data privacy as an example of a topic that is not too inflammatory, yet not too niche. The data are from survey results distributed by convenience sample, but then randomly assigned to one of three conditions: comments in favor of increased data privacy legislation, comments against, and no comments. The goal coming into the experiment was to prove or disprove the generalizability of a study conducted by Health Affairs with a similar design on the topic of home births. My study found that there may be a small positive effect of both comments that support the need for increased data privacy legislation and comments against it, the latter being an intriguing finding. The data also reveal that political views and gender have a bigger effect on opinions and reactions to treatments.
Disch, Hailey | The 2016 Humanitarian Grand Bargain Four Years Later: What Does a Signature Mean?
In 2016 many major humanitarian actors signed the Grand Bargain, a document promising to make many changes to the humanitarian industry. Among these changes was the commitment to shift more power and resources to local and national organizations. In this paper I set off to research what some of these actors had actually done to fulfil their commitments, four years after the original signing. I chose the EU’s ECHO, UN OCHA, and Save the Children as actors to research, representing different power levels as a donor, UN branch, and INGO. Ultimately, these actors made small strides in a few localization efforts, but were constrained from obtaining the full Grand Bargain commitments by political, legal, and organizational factors. Different humanitarian actors serve different roles, and thus are not able to meet all Grand Bargain commitments as they are not relevant or attainable for the specific organization. Instead, actors prioritized the workstreams they felt they could best contribute to.
Dombrowski, Megan | The Role of Information Technology in Humanitarian Logistics: An Analysis of Contemporary Trends and Applications to COVID-19 Global Pandemic
Advancements in Information Technology (IT) continue to enhance business processes in the commercial sector, but it is unclear whether or not IT capabilities have been effectively integrated into the humanitarian sector. Understanding this relationship may be more important than ever in the context of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. Accordingly, this Capstone aims to (1) profile the role of IT in modern Humanitarian Operations and Supply Chain Management (HOSCM) systems, and (2) analyze the role of IT in contemporary COVID-19 response. I began my research process by conducting a literature review of scholarship pertaining to HOSCM systems and IT- based case interventions. Next, I conducted a documentary analysis of news articles and institutional reports related to IT in emerging COVID-19 responses. I find that IT plays a pivotal role in current and potential COVID-19 interventions; I conclude that practitioners and policymakers must consider IT integration to enhance all humanitarian aid.
Dour, John | Pyro-Terrorism in the United States: A Modern Threat Analysis
The use of fire as a weapon is not a new concept, but in a security age defined by asymmetric warfare, pyro-terrorism is a dangerous and cheap terror tactic. However, pyro-terrorism still has yet to make its way into mainstream counterterrorism discussions. Accordingly, this thesis has adopted two aims. Firstly, it attempts to ascertain to what degree domestic pyro-terrorism should be regarded as a threat to homeland security. Secondly, this thesis seeks to explore how this threat differs between urban and rural areas in the United States. Using an interview-based research design, responses were obtained from seven industry stakeholders who generally recognized the potential threat posed by pyro-terrorism, but disagreed in determining whether it was more of an urban or rural threat. This thesis will exhibit why pyro-terrorism deserves more recognition in the counterterrorism field and will highlight the threat landscape of arson-related terrorism in the United States today.
Fischer, Luke | Narcoterrorism and Mexican Cartels: Analyzing the Implications of an Official Designation of Mexican Drug Cartels as Terrorist Organizations under US, Mexican, and International Law
Due to the overwhelming destruction and increasingly overt acts of violence that Mexican drug cartels have perpetuated throughout Latin America over the past decade, President Trump and legislators have considered classifying these drug trafficking associations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Because this designation has political and strategic implications and because a universal definition of terrorism doesn’t exist, there are many governments and parties that warrant consideration. While President Trump decided in December 2019 that he would delay making this formal designation, this paper examines whether or not the actions of Mexican drug cartels adhere to the definitions of terrorism under US, Mexican and international law, and whether or not they warrant an FTO classification. Furthermore, I find that the cartels’ actions fit squarely within the definitions of terrorism provided by relevant governmental bodies and that an FTO designation would impose real consequences upon the organizations that could begin to quell them.
Khattabi, Andrea | The Effects of President Donald Trump’s Deportation Policies on Undocumented Sex Trafficking Victims
This research paper explores the effects of President Donald Trump’s changes to federal immigration policy on foreign-born, undocumented sex trafficking victims. Interviews with two nonprofit attorneys, one former federal prosecutor, and one anti-human trafficking advocate/former federal agent added a missing fieldwork perspective to the current literature, and the findings were used to create a model of undocumented sex trafficking victims’ behaviors in response to immigration policies that intend to heighten the deportation of undocumented immigrants. This model indicates that there are two direct consequences of such deportation policies: 1) a decrease in T and U visa applications and issuances and 2) a decrease in protection (both real and perceived) for victims of sex trafficking. These two direct consequences lead to a third indirect outcome of negatively impacting victims’ physical and psychological health.
Khullar, Anchita | Breaking it Down: Analyzing Budget Expenditures for Aftercare Provisions Servicing Sex Trafficking Victims
While there is no disagreement over whether additional funding should be given to providing aftercare services for sex trafficking victims, there is a dilemma of what specifically funding should be allocated towards. Victims’ needs include mental health services, medical care, shelter, occupational therapy, food, clothing, and countless others. A survey of thirty eight trafficking victim shelters across the United States examined what services shelters currently allocate their budget towards and what services they would like additional funding for. Respondents revealed that aside from housing, their next largest categorical expenditures are related to immediate needs of survivors such as basic necessities and mental health care. The survey found that shelters would allocate additional hypothetical discretionary funding towards maintaining the shelter in addition to the immediate needs listed above. This indicates that future policy should allocate funding for mental health provisions for trafficking victims as well as general shelter supplies.
Lawson, Charlotte | Mourning a Martyr or Evading a Killer?: Iranian Twitter on the Qassem Soleimani Strike
In places absent of official public opinion polling, social media provides a useful tool for gauging general feelings of approval regarding government policies. Following the United States assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a flurry of Twitter activity — from Iranians within and outside of Iran — gave outsiders rare insight into Iranian attitudes toward the Islamic Republic regime. In this paper, I seek to provide useful metrics with which to analyze those responses, and draw conclusions using a comparative analysis between Iranians at home and in Diaspora. To that end, I evaluate roughly 1,400 Twitter messages, sorting them by hashtag, and placing them into various categories and subcategories. My study seeks to qualitatively analyze the subjects Iranian Twitter wrote about, when they were writing about them, and what sentiment they expressed in their commentaries. Overall, my findings determined that Iranians were profoundly vocal, highly opinionated, and largely disparate in their responses to the general’s death.
Livermon, William | #إيران: A Twitter Sentiment Analysis Examining Public Opinion towards the Iranian Regime in the Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council
This research uses the Twitter API and sentiment-analysis Python packages to determine whether or not public opinion in each of the six GCC-aligned states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia) reflects positively or negatively on the Iranian regime. The analysis focuses on tweets containing Arabic and English language keywords from the time period of May 5th, 2018 to February 21st, 2020 and gives each tweet a score on polarity (which measures the sentiment in the tweet) and subjectivity (a measure of the relative objectivity of the tweet). The program developed for this research accepts three variables in terms of location, two coordinate values and a radius measure, allowing for analysis of roughly 80-85% of each country. The results of the analysis in its current form are inconclusive, though it is clear that the populations of the given countries have passionate opinions about the regime and express them consistently via Twitter.
Mortensen, Nicholas | Novel Investigators, Amateur Experts, and Everything In-between: An Exploration of the Open-Source Investigation Community
Since 2011, there has been a growing community of researchers, specialists, and investigators who conduct their work using only publicly accessible information, with a particular focus on imagery, videos, public databases, and other information beyond individual testimonies or covert tradecraft. The common buzzword for this work is “Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).” While the community and methodology has grown over the past decade, academic research of either has not. First, I review the current academic literature on OSINT, and highlight how most of it focuses on OSINT’s application in state intelligence or other professional contexts. I then provide summaries of interviews conducted with individuals from the open source community, journalists, and other professionals. From there, I analyze common themes and trends present in these interviews to build an understanding of how the methodology grew, how the community around it operates, and how it is seen by other investigative communities.
Mosqueda, Daisy | How do Twitter Users Link Extreme Weather Events to Climate Change Across Different Countries?
This thesis uncovers conversations that occur on Twitter after the bushfires that occurred in Australia last year, the European heatwave that took place last summer, and Hurricane Maria that hit Puerto Rico in 2017. These case studies are chosen in order to analyze not only across different regions, but also across different languages, as previous studies have focused on English-language tweets. I code the sentiment of 500 tweets in total to understand whether each tweet links the climate-related event to climate change or global warming. I find that overall, users are not blaming climate change for these extreme weather events, independent of where the user is from. Instead, other issues overshadow the need for actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. Rather than encourage users to take action against climate change, the topics that trended on Twitter served as a distraction from productive climate advocacy discussions.
Peck, Jessica | An Analysis of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Discourse On Migration, 2017-2019
Since migration to Europe increased in 2015 and 2016, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has depicted migration as a threat to Hungary and to Europe. This paper strives to update the existing literature on PM Orbán’s rhetoric toward migration after 2016 by evaluating the frequency of certain variables, including terrorism, crime, culture & ethnicity, religion, economics, and Euroscepticism, as well as by conducting a discourse analysis of a sample of his statements. The content analysis reveals that migration is still a prominent discussion topic by the government, as an average of 70 percent of PM Orbán’s statements since 2017 have mentioned migration. The paper proposes an alternative model of securitization that distinguishes between security and security adjacent concerns. Under this alternative model, where terrorism and crime are categorized as “securitizing” statements and culture & ethnicity, religion, economics, and Euroscepticism are categorized as “identitarian-populist” statements, identitarian-populist statements predominate.
Rountree, Alston | Inter-Extremist Relations: An Examination of Islamic State Rhetoric on Al-Qaeda & Other Jihadist Groups
Since its inception, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has grown at an unprecedented rate. Their success as a terrorist organization has far surpassed that of their forbearer, Osama Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda (AQ), which many believe has fostered a high level of animosity between the two jihadist groups. For this paper, I read 19 issues of ISIS’s official magazine publications, Dabiq and Rumiyah, to see how the terror group’s rhetoric framed their relationship with AQ. For context, I also analyzed the extent to which ISIS expressed attitudes towards other extremist groups. My research found that current publications overemphasize ISIS’s hatred for AQ, and fail to discuss ISIS’s respect for, and deification of, Osama Bin Laden. This investigation also revealed that existing literature fails to acknowledge ISIS’s strong animus towards most other jihadist groups.
Scully, Elisabeth | Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How Newspaper Genocide Coverage is Shaped by Misinformation and Racial Stereotypes
This article provides findings concerning American newspaper coverage of the Bosnian and Rwandan Genocides. To varying degrees, newspapers used racially-coded words in their articles to describe both conflicts, with a heavier usage for the Rwandan Genocide. This can be attributed at least in part to minimal background knowledge of Rwanda, leading reporters to rely on racial stereotypes instead of research. Original contribution furthers this research into the modern era by adding two additional time frames, one year after the end of each genocide and 2019, to see whether newspaper coverage gradually became less racist. The findings ask us to consider why each racially-coded word was used more frequently at each time and place. This article finds that racially-coded language occurs more frequently during a period in which a stereotype is prominent in American pop-culture.
Shawkey, Emily | A Range of Reception: Global Attitudes on the Legality of Russian Involvement Abroad
Russia’s foreign interventions have provoked a wide range of global responses in terms of international law. From allegations of unlawful behavior to defense of Putin’s legal justifications, different national contexts and interests have driven various stances. This thesis will survey international opinions on Russia’s actions in three cases: the annexation of Crimea, the Syrian civil war, and interference in the United States presidential election of 2016. A latent content analysis examines international media coverage by region, assessing positive, negative, or neutral attitudes in regards to the legality of Russian involvement. Discussion analyzes the reasoning behind why nations have adopted such positions on these issues of law, and why certain legal arguments resonate where others do not.
Sippel, Charlotte | African Media Perspectives on UN Peacekeeping and the Prevention of Sexual Violence
One of the ways to prevent sexual violence in conflict is to employ United Nations Peacekeepers, but peacekeepers themselves have been accused of sexual exploitation and abuse. This paper uses the case studies of the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, and South Sudan to explore how African media portrays United Nations Peacekeepers. Data varied significantly among the countries, but 59 percent of the articles analyzed across all four countries placed peacekeepers in a negative light. African media’s perspective of UN Peacekeepers is affected by the objectives of the individual missions and the nationalities of the peacekeepers in each mission.
Vargas, Brittney | Unaccompanied Child Migrants in the Media: A Discourse Analysis of the Media Representation of Unaccompanied Child Migrants in the United States and Mexico Mainstream Media
The paper is a critical discourse analysis on the representation of unaccompanied child migrants (UCMs) in the mainstream media of the United States and Mexico. UCMs predominantly originate from Northern Central American countries fleeing in record numbers. The main objectives are: (1) to examine the ways the UCMs are portrayed in the mainstream media of both countries, (2) to uncover the persuasive messaging strategies employed to justify and legitimize that representation, and (3) to assess the impact on audiences based on the social context. The study reveals that American mainstream media represents UCMs negatively whereas Mexican mainstream media strikes a sympathetic view toward migrants. Overall the language associated with UCMs by mainstream media is highly provocative and polarizing, thus emphasizing how words matter. This understanding provides insight into becoming a critical consumer of the mainstream media and to think outside the cultural box.
Voell, Hailey | The Efficacy of U.S. Drone Strike Policy as a Counterterrorism Tactic
This capstone will address the history of drone strikes and specifically the strategy of leadership decapitation as a means of counterterrorism strategy. The data is mainly centered around drone strikes in Pakistan as the US’s presence of a drone campaign has been extensive there. However, the policy memo will provide suggestions that could be applied to drone use in a broader scope than just in Pakistan. The included data and charts will be used to analyze the efficacy of drones and their impact in the region and behaviors of the non-state actors that have been targeted. This capstone is concluded by a policy memo that is a reflection on what I have researched and included in the first portion of the capstone as an attempt to advise on current policies of drones and/or decapitation, based both on the research I have done and previous knowledge. I will be defending the nuanced position of critiquing drone strikes while also advocating for decapitation strikes.
Von Spakovsky, Anna | The Effect of Unresolved Legal Questions and Potential Judicial Branch Assertiveness on the Detention and Prosecution of Terrorists post-2009: An Examination of the Obama and Trump Administrations and Policy toward ISIS Fighters.
The fight with ISIS inflamed lingering legal quagmires from the Bush administration that threaten an effective American strategy for the detention and prosecution of ISIS fighters, including the scope of the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force and the overlapping jurisdiction of Article I and Article III courts. Looking at core court cases since 2009 and their relevant legal discussions, these questions are then applied to several pending ISIS cases and the policy options available to the United States in dealing with the ISIS fighters in SDF custody in Syria. I conclude that the judiciary seems increasingly willing to afford the executive less deference in these matters, which, instead of resolving Bush-era problems, could lead to lengthy military detention instead of prompt federal prosecution. Without a comprehensive strategy to resolve the overlap of Article I and Article III courts the United States cannot formulate a coherent strategy to prevent similar issues in future military engagements.
Weinberg, Natalie | Innovation aid: An interview-based study assessing the pros and cons of private sector involvement in aid ecosystems
This capstone addresses private sector involvement within humanitarian and development aid ecosystems. Throughout interviews with aid experts, scholars, and development practitioners, I explored how business innovation can improve inefficiencies and response systems in humanitarian and development networks along with sub-questions that investigate topics like financing, supply chain, design thinking, and agility. I interviewed five representatives from organizations within the aid ecosystem – USAID, the World Bank, UNOCHA, and social enterprise startups. Each provided a seasoned perspective on where and how the private sector fits into aid and where the challenges in aid can be attributed to. While several of the interviewees believe aid organizations are already engaged in business practices and are skeptical of moving much further in that direction, others offer up support for opportunities for further innovation. I wrap up the capstone recommending that this research be applied to specific case studies to transform the theory into reality.
Class of 2019
Averill, Colleen | Thinking Through Economics and Anti-Immigration Sentiment: An Analysis of FAIR’S Grievances
Connections between economics and anti-migrant sentiment have been frequently debated in the past few decades. Often, anti-migrant groups cite migrants as welfare burdens or job replacements as reasons to support restricted immigration reform. For this paper, I analyzed all relevant content within 72 newsletters from the nonprofit Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) to determine if the authors suggested economic factors make up their primary grievances towards migrants. Overall, I found evidence to support a strong connection between economics and anti-migrant sentiments. There was a total of 848 paragraphs which contained economic grievances and this accounted for 64.5% of migrant-related grievances held by FAIR, with the most commonly referenced economic grievance being FAIR’s perception that migrants perpetuate the uneven wealth distribution between American workers and businesses within the US. Security, cultural, and other grievances accounted for the other 35.5%, collectively.
Borja, Hannah (Mel) | Local Responses to the Question of Noncitizen Criminal Justice in the Commonwealth of Virginia
This is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s first outline of local-level responses to central questions of noncitizen criminal justice. Through a content analysis of local media and 13 interviews with law enforcement officials and other actors, I construct a census of the variation in 5 immigrant detention mechanisms that one may find on U.S. Route 29 and other selected localities. From this database of 36 counties and cities within 17 local and regional jail systems, I conclude that an undocumented person driving end-to-end down U.S. Route 29 in Virginia would face a criminal justice system that varies at least 8 times. I place this striking finding within the framework of subfederal immigration laws developed by Pham Huyen and as well as Ingrid V. Eagly’s framework of noncitizen criminal justice systems to discuss the significance of such local-level variation for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Buell, Robert (Ben) | Courts over Commissions? A Legal and Practical Analysis of the Case for Future Civilian Prosecution of Non-Citizen Terrorism Defendants
Since the attacks on September 11, 2001, policymakers have debated the role of Article III federal district courts in the prosecution of non-citizen terrorism defendants. The courts have consistently achieved better outcomes than the military commission established at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. However, the rise of ISIL and online self-radicalization has changed the nature of global terrorism. This paper aims to determine whether the federal courts remain the most effective venue for prosecuting this next generation of terrorist threats. My analysis evaluates the performance of the federal court system on seven “efficacy indicators” typically associated with a successful terrorism prosecution. By comparing historical case studies from both the federal district courts and the military commission, it finds that civilian prosecution has the structures and procedures in place to effectively handle America’s future counterterrorism efforts.
DeBose, Dominique | “I Will Sing My Music:” Hip-hop and Rap Censorship in Contemporary Russia
My research updates considerable existing scholarship on censorship of punk music in Russia by examining more recent controversies over censorship of rap and hip-hop. Examining a variety of Russian language primary sources, I consider the relationship between censorship and the larger social and political climate. I incorporate the perspective of the Russian government as well as that of the artists being censored. I conclude that, although censorship of explicitly anti-Putin artists is certainly part of the story, it is not as large a part of the story as casual Western observers of the Putin regime tend to assume.
Gajadhar-Smith, Kateri | How Latin American Autocrats use Education as a Tool for Political Indoctrination: A Case Study of Chavista Venezuela
This thesis examines Chavista Venezuela (1998-2012) to analyze how Latin American autocrats use education as a political tool. I conducted a content analysis of Spanish-language government documents, legal documents, transcripts of speeches, and opposition sources including newspapers, teachers’ union documents, and parent interviews. I measured to what extent Venezuelan government officials actively used public education as a means to a political end, and how their efforts to do so were perceived by non-government actors and public opinion in general. I found extreme state control over the education system, which the government treated as an open secret and was unapologetic about accusations of indoctrination. The public’s opinion on this control is mixed: those who previously had no or little access to education did not comment on this theme of indoctrination, while those in private schools or urban areas protested it.
Givan, Sydney | The Rules of Engagement: A Legal Analysis of Signature Strikes in the Context of Precision Aerial Bombing
Since the Obama administration, drone warfare has captivated journalists and legal scholars alike. In this thesis, I examine a controversial tactic in drone warfare known as a “signature strike,” which targets individuals based on a pre-determined pattern of behavior. My thesis considers if existing laws on conventional aerial bombing can be effectively applied to signature strikes. Using the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia’s review of NATO’s Operation Allied Force as a case study, I compare precision aerial bombing from manned aircraft with signature strikes. My legal analysis relies on sources like the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Law of War Manual. Ultimately, I conclude that international law neither clarifies what it means for civilians to participate in hostilities, nor fully addresses which precautionary measures must be taken prior to an attack. These unresolved questions weaken our ability to assess the legality of signature strikes.
Harris, Meredith | What’s in a Name: Does the Genocide Label Increase the Likelihood of International Intervention?
Although countries should intervene in genocidal conflicts according to international law, this typically does not happen. As a result, this paper delves into the potential correlation between the use of “genocide” in describing severe domestic conflicts and intervention efforts. The research is based on the background, discourse, and intervention efforts present in various cases. Did the discourse include the word “genocide”? Were interventions primarily based on humanitarian factors? Overall, most interventions are not humanitarian-based, but that is not always a bad thing. When countries make decisions in their own self-interest, they invest more time and resources which could better help to mitigate humanitarian crises. The “genocide” label has not been used enough in international discourse for me to see a correlation with international interventions. However, this research proves the inverse: intervention is not less likely to occur in conflicts that do not have the genocide label.
Hix, Samantha | How the International Criminal Court Can Increase Arrests: A Case-by Case Analysis
The International Criminal Court (ICC) aims to put war criminals and those who commit crimes against humanity on trial. Although the ICC is reliant upon states to apprehend their defendants, and has had varying success with this relationship, this analysis shows that there are a number of ways arrests can take place, taking a specific interest in the assistance of international military and peacekeeping forces and foreign state cooperation. The aim of this research is to offer suggestions and applicable case studies for how the ICC can most effectively arrest and surrender defendants in the future, as 15 defendants still qualify as ‘at large.’ By looking into the cases of defendants that have been arrested in the past, this research aims to provide a framework for the future in arresting those still at large and those to come – even advocating for a new international force specifically for the ICC.
Jewett, Margaret | A Regime of Rape and Terror: Addressing Crimes of Sexual Violence at the Trial of Hissène Habré
This paper examines the trial of Hissène Habré, the former president of Chad, at the Extraordinary African Chambers and determines the trial’s effectiveness in providing justice to victims of sexual violence. I examined primary documents from the trial, as well as selected supplementary documents, and analyzed these documents on the basis of legal scholarship on sexual violence in international criminal law, using similar evaluations of trials such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). My research revealed that the trial was largely successful in treating crimes of sexual violence. Such crimes featured prominently at the trial, and the chambers treated victims who testified at the trial with proper awareness and respect of specific issues relating to sexual violence. The trial did display some discrepancies in handling male versus female victims of sexual violence, and the road to justice faces significant challenges ahead in the reparations process.
Kim, Eric | American = White? An Examination of the Asian American Peace Corps Experience
The Peace Corps places a heavy emphasis on allowing its volunteers to have a deeply immersive experience with host communities. Living and working side by side with local community members is at the core of creating a positive intercultural experience. This is especially important in fulfilling the second mission of the Peace Corps: promoting a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served. In my research, I focus on how the factor of race/ethnicity impacts a volunteer’s intercultural experience. Due to the fact that many host communities have a preconceived notion of what an “American” looks like, volunteers of color have unique experiences and challenges during service. By conducting interviews of returned Asian American volunteers, I attempt to show whether or not being a volunteer of color enhanced or hindered the experience of integrating into host communities and promoting the second mission.
Kim, Sabrina | Biodefense as a National Priority: An Inquiry into the Current State and the Future Trajectory of DHS’ BioWatch Program
Just a few weeks after 9/11, five Americans were killed by anthrax spores in the U.S. mail system. The resulting fear of a large-scale bioterrorism attack contributed to the development of BioWatch, a national network of sensors and laboratories to detect aerosolized biothreats. Upgrades began almost immediately after BioWatch was launched, but the Department of Homeland Security cancelled the acquisition of the third-generation sensors in 2014. I interviewed ten subject matter experts to understand the implications of this cancellation, the current technological capabilities of BioWatch, and the future trajectory of U.S. biodefense. I conclude that there is a consensus surrounding the necessity of a national biothreat detection initiative, but the logistics of such a program cause widespread disagreement and frustration. Furthermore, the creation of an effective biodefense policy requires many individuals operating at the nexus of STEM and national security and will likely remain a work-in-progress for years to come
Lee, Joan | Weibo Netizen Attitudes Toward Zhima Social Credit Scores
How do Chinese netizens understand the role of social credit scores in their lives? Chinese tech and consumer giant, Alibaba recently created their Sesame (Zhima) Credit scoring system, which aims to capture value through both a person’s financial and social activities. Zhima Credit has since sparked the creation of various other alternative social credit scoring systems. Nevertheless, the fundamental ideology of evaluating both social and financial transactions remains the same. Many scholars and skeptics worry about an Orwellian-like society where constant feelings of surveillance skew people’s behavior, but this literature rarely considers Chinese citizen viewpoints. This paper undertakes sentiment and content analysis of Chinese Weibo posts to capture netizen sentiments on Zhima Credit. I conclude that sampled Weibo posts reveal a general acceptance of social credit scores. Predominately, Weibo users positively embrace the new financial and social opportunities that come with high Zhima Credit scores. A minority of critiques focus on how Zhima Credit can generate classism. Across the board, Netizens recognize that Zhima Credit tangibly impacts their social and financial lives for better or worse.
Litkowski, Hannah | Just a Number? Age Verification of Migrants in Europe
By virtue of their vulnerability, migrants found to be under the age of 18 in Europe are legally entitled to special protections and benefits. The process by which their age is identified, however, is politically contentious at best and deeply invasive at worst: testing processes are largely based on popular science from the early 20th century and deeply affected by individual European states’ funding capacities and willingness to accept migrants. Through interviews with a variety of stakeholders, this capstone suggests that the current age verification system fails both European states and migrants, and the failure to establish a single protocol across Europe leaves states legally vulnerable. Yet cross-cutting European issues, such as deep financial inequality between states, makes implementing a “silver bullet” solution difficult. However, increased training for border patrol officers to allow them to identify minors earlier, better funding for UN organizations and other NGOs carrying out child protection efforts and screenings, and more carefully evaluated benefits for minors are three potential improvements.
McLaughlin, Conor | Mass Media Response to a School Shooting Compared to the Response of the Affected Community: A Parkland Case Study
This thesis investigates both the Mass Media framing and the Community response framing of the 2018 Parkland shooting. Through the application of the van Dijk/Bell scheme, 500 print and web articles as well as 685 tweets from the 10 days following the event were analyzed. Analysis of the different responses and their themes indicated that the community affected by the shooting is much more likely to use the incident as an advocacy for firearm control legislation in comparison to mass media.
Mogel, Blake | Changing Children’s Communities and Opportunities: An Analysis of Child Sponsorship Programs in the Republic of Haiti
Despite the prominence of child sponsorship programs in the Republic of Haiti, there is no scholarly literature discussing the current operations and future prospects of both international and domestic child sponsorship (CS) in Haiti. The goal of my research was to consider Haiti's programs in light of broader academic debates. Through interviews with program representatives from various CS organizations, I examined the ways in which CS operations in Haiti affirm and deny academic criticisms. Aside from the shift in using development rather than direct sponsorship, I found that CS in Haiti confirms the majority of negative academic criticisms. My interviews with representatives also provided great insights into new changes and challenges facing CS operations for the future. For example, Haiti is very much a smartphone culture and this poses unique challenges to the sponsor-child relationship.
Park, Nathan | Sub-Saharan African Migrant Perspectives on Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia as Transit Countries
The research for this capstone looks to see how Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia are implicitly and explicitly perceived as transit countries for irregular transit migration. This occurs through personal migrant accounts and archival analysis of policy through news sources, literature, and social media platforms. Research shows that Morocco is the most stable option for migrants to transit towards because of its well established immigration policy, its sub-Saharan ethnic communities, and humanitarian aid. Tunisia lacks the same political and legal structures but is receptive towards policy aiding the growing number of migrants entering from Libya. Libya continues to have a high migrant intake but there are significantly less incentives due to its human rights abuses. The research highlights the present difficulties that migrants face in all three transit countries, each’s growing role for the future of international migration, and continuing complexities of transit migration.
Seely, John | Tracking Disparities in Violence: How Governance Measures Can Help Evaluate Colombia’s Widening Homicide Gap
This study compares trends in urban and rural homicide rates in Colombia from 2010 to 2018 with the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators. Simple regressions are conducted for each of the indicators and homicide rates at the national, urban, and rural levels. The homicide rates are then compared to associations found for the same period between poverty, extreme poverty, and income inequality in order to see how the associations compare. In general, the associations between the WGIs and homicide rates were negative, meaning that advances in governance tend to reduce homicide levels in Colombia. A number of indicators were even shown to share stronger associations with homicide rates than either poverty or inequality. One of the most notable findings is that urban homicides were more susceptible to changes in measures of democracy while rural rates were more closely associated with levels of corruption, suggesting further research on these two associations is warranted.
Shipp, Bradley | #ISIS: An Analysis of the Ummah’s Reaction on Twitter to Islamist Fundamentalism
Social media is frequently characterized as a breeding ground for radicalism, a unique environment wherein users are able to retreat behind usernames to like, comment, and share without repercussions. Moreover, scholars such as Graeme Wood have argued that ISIS supporters on social media are more religiously literate than the average Muslim. My research tests this claim via a content analysis of the language used by the Ummah to Tweet about ISIS, Islamist violence and terrorism through a Boolean search containing “Umma(h)” and various relevant phrases. After compiling nearly 3,000 relevant Tweets spanning over 5 years (March 1, 2014—March 1, 2019), I find that condemnation of ISIS is far more common than support and, contrary to Wood’s hypothesis, Tweets condemning ISIS are more likely to use religiously literate language than Tweets supporting it.
Suliga, Casey | Does History Repeat Itself? Examining the Influence of Cold War Legacies Upon Russian Relations and Foreign Policymaking in the United States
This paper considers: “how does the legacy of the Cold War influence contemporary policymaking in the United States, and are U.S.-Russian relations improving, or is the world experiencing a Cold War II?” Searches on the database ProQuest Congressional are conducted for the co-presence of “Russia”, “Cold War”, and a third term of specific focus within congressional documents published after the Soviet Union’s collapse. 100 documents are analyzed evenly from four main subject areas that have significant applicable content as generated by ProQuest Congressional: President Putin, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, nuclear armament, and the 2014 Crimean crisis in Ukraine. Deeper analysis will consider implications for American foreign policymaking and security interests in affairs with Russia and abroad. This paper then explores whether these findings indicate promising potential for improvement in the relationship between Washington and Moscow, or whether the world stands to backslide into another Cold War zero-sum game.
Toker, Zeynap (Lal) | Challenging the Notion that Refugees are a Burden on Host Countries’ Economies: Focusing on Syrian Refugees in Turkey
This paper aims to analyze the real effect refugees have on a host countries’ economies in an attempt to understand the validity of hostility towards refugees. Due to the importance and intensity of the crises in Syria, as well as their large population of 3.3 million, Syrian refugees residing in Turkey have been used as a sample to represent the overall effect of refugees on their host countries’ economies. Analyzing data on Turkey’s economy, demographics, and data on Syrian refugees in Turkey, I find that refugee populations have a positive impact on the host country economy as measured by either Gross Domestic Product or Gross Domestic Product Per Capita. Furthermore, I find that there is insufficient evidence to argue that refugees increase host country unemployment rates.
Vo, Anh-Thu | After Genocide: An Analysis of #Rohingya Tweets from 2019
This thesis explores how Twitter has been used as a tool to disseminate information on the Rohingya crisis in the aftermath of the recent genocide. In doing so, I examined four main questions. First, are the tweets mainly pro-Rohingya or anti-Rohingya? Second, are the tweets presented as opinionated or are they presented as informational? Third, do the tweets provide evidence from outside sources in the tweets and how reliable are the tweets? Fourth, what are the tweets about? I find that the vast majority of tweets on #rohingya are pro-Rohingya, often relating to refugee resettlement. In the #RohingyaIslamist hashtag, by contrast, all of the tweets were anti-Rohingya and many called for the expulsion of Rohingya refugees from host countries. Finally, #RohingyaJihad tweets were mainly anti-Rohingya and implicated the Rohingya as perpetrators of violence.
Wilson, Hunter | Tales of Gods and Blood: Religion and the Alt-Right
The Alt-Right claims to be a political ideology with no affiliation with religion, but this does not preclude a history of disagreements over the place of religion in the movement. I show that those who identify as part of the Alt-Right are discussing the connection between religion and political ideology, fighting about the best religion, and attempting to make peace across religious boundaries. Belief systems like Christianity, Norse Paganism, and atheism still animate identities and ideologies despite living in an increasingly secular world. Perhaps the most interesting development is the idea of creating a hybrid religion that takes the best aspects of all three traditions in an effort to promote unity in the movement. The panoply of religious ideologies available exposes one of the deepest ironies of the movement: that members are open to certain types of diversity if it means promoting in-group cooperation to achieve their political aims.
Woods, Emma | China in the Western Hemisphere: The View from the South
A strong and stable partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a crucial aspect of U.S. national security. The growing presence of a U.S. adversary in the region is not only a threat to the U.S., but the entire region as a whole. How Latin Americans perceive China’s growing presence in LAC is key to understanding where the relationship with the United States stands going forward. I therefore conducted a latent content analysis of 146 newspaper articles published in the region from January 2018 to April 2019. I rated each article on a scale of -2 to 2 based on the sentiment of the article towards China and likewise highlighted noteworthy qualitative aspects of the articles. Ultimately, I concluded that while China has gained a foothold in LAC, there exists a disconnect between public opinion and policy in the region, presenting an opportunity for the United States.
Class of 2018
Achtermann, Benjamin | Outrage of Indifference: The Macroeconomic Impacts of Western Sanctions and the Kremlin’s Response
This thesis examines the ways in which the Russian government presents the sanctions issued by the US and EU in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukraine crisis and Russian annexation of Crimea. This content analysis of 130 publically available sources from the Kremlin suggests that the Russian government utilizes a rhetoric that downplays the impacts of the sanctions and emphasizes their own economic growth despite the measures. Additional themes stressed include the mutual harm caused by sanctions and the claim that sanctions are motivated by an attempt to hold Russia back. I next consider macroeconomic data on the performance of the Russian economy over the sanctions period and conclude that sanctions have not been as impactful as is sometimes thought, with oil-price fluctuations having had a far greater macroeconomic effect.
Boghosian, Elissa | An Exploration of Nama and Herero Perspectives on Reparations for Namibia’s ‘Forgotten Genocide’
Genocide reparations constitute an important element of transitional justice. Reparations validate victimhood, encourage healing, and enshrine perceptions of justice. Since the 1990s, the Nama and Herero have advocated for reparations from Germany to address the colonial-era genocide. While a significant volume of literature discusses genocide reparations, few authors have focused on this particular reparations movement, and no author has written exclusively on Nama and Herero perspectives. Integrating qualitative and quantitative content analyses, this thesis explores Nama and Herero perspectives on genocide reparations. I investigate whether and how these claims have changed over time. Additionally, I explore themes in the rhetoric and rationale for meriting reparations. Findings discussed in this thesis have significant implications for evaluating the efficacy of the reparations movement and its impact on victims’ descendants.
Boswick, S. Thomas | Beyond the Picture, Into the Print: A Content Analysis of African Media Representations of Male and Female Child Soldiers
Iconic images of the child soldier flood humanitarian and international dialogues. Depictions of young boys wielding machine guns or of parents lamenting the kidnapping of their daughters are useful for drawing attention to the issue of child soldiering, but these representations have been accused of displaying patterns of “gender invisibility” wherein child soldiery is portrayed as a uniquely male phenomenon. To systematically explore this issue, I analyze 150 newspaper articles on male and female child soldiers from across five Sub-Saharan African countries. I examine the age and sex of the soldiers portrayed in each article and create a five category victim-perpetrator scale to assess the tone of each portrayal. I conclude that African media outlets do display patterns of gender invisibility, almost exclusively highlighting abuses committed against female child soldiers, whereas the portrayals of male child soldiers are more complex.
Brooks, Aethena | Trends in Los Angeles Newspaper Coverage of the LAPD Consent Decree
This paper analyzes 115 newspaper articles published between 2001 and 2013 in the Daily News of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Times to assess local media’s perspective on the consent decree between the LAPD and the Department of Justice. I code for attitudes towards the consent decree and for acknowledgment of problematic practices within the LAPD and find that the denial of problematic practices correlates with negative attitudes. More surprisingly, I uncover a trend toward liberalization at both newspapers, starting in 2010 and peaking in 2013. While the Daily News exhibits a conservative slant between 2001 and 2006, by 2013 it becomes equally as liberal as the Los Angeles Times, which is neutral up until 2010. Furthermore, in 2010, both newspapers begin to fully acknowledge the Rampart scandal as proof of a pattern of misconduct within the LAPD and embrace the consent decree as an effective mechanism for reform.
Catalano, Rachel | Victims Say #MeToo, But What Else? An Analysis of the 2017 Twitter Campaign
My thesis analyzes how victims of sexual violence used the 2017 #MeToo social media campaign to seek justice. Though it is as yet too early to determine the campaign’s effect (if any) on progress for victims in reality, it is clear that #MeToo has gained unprecedented traction and longevity. Specifically, I performed a content analysis on a sample of 510 tweets over a two-week timeframe that yielded four key themes: amplification, accountability, prevention, and criticism. The last theme, created by adversarial posters, represented a small but vocal minority. Most posts from victims and allies, which were the vast majority of all posts, sought to create a supportive, validating microcosm of the internet. Most promising for the transition from internet to real world, however, were those tweets both within the accountability and prevention themes that used the hashtag as a tool to not only lament the prevalence of sexual violence but to circulate actionable solutions.
Cohen, Megan | Jail, Bail, and Supervision Fail: A Comparison of Pretrial Bond Statuses and Post-Trial Outcomes
This is the first known project to study the long-term effects of those under pretrial supervision. Specifically, this paper seeks to address the question of whether or not those subject to pretrial supervision have more post-trial success than other pretrial programs such as bail or jail. Preliminary findings indicate that offenders who underwent pretrial supervision actually had less successful post-trial outcomes than other pretrial statuses. The main driver for this pattern seems to be the unusually high rate of offenders that had their pretrial supervision revoked. Those that successfully completed pretrial supervision had more or less similar outcomes to those coming from bail or jail. However, those that failed pretrial supervision (had their supervision revoked) had significantly less successfuloutcomes than every other pretrial category. This means that pretrial supervision may not be useful for deviance prevention, but may still be a worthwhile tool for deviance prediction.
Conte, Lucy | Being a Local Foreigner: A Case Study of Charlottesville, Virginia as an Accessible Space for Refugees
Marcus and Legeby introduce a revolutionary approach to understanding refugee integration in host countries by asking, “to what extent does the built environment provide an urban public space that has the ability to facilitate such different kinds of activities so that a newcomer can be actively part of urban life and contemporary society?” Understanding refugee resettlement should not be limited to studying social and economic integration. This paper uses Space Syntax methodology to analyze integration levels of neighborhoods in Charlottesville, VA. The results show that, though Charlottesville suffers low “global integration” or overall accessibility, it demonstrates interesting patterns of local accessibility regarding the areas housing the most foreign-born residents. The data does not necessarily support the initial hypothesis that neighborhoods with higher populations of foreign-born residents are less accessible but does encourage further field and interview research on the relationship between urban design and the experience of resettled populations.
Couch, Kennedy | DEEP Analysis: A Discussion of Early Disruption in Countering Violent Extremism
Countering violent extremism has become a tenet of government platforms all over the world. Jurisdictions across the US are beginning to consider new approaches, looking to programs that can operate at the individual-level to divert radical extremists. One such program, the Disruption and Early Engagement Project (DEEP) in the Eastern District of New York, uses this framework to preemptively identify and redirect individuals on the path toward radicalization before they take substantial steps toward violence. This thesis seeks to review this program’s potential for effectively diverting cases of lone-wolf extremism. Through media reports and interviews with practitioners involved with the program, I find that DEEP applies successful practices from criminal justice youth diversion programs to CVE. This approach has high feasibility to work effectively in lone-wolf extremist cases because it addresses the root issues driving violent, radical action and borrows best practices from other fields that work with individuals to mitigate risk.
Class of 2017
Chavez, Austin | Clouds Over Shabaab: A Systematic Analysis of US Drone Strikes on the Operational Capacity of al-Shabaab in Somalia
This thesis analyzes the impact of the United States drone campaign in Somalia on the al-Queada affiliated terrorist group; al-Shabaab. After reviewing existing literature on drone strike counterterrorism policies and on the Somali civil war, I critique the approach of the existing literature. Previous studies on drone strike effectiveness in Afghanistan and Pakistan have derived models that may or may not be applicable to smaller scale counterterrorism operations such as Somalia. Although this thesis arrives at no definitive conclusion about the course of U.S counterterrorism policy for Somalia; the modelling on number of terrorist attacks, attack casualties, and attack methods suggests a possible course of action for reducing particularly violent upswings and reducing highly publicized attacks in the future.
Culbreth, Madeline | Trump’s Travel Ban: Competing Cases and Conflicting Interpretations
Trump’s travel ban has sparked extensive legal debate. I examine current court proceedings, precedent, and legal scholarship to identify that debate’s major themes. Much of the legal debate centers on religious freedom, due process, and the Immigration and Nationality Act, and I conclude that no one argument is immune from the legal scrutiny of the opposition. However, the claim that the Executive Order violates the Establishment Clause is a stronger argument than the claim that the EO violates due process rights. The temporary restraining orders against the Executive Order have also cited additional laws and precedents, which prompted further research into the history and application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the history of the judiciary’s relationship with Executive Orders. Despite my extensive review of precedent, I conclude that this is unprecedented territory and we will have to wait and see as cases continue to move through the courts.
Dotterer, Eric | Does Voluntary Deradicalization Work? Prospects for Success of a New French Program
A new French deradicalization program aims to build twelve new centers across France, one in each province. The first center, created in September of 2016, seeks to disengage potentially radicalized individuals and reintegrate them back into society. Despite its newness, the center has drawn widespread criticism, presumably given the failure of past deradicalization programs. This paper examines similarities that the new French program shares with other domestic and international reintegration and deradicalization programs, and investigates which elements have seen successes in the past. I examine French and international media sources to determine early indicators of the program’s success and conduct interviews with journalists, officials, program critics and program defenders. My interviewees offer several different ideas about the predictors of successful disengagement and deradicalization, leading to some preliminary conclusions about whether this investment by the French government will see tangible results, events, and post-migration stress.
Fico, Jamie | Ageless Traditions, Rising Underdogs: The Changing Players of Humanitarian Aid Operations in Yemen
Traditional aid organizations rely heavily on the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence in order to validate their work in conflict zones and protect the safety of their staff. Their approach is to not take sides in hostilities and to work to alleviate suffering for those most in need regardless of ideological, political, or racial affiliations. However, the humanitarian field has expanded in modern times to other sectors such as faith-based charities, state-backed assistance, and locally-formed community organizations. New actors straddle the line between doing good, honest humanitarian work that alleviates human suffering, while at the same time using their humanitarian pedestal to garner international and local support for their side in a conflict. Even more noteworthy are the new partnerships forming between traditional actors and these faith-based, state, and local actors. Yemen reveals the shifting alignments of the traditional aid community with newer humanitarian actors that break down divides between western and Islamic, foreign and local aid. These old and new actors alike have ultimately decided that they must work together to reach the war-tried population.
Finn, Amanda | A Comprehensive Analysis of the Main Grievances of the Indian Caste System as Defined by Dalit Advocacy Organizations
This thesis examines grievances regarding the Indian caste system by conducting a content analysis of available publications from seven major Dalit advocacy groups. Publications were analyzed and compared based on their references to different examples of caste-based discrimination. The publications analyzed were found online and each was in English. Budget reports and publications in Hindi were excluded from the analysis. Results of the content analysis pointed to both similarities and differences across organizations. Common themes from the available literature pointed to grievances stemming from the effect of natural disasters on Dalits and the lack of adequate prevention, preparedness and response mechanisms. Other frequent grievances included disparities in education and literacy rates between Dalits and higher castes, inadequate representation in the workforce, reliance on agriculture, gender rights, access to water and sanitation, and other forms of social discrimination and exclusion.
Gallahan, Nicole | You Say a Lot When You Say Nothing at All: A Study of the Relationship Between ISIS and Al Qaeda
The Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda (AQ) are well known and fairly well researched in the world today. The two terrorist organizations were once closely affiliated and have since split drastically. Their similarities, differences, and tensions are well documented in the literature, but what is less documented is what they directly say about one another. I have conducted a content analysis of ISIS’s Rumiyah and Dabiq searching for direct mentions of AQ, as well as a content analysis of AQ’s Inspire looking for direct mentions of ISIS. My findings reveal that although their relationship has been well documented in the literature, they do not say much about each other in the publications. There are of course some mentions of one another, but a search for obvious key terms revealed little in the two organizations’ very detailed publications.
Goretsky, Rachel | With Friends Like These: Analyzing NATO Burden Sharing Trends
This paper examines how selected NATO Member States respond to criticisms from the United States to pay their fair share of European defense and how their decisions will affect the future of NATO. Six countries, three smaller states and three larger states are studied. All six countries have been increasing their defense spending in the last few years and plan to continue to do so. (Two, Poland and the United Kingdom, already exceed the targeted minimum.) I find that the smaller states have increased their defense spending in the context of growing Russian aggression, rather than as a result of President Trump’s criticisms. Regarding the larger states, France is spending more as a result of increasing terrorism and interest in becoming more autonomous in its security, rather than to abate criticisms. Germany is most resistant to increasing its defense spending, though the Germans are reluctantly spending more incrementally over time.
Grayson, Akitriana | Drones and the Pakistan Media: How does the Media Characterize Pakistani Leaders’ Responses to the U.S. Drone Program?
Since 9/11, the Pakistani government has allied with the US in the War on Terror, allowing it to conduct drone strikes on its territory. News reports show that Pakistani leaders are aware of US drone strikes, and these reports are sometimes the most reliable source of information we have to gain insight into the classified US drone program in Pakistan. Although there have been studies conducted on how civilians and militants in Pakistan respond to drone strikes, there has yet to be a study conducted on how the Pakistani media characterizes Pakistani leaders’ responses to US strikes. In order to assess how Pakistani heads of state respond, I conducted a content analysis of news articles from Pakistani sources to determine how the media characterizes leader responses. All outlets are overall strongly critical of Pakistani leaders. They describe their support for the US drone program as counterproductive to the War on Terror, leading to an increase of resentment from their citizens. However, the extent to which the news sources criticize Pakistani leaders does differ from administration to administration.
Hershman, Charles | A Quantitative Analysis of the Prevalence of Corruption in International Sport
There has recently been an increase in reported cases of corruption in international sport. In response, both sponsors and non-profit organizations have taken remedial action in order to protect sport through efforts to ensure accountability, good governance, and integrity in sport. This study analyzes the factors that could be used to gain a better understanding of the magnitude of corruption in sport in hopes of future applications of anti-corruption policies. The variables examined are: doping violations in Olympic drug testing, the nationality of athletes that committed violations, and the perceptions of general corruption within a country. The results suggest, perhaps surprisingly, that there is a negative correlation between the prevalence of corruption in sport and the perceived extent of general corruption. This analysis posits that the phenomenon of doping is more complex than many realize, as it encompasses a wide variety of behaviors, situations and motivations.
Jackson, Jake | Understanding Police Militarization from the Law Enforcement Perspective
Although the study of the militarization of police has been growing for the past several years, there is a lack of perspectives from practitioners within the law enforcement community. This paper seeks to fill that void by attempting to understand arguments for and against police militarization from a police perspective. I break the topic of police militarization down into several overarching themes: the police use of military technology and equipment; the use of militarized training and tactics; and the adoption of militarized values and beliefs commonly referred to as the warrior mindset. I explore these themes in a systematic analysis of online communities used by law enforcement officials and via interviews with two police officers. Although I hypothesized that there would be broad support for the militarization of police form the law enforcement community, the final research did not generally support this claim. Rather, opinions regarding militarized policing varied greatly across the various forums, blogs, and interviews.
Jackson, Jake | Understanding Police Militarization from the Law Enforcement Perspective
Although the study of the militarization of police has been growing for the past several years, there is a lack of perspectives from practitioners within the law enforcement community. This paper seeks to fill that void by attempting to understand arguments for and against police militarization from a police perspective. I break the topic of police militarization down into several overarching themes: the police use of military technology and equipment; the use of militarized training and tactics; and the adoption of militarized values and beliefs commonly referred to as the warrior mindset. I explore these themes in a systematic analysis of online communities used by law enforcement officials and via interviews with two police officers. Although I hypothesized that there would be broad support for the militarization of police form the law enforcement community, the final research did not generally support this claim. Rather, opinions regarding militarized policing varied greatly across the various forums, blogs, and interviews.
Kimlick, Madalyn | The Role of Food Insecurity in Egyptian Political Unrest
This study illuminates how and how much the role of food insecurity plays in Egyptian political unrest. To illuminate these connections, I conduct a detailed analysis of both regional and global news media regarding Egypt’s unrest and food insecurity experience. My content analysis establishes the importance of understanding food security as an input factor to Egypt’s political stability. The links, implications, and structures of political unrest and food insecurity responses are evidence of important connections, rarely addressed in current literature on Egypt. The study results indicate food insecurity contributes to unrest through political, population, global, and geographical variables. As such, this Egypt-specific study corroborates extant scholarship from other countries and regions indicating the vital connection between food insecurity and political unrest.
Mehta, Jaina | President Trump’s Executive Order #13769: Practical Security Implications for the United States
This thesis examines the real-world security implications of Donald Trump’s travel and immigration ban. Considering the question, “will this order truly increase the security of the United States and its citizens,” I analyze multiple aspects of this presidential action. Starting with the text of the executive order and its stated mission, I investigate the security considerations of implementing this ban of seven nations from entry into the United States. I gather both quantitative and qualitative data regarding environmental (political, social, and economic) factors in the nations banned, the terror and crime statistics of the U.S. regarding foreign nationals from these countries, and the likelihood of a terrorist attack being undertaken by non-U.S. citizens, including temporary and permanent residents travelling into the United States from elsewhere. I conclude that, overall, the executive order does not create policy that would lead to its stated aim. I also consider each banned nation individually, determine the potential threat level of each, and consider the appropriateness of its appearance on the banned country list.
Moreno, Jessica | Comparing the Effectiveness of Non-Governmental Organizations with Faith-Based Organizations Providing Services to Victims of Human Trafficking
There are many organizations working to fight human trafficking today, two of which are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs). However, there is very little data showing which types of organizations are more effective in their work. The findings from a series of 10 interviews done in the Spring of 2017 with representatives from both NGOs and FBOs suggest that there is not a strong difference between the effectiveness of NGOs and FBOs. Rather, the success of these organizations is determined by a variety of factors that can be shared by either or both subgroups. Examples of these factors include the organization’s available resources and the strength and sustainability of the infrastructure. Solutions to improving victims’ service provision on the whole include increasing funding, research, accountability among faith-based organizations, performing frequent realistic assessments of internal structure and efforts, and hiring trained professionals for victim-specialized services.
Neal, Katherine | Investigating Food Justice and the Role of the Local Networked Non-Profit
Food justice is both a movement and a goal for equity in all aspects of food system production and consumption. The Charlottesville Food Justice Network (CFJN) is a small group of local organizations that are in some way invested in community food security. This research project addresses the role of collaborative structures and the limitations of non-profits organizing for food system change. It works to address the challenges of incorporating marginalized community voices within non-profit centered structures, as well as highlights the work of non-profit actors working to understand their privilege both individually and in collective work. Finally, this thesis presents the negotiation of food justice and the traditional food security paradigm with organizational engagement with emergency food providers.
Pickering, Althea | Examining the Role of Gender Inequality as a Predictor of Conflict
Women are disproportionately affected by violence and conflict across the globe, but are continually left out of political participation and peace processes that reestablish pre-existing frameworks of discrimination, insecurity, and inequality. Although women make up more than half of the world population, they continue to be underrepresented in politics and peacebuilding. These limited possibilities illustrate the paradox reinforced by traditional gendered norms and societal expectations of women that perpetuate inequity and discrimination. This paper uses quantitative analysis to examine whether gender inequality is a predictor for conflict and violence. The results confirm the findings in the existing literature that the presence of domestic gender inequality increases the likelihood of a state being involved in internal or international conflict. These results provide strong evidence that empowering women should be a global priority.
Robards, Mary Beth | The Belgian Case: Investigating the Links Between Language, Laïcité, and Terrorism
A 2016 article entitled “The French Connection: Explaining Sunni Militancy Around the World,” by William McCants and Christopher Meserole, attempts asserts that the best predictor for foreign fighter radicalization is “whether a country (is) Francophone.” This is explained by the idea that a “francophone effect” is caused by strict secularism of “French political culture.” This paper examines that claim in the context of Belgium, a francophone country that is divided linguistically and politically into three major regions. An examination of Belgian terrorists, terror attacks and foreign fighter numbers will show that the overwhelming majority of these people are from Flanders and the Brussels capital region, not from Francophone Wallonia. I then examine Belgian political culture in the three major political regions, measuring it against French laïcité in order to determine if there is in fact a relationship between laïcité and terrorism.
Schnider, Reid | The ‘Why’ Behind One of the World’s Most Lethal Terrorist Organizations: Deciphering the Motivations of Abubakar Shekau’s Boko Haram
In recent years, the Nigerian Salafist group Boko Haram has claimed thousands of lives and internally displaced millions of others, having undergone a dramatic tactical shift since the execution of its founder Mohammed Yusuf and the appointment of its current leader Abubakar Shekau. Given the new beast Boko Haram has become under Abubakar Shekau, it is more important than ever to determine what motivates what is now one of the deadliest terrorist organizations in the world. Literature on the subject is largely inconclusive, but generally argues motivation along four lines: economic motivations, political motivations, identity-based motivations, and religious motivations. Using a qualitative content analysis, this paper examines how the voices of relevant populations—current members of Boko Haram, former members of Boko Haram, victims and bystanders, and the armed forces combatting Boko Haram—reconcile with the conclusions of relevant academic literature.
Shahbaz, Mishal | Investigating Media Coverage of the Uprising in Kashmir through a War and Peace Journalism Perspective
India administered Kashmir has seen tremendous violence over the years in its struggle for independence. Summer 2016 saw some of the worst violence in modern history after the death of the separatist leader and militant, Burhan Wani. There was significant media coverage of the uprisings and the crackdown by the Indian army following his death. This study aims to discern the frameworks used in that coverage according to Johan Galtung’s peace journalism model. The study analyzed six news outlets and coded each article according to seven peace/war journalism indicators. The newspapers analyzed were Times of India, Hindustan Times, New York Times, Aljazeera, The Nation, and DAWN News. The findings indicated that the dominant frame used in the reporting was a war journalistic one, with the salient indicators being an elite-oriented and differences-oriented perspective. The salient indicators for peace journalism were seeing conflict as the problem and focusing on the causes and consequences of the conflict.
Smith, Effie | Belonging in the Borderlands: Social Citizenship and Community Integration of Haitians and their Descendants in the Dominican Republic
My field and interview research provides an explanation for how Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent living in the Dominican Republic achieve social citizenship and integrate themselves into Dominican society, particularly in rural areas, regardless of legal residency or citizenship. I show that Haitians and their descendents have been able to attain social citizenship despite the Dominican government’s restrictive immigration policies and continued attempts to bar them from integrating into the Dominican social fabric. This is important as much of the dialogue surrounding the issue is negative and presents a hopeless view of relations between Dominicans and Haitians. My research shows another side of this relationship. Although there is still a lot of racism towards and unfair treatment of Haitians and their descendents, these individuals also have positive experiences and strong relationships with their Dominican neighbors, particularly in rural areas and bateyes.
Travers, Victoria | Motivating Compassion: An Examination of What Drove Germany and Sweden to Adopt the Two Most Generous Asylum Policies on Earth
Over one million people displaced by the Syrian Civil War are seeking refuge and asylum in Europe. Most EU states, however, have barred these asylum-seekers, with the notable exceptions of Germany and Sweden. This thesis queries: What makes these two countries different? What cultural, economic, and political reasons initially compelled Germany and Sweden to adopt liberal refugee and asylum policies? To answer this question, I conduct comparative historical research and critical content analysis of newspaper reports, editorials, and opinion pieces to examine what Germans and Swedes view as the preeminent motivators behind their respective nations’ policies. Ultimately, my findings suggest that German empathy is intertwined with Holocaust guilt, low national pride, economic incentives, and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s unilateral political choices. Swedes, on the other hand, are driven by a resilient – though not inexhaustible – culture of compassion and sense of national pride.
Class of 2016
Anderson, Casey | Privatization Pushback: A Case Study of the Successful D.C. Effort to Dismantle a Private Prison
There has been a nationwide pushback against the privatization of jails and prisons, but thus far few campaigns have been as successful as the one headed up by ReThink Justice D.C. located in the District of Columbia. I, therefore, conducted in-depth interviews with participants in the Rethink Justice D.C. coalition regarding their attitudes about privatization, deprivatization and campaign strategy. There was more of a consensus among my interviewees about the problems of privatization than about how best to go about deprivatization or the reasons for the D.C. campaign’s success. Respondents also felt that their strategy could be applied elsewhere, though it would have to be adapted to fit the particular political and social climate of that area.
Boyd, Katrina | The Syrian Crisis: Understanding the Nature of Public Attitudes Toward Refugees in Turkey and the United States
The scope and duration of the Syrian conflict has made the situation for Syrian refugees and their host communities exceedingly difficult. In order to compare differences in public attitudes toward the arrival of Syrian refugees, a content analysis of Turkish and American newspapers examined relationships between security, cultural, and humanitarian concerns. Between 2013 and 2015, Turkish reports were more likely than US ones to exhibit anti-refugee sentiment. Additional analysis revealed that both the US and Turkey considered the refugee crisis through a security lens regardless of overall pro- or anti- refugee sentiment. It is concluded that while contact theory likely plays a small role in increasing social acceptance between host citizens and incoming groups, it is likely that inherent differences such as relative populations and geographic factors provide better explanations for the nature of varying public opinion toward refugees.
Dister, Jonah | Inclusion of Data on Mental Health of Short-Term Refugees Demonstrates Significance of Gender, Traumatic Events, and Post-Migration Stress
The resettled refugee population is particularly susceptible to mental illness primarily because of the prevalence of pre-resettlement traumatic experiences. Though existing literature has identified a number of risk factors and their corresponding associations with the prevalence of mental illness among refugees, there is no previous meta-analysis of the data on refugees displaced fewer than 5 years before. This review seeks to expand upon an existing 2015 systematic literature review from Bogic, Njoku, & Priebe through the incorporation of data on more recently displaced refugees. Twelve new studies were identified, and their data was extracted and compared with the existing data. Results demonstrated substantial differences in the risk factors of gender, number of traumatic events, and post-migration stress.
Gallo, Meredith | The Pressure Game: The Relationship Between US Pressure and the Efficacy of Pakistani Military Counterterrorism Campaigns
Since the warming of US-Pakistan relations after September 11, 2001, reconciling American and Pakistani counterterrorism interests has been a taxing and complicated process. This paper assesses the influence of US pressure on the effectiveness of Pakistani military counterterrorism campaigns through an analysis of US diplomatic pressure and militant and Pakistani armed forces casualties. Data for this research is drawn from the South Waziristan Operations in 2009 and early 2010, and the first months of the North Waziristan offensive in 2014.
Goodwin, Cori | Domestic Adoption Trends in Uganda: What the Media Can Tell Us
Adoption has been considered a solution for abandoned or orphaned children for decades, but has not always flourished everywhere. While Western countries have been using domestic adoption as a way to provide abandoned children with loving homes and childless parents with children for a long time, African countries have only rather recently started using legal adoption to provide solutions for vulnerable children. After years of research and discontent over the current handling of children in Uganda, the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development began a campaign to encourage Ugandans to adopt Ugandan children. Now five years after the start of their campaign, this paper seeks to chronicle and analyze the shifting focus of this media campaign and how trends and opinions of domestic adoption have changed as a result.
Jensen, Erica | Who Will Attack Again? A Quantitative Analysis of Variables in Guantanamo Bay Detainee Recidivism
Recidivism continues to be a problem after detention for all prisons. However, due to the political significance of terrorism issues, Guantanamo Bay detainee recidivism requires greater examination. This paper examines factors that could be used to predict recidivism in detainees in hopes of applying this knowledge to counterterrorism practice. The variables examined are: years between release and reported recidivism, the administration who released the detainee, the detainee risk status as decided by the Joint-Task Force, the detainee’s region of origin, and whether or not a detainee was tortured during his time at Guantanamo. The results suggest that there is a negative correlation between recidivism and Obama releases when controlled for time, and a positive correlation between years since release and recidivism. Perhaps most interestingly, the results suggest a positive correlation between torture and recidivism.
