Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Civil-Military Relations))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2010. / Thesis Advisor(s): Bruneau, Thomas ; Ear, Sophal. "March 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on April 26, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Private military companies, Private security companies, Civil-military relations, Regulation of private military companies, Contractors. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-100). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Far East, Southeast Asia, Pacific))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2010. / Thesis Advisor(s): Miller, Alice L. Second Reader: Twomey, Christopher P. "March 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on April 26, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: China, PRC, PLA, Crisis, Crisis Management, Collective Decision Making, Stress, Rationality, Cybernetic, "Muddling Through", Institutionalism, Incrementalism, Servomechanism, Fragmentation, Rules, Organizational Routine, Information Channel, Case Study, Uncertainty, Adaptation, Belgrade Embassy Bombing, EP-3, SARS, ASAT, Sichuan Earthquake. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-116). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S. in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy)--Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Advanced Warfighting School, 2006. / "14 Apr 2006." Electronic version of original print document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-74).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School. / "March 2007." Includes bibliographical references (p. 37). Also available online from the Web site of the Naval Postgraduate School (http://www.nps.edu).

No description available.

This thesis seeks to explain the discursive construction of national security threats facing the United States from 2001-2018. The driving argument is that the nation's perception of threats and conceptualization of itself are vulnerable to Presidential rhetoric. Presidents convey threats through rhetorical frameworks, a simplified means to present a manipulated perception of reality to a wider audience, which intentionally provoke reactions from the nation to garner consensus towards executive decision-making. Presidents apply frames from prior administrations as well as new frames to define adverse states, organizations, groups of people, etc., and to justify disciplinary practices, military action, or policy implementation against threats. Primarily, they portray threats as the binary opposite of the American national identity to reinforce the country's legitimacy in national security decision-making. This discourse influences how the public internalizes major issues facing the nation and triggers emotions that can either unite or divide the national identity. This research maps variation among the rhetorical frameworks and strategies of President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, and President Donald J. Trump to evaluate: how national security threats are constructed, how the nation interprets threats, and the resulting social and political effects. / Master of Arts

No description available.

The Soviet-U.S. rapprochement in the late 1980s ended one of the bitterest rivalries of modern history. Before this landmark event, the study of accommodation as a security strategy hardly received its fair share of attention in international relations theories. This thesis attempts to add to the growing body of work on the dynamics of accommodation. Specifically, it analyzes accommodative moves of Pakistan vis-a-vis India, thereby studying the dynamics of accommodation in the context of developing states. Four cases are studied in depth: first, the Indus Waters Treaty (1960); second, the Tashkent Declaration (1966); third, Post-Brasstacks Accommodative Moves (1987); and finally, Post-1990 Accommodative Moves. This thesis argues that three factors are particularly important in the initiation of accommodation in the developing world, namely, (1) decision-makers' desire to minimize losses (in the external politico-military sphere, the internal economic sphere and the internal political sphere), (2) their commitment to serious domestic reforms and (3) the involvement of a powerful third party that exercises leverage over both adversaries.

No description available.