Steigenga, Timothy

Utilizing data sets from the Corruption Perceptions Index and Latino Barometer, this thesis investigates the persistent corruption within the Guatemalan government, examining the influence of colonial and liberal legacies and their continuation through the Guatemalan Civil War in perpetuating systemic corruption and impunity. It explores the rise of a progressive anti-establishment presidential ticket in 2023, despite oligarchic opposition, emphasizing the role of resilient democratic values in shaping election outcomes. By detailing the fluctuations of corruption levels in relation to regime changes from 2012-2023, this study underscores the impact of anti-corruption efforts, such as the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), in reducing corruption within the state. The significance of this report lies in its ability to inform anti-corruption efforts moving forward, especially under the Arévalo administration, to dismantle colonial structures and foster a more equitable Guatemalan society.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, union rates in the United States were at their lowest since the 1980s. The recent success of unionization efforts at companies such as Amazon and Starbucks raise questions about what makes unionization successful and which factors explain the current resurgence in labor organizing. This thesis explores theories about what drives workers to unionize, including feelings of dissatisfaction and estrangement (Marx), the gap between an employee's expectations and achievements (Wheeler), community and social movement solidarity, legal frameworks, and other factors. I conclude that the communication between workers and the resources of the movement are directly proportional to its success, while shop size is inversely proportional. The current state of weak union laws in the United States, particularly in Republican-controlled states, causes employees to face adversity in unionizing and negotiating with employers.

This thesis analyses U.S.-Cuban relations through the lens of William LaGrande’s (1998) two level game theory. An historical analysis of the chills and thaws is in U.S.- Cuban relations prior to, during, and after the Cold War suggests that U.S. and Cuban policy makers consistently address both domestic and international concerns before deciding the course of their diplomatic actions. In other words, policy outputs are impacted by lobbyists, sub-national groups, the makeup of Congress, changