Government Honors Papers

The Will to Adapt: The Post 2008 US Economic Crisis and its Impact on Refugee Resettlement in the United States

Meredith Byrne — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:16:39 PDT

Defending a Growing Democracy: German Couterterrorism from 1970 to the Present

Edward Fisher — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:16:17 PDT

The Identity of Political Support: Personal Constituents, Gender, and Political Ambition

Hayley Sullivan — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:39:13 PDT

After Truth: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Media and Race Relations in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Jazmin Acuña Cantero — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:22:21 PDT

Emergency Response in Large-Scale Disasters: Lessons Learned and Implications for National Security

Ashton Rohmer — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:54:17 PDT

This work analyzes the domestic emergency management policy of the United States and the extent to which it reflects an imbalance in U.S. national security policy. It tests the thesis that despite the rhetoric of enhanced emergency management capabilities in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the U.S. still remains vulnerable to largescale domestic emergencies due to a lack of adequate planning and resources. This vulnerability stems from a failure to implement lessons learned from large-scale domestic incidents such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the Northeast Blackout of 2003. Since U.S. security policy is heavily focused on military and foreign policy issues, emergency response capabilities have not been a priority and are not substantial enough to respond effectively to a large-scale domestic emergency. However, the two policy areas, foreign/military and domestic, are interconnected and mutually dependent. Since the threat of terrorism can never be fully eradicated, foreign/military and domestic security policies should be balanced so that if and when another attack occurs, the U.S. can respond effectively.

This work uses the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Northeast Blackout of 2003, and the State of Connecticut’s emergency training exercises as case studies to test this thesis. Interviews with first responders provide additional original research to supplement the data gathered from online resources, articles, and government reports. The concluding chapter demonstrates why a more balanced approach to security policy, both domestic and foreign/military policy, is necessary if the U.S. is to be successful in the “war on terrorism.” This work proves the thesis that the U.S. still remains unprepared for another domestic terrorist attack or other large-scale domestic emergency, and provides recommendations to further enhance response capabilities.

Separated Children Fleeing Persecution: A Comparative Study of Asylum Policies in the U.K. and the U.S.

Sarah M. Howe — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:08:43 PDT

The Restriction of Civil Liberties during Times of Crisis: The Evolution of America's Response to National Military Threats

Matthew D. Fairman — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:37:36 PDT

This treatise explores the nature and significance of the threat posed to civil liberties during times of major national military crisis and evaluates changes in the nature of wartime repression over the course of American history. It tests the thesis that the evolution in Americans’ response to such crises has not been a simple progression toward increasing restraint on the part of federal, state, and local policymakers, as is sometimes assumed. Rather, major twentieth and twenty-first century developments related to the nature of threats to American national security and government capabilities to covertly repress dissent have interacted with evolutionary changes in the nature of wartime repression in reinforcing and conflicting ways. Because of those changes, modern crises will last longer, the restriction of civil liberties during wartime will increasingly be accomplished through covert forms of repression, and, therefore, the durability of wartime restrictions will be greater. In sum, during future crises, Americans’ civil liberties will be restricted for longer periods, with the return to normalcy after those crises becoming increasingly difficult. To test this thesis, this treatise uses the past major national military crises in American history as case studies. They include the Quasi-War with France at the end of the 18th century, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. The concluding chapter connects the “War on Terror” to these arguments. Overall, the case study analysis in Chapters I through V combined with the overarching assessment of historical changes in the nature of wartime repression and the durability of wartime restrictions in Chapter VI prove the validity of this thesis.

Smart People, Stupid Networks: The Internet’s Equalizing Influence on Political Discourse and Engagement

Joseph D. Backer — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:33:10 PDT

This study explores the impact and influences of the Internet on formalized political discourse and engagement during the last decade. It traces the traditions and conventions of predominantly top-down and elite-dominated methods of information dissemination and citizen mobilization, beginning with newspapers at the turn of the nineteenth century and progressing to the professionalization and specialization experienced during the twentieth century. These sustained patterns of limited influence for non-elites had a marginalizing effect on participation and understandings of democratic responsiveness. Since the emergence of the Internet as a widespread medium of communication, however, prevailing hierarchies of control over discourse and engagement have been challenged on a number of fronts. This study highlights many such challenges and argues that the Internet is an equalizing force that is counteracting the disproportionate levels of power held by political elites. It further underlines the complementary nature of the Internet to traditional forms of political expression, and the necessity of policies that will equip Americans with the confidence and experience necessary to realize the Internet’s potential as a political forum.

Static or Flux? Experience and the Evolution of Harry S. Truman's Decision-Making Process

Joanna A. Gillia — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:24:01 PDT

This honors papers does not have an abstract.

Running Against the Political Winds: How Gubernatorial Campaign Strategies Contribute to Mixed Partisan Outcomes in Simultaneous Gubernatorial and Presidential Elections

Christopher J. Devine — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:06:12 PDT

This study analyzes mixed partisan outcomes in simultaneous gubernatorial and presidential elections. It examines the twentieth century State Reorganization Movement that separated most gubernatorial elections from presidential elections, and evaluates the electoral consequences of these reforms against their stated aims. This study also attempts to provide an explanation for the occurrence of mixed partisan outcomes in simultaneous gubernatorial and presidential elections. It tests the thesis that campaign strategies of gubernatorial candidates and their state party organizations are the primary factors affecting state voter choice of gubernatorial and presidential candidates of different parties in the same election year. The methodology for testing this thesis incorporates data interpretation, media analysis, and case studies of two 2004 gubernatorial elections featuring personal interviews with campaign participants and observers. The data thus collected indicate the validity of this study’s thesis, albeit with minor qualifications. Yet conclusive quantitative data are not available to test the thesis further. As a result, this study is indicative but not conclusive.

Decentralization and Political Participation: Argentina and Chile in Comparative Perspective

Andrew W. Maki — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:22:04 PDT

This paper does not have an abstract.

Abstention and Exemption: American Exceptionalism and the International Criminal Court

Rebecca C. Hughes — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 08:22:59 PST

There is no abstract for this paper.