Honors Theses (Political Science)

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Browsing Honors Theses (Political Science) by Title

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    The European coffee-house : a political history
    (University of Oregon, 2007-06) Intile, Kelly
    From the early sixteenth century to the Industrial Revolution, coffee-houses spread from the Middle East throughout Europe and grew into important political, economic, and social institutions. This paper investigates the role of the coffee-house in developing and promoting these concepts and relates the ways in which the European coffee-house gave rise to such organizations as the London Stock Exchange and Lloyd's of London. As liberal political ideology developed, the coffee-house, especially in England, became the forum through which the notions of freedom of speech and the public sphere emerged, and this thesis pays particular attention to the impact of coffeehouse culture on the development of these concepts. It also gives an account of the subsequent decline in influence of English coffee-houses, chronicling those cultural, political, and financial changes that transformed the European coffee-house from an epicenter of urban activity into an obsolete institution. Finally, it compares these traditional European coffee-houses with post-WWII coffee bars and twenty-first century "Starbucks revolution"-era coffee shops, contrasting the role of modem coffee-houses with that of their seventeenth and eighteenth century European predecessors.
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    In defense of homeland, pork, or ideology? : a statistical analysis of congressional support for ballistic missile defense systems
    (University of Oregon, 2006-06) Byers, Chelsea R.
    Congress and the executive support the continued development of ballistic missile defense systems. Since the Bush administration came into office in 2001, the United States has pulled out ofthe Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty and revamped research and development funding for this defense initiative, asking as much as 9 billion dollars per year. This thesis analyzes the strategic problems associated with the implementation ofthese systems and moving the United States from a deterrence-based nuclear posture to a defense-based one. It concludes with a statistical analysis of factors in each US Senator's background that might have influenced the probability of their voting against constraining the program in June 2004 using probit regression methodology.
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    Preserving the Myth: British and French Relations with the United States Following World War II
    (University of Oregon, 2002-06) Hein, James Kenneth
    At the conclusion of World War II, France and Great Britain were both declining imperial world powers attempting to minimize their loss of influence and prestige. Given similar situations, the two nations nevertheless adopt drastically differing foreign policies. This paper examines both nations' situations following the war in order to ascertain why. The conclusion is that Great Britain was able to maintain its influence by adopting policies in line with those of the United States, which was not a large sacrifice for the British. France, in contrast, was in a reduced state and had to reassert its independence in order to preserve the image of power. Further, the French had a substantially different position regarding postwar Germeny, and its foreign policy, therefore, ovelapped much less with the United States than Great Britain's did. Close American ties would therefore have come at too great a sacrifice.
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    Reacting to Atrocities: United States Foreign Policy and Humanitarian Intervention in the 1990s
    (University of Oregon, 2005-05) Robinson-Wilson, John
    In the period from 1991 to 1995, three major humanitarian crises took place; in the former Yugoslavia, in Somalia, and in Rwanda hundreds of thousands of people were killed. This period coincides with the end of the Soviet Union and the consequent advent of American hegemony. This paper explores why the United States did not intervene in these crises, or did not do so until the crisis was well advanced. It examines the domestic, personal, and international constraints and considerations acting on U.S. policymakers that led to their adopting specific policies of non-intervention.
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    The struggle for autonomy : finding a balance between Westernization and tradition in Sarayacu, Ecuadorian Amazon
    (University Of Oregon, 2007-03) Nussbaum, Benjamin
    The Sarayacu are an indigenous community in the Ecuadorian Amazon struggling to maintain they define as their traditions and culture in the face of territorial challenges by outside interests. The influx of modem Western technology, material goods and culture due to globalization has changed the community. To protect their rights, it is necessary for them to incorporate some Western technology, but they have also adopted some amenities purely for convenience. They are now working to limit how this affects daily life, establishing a precarious balance between incorporating aspects of Western technology and culture and maintaining traditional customs and practices. If they incorporate too much from the West, the Sarayacu risk losing their identity. If they do not incorporate enough, they risk not being able to protect their rights. Maintaining this balance is particularly important in their struggle for autonomy because the government is looking for any reason to reject the community's claim for self-determination in their territory. Furthermore, to maintain credible claims with the Ecuadorian government, Sarayacu officials must try to maintain at least the appearance of a certain degree of traditionality. In this the balance will be discussed in the following six areas: (1) culture and the maintenance of ancestral knowledge, (2) management of land and natural resources, (3) health, (4) education, (5) money, and (6) cultural tourism and ecotourism. All of these areas are important in the establishment and maintenance of selfdetermination and the struggle for autonomy in their territory. In the struggle for autonomy, it is necessary to gain outside support. The search for outside support, however, illuminates many problems the Sarayacu face because of their identification as an indigenous group. To cultivate relationships with local indigenous and non-indigenous groups as well as national and international organizations, community officials take advantage of something called "symbolic capital," described as the resources available to the Sarayacu because of the outside perception of them as "bearers of tradition." By using symbolic capital, community leaders are employing something called strategic essentialism because of the simplistic nature in which it portrays the community. These conflicts over identity affect everything the community administrators try to do in their struggle for autonomy. Despite these difficulties, the Sarayacu, as a community, provide a good example for other indigenous communities on how to deal with outside pressures to modernize, while maintaining strong ties to tradition and culture.
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    TRAMMELING AND TRENCHING: LEGISLATIVE ENTRENCHMENT AND THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE
    (2008-07-22T20:26:01Z) Bruce, Gavin William
    Legislative entrenchment refers to the procedure by which one legislature insulates its acts from repeal or emendation through binding requirements on a subsequent legislature. It is commonly viewed as a tenet of U.S. Constitutional thought that legislative entrenchment is an unconstitutional legislative procedure. Although this principle appears clear to many academics, recent scholarship has surfaced that questions this commonly held belief. This thesis will reaffirm the validity of anti-entrenchment principles through examining the framerâ s opposition to supermajoritarian requirements and key Supreme Court opinions. The study will introduce the area of substantive entrenchment, which tackles the ambiguity that surrounds some policy issues that effectively become entrenched in the law, an area that has seen little research. Further discussion investigates the public trust doctrine, a theory with its foundation in anti-entrenchment philosophy that allows the current legislature to act freely when dealing with some private contracts. The conclusion will be reached that although a few issues are beyond the government action, the public trust doctrine is a legitimate tool for legislatures and courts to use that will shrink the areas where substantive entrenchment is valid.
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    Why consociationalism has not united Iraq
    (University of Oregon, 2007-05) Rees, Ashley A.
    This thesis examines the reasons that consociational theory has been unable to unite Iraq's disparate religious and ethnic communities and prevent sectarian violence. It describes, analyzes and applies Arend Lijphart's theory of consociationalism to Iraq in order to determine if the resulting instability stemmed from theoretical flaws, problems in its application, or if specific characteristics of Iraqi culture caused the power-sharing model to fail. In light of scholarly support for a consociational government i,n Iraq, this proj ect will explore if consociationalism was attempted in Iraq, and if so, what went wrong in its implementation. To do so, this thesis analyzes Iraq's constitutional provisions in light of Lijphart's theory to determine that it was consociational. Having established this, the thesis then highlights the divisive nature of Iraq's constitutional process and the intensified Shi'a-Sunni tensions that resulted. Lastly, it considers theoretical criticisms of consociationalism with regard to Iraq, specifically highlighting the role of key Shi'a and Sunni leaders in eroding inter-ethnic relations. This analysis of consociationalism's failure in Iraq highlights the points of departure from inter-group cooperation in Iraq and draw conclusions about the causes for current Shi'a-Sunni tensions.