Claremont Graduate University’s 13th Annual Student Research Conference and Art Exhibition

Friday, January 27, 2012

P R O P O S A L S A M P L E S

PAPER TITLE:Violence of Action: Reconciling Just War Theory with Covert Military Special Operations

DESIRED PANEL / SUBJECT AREA: Military Studies; Religion; Just War Theory

ABSTRACT or PROPOSAL (no more than 250 words):The wars of the last decade have shown a sharp increase in the use of covert military special operations. Some of the extremely violent means by which covert operations are carried out raise questions over the moral and ethical justification for such force. This paper examines the ways U.S. special operations engage in battle through the lens of Just War Theory (JWT). Through historical and qualitative analysis, this paper finds that while the actions of U.S. military special operations can be theoreti-cally consistent with the tenets of jus ad bellum, jus in bello and jus post bellum, practical adherence to these principles are not realistic. This is due (1) the subjective nature of the principles JWT’s just cause, minimal force and proportionality and (2) the reality that operators are not usually acting with perfect knowl-edge of the battlefield. Additional attention is paid to the argu-ment that what special operators perform in violence and sur-prise, they make up for in accuracy and precision which has the potential to save more lives.

Q U A L I TAT I V E ( S A M P L E )

© Wendt, J. - Claremont Graduate University

Q U A L I TAT I V E ( S A M P L E )

The wars of the last decade have shown a sharp increase in the use of covert military special operations.

Some of the extremely violent means by which covert opera-tions are carried out raise questions over the moral and ethical justification for such force.

This paper examines the ways U.S. special operations engage in battle through the lens of Just War Theory (JWT).

Through historical and qualitative analysis, this paper finds that while the actions of U.S. military special operations can be theo-retically consistent with the tenets of jus ad bellum, jus in bello and jus post bellum, practical adherence to these principles are not realistic. This is due (1) the subjective nature of the prin-ciples JWT’s just cause, minimal force and proportionality and (2) the reality that operators are not usually acting with perfect knowledge of the battlefield. Additional attention is paid to the argument that what special operators perform in violence and surprise, they make up for in accuracy and precision which has the potential to save more lives.

Q U I C K S E N T E N C E I N T R O D U C I N G T H E F I E L D O F S T U D Y

E X P L A N AT I O N O F R E S E A R C H P R O B L E M / P U Z Z L E T H I S P H E N O M E N O N R A I S E S Q U E S T I O N S

E X P L A N AT I O N O F W H AT PA P E R I N T E N D S T O A C C O M P L I S H

B R I E F E X P L A N AT I O N O F F I N D I N G SO R W H AT W E I N T E N D T O F I N D

© Wendt, J. - Claremont Graduate University

PAPER TITLE:Has Membership in GATT/WTO Increased Trade? Determining the Effects of GATT/WTO Membership on Trade

DESIRED PANEL / SUBJECT AREA: International Political Economy; International Trade

ABSTRACT or PROPOSAL (no more than 250 words):In recent years, studies on the effects of multi-lateral trade agree-ments like GATT/WTO on trade have been ubiquitous. The findings of these studies have been as diverse as the approaches, which have yielded everything from no effect on trade (Rose 2004), some ef-fect on trade with uneven benefits (Tomz, Goldstein, Rivers 2005; Gowa and Kim 2005) to significant effects on bi-lateral trade flows in various sectors (Grant and Lambert 2008). Many of these out-comes seem either counter-intuitive or incomplete; without ques-tion, the most mystifying results have come from Rose (2004). We re-examine Rose’s findings and propose relevant additions that better capture the effects of GATT/WTO membership on trade. We argue two main points; first, the strength of institutions and the in-ternal structures of a country are critical to whether membership in these organizations is beneficial. Further, we support and offer a better calibrated measure of distance within Rose’s standard gravi-ty equation. We expect to find that the ease of transportation within a country (acting as an indication of strong internal structure and development) and the measure of distance within the gravity model do have an impact on the effectiveness of GATT/WTO membership, though these benefits are inherently unequal among members.

Q U A N T I TAT I V E ( S A M P L E )

© Wendt, J. - Claremont Graduate University

Q U A N T I TAT I V E ( S A M P L E )

In recent years, studies on the effects of multi-lateral trade agreements like GATT/WTO on trade have been ubiquitous.

The findings of these studies have been as diverse as the approaches, which have yielded everything from no effect on trade (Rose 2004), some effect on trade with uneven ben-efits (Tomz, Goldstein, Rivers 2005; Gowa and Kim 2005) to significant effects on bi-lat-eral trade flows in various sectors (Grant and Lambert 2008). Many of these outcomes seem either counter-intuitive or incomplete; without question, the most mystifying re-sults have come from Rose (2004).

We re-examine Rose’s findings and propose relevant additions that better capture the ef-fects of GATT/WTO membership on trade. We argue two main points; first, the strength of institutions and the internal structures of a country are critical to whether member-ship in these organizations is beneficial. Further, we support and offer a better calibrated measure of distance within Rose’s standard gravity equation.

We expect to find that the ease of transportation within a country (acting as an indica-tion of strong internal structure and development) and the measure of distance within the gravity model do have an impact on the effectiveness of GATT/WTO membership, though these benefits are inherently unequal among members.

Q U I C K S E N T E N C E I N T R O D U C I N G T H E F I E L D O F S T U D Y

E X P L A N AT I O N O F R E S E A R C H P R O B L E M / P U Z Z L E M I X E D R E S U LT S ; O U R F I E L D N E E D S C L A R I T Y

D E M O N S T R AT I O N O F W H AT V A L U EW E I N T E N T T O A D D T O T H E F I E L D

B R I E F E X P L A N AT I O N O F F I N D I N G SO R W H AT W E I N T E N D T O F I N D

© Wendt, J. - Claremont Graduate University

Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University and the Minority Mentor Program

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

There are a number of ways to become involved in this year’s conference, including: PRESENTING: Research Paper Poster Presentation Art Exhibit Artist Talk ENCOURAGING DIALOGUE: Assemble a Panel Propose a Discussion Group VOLUNTEERING: Committee Member Volunteer

www.cgu.edu/studentconference 2012

C A L L F O R PA P E R S

Submit your 250 word proposal online at

http://tinyurl.com/cgurazor by Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Notification of acceptance will be given no later than Friday, December 2, 2011.