Honors Students

Although there has been extensive documentation of the atrocities committed by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, little to no academic literature exists on the systematic sexual violence perpetrated by the U.S. military against Vietnamese civilians. Earlier this year, I identified a previously unexplored archive of U.S. military records, which detail cases of sexual violence committed against over 400 Vietnamese civilians. Using these case files as an initial evidentiary basis, my thesis will explore the following research question: What is the history of systematic sexual violence perpetrated by the U.S. military against Vietnamese women during the Vietnam War, and what legal mechanisms existed to bring justice to these war crimes? Through qualitative and quantitative analysis of U.S. military records and tribunal transcripts, as well as American soldiers’ and Vietnamese survivors’ testimonies, I will construct a more comprehensive account of the sexual violence that occurred during the Vietnam War and interrogate the U.S. government’s failure to address these crimes. Ultimately, I hope to develop viable mechanisms for legal redress and opportunities for transitional and restorative justice for Vietnamese survivors and their families, with the goal of holding the U.S. more accountable to war crimes they commit and setting a precedent for rule of law and justice on sexual violence.

In an age when a politically and militarily resurgent China is beginning to reshape the international system in her image, it is instructive to look backward to a time when a weak and fragmented China turned to foreign powers for tutelage. My thesis explores the evolution of Sino-German military cooperation between 1919, when Germany was stripped of her colonial possessions in China, and 1938, when the last German military advisors were recalled from service in China, to show how the German military missions created the first truly national Chinese armed forces. To this end, I use English-, German-, and Chinese-language sources across a variety of media and disciplines to shed light upon this little-known chapter of diplomatic history, about which little exists in English. I conclude that the Sino-German relationship was, to a remarkable degree for its time, grounded in reciprocity and equality, and that it was German domestic politics that unilaterally ended what could have blossomed into a mutually fruitful alliance between Germany and China in the late 1930s. Throughout my examination of what the German military missions to China could and could not accomplish, a recurring lesson is for policymakers to "mind the gap" between earnest expectations and messy reality. By examining an earlier period of cooperation with a Western power, I hope my thesis can be of use in predicting how and why China decides to cooperate within the international system.

Why do some Iraqi villages rebuild faster than others after occupation by the Islamic State? Between 2014 and 2016, the Islamic State (IS) insurgency took over nearly a third of Iraq's territory and more than 100 cities and villages in the country's western governorates. By the beginning of 2017 the Iraqi government and an international coalition had expelled the insurgents, but IS-related conflict destroyed village infrastructure created thousands of refugees. Rebuilding is crucial to allow displaced citizens to return home and for normal life to resume. Qualitative evidence suggests some villages are rebuilding much faster than others - while in north-western Tal Afar, for example, markets and vendors returned with a vigor, the neighboring village of Sinjar remained deserted two years after its liberation. I use monthly satellite images of nighttime light emissions to proxy for economic activity: lights on at night equates to cars in streets, streetlights turned on, functioning businesses and hospitals, and operating appliances in homes. Using this new data source, I quantitatively examine variations in reconstruction speed in roughly 100 ISIS-occupied Iraqi villages. 

Located in the heart of Southeast Asia, Myanmar is a majority-Buddhist country that recently transitioned from an authoritarian regime to a nominal democracy. Despite this, violence against the nation’s minorities has only escalated. In August 2017, Myanmar’s military began a scorched-earth campaign against the majority-Muslim Rohingya people of Rahkine State. In August 2018, the U.N. accused the military of the worst crime in international law: genocide. Forcing hundreds of thousands of stateless Rohingya across the Myanmar-Bangladeshi border, the military claims that the Rohingya are “illegal immigrants.” What is the true narrative of the Rohingyas’ history, and how does their history shed light on the historical and religious roots of Myanmar’s genocide of the Rohingya? From a contemporary human rights perspective, this thesis analyzes the historical, political and religious origins of today’s genocide of the Rohingya people. Using history as a means to understand the Rohingyas’ current suffering, I aim to construct a narrative of the Rohingya that clarifies their narrative in the context of Myanmar’s state-building, employs awareness as a clarion call for international action, and makes a case for the Rohingyas’ human right to national belonging. 

