The thesis analyzes the capability transformation process of NATO to measure the progress made by the European NATO member states in narrowing the capability gap between the United States and European forces. Since the end of the Cold War, the capability gap among the NATO members has become a major concern because it hinders NATO's operational ability. Operation Allied Force and new strategic and operational challenges of the 21st century have driven NATO's capability transformation process. The thesis analyzes NATO military capabilities exhibited in Operation Allied Force by analyzing the individual national contributions of the Allies to highlight the imbalance in the capabilities of the Alliance. The thesis then examines the capability transformation process regarding the commitments made by the Allies at the Washington, Prague and Istanbul Summits to reinforce capabilities for modern warfare in high threat environments and narrow the growing capability gap. It focuses on the decisions and achievements of each summit to measure the progress made by the European NATO member states in bridging the capabilities gap between the United States and European forces. To do this, it analyzes military expenditures, defense capabilities, national regulations and strategies that slowed down or reinforced the capability transformation process. The conclusion is that, despite encouraging trends in the capability transformation process, the balance in the military capabilities continues to favor the United States by a wide margin.

The purpose of this study, is to establish the thesis that Brian Moore's predominant concern with the characterization of his individual protagonists influences both the form and content of his first seven novels. Chapters I and II discuss the effect of Moore's interest in character on the structural elements of plot and point of view. Chapter I describes the typical Moore plot which traces the gradual transformation of the character of the protagonist as the result of a series of disillusioning events which climax in a moment of revised self-recognition. Thus, plot is operative in determining character. The most striking aspect of Moore's narrative technique, discussed in Chapter II, is his accomplished mixing of first and third-person narration. As a consequence, Moore is able to present the protagonist with the objectivity of third-person narration at the same time as he advances the protagonist's subjective view in the first-person. In all Moore's novels, however, the emphasis on the protagonist's view ensures that his personality dominates the narrative. Chapters III and IV deal with the elaborate patterns of language and image which illuminate Moore's novels. Chapter III links the unique linguistic quality of each novel to its source in the language, character, and situation of the protagonist, while Chapter IV describes the patterns of imagery which reveal the protagonist's vision of himself and of his world. In the latter chapter, the several methods by which Moore depicts the physical and psychological qualities of his characters are discussed as well as his special visualization of each novel in its entirety. Both chapters argue that Moore's considerable skills in manipulating language and image find a focus in the central .character of each novel. Chapter V deals with the underlying ideas in Moore's fiction and, in particular, with the search for identity which is fundamental to all seven novels. Like Moore's protagonists, who are themselves ordinary human beings, Moore's themes are founded in common human experience. And so, the discussion of thematic content which concludes this study illustrates yet another area in which Moore's concern with the portrayal of character influences his fiction. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

The fictional worlds of Brian Moore's four novels are, in this thesis, explored for their relation to reality and to the action and overall effect of the novels. The argument rests on the premise that the nature of the world a novelist creates affects the action which is possible in the novel and predisposes that action to certain kinds of interpretation. It also assumes that for this sort of investigation, some workable description of a fictional world can be arrived at by examining such features as the selection of detail, the ordering principles, and the language with which that world is created, as well as the narrator's position in relation to the fiction. The introductory chapter is devoted to elaborating these premises and illustrating their application to modern fiction in a general way. The next four chapters analyse the fictional worlds in Brian Moore's four novels in order of publication, marking any discernable connection they have with the action of the novels and judging their influence on the reader's interpretation of the action. These chapters examine Moore’s techniques of projecting an illusion of reality, with occasional comparison with the methods of other novelists and more frequent comparisons among the four novels, designed to trace signs of development in his techniques. Chapter Two deals with Judith Hearne, tracing particularly the fate of the aging spinster's religious and romantic impulses in a world which might be described as rhetorically, as well as spiritually, constricting. In Chapter Three, the world of dehumanized social forces in The Feast of Lupercal is examined together with the failure of the Belfast schoolmaster Diarmuid Devine to offset these forces with any strong human qualities or values transcending the claims of social expedience. A large part of Chapter Four, dealing with The Luck of Ginger Coffey, Moore's only novel set in Canada, is concerned with developments in the author's techniques. Its fictional world is found to be larger, and to accommodate more of the individual humanity of his characters. Greater reliance on representational techniques has also affected the depth and range of interpretation of his fiction. Chapter Five, on Brian Moore's latest novel, An Answer from Limbo, is less a study of development than of innovation in the author's methods. The effect of first-person narration is examined, and the complication of the fictional world by the development of three distinct perspectives on the action, corresponding to the three main characters. The concluding chapter summarizes the similarities in the fictional worlds of the four novels, and attempts a general characterization of Moore's techniques of presenting an illusion of reality, relating them to the overall effects of his fiction. The differences traced in the earlier chapters are also drawn together in an effort to find some pattern of development in the changes. On the basis of this one characteristic of his fiction, Brian Moore is finally compared with other novelists as a means of estimating his position in the stream of modern fiction. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

The intention of this Graduate Thesis Project is to experiment with architectural design and planning tools in order to create an architectural environment where a live-work community of artists would have a chance to be established and thrive. I am interested to understand how to design dwellings and plan residential developments that would provide privacy and comfort for their residents, while becoming an integral and sustainable part of a larger community. A client (either a developer, or a committee of future residents), as well as local authorities are crucial in bringing the vision of a community to a fruition. However, an architect's idea, convincing opinion and knowledge about how a community can work are very necessary elements of any community development process. Architect's knowledge of the subject is a result of experience, as well as extensive research and self-education. Since I want to practice residential architecture, I decided to use my Graduate Thesis Project as a tool to research and explore issues related to the design of urban housing. Therefore, for my Thesis Project I have chosen to design a high-density residential/commercial complex for an artisan's community in Old Town Alexandria. The Project is set to explore these design issues: 1) urban live-work housing community, and how architecture can enhance it; 2) relation of private, public and transitional spaces; 3) pedestrian versus vehicular circulation; 4) modern building materials in the context of historic urban fabric; 5) use of a computer as a design and presentation tool. / Master of Architecture

Master of Architecture

Master of Architecture

Dissertation--Frankfurt (Oder)--Europa-Universität Viadrina.

(no abstract available) / Series: SRE - Discussion Papers

Univ., Diss.--St. Gallen, 2000.

by George D. Stamoulis and John N. Tsitsiklis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 24-26). / Cover title. "October 1990". / Research supported by the ARO. DAAL03-86-K-0171 Research supported by the NSF. ECS-8552419