Rachel Alberstadt

Angola, Zambia, Sudan, South Sudan, and, South Africa have increasingly tied the health of their national economies to the demand of China’s industrialization needs. These economic ties have been pursued under the pretense of bilateral investments in pursuance of South-South partnerships. Sub-Saharan States have looked to China’s economy as a model for development and have enthusiastically agreed to strengthened ties to secure development objectives for their countries. This thesis therefore evaluates how the Beijing Consensus and China’s model of development have been applied to the sub-Saharan region. Its analysis will focus upon the comparison of expectations of this developing State to developing State(s) partnership against the realities of this perceived mutually beneficial agenda. It will demonstrate that China’s footprint in the region is craterous in nature. The ‘resource for infrastructure’ premise of Sino-African ties results in a regional ‘Made in China’ stamp.  Thus, this thesis seeks to evaluate the realities of the Sino-African partnership with particular attention given to evaluation of the human rights influence on the region. It will seek to engage with examinations of how China’s investment in the region has impacted these States’ development and as a result, how China’s economic partnership has in practice influenced African human rights. This thesis will argue that China’s economic foreign policy in the sub-Saharan region has held significant legal ramifications as a result of its engagement, particularly in its effect on African human rights.

This paper uses Tanzania as a case study for the use of nationalism in State-building. Nationalism as an ideology continues to bear influence in both historic and present international affairs, an ideology used by man developing countries following decolonization in the 1960s. This tool acts as a platform for national development programs as well as national identity campaigns to legitimize and support development goals. As such, this paper evaluates the role nationalism played in Tanzanian State-building efforts. It argues that this ideology played a vital role in these efforts, and indeed, was constructed deliberately as a tool to unite and buttress development efforts in Tanzania from 1961 to1998. Tanzania was so successful in using nationalist ideology as a tool for State-building that this example shows  a distinct 'Tanzanian' method of state-building and development.

This working paper analyses the principle of distinction in virtual warfare. It focuses upon the case studies of drone warfare under non-international armed conflict and cyber warfare under international armed conflict. It argues that the increasing prevalence of virtual warfare has paradoxically led to both a clarification of the principles of distinction in warfare but also the convolution of this principle in practice. Generally, improved capabilities such as precision and accuracy and transparency of determinations of distinction indicate positive results of developments in virtual warfare. Conversely, it has illustrated the opposite truth in regards to cyber warfare wherein it proves increasingly complicated to identify or isolate the actors involved with the attacks themselves, in addition to complications arising with the principle of distinction of cyber targets.

There is a notable absence of legal approaches to the discourse evaluating use of drones. Even when drones are discussed in a legal context, arguments assert that drones require a new legal regime to adapt to modern qualities and circumstances. In the alternative, this paper argues that drones compatibly fit into existing legal regimes, particularly international criminal law (ICL) and international humanitarian law (IHL) in accordance with general principles of international law. This paper argues that use of drones in armed conflict fits within existing laws governing use of force as the frameworks in use today. It demonstrates that ICL and IHL provide flexible guidelines appropriately suitable to particulars of drones, such as types and capabilities, but more importantly, they continue to provide legal governance applicable to drones as weapons. Legal uncertainty as to the use of drones is thus evaluated within the hypothetical exploration of drone usage culminating in a war crime before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

ABSTRACT: this dissertation seeks to evaluate the Peace of Westphalia (1648) for the importance of discerning and validating its influential ramifications for the development of international law. It will argue that from the Westphalian agreements began the codification of norms and an emerging international system which continue in both international relations and international law today. It will first explore the background of Westphalia, including the precise language of the treaties, and the creation and early development of international law. It will then use the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as a key international institution as an example of direct lineage to Westphalian norms. Finally, it will discuss globalization as a challenger to international law and Westphalian relevancy. For these reasons this dissertation will employ neoliberalism as an appropriate theoretical framework but will also utilize methods of historiography to best analyze primary
documents of the Peace of Westphalia and the ICJ.

While the Coast Guard provides amazing life-saving services today, its roots as the Revenue Cutter Service (RCS) provided the U.S. its first chance at survival. Oddly, this history remains largely undocumented and unheralded, even by those who wear the Coast Guard uniform today. Therefore, this article explores the origins of the RCS and evaluates the role it played as an instrument of America's survival during its first few decades as a sovereign State. While the service began small, this article argues its mission held immediate and huge bearing upon American development. This article explores the foundation of the RCS and assesses its immediate, short term, and long term impact upon American affairs in order to document and explore how the RCS performed an interesting and imperative role in U.S. security and development.

Book Review of More than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say), Elaine Welteroth (Viking), 2019. Book review was completed in fulfillment of requirements for Graduate School USA New Leader Program whilst employed at U.S. Department of State.