What explains the re-establishment of U.S.-Cuba relations under U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro?  Conventional wisdom points to public opinion shifts within the Cuban-American community and domestic reform within Cuba.  These two factors, while important, are insufficient to account for the re-establishment of U.S.-Cuba relations.  This thesis argues that the development of a working trust between Obama and Castro was critical to diplomatic breakthrough.  Decades of animosity fueled a deep mistrust between the United States and Cuba.  As this thesis details, Obama and Castro communicated a series of cooperative and trust-building signals – aided by Pope Francis and the Catholic Church – that allowed diplomatic breakthrough to emerge.

Thesis:

Garcia, Samuel (2018). Diplomatic Breakthrough: Politics, Reform, and Trust in the Restoration of US-Cuba Relations

Stanford Digital Repository. Avaliable HERE.

Can public policy help create the next Silicon Valley in Chile?  Policy makers frequently want to encourage the growth of high-technology sectors or “cluster formations,” which offer the promise of accelerating national growth and employment.  The Chilean government and other governments around the world have implemented various national-level public policies aimed at encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship.  Yet the efficacy of these policies is open to question.  Some expect high technology clusters to develop in areas where public policies offer targeted support to entrepreneurs, whereas others expect high technology clusters to develop in areas where the preexisting culture and framework fits the innovation-growth model.  This thesis examines policy efforts to encourage entrepreneurship in Chile by considering cluster theory, as well as diverse policy models from successful entrepreneurial ecosystems worldwide.

Thesis:

Hanley, Keagan (2018). Engineering a Chilaean Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: The Role of Government in Cluster 

Stanford Digital Repository. Avaliable in June 2018.

The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has created one of the longest standing refugee populations in the world: Palestinian refugees.  Yet Palestinians are excluded by name from the 1951 Refugee Convention, which is responsible for outlining the international legal protections that most refugees are entitled to access.  Instead, Palestinian refugees fall under the protection of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  Why are there two separate entities for managing Palestinian refugees and all other international refugees?   How does this system impact the protection of Palestinian refugee rights, and does it lead to variations in the treatment of Palestinian refugees by geographic location?  This thesis analyzes the international treatment of and protections granted to the Palestinian refugee population by investigating both the international institutional frameworks—in particular, through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UNRWA—as well as state-level responses, with a specific focus on Jordan and its policies towards Palestinian refugees. 

Thesis:

Liew, Alyssa (2018). Gaza Stripped: Palestinian Refugees within an International and State Context

Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE. 

Recent climate change predictions have left the world to watch nervously as countries like India, the world’s third largest producer of emissions, anticipate bringing over 300 million additional people onto the electrical grid.  If India continues to build coal power plants, the effects on global climate, particularly health in India, could be catastrophic.  In the next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds the fate of the country in his hands as important energy policy decisions are decided, and his role as India’s leader will either push the tide of environmentalism forward, or cause it to flounder.  The country is now poised to bring its citizens onto the electrical grid using solar energy, thus leapfrogging coal.  Will India move forward with solar power or turn back to coal? This thesis argues that the success of solar power in India rests on the maintained prioritization of renewable energy by the Modi government, the continued stability in the trade relationship with China, and manufacturing capability in India today.  In order to analyze the future of the Indian solar project, this thesis will examine the demonetization movement of 2016 (in order to assess the Modi government’s capacity to stick with policy priorities), the China-India trade relationship and a comparison of India’s most successful solar parks (in order to assess India’s manufacturing capabilities).  Each of these cases elucidate different aspects of the solar initiative, its political promises and its political limitations. 

Thesis:

Montgomery, Molly (2018). Leapfrogging Coal: An Analysis of the Future Potential of the Indian Solar Experiment

Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE.

