Honors Theses (Global Studies)

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The Department of Global Studies is formerly known as the Department of International Studies.

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Browsing Honors Theses (Global Studies) by Title

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Amnesty’s Success in Transitional Justice and Human Rights; Spain, Chile, and South Africa as Case Studies
    (University of Oregon, 2022-06) Feuerherdt, Lucy
    This honors thesis examines the success of amnesty laws, relative to other mechanisms of transitional justice and redressing past human rights violations; it is my intention to understand if amnesty is a successful mechanism for countries transitioning to democracy after repressive periods. I demonstrate my research through a literature review of subjects and academic principles related to amnesty including concepts of justice, the human rights system, state- sanctioned violence, transitional justice, and amnesty laws. In addition to a review of the relevant literature, I utilize a case study analysis of three countries: Spain, Chile, and South Africa all used amnesty laws during their transitions to democracy in ways that are distinct from one another. These case studies provide a greater understanding of what makes an amnesty law successful and effective. The insight from the relevant literature along with the comparison and analysis from the case studies demonstrate that amnesty laws can be successful if implemented under a specific set of principles. I argue that the essential factors to an amnesty law’s success include the circumstances and state of the nation when amnesty is implemented, how additional transitional justice mechanisms are used, and if there are specific criteria within the amnesty law.
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    Developing a European security and defense identity : past failures, present dilemmas, and the future of EU military cooperation
    (University of Oregon, 2001-08) Spath-Espiau, Renee
    The European Union (EU) is an alliance of 15 Westem European nations that coordinate on economic, social, judicial, and political issues. In 1991, the EU decided to begin collaboration among its members' foreign and security policies. The goal of a common European military identity had been previously attempted by several EU members, but with little success. The early 1990s Balkan crisis provided the EU with a perfect opportunity to unite on a plan for concerted military action, yet the European countries could not agree on how to address the situation. This failure highlighted the EU's need to refine its decision-making process and work with an existing security organization in order to accomplish its ambitious goal of military cooperation. By examining past relations, present developments, and future plans between organizations, it became obvious that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would be the most likely partner for EU military cooperation.
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    The GAP and human rights : Turkey's successes and conflicts with sustainable development in the Kurdish region of Southeast Anatolia
    (University of Oregon, 2006-02) Hill, Julia Elizabeth
    The Turkish government first presented plans for the Southeast Anatolian Project (GAP by its Turkish acronym) in 1979. The project has built dams and hydroelectric plants on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Southeastern Turkey as a means to increase electricity generation and agricultural productivity. Full-scale civil war between the Turkish government and Kurdish separatists started in 1984, prompting a reevaluation of GAP goals. The GAP has since expanded to include human development projects as an attempt to quell regional violence and transform the poorest and most traditional region of the country into an integral part of the modem Turkish state. This thesis explores how the GAP has affected Kurdish rights in the region, where there is room for improvement in the GAP, and if sustainable development projects such as the GAP can be effective in reducing regional sectarian violence.
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    Multinational pharmaceutical investment in Asia : implications for Vietnam
    (University of Oregon, 1999-06) Hoang, Susan Nga
    The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the world. The emergence of foreign pharmaceutical companies in Asia is a very hot prospect for both the companies and the countries. Examining Japan's and Singapore's pharmaceutical industries, the two largest in Asia, provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses other countries and foreign companies should consider. Furthermore, comparing these characteristics with Vietnam's will provide insight into how Vietnam can be a contender as a host country to foreign pharmaceutical companies.
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    “Russian Heroes, French Zombies”: Diplomatic Tensions Between Great Powers in the Central African Republic
    (University of Oregon, 2023-06) Wickstrand, Justin
    This honors thesis examines the respective approaches of diplomatic engagement by Russia and France in the Central African Republic (CAR). Given the present competition between great powers on the African continent, much of the current discourse on this topic has a tendency to view this competition as a reemergence of the Cold War struggle over the “Third World,” specifically that which occurred in Africa. This thesis seeks to add to the present discourse by arguing that the notion of a Cold War redux in Africa is a reductionist approach that neglects the domestic priorities that are the veritable catalysts behind Russian and French engagement with Africa, specifically in the Central African Republic. The central aim of this project has been to analyze the motives and modes driving Russian and French engagement with the nation of the Central African Republic. By beginning with the historical background of France and the Soviet Union’s diplomatic engagement with Africa, I contextualize their patterns of diplomatic outreach and posit that the respective foreign policy legacies of the two powers contribute to their ability to act on the African continent today. Following this, I analyze the contemporary modes of engagement by France and Russia in the Central African Republic and evaluate the ways in which this has impacted their bilateral relationships with the CAR. By using a multimedia approach to primary source analysis in both English and French, I have been able to evaluate a wide-range of sources that contribute to the broader understanding of how diplomacy is being conducted on the African continent using the tools of the twenty-first century.
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    Vietnamese Americans and the myth of the model minority
    (University of Oregon, 1993-05) Li, Meredith A.
    The modem popular press has portrayed Asian Americans as a "model minority" whose phenomenal academic and professional achievements prove that they have assimilated into white middle-class society. However, the perpetrators of this model minority myth exaggerate the success of Asian Americans with misleading statistics. Furthermore, by focusing attention on only the achievements of Asian Americans, the model minority myth not only obscures the many serious socioeconomic problems in the Asian American community, but it also promotes discrimination. The model minority image is particularly inaccurate and damaging when it is applied to the Vietnamese Americans, who are even more disadvantaged than other Asian Americans by their lack of acculturation.