This paper examines U.S. political and social discourse on the 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict and attempts to better understand U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, specifically on Israel. By examining official U.S. government documents, media articles, and pop culture platforms, this project identifies dominant narratives within the United States on Israel and the Palestinian territories. The complicated notions of identity that were discursively expressed within the United States on the 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict are deconstructed and discussed to further the academic discussion on U.S. relations in the Middle East. / Master of Arts / This paper examines U.S. political and social discourse on the 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict and attempts to better understand U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, specifically on Israel. By examining official U.S. government documents, media articles, and pop culture platforms, this project identifies dominant narratives within the United States on Israel and the Palestinian territories. The complicated notions of identity that were discursively expressed within the United States on the 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict are deconstructed and discussed to further the academic discussion on U.S. relations in the Middle East.

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Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iran has visibly increased its work towards developing a nuclear program. This is alarming to many because Iran's ambitions for its nuclear program are unclear and whether it is on a quest for nuclear weapons is unknown. The Iranian government is largely anti-West, anti-Israel, and now, with the downfall of Iraq, is in a position to spread its influence throughout the Middle East. This thesis examines the evolution of the Iranian nuclear program, the relationship between the United States and Iran and how this relationship will likely have a significant influence on the ability of Iran to develop a nuclear program. The goal is to assess the current status of the situation and examine the possible policies the United States could implement towards Iran and its nuclear program. / Master of Arts

The general thrust of this research was to determine to what degree and how ethnic groups in the United States influence Congressional foreign policy-making process. To do this, the research focused on the African-Americans' influence on Congressional foreign policy initiatives toward South Africa. Specifically, the research determined, measured, and analyzed the statistical significance between the African-American policy preference and in-puts, and the Congressional roll-call votes on the Anti-Apartheid legislations of 1985 and 1986. In summary, this research followed this pattern: (a) We first looked at the group under study by identifying its interests and policy preferences; (b) We described the linkages between the group and the policy makers; (c) We analyzed the decision making process and activities of the group in attempting to affect that process; (d) We described the decision/policy output and compared it to the interests and policy preferences of the African-Americans; {e) We also described and analyzed other factors which might have influenced the policy output; and (f) We concluded that the African-Americans influenced Congressional foreign policy initiatives toward South Africa.

International conflicts are becoming more complex. Many involve multiple intra-state parties with multiple and at times opposing interests. With increasing globalization and the resulting growth in connectivity, the United States and other Western nations will likely find themselves increasingly involved in these conflicts. Recent history has shown that the ‘military option’ is not as effective as previously thought in dealing with inter-state conflicts. Thus, studies that explore other options in the management and resolution of these conflicts are critical. This thesis will explore and analyze the option of a systems theory based model as a model for conflict resolution by specifically analyzing the use of such a model in the present conflict in Yemen.

ABSTRACT Realism is considered one of the most prominent schools of thought for foreign policy strategies. Realism focuses on the notion of self-interest that often gives a sense of security that earns the favor with many U.S. policymakers and ordinary people as well. This style of foreign policy has often required the United States to intervene in the affairs of developing nations in order to protect its assets. Now many of those nations, destabilized by U.S. intervention, are causing serious issues on the world stage. Some of modern history's most notorious revolutions have spurred out of years of foreign intervention. The Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the 1979 revolutions in both Iran and Nicaragua are the direct result of U.S. intervention. The United States has never had a clear foreign policy except to protect itself from perceived threats to national security. Although this may seem like a simple, safe strategy it seems that every conflict ends in the same confusion surrounding the actual objective of the United States government. The solution is a new look at the effectiveness of realist based interventionism. It can be argued that rather than focusing on failed realist strategy, actual promotion of liberalism and protection of human rights, will eventually result in greater economic and political gain for the United States.

This thesis explores whether President Ronald Reagan's policies on Chile and Nicaragua met his intended goals of promoting the spread of liberal democracy and countering Soviet influence in the region. Using a case studies approach to analyze Reagan's foreign policies in Chile and Nicaragua, the thesis seeks to inform conclusions about his success and failure in U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. The study examined whether Reagan achieved success in these two countries by using the key tenets of the Reagan Doctrine, the principal expression of the campaign to gain public support for the strengthening of governments and anti-government forces on the side of free democratic capitalism and the weakening of governments and anti-government forces on the side of Marxist-Leninism. The tenets of the Reagan Doctrine include: regimes that were not aligned with communism; national economies that did not rely upon the Soviet Union and that had open trade with the U.S. and stronger private sectors; and regimes that cooperated with the U.S. government. This thesis is both relevant and timely as U.S. presidents continue to involve themselves in the affairs of other nations. It seeks to contribute to the ongoing debate on the necessity and practicality of influencing affairs in countries around the world so that they will align themselves politically and ideologically with the United States and to provide lessons for future U.S. presidents as they create their own foreign policy agendas. / Master of Arts

Doctor of Philosophy / Security Studies Interdepartmental Program / Jeffrey J. Pickering / In 2008, Ambassador’s Neumann and Pickering wrote letters to Senator’s Obama and McCain, with recommendations on qualifications for US Ambassador’s. Both Senator’s had recently received their party’s nomination for President, and Neumann and Pickering took the opportunity to suggest qualifications they believed were necessary for US ambassadors to perform their diplomatic tasks better. Their letters suggested that career ambassadors perform better, and they recommended that political appointees be limited to ten percent. The historical average has been roughly thirty percent. They also recommended that ambassadors have previous regional experience, and be knowledgeable about the countries in which they would be assigned, as well as speak the local language. What their letters were missing was evidence these traits actually make a difference in how well ambassadors perform their roles. In fact, this evidence is missing from the extant literature describing ambassadorial roles and responsibilities. This dissertation seeks to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze Neumann’s and Pickering’s qualifications, marking the first time this important subject has been examined using social science methodology.

This thesis is an analysis of the motivations behind U.S. efforts to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapons program. It argues that U.S. actions must be viewed within a larger context; specifically it must be viewed from the perspective of the overall interests of the U.S. in the Middle East. These interests include ensuring access to Middle Eastern oil, protecting the state of Israel and eliminating security threats, to the U.S. and its allies, especially from terrorist organizations. The thesis examines U.S.-Iran’s relationship over the nuclear issues a historical context, beginning with Eisenhower Administration. It is guided by the insights derived from the realist paradigm in International Relations theory which stresses national interest, defined in terms of power as the major determinant in state behaviour. The study shows that the U.S. was quite supportive of Iran developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes only when relations between the two states were cordial. However, since the Islamic Revolution of the late 1970s, the relationship has been marked by hostility on both sides, and importantly, by American attempts to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions, particularly its goal of developing a nuclear weapons program, and the latter’s efforts to circumvent these. An Iran in possession of nuclear weapons is seen as a dangerous threat to Middle Eastern stability and, of course, to U.S. interests in the region.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Over the last decade the Catholic Church in Cuba has experienced a changing relationship with the Castro regime. The Church, it seems, has been able to find more space within which to operate despite the historically significant decades of repression after the 1959 Revolution. The Papal Visit of 1998 further enhanced this growth of the Church in Cuban society and acted as an accelerator of positive change. This thesis examines Church-State relations in Cuba from an international, domestic, and individual perspective focusing mainly on events leading up to and after the Papal visit. / Lieutenant, United States Navy