In This Issue

Andreas Dorpalen Professor of History

Chair, Department of History

September 24, 2014

Mershon Associate

October 2, 2014

Senior Research Scientist

September 25, 2014

Ford Motor Company Chair in Global Business Management

September 19, 2014

Mershon Memo is a weekly e-mail newsletter distributed by the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, a unit of the Office of International Affairs at The Ohio State University.

   

Boaz Atzili is a political scientist who researches and teaches international politics. His interest is in international security with an emphasis on territorial conflicts and the politics of borders, and the international aspects of state weakness and state failure. His research includes various cases from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Atzili is also interested in the politics of the Middle East and, in particular, Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Atzili's first book, Good Fences, Bad Neighbors: Border Fixity and International Conflict (University of Chicago Press, 2012) is winner of the Mershon Center's Edgar S. Furniss Book Award. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/atzilib

Climate change will have an impact on operations of the United States Armed Forces and the international events, both humanitarian relief efforts and arms conflicts, to which they respond. Rear Admiral Jonathan White (left), oceanographer of the U.S. Navy, will discuss the impacts of climate change on the naval operations as well as actions being taken to prepare for these changes. Additional speakers and a panel discussion will continue the dialogue with perspectives from Paula Brooks, Franklin County Commissioner; Mike Breen, Truman National Security Project; Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Byrd Polar Research Center; and Alex Thompson, Mershon Center for International Security Studies.  Register to attend in person or by webinar.

The economic crisis in Southern Europe has led to the disintegration of the party system in Greece, the emergence of a sizable anti-system movement in Italy, and massive protests in Spain. Jos� Ram�n Montero (left) (Universidad Aut�noma de Madrid) and Richard Gunther (Ohio State) will present analyses of electoral behavior in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, in contrast with voting in times of economic normalcy in 15 countries, using data from the Mershon-based Comparative National Elections Project, one of the largest such projects in the world. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/CNEP2014

Pakistan's decision to develop and deploy "tactical nuclear weapons" is a new and dangerous development in South Asia. These weapons are in addition to the over 100 nuclear weapons in the Pakistani arsenal aimed at its historical enemy - India. This could be a "game changer" in terms of the potential impact on crisis escalation and the possibility that a terrorist organization could acquire a small nuclear device. Jeff McCausland is a retired colonel from the U.S. Army and currently holds a dual appointment as a distinguished visiting professor of research and Minerva Research Chair at the U.S. Army War College. He has published and lectured broadly on military affairs, European security issues, arms control, the Gulf War, and leadership. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/mccauslandj

Please join a panel of Mershon Center affiliated faculty for an interdisciplinary discussion on the basic ingredients of a good undergraduate research project. This event is designed for students in Social and Behavioral Sciences and Humanities who want to know what research opportunities exist in their fields, how to develop an appropriate research question and methodology, and what foundation is needed to begin their research. The faculty panel will discuss research in their specific disciplines and will also describe exemplary undergraduate research projects in their field. Panelists include Anthony Mughan (left), director of the International Studies program; Margaret Newell, associate professor of history, and John Carlarne, peace studies coordinator. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/undergrad14

Home to the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, France occupies a key position in the spillover into the West of current conflicts in the Middle East. Alec G. Hargreaves explores the complex underpinnings of this dynamic, focused on unresolved tensions in French policy towards immigrant minorities of Arab and Muslim heritage. Professor emeritus at Florida State University, Hargreaves was Ada Belle Winthrop-King Professor of French and director of the Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies. A specialist on political, cultural and media aspects of post-colonial minorities in France, he is the author and editor of numerous books, the most recent of which are Transnational French Studies: Postcolonialism and Litt�rature-monde (Liverpool, 2011); Politics and Religion in France and the United States (Lexington, 2007); Multi-Ethnic France: Immigration, Politics, Culture and Society (Routledge, 2nd ed. 2007); Memory, Empire, and Postcolonialism: Legacies of French Colonialism (Lexington, 2005); and Memory, Empire and Postcolonialism (Lexington, 2005).  Read more

This event will feature three panelists discussing the rise of Islamic extremism in Northern Africa, with an emphasis on Nigeria and Boko Haram. Christopher Preble (left) is vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the CATO Institute. He is the author of The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous and Less Free (Cornell University Press, 2009), which documents the enormous costs of America's military power, and proposes a new grand strategy to advance U.S. security. Kelechi Kalu is associate provost for global strategies and international affairs, and professor of African and African American Studies at The Ohio State University. Most recently he published West Africa and the U.S. War on Terror (Routledge, 2012), edited with George Kieh and based on a 2009 Mershon Center conference. Ousman M. Kobo is associate professor of history at The Ohio State University. His book Unveiling Modernity in Twentieth-Century West African Islamic Reforms (Brill, 2012) documents the histories of contemporary Islamic reforms associated with Wahhabism in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Read more

China's rapid development and Sino-American relations have a direct impact on the lives of just about everyone in the United States. CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections is a national day of programming designed to provide Americans across the United States and beyond the opportunity to discuss these issues with leading experts. The national webcast features President Jimmy Carter, who will discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China 35 years ago, when he was president, as well as current issues in Sino-American relations. Also speaking is Nicholas R. Lardy, Anthony M. Solomon Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and an expert on the Chinese economy. Read more

 

Idealist Grad Fairs take place each year in cities across the United States. These fairs are free to the general public.

 

For the first time, an Idealist Grad Fair will be held at The Ohio State University, hosted by the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. It will take place Monday, October 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Blackwell Inn and Conference Center, 2110 Tuttle Park Place.

 

Prospective students who attend the Idealist fairs are seeking graduate degree programs that will help them make a difference through their careers. They come from a range of backgrounds, including:

• Nonprofit and government work
• Alumni of service programs such as Peace Corps, City Year, and AmeriCorps
• Mid-career professionals seeking to advance their careers or transition to a new one
• Undergraduate students

By attending a fair, you also have the opportunity to network with your peers and raise the profile of your school by volunteering to speak on a panel about becoming a stronger candidate for graduate school. Read more and register