Is the right to a healthy environment a fundamental human right? Climate change is predicted to exacerbate negative environmental phenomena, including drought, rising sea levels, and the prevalence of severe natural disasters.  How can and should international institutions, such as the United Nations, aid persons displaced due to climate change?  First, the thesis traces how the international community’s definition of refugees has evolved in the past century, in order to argue how and on what grounds persons displaced due to climate change may considered refugees in the future.  The UN and international legal community do not yet recognize persons displaced due to climate change as refugees with rights that accompany that designation.   Second, the thesis explores international organizations’ responses to previous high magnitude natural disasters, which generate comparable population displacements as those predicted by the climate change.  Finally, this thesis investigates three case studies of regions already experiencing the effects of climate change: Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and the Sahel region in Africa. These cases provide insights regarding how climate change could affect global migration patterns and will serve as guidance for how the international community should address the challenges of forced displacement due to climate change.  This thesis argues that the international community must design a legal framework that is flexible and adaptable. Moreover, as an international framework may take years to implement, in the interim states should form regional agreements to address the specific challenges of climate change in their respective localities. Forced displacement due to climate change is a complex and deeply rooted challenge that will need to be addressed through a combination of scientific and legal innovations.   

Thesis:

Stuber, Sophie. (2018). When Home Exists No Longer: Climate Change and Forced Cross-Border Migration.

Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE.

While El Nino cycles demonstrate extreme weather events that fall out of the normal weather patterns, they may also serve as an example for environmental norms we will endure in the future. For this reason, the impacts they have on both international and domestic agreements and stability should be cautiously heeded. South Africa is one of the most water scarce nations in the world, and their dependence on external sources of water adds an interesting element to what is already a challenging question. Lesotho has an abundance of "white gold," as many of the regional river heads originate within their borders. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project serves as a massive international economic boost for Lesotho while also developing the infrastructure for 100% dependence on hydroelectric power. South Africa front most of the costs for construction of the dams and tunnels involved, and in return receives a consistent water source to their nearby provinces. But when Lesotho was hit by the 2015 drought, arguably even harder than South Africa was, many of Lesotho's population questioned why 40% of their water was still being diverted away from them. I want to look at how droughts impact international agreements such as the LHWP, and how we might see any relevant tensions or turmoil escalate in the future.

Thesis:

Cavallo, Christine (2017). Dam Them All: On the Failure of Dams and Dam Building Frameworks.

Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE 

The question of why states pursue nuclear weapons has been significant topic of study due to the escalation of tensions during the Cold War period and intense fear of proliferation in its aftermath. Most research in this field is extremely difficult to produce due to the small sample size of states with nuclear capabilities as well as a lack of information on countries’ nuclear programs. Academics have offered some possible explanations of the rationale behind leaders’ decisions to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), such as the security model, domestic politics model, and norms model. In my thesis, I will contribute to this existing literature by answering the more narrow question of why some states decide to sign, ratify, and then violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Why have only autocratic states broken the NPT? Does this apply to only the NPT or all international treaties? Through evidence provided by my analysis of large-n data sets and case studies of North Korea, South Korea, and Iran, I hypothesize that international isolation plays a key role in explaining a leader’s decision to cheat on the NPT. 

Thesis:

Whang, Yegina (2017). Broken Nuclear Vows: Explaining Why States Cheat on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE

In a world burdened by burgeoning populations and faced by declining water resources, water is likely to trigger conflict. Since the partition of British India in 1947, and the creation of modern republics of India and Pakistan, the two South Asian countries have been involved in four wars, including one undeclared war, as well as many border skirmishes and military stand-offs. In fact, during the Kargil War of 1999, the two nations came dangerously close to nuclear war. But for India and Pakistan, some disputes notwithstanding, the Indus water treaty is considered one of the world’s most successful trans-boundary water accords, as it addresses specific water allocation issues and provides unique design requirements for run-of-the-river dams, which ensure the steady flow of water and guarantee hydroelectricity. The agreement also provides a mechanism for consultation and arbitration should questions, disagreements, or disputes arise. So despite India and Pakistan being two of the greatest adversaries in the world, the two nations have had a comprehensive water treaty, the Indus Water Treaty, active for over 50 years. Why have these two countries been steadfast in their efforts to share water in a time in which water issues are likely to trigger conflict? Why do India and Pakistan cooperate on this front? The primary goal of my thesis is to present an accurate theory as to why India and Pakistan cooperate over the issue of water by analyzing various theses on how and why adversaries cooperate, and how water could be a potential outlier.

