This dissertation analyzes a fundamental and ubiquitous facet of Lebanese politics that has been relatively absent from scholarship -- the strategic interaction that occurs amongst and between domestic and regional/extra-regional actors. In Lebanon's complicated political landscape which individuals, political parties or countries are necessary for...
On September 6, 2006, President George W. Bush declared that the so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” program “has saved lives” and “remains vital to the security of the United States, and our friends and allies.” Yet, the President’s speech marked the closing of the CIA’s secret prisons where detainees had been routinely tortured. By the ...
This dissertation addresses the argument that there may not be room for cooperation in relations with (and in between) states with authoritarian systems of rule because international conflicts may strengthen their hold on power. To this end, it asks 1) whether authoritarian regimes benefit in terms of their duration in power from conflict, 2) wheth...
Over the last 15 years, Japan’s security policy has undergone significant qualitative and quantitative changes. Prime Minister Abe’s strained relationship with China, and subsequent promotion of collective self-defense and increased power projection capabilities has renewed alarmism of Japanese remilitarization. Realists contend the changing intern...
Since 1945, violent conflict has occurred primarily within sovereign states rather than among them. These internal conflicts have far surpassed international conflicts in lethality, economic destruction, and social upheaval. This phenomenon is diverse: no region has avoided civil wars, while the stated aims of rebel groups have ranged widely. Promi...
This thesis examines the difficulties encountered in the process of establishing the CommonEuropean Asylum System, taken from a discursive perspective. The focus of the study isthreefold; why are specific issues highlighted by the European Union Member States, how isthe discursive conflict expressed within the discourse on CEAS, and what definition...
From the Treaty on European Union (1992) to the Treaty of Lisbon (2007), democracy became a central element in the constitutionalization of the European Union. Over these twenty-five years, democracy was embedded in the institutions and practices of the European Union in two primary respects. First, following the controversial the ratification of t...
This dissertation asks: when do international courts promote cooperation among countries? I argue that international courts can successfully restore economic relations between disputing governments but their impact depends on domestic politics. When confronted with an adverse legal ruling from an international court, a defendant government must det...
Faced with the pressure to demonstrate scientific and humanitarian progress on the international stage, Spanish children’s welfare advocates worked over the course of the twentieth century to emulate international services, projects, and programs in the service of children’s health and welfare. Spanish children’s welfare specialists used the nation...
This dissertation addresses the argument that there may not be room for cooperation in relations with (and in between) states with authoritarian systems of rule because international conflicts may strengthen their hold on power. To this end, it asks 1) whether authoritarian regimes benefit in terms of their duration in power from conflict, 2) wheth...