Jurden, Maddie | The Real Third Phase: The Islamic State’s Evolution to Statehood
Terrorism has become a focus of international discourse over the past twenty years, and most recently the group on everyone’s mind is the Islamic State. The world watched the group evolve from Al-Qaeda in Iraq into a fledgling state that controls territory in Iraq and Syria. As the group’s operational landscape has evolved, so has its internal narrative developed a cohesive explanation of who they are, what they plan to do, and how, through their magazine, Dabiq. This essay uses the narratives present in the magazine to analyze the intersection between enemy focus and state sovereignty. The findings suggest that the organization is morphing in to a sovereign state with a very distinct rhetoric dictating friend versus foe. As Western forces become more involved with the group, understanding how its members see themselves will be paramount to mounting a comprehensive assault.
Lambert, Brianna | Bridging the Gap: Addressing the Sex vs. Labor Divide in the US Anti-Human Trafficking Field
For those involved in the anti-trafficking field, the discrepancy between the amount of funding, resources, and publicity for sex and labor trafficking initiatives is often pronounced. Considering the severity of both subsets of human trafficking, it can be puzzling why such a discrepancy continues to shape anti-trafficking campaigns and agendas around the US. Some scholars have sought to unpack this curious divide; however, there is a distinct lack of professional perspectives on the subject within existing literature. By conducting personal interviews with members of the US anti-trafficking community on why this distinction persists, how important it is in practice, and whether or not we should do something about it, I attempt to bridge the gap between anti-trafficking professionals and academic scholars on how we can best combat human trafficking in the future.
Leidy, Emily | Terrorists are Better at Chatting than Hacking
I examined whether or not the Sunni terrorist organization ISIS is technologically advanced by comparing their posts to posts from supposedly advanced hacking groups such as Anonymous. This provides a baseline to determine if ISIS uses more technical language than other terrorist groups, which would imply their relative technological advancement. I analyzed 37 ISIS Twitter accounts and compared them to 36 Anonymous Twitter accounts. To supplement, I also tracked and analyzed 4 active Telegram channels. I found that both ISIS and Anonymous were better at talking, or posting, than hacking. Anonymous used more technological language than ISIS and there was a statistically significant difference between the Twitter presence of Anonymous and that of ISIS. I conclude that although ISIS utilizes bots and is attempting to expand their hacking knowledge, their cyber capabilities are still limited and comprise a small part of their overall operation.
Masters, Nicholas | Is Charismatic Leadership Essential for Genocide? A Case Study of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and the Islamic State
This thesis applies historic and modern definitions and interpretations of charismatic leadership to the case of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State. By analyzing a variety of sources including Dabiq (the Islamic State magazine), academic literature, and academic articles written about the Islamic State, this thesis explores whether Al-Baghdadi’s relationship to the Islamic State qualifies him as either a “charismatic leader” or one with a “cult of personality.” This thesis also looks at how the presence of either relationship has contributed to the Islamic State’s execution of genocide against individuals across Syria and Iraq.
McCarthy, Fiona | International Hopes, National Dissent: The Deteriorating Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union
Using the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union as a case study, this report details several landmark court rulings to explore reasons for compliance or noncompliance with international law. The existing literature on the subject chiefly argues that nations only agree to international law when it is convenient for their national interest, and authors have most often used a broad survey of country data, court rulings, and historical analysis to back this claim. While this paper does not directly refute the national interest theory, it explores a single country with a greater degree of depth than is common in the literature. There seems to be no one particular reason for compliance, but two major reasons influencing noncompliance. These two reasons, politicization of these major cases and public opinion towards them, arise out of cases where the state has a compelling, if not always rational, reason not to cooperate with the ruling, and exaggerates the broader political, legal, and social implications of each case, with negative consequences for international cooperation in general.
Memon, Areeka | A Newspaper Content Analysis of Cross-National Differences in the Nationalism and Sensationalism of Public Health Media Coverage
This paper analyzes how newspapers in three of the most populous countries in the world, the U.S., China, and Pakistan, frame three major public health issues including, Ebola, malaria, and HIV/AIDS in terms of national and international interests as well as how sensational each country is in their coverage of these public health issues. Contrary to a prevailing view in the scholarly literature, I did not find that newspapers in any of the three countries were particularly sensational. The country with the most sensational newspaper articles is the U.S. and the country with the least sensational newspaper articles is Pakistan. The U.S. newspaper articles about these diseases are more likely to have an international focus, and the Pakistani newspaper articles are more likely to have a national focus. HIV/AIDS had the most sensational newspaper articles overall, and HIV/AIDS also had the most nationalistic newspaper articles.
Merritt, Isabelle | An Analysis of German Bundestag Speeches to Determine Refugee Sentiment Over Parties Regions, and Time
Among European countries, Germany is accepting the highest number of refugees from the Syrian Civil War. This paper examines refugee sentiment using latent content analysis of speeches in the Bundestag, the lower level of the German federal legislature. I examine how refugee sentiment is tied to party allegiance, regional economics, and changes over time. The findings suggest party allegiance is the most significant factor in determining a Bundestag member’s refugee sentiment with 100% of Die Grünen and Die Linke, 78.9% of the SPD, and only 15.6% of the CDU/CSU speaking positively towards refugees. Regional economics has no real effect on refugee sentiment. Support for refugees decreases notably over time, specifically in the SPD and CDU/CSU parties, providing evidence against the contact theory of immigration and suggesting that this refugee crisis is regarded differently from migration in the past.
Morlock, Erik | Refugees in the Media: An Analysis of Perceptions of Refugees in the US and Sweden
There are many potential reasons why one might believe Sweden is more receptive to immigrants and refugees than the United States. However, the United States was built on being a melting pot for immigrants from all over the world. There are also many reasons to believe neither of these countries would be receptive to refugees. This inspired an analysis of current media perception of refugees from Swedish and American news sources. A latent and manifest analysis of editorials and opinion pieces from the sources show conflicting answers regarding the question of the country that is more favorable to refugees. This is furthermore unclear because of the relative difference in refugee populations between the two countries.
Simon, Jackson | Precision Guided Slingshot: The Effect of Precision Guided Anti-Ship Munitions on American Power Projection
The development and proliferation of Precision Guided Munitions has increased the effective range and potency of weapons platforms, and altered the strategic landscape. This paper examines the effectiveness of PGMs in the Strait of Hormuz, and its impact on American power projection capabilities in an environment of accurate, survivable precision guided threats. It highlights the future vulnerabilities of legacy doctrine in an Anti-Access/Area-Denial environment through a comparison of current force capabilities and a scenario analysis of an attempted closure of the Strait of Hormuz. By weighing the significance of specific capabilities of precision guided weapons systems, and the concomitant political and strategic ramifications, this paper ties together operational planning and political analysis in Iranian-American relations.
Staff, Olivia | Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy Decisions: A Historiography of Western Interpretations
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has befuddled Western leaders since he first ascended to power in 1999. Since that time, countless policy and behavioral theories have been created in order to provide clarity into his decision-making. This paper tracks the shifts in Western interpretations of his foreign policy over the past 17 years. Before the terrorist attacks on the United States on 9/11, scholars debated if Putin’s intentions were pro or anti West or pro or anti American. After 9/11 this debate was settled for a short time, when scholars reached a consensus that Putin was a pro-US actor. However, this honeymoon period was short-lived. Since the beginning of the US war in Iraq, Western interpretations of Putin’s foreign policy decisions have been riddled with a sense of distrust, culminating in the strained relations of today.
Stapleton, Lauren | Investigating the Link Between Economics and Terrorism: An Analysis of AQAP’s Motivations
The link between economics and terrorism has been a frequently debated topic in the last 15 years. Many people who believe that poverty serves as a breeding ground for terrorism cite AQAP’s success in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the world. For this paper, I read all 14 issues of AQAP’s official publication, Inspire, to see if the authors suggested economic grievances as an incentive for recruitment or as a motivation for their actions. Ultimately, I found very little evidence to suggest a link between economics and terrorism. The paragraphs containing economic motivations accounted for less than 9% of the overall paragraphs listing incentives to support AQAP’s cause. Political and religious motivations made up 44% and 47%, respectively.
Taylor, Carly | The “T-Word” – Why French Journalists Were Most Likely to Define What Happened at Abu Ghraib as Torture: A Latent Content Analysis of International Media Coverage, 2004-2005
This paper is a continuation of a study that compared how the 2004 Abu Ghraib prison story was defined by journalists around the globe. I assert that due to social identity theory, vocal French opposition to the Iraq war, and a cultural memory of French torture practices in the Algerian War, French journalists were more likely than any other group to define what happened at Abu Ghraib as torture. I found that French journalists defined what happened at Abu Ghraib as torture in 73.5% of news articles, whereas other non-Anglo (German, Italian, and Spanish) journalists used the word torture in 66.1% of articles and American journalists used the word torture in just 19.2% of articles. Media coverage of Abu Ghraib also varied within France between the relatively right and left wing newspapers in France. The results do not indicate a convincing statistical relationship between a cultural memory of French torture practices in the Algerian War and the likelihood of defining what happened at Abu Ghraib as torture.