This page holds a sample of different academic works that I have written.
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U.S. Basing Overseas- What do the Current Trends Show
This thesis is concerned with the changing nature of U.S. basing structure overseas. This basing structure has been changing dramatically since the end of the Cold War. The changes that are occurring though are not uniform across all the different regions and countries that are hosting U.S. military bases. Because of this lack of uniformity, the existing theories and explanations cannot sufficiently explain why these changes are occurring and what they mean. What this thesis finds is that no single theory or explanation is enough for understanding the changing basing structure. What is needed is the use of different combinations of these theories to explain the different changes in certain regions and countries.
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A HISTORY RE-INVENTED: The Modern Interpretation of the Crusades in the Middle East
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Military Effectiveness - Egypt During the October War
During the Six Day War, the world was surprised at how poorly Egyptian military performance was. In 1973, the world was again surprised at the improvements that were seen in the country’s military performance during the October War. This paper seeks to understand which theoretical perspective is the most suited to explaining the country’s performance during that war. With that goal in mind, this paper will summarize the main theoretical frameworks used to understand military effectiveness. Then, certain developments and incidents that occurred in Egypt’s military performance and organization will be summarized and categorized under the specific theories that are best at explaining them.
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Westphalian Sovereignty and Military Bases
The existence of military bases or foreign troop presence in a country on a long-term basis is an anomaly in international law and contravenes the principle of state sovereignty. Unlike embassies, diplomatic missions and envoys, all of which have long histories and are enshrined in international law, these military bases bases are not codified in law and are instead created on an ad-hoc basis between countries.
Assessing China and India’s Great Powers Status from a Realist Perspective
At the end of the Cold War, the United States was left as the only super power in the world. Some have argued that this new ‘unipolar’ state of the international system was a passing moment that would not last long, while other have argued that this new status of the US as the unipole would be more durable and long lasting than otherwise predicted. As the world entered the new millennium, the US remained the most powerful state in the world. As time progressed though, it became clear that the position the US maintained would not be permanent as other countries began to grow economically, taking up larger and larger portions of the global GDP, in what has been termed ‘the rise of the rest’.
Economic Development and Military Effectiveness
Military capability consists of two, intertwined features: The ability of states to produce weapons indigenously, independent of foreign states and manufacturers, and the effectiveness with which they use the weapons that they posses. Many factors have been proposed as playing a decisive role in the military effectiveness of a state, but the overarching factor that determines many of these sub factors is the level of economic development. The level of economic development of a state plays a significant role in determining both if a state can produce weapons indigenously, and if they can wield them effectively.
Modelling a Conflict in the East-Asia Pacific
Though the balance of power in the Asia-pacific has undeniably shifted in favor of China in recent years, its strategic goal of pushing US forces out of the area in an effort to become a regional hegemon remains a daunting task, one that is unlikely to succeed if the US considers the maintenance of the status-quo worth the potential costs. This report carries out a detailed modelling simulation that incorporates various technical details on existing weapons systems and their operational utility in a geostrategic context. The first section of this chapter examines PLA deployments on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) operations in an effort to gain some insight into the real-world effectiveness of the PLA. The next section makes the case for using Taiwan as a benchmark to assess PLA military capability. The final section of this chapter summarizes results of simulations carried out by a 2015 RAND Corporation study on the balance of power between China and the US in a number of domains. Where possible, I have relied on the study’s methodology to carry out my own simulations for the PLARF’s capability to strike and shut down operations at US bases in the region, and to strike at US vessels at sea using anti-ship missiles (ASM). Elsewhere I have relied on some of the findings in the study and provided updated data on the latest inventory numbers since the study’s publication to provide improved context on the current balance of power. Finally, I apply what we have learned from the case-studies on the PLA’s deployment earlier in the chapter to a potential conflict over Taiwan in an effort to better contextualize the PLA’s military effectiveness in real-life conflict.