Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / US national security strategy calls for the use of military force to shape cultures beyond US borders. However, the relationship between the use of force and changes in cultural processes is poorly understood. Operationalizing culture as socially transmitted behavior, and treating culture systematically using open systems theory, best allows us to understand the perils and prospects of acting upon culture with force. In particular, this thesis explores the narrative and storytelling dimensions of culture, offering a theory of story that can be used to drive innovative counter-terrorism strategies and structure general principles for prevailing in the "story war." Using case studies from the British Iraqi Mandate on the failure to treat culture systemically and from Hizballah on the generation of surrogate consciousness and alternate identity, the analysis derives general guidance for strategists and policymakers concerned about the force and culture equation. It can be used to generate new research programs in counter-terrorism (such as exploring the neural mechanisms undergirding radicalization), fill in gaps in intelligence collection and analysis, and pave the way for modeling and simulation of the force/culture interaction for the purposes of planning good effects-based operations. / Outstanding Thesis

This research effort analyzes the cost of the current war in Iraq and the corruption that is siphoning funds away from the war effort through economic corruption by Iraqis and by United States citizens and American corporations, most notably Haliburton and its subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root. In order to help limit corruption and aid economic growth through its own resources, many economists to include Looney, Robert have proposed the creation of an oil fund, similar to the one the state of Alaska uses where its citizens receive a direct distribution of funds from the state government. This analysis adds to that idea by looking at the types of corruption that is currently on going and the cultural and psychological reasons why Iraqis are joining terrorist and insurgent organizations. In doing so, the United States may be able better address the key the center of gravity of any insurgency, the population. / US Air Force (USAF) author.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) modernization efforts and how banking reforms are instrumental to that effort. China must modernize its weaponry in order for the PLA to be a credible military force and enable China to continue its rise as a regional and global power. Bank reforms are one methodology for continued PLA modernization because the PLA desperately needs significant and sustained defense budget expenditures in order to bring the PLA into the 21st century. PLA modernization expenditures will have to compete with other societal reform programs for the windfall from an expanding economy. As China becomes older, wealthier, and more urbanized, Chinese Communist Party leaders will come under increasing pressure to provide more social services to its citizens. Defense expenditures and PLA modernization efforts will have to compete with additional government spending on pensions, health care, public infrastructure and the environment. Continued banking reform is an essential component to grow the Chinese economy and secure the significant and sustained defense spending that is critical to the PLA modernization effort. / US Air Force (USAF) author.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / This thesis examines the history of insurgency in Tibet with an eye to the future. It offers background about the historical relations between Tibet and China in order to highlight why Tibet feels it is an independent country while China believes Tibet has always been an integral part of China. Next, the Tibetan insurgency against the Communist Chinese (1956- 1974) is examined to determine reasons for its failure. The thesis then moves on to address Chinese measures taken to preclude a future Tibetan insurgency to include an analysis of those Chinese measures that have been successful, and to consider where conditions conducive to insurgency currently exist in Tibet. Finally, the conditions necessary for a successful future insurgency in Tibet are delineated. / http://hdl.handle.net/10945/1030 / Major, United States Air Force

Thesis (M.A.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2002. / Thesis advisor(s): Harold Trinkunas, Jeanne Giraldo. Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-79). Also available online.

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor: Gregg, Heather S. Second Reader: Freeman, Michael E. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on February 1, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Hezbollah, Hizbullah, Al Qaeda in Iraq, Insurgency, Counterinsurgency, Socially Embedded Insurgent Groups, Social Movement Theory. Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-72). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, Dec., 2001. / Thesis advisor(s): Robert E. Looney, Harold A. Trinkunas. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-71). Also available online.

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Anna Simons, David C. Tucker. Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-154). Also available online.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2007. / Thesis Advisor(s): Jeanne Giraldo, Harold Trinkunas. "June 2007." Title from title page of PDF document (viewed on: Mar 21, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-63).

Thesis (B.A.Hons. 1979) from the Department of History, University of Adelaide.