The United States forward military presence in the Middle East has been on the rise for well over a decade. Recent polling data has indicated that favorable Arab public opinion of the United States and its foreign policy is in decline. This thesis explores the unfavorable opinions of the Arab world toward U.S. foreign policies, utilizing data from recent polls taken in several countries in the Middle East, and suggests a causal relationship between the development of unfavorable opinion in the Arab world with the growth of the U.S. forward military presence in the region. This research provides a breakdown of the growth of the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East over the last two decades. The research presented provides an overview of how U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East has developed and argues the necessity of reform in the current U.S. strategic approach toward the Middle East. / US Marine Corps (USMC) author.

Thesis (doctoral)--Vereinigten Friedrichs-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, 1910.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 1965. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-154). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2002. / Thesis Advisor(s): Robinson, Glenn E. ; Russell, James. "December 2002." Description based on title screen as viewed on February 28, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-70). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Melbourne, 1989. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves [201]-210).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 243-250).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Melbourne, 1990. / Typescript (photocopy) Bibliography: leaves [201]-210.

The study of public opinion has become increasingly central to our understanding of American politics. What the American public believes, why it holds those beliefs, and whether or not those beliefs matter have become essential questions that guide our understanding of how American democracy functions. In order to answer these questions, however, it is important to consider the tools we use to measure public opinion accurately and reliably and to understand the substantive applications and limitations of those tools. This dissertation is composed of three essays that consider important questions in public opinion measurement today. The first considers how the technique of multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP) performs on polling data collected using area-based cluster sampling techniques. While MRP has been a boon to researchers with limited resources, it must still be examined to understand its strengths and shortcomings. The second paper uses two datasets to look at the measurement of scales of political values over time, focusing on both individual and state-level measures, and discusses implications of these results for larger debates around the measurement of partisan sorting and polarization. The third paper turns to the question of social desirability bias in polling. Specifically, it uses list experiments to look at whether survey respondents answer truthfully when asked about support for same-sex rights. These papers all aim to shed light on recent innovations in the measurement of public opinion and illustrate how we can use these innovations to improve our understanding of American public opinion.

Abstract not available

Issues of right to life, as well as death have surfaced as topics of hot debate. In particular, questions about when and if individuals have the right to end their own lives have emerged and gained considerable attention as health policy issues having the potential to affect all Americans.. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that are most likely to influence an individual's decision to support or not support voluntary active euthanasia (VAE) and physician assisted suicide (PAS) in specific medical situations. This study also examined the differences in medical vignettes by various demographic and attitudinal factors. Data were collected from a sample of classified staff members at two institutions of higher learning in Oregon. A survey was used to collect all data. Paired sample T-tests, stepwise multiple regression analysis and repeated measures multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to analyze the data. Based on survey results, there were significant differences in attitudes toward PAS and VAE for each medical vignette. Religious beliefs, fear of dependency, and fear of death were the most powerful predictors of individual support for PAS in each medical situation. In the case of VAE, there were differences in support on each medical situation in terms of the most powerful predictors: fear of dependency and religious beliefs for the cancer vignette, fear of dependency, religious beliefs, and age for the ALS vignette, and religious beliefs and fear of dependency for the paralysis vignette. The repeated measures MANOVA revealed that in general, the older the individual was, the less likely they were to support PAS or VAE. However, women over age 66 in this study were more likely to support VAE than were the males age 66 and over. Males in the 51-65 year old category were more supportive of VAE than females in this age category. Also, those who were more fearful of death were more likely to have a higher level of support for VAE. In all three vignettes (Cancer, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and paralysis) for both PAS and VAE, there was a significantly different level of support measured on a seven point Likert scale. / Graduation date: 1995