Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In terms of racial contentiousness, the 2007-2008 Democratic presidential primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton ended much different than it started. In the summer of 2007 both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had strong support among African Americans, but both also had substantial white support. Much of Obama’s White support was due to his deracialized or racially transcendent image. This led many Black leaders to question Obama’s racial authenticity, which in turn may have influenced his early favorability ratings among African Americans. But, there were few calls about the extent to which Clinton was racially acceptable (although her husband was presumably acceptable). In this research, I take a retrospective look at how African Americans were viewing Obama relative to Clinton in terms of which candidate would better represent “black interests.” Is it that African Americans support Black candidates when they view them as representing black interests, but will support white candidates regardless of perceived substantive representation? Using 2007 Gallup race relations data—including oversamples of African Americans—I address the questions of racial double standards within the black electorate.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Since the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there have been numerous efforts to forestall further atrocities and safeguard the rights of individuals in the global society. Yet, human rights abuses still persist; the recurrence of wars accounts for the worsening situation. In addition to direct physical torture, the commitment of vast resources to funding wars affects needed socio-economic development. This notwithstanding and regardless of the world’s experiences during war times, realists uphold not just the idea, but the essence of war as an important tool of global relations. This paper aims at eliciting the implications of the realist appeal to war on human rights. It examines the war imperative in realism and juxtaposes its essence with the experiences of some war-torn communities. Though power politics continue to dominate international relations, the realist approach to attaining global influence adversely affects domestic societies. Soft power may be a more potent means of gaining and maintaining global influence and at the same time safeguarding fundamental human rights in contemporary global relations. Otherwise, realists perceive national interest egoistically.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Since 1998, one of the most remarkable developments in European integration has taken place in the defense field. On paper, all member-states but Denmark now support the idea of a common European security and defense policy (ESDP). Political-military structures have been created and new initiatives are launched almost every month, but the nature of the beast remains unclear. Should it become the independent defense arm of the European Union or a subsidiary of NATO? Should it remain an intergovernmental political forum or move towards the multinational integration of armed forces? And what should it do? Rational-choice theorists usually explain the difficult emergence of a European defense identity by focusing on supposedly conflicting state interests. On the contrary, I argue in this paper that the �objective� (i.e. material and geopolitical) interests of European states dictate that a strong version of the European security and defense policy be put in place. However, �subjective� (i.e. organizational and ideal) interests slow down the process of military integration because the most important member-states, for organizational and historical reasons, differ substantially in their perceptions of what the �military� should be.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The paper identifies common elements and differences in interest group activity in non-pluralist, transitional democracies and developing systems to provide an explanation of the development of interest groups in these systems.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: When the EU elephant accepts another pack into its jungle, it might lack the resources to teach all its members. To assess a stage of learning, this paper examines the impact that type of interest has on the Europeanization of interest group discours