Thesis:

Mehra, Rebecca (2016). Connecting the Drops: The Negotiation of the Indus Water Treaty.
Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE

The borders drawn in the Middle East following the First World War have continued to be a source of contention and violence for almost a century. Many argue that the borders drawn do not accurately reflect thousands of years of history and peoples in the region.
In my honors thesis in International Relations, I want to explore these divisions of ethnic identity by state boundaries. Specifically, I want to explore how these boundaries have affected the divided communities, and the communities with which they interact. Studies of the relationship between ethnic diversity and intrastate violence have been done, to be sure, but I believe that an in-depth analysis what these identities mean for both the groups themselves and the states into which they have been placed by history can give us a greater understanding of how, or why, or whether, violence occurs.
I mean to do a case study of occurrences of violence between ethnic groups to evaluate the claim that a different drawing of state lines would make the region more peaceful.

Thesis:

Sheils, Hope (2016). The Lines We Draw: Nationalism and Border Creation at Sèvres and Lausanne.
Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE

My thesis focuses on how the demographic makeup of a country affects its preferences on international climate change agreements. By examining population factors such as youth, education, urbanization, and vulnerability, I will identify demographic indicators that could predict whether a country is more or less likely to accede to global accords restricting carbon emissions. Global warming represents one of the most serious collective action problems of our time, and I hope to better understand how the size, structure, and distribution of populations leads to the formation of public opinion that influences global policy commitments.

Thesis:

Parikh, Sanjana. (2015). Constitutional Promises and Environmental Protection. 
Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE

My thesis seeks to explore the question: how do non-profit organizations that seek to make social change, through user investment in physical and human capital, affect the socio-economic status of their target audience?

My theory is, if a non-profit has a higher level of user investment, which includes investing in physical and human capital, the target audience (recipients) will obtain a healthier and elevated socioeconomic status. In addition to physical capital, which provides monetary and material resource support, investing in human capital is key to helping achieve skillsets that help raise an individual’s socioeconomic status. Without the addition of human capital investments, physical capital has a temporary longevity and does not usually provide sustainability of economic opportunities. When investments in human skills are made in conjunction with physical resources, the chances of steep economic development are increased because the skills can be transferred and replicated by many people over time, without any sort of expiration date. Understandably there are structural issues with the economic progress of developing countries, however skills within business or leadership, for example, can lead to better sources of income, better educational opportunities, better health, and a better lifestyle. I will be exploring my theory through a literature review, case studies of different non-profits, interviews with target audience members, and an ethics section.

Thesis:

Thakur, Natalya. (2015). Charity Work Abroad and the Unintended Democratic Deficit. 
Stanford Digital Repository. Available HERE

My honors thesis attempts to explore why certain regions in pre-Modern China contributed greater numbers of individuals to the bureaucracy.  By examining the origins of high level graduates of the civil service examination system, I hope to uncover how certain regions rose to prominence within the Chinese bureaucracy.  In better understanding how the Chinese bureaucracy selected its officials, my thesis looks to help understand how autocracies create and use their bureaucracies to create stability.

Laws and administrative bureaucracies like that of the U.S. asylum system must apply across broad groups, yet they are experienced in an individually specific way. I study the bureaucracy of the asylum system and what explains the difference between the formal rules of the asylum application process and the individual experience of applicants. I argue that the bureaucracy's institutionalized rules and processes undermine the goal of protecting asylum seekers, and that an asylum applicant who works with lawyers from a community-based service provider will have a speedier, more efficient and less traumatic application process. My data includes large-N data from the federal government and UNHCR on yearly trends among asylum seekers, and qualitative interviews with West African asylum applicants and their pro bono lawyers in New York City. My thesis attempts to humanize the law by looking at complex rules and explaining the motivations behind them, and the bureaucrats who implement them -- and how they can do better to protect vulnerable asylum seekers.

As U.S. policymakers confront an ever-evolving international landscape and face pressing foreign policy decisions, what lessons can they draw from U.S. foreign relations history? Specifically, what can Cold War history elucidate about influences on policy? My honors thesis focuses on U.S. interventionist policies in Latin America during the Cold War. Throughout this period in American history, presidential administrations authorized covert intervention policies aimed at toppling Latin American governments. Declassified government documents show that policymakers cited the threat of Soviet involvement in Latin America as the reason for intervention, but the question is whether this threat was real or perceived. My thesis aims to assess the influence of ideas about Soviet threat in Latin America compared to facts about Soviet-Latin America relations. I argue that an ideology of perceived Soviet threat developed as a result of the Cold War, existed in the circles of policy elites, and prompted presidential administrations to adopt similar policies against three Latin American
governments: Guatemala in 1954, Cuba from 1960-1962, and Chile in 1973. My research intends to contribute to the understanding of the causes behind
U.S. behavior toward Latin America during the Cold War. Moreover, it seeks to present a case for how one factor, the idea of Soviet threat, caused American policymakers to consider covert intervention as vital to the safety of the United States.

Indigenous communities appear to face challenges when integrating themselves into contemporary global economies. This is puzzling as they often share characteristics that are attractive to foreign direct investment (FDI): one of three primary international economic activities - the other two being import/exports and licensing. Typical characteristics of indigenous communities include competitively priced labor and access to natural resources and primary goods. With these qualities that are attractive to FDI, the goal of my research is to uncover the primary reason why foreign capital seems to pass over investment opportunities in indigenous communities. Hopefully, these findings will clarify both how indigenous communities should plan their economic development as well as the nuances of FDI.

My honors thesis explores various factors that contribute to trust and business success in interactions between Westerners and their Chinese business counterparts. My research stems from my surprise that Chinese-Western business transactions are mostly done in English and that while there is an emphasis on following Chinese business norms, there does not seem to be a strong incentive to learn Mandarin for business success. My question is whether or not speaking Mandarin is an important factor of trust in Chinese-Western business deals. I plan to answer this question with three original empirical contributions: a survey distributed in Beijing, interviews conducted in Beijing and interviews conducted in San Francisco. First, I distributed thirty surveys to Chinese businessmen and women, asking about their interactions with a Western counterpart in order to analyze how trust is correlated with the Westerner's Mandarin proficiency. Second, I interviewed around seventeen businessmen and women in Beijing and asked them about their experiences working with Westerners. Finally, I will interview a smaller number of San Francisco businessmen interacting with Chinese counterparts in order to assess how English proficiency affects trust from the American perspective.

The “Arab Spring” has failed to live up to its name, as evidenced by the continued revolutionary fervor and uncertainty within the Middle East and North Africa.  Dictatorial republics like those in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia have gone by the wayside and the ongoing violence in Syria demonstrates continued opposition to the era of pseudo-democracy within the region.  However, despite the political protests sweeping the region, Arab Muslim monarchies have survived the revolutionary chopping block, though not without internal political restructuring and dialogue with local opposition.  Furthermore, even kings in constitutional monarchies without the benefit of vast petroleum reserves have managed, for the time being, to retain their positions of executive power. My study examines the political strategies these constitutional monarchs implement to forestall regime-changing revolutions.

With the emergence of indigenous rights movements in Latin America, collective cultural rights have arisen as the third generation of the human rights movement. However, some argue that human rights are a zero-sum game, where possibly promotion of collective rights contradicts promotion of basic individual human rights.  The purpose of my study is to challenge this notion and to analyze the complex vulnerability of minorities within autonomous indigenous regions.  With a focus on religious divisions and conflict, the question that arises is: Why does intra-communal violence break out and escalate in some communities and not others?  In a cross-regional study, this paper focuses on the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico and considers a number of factors that fuel ethno-religious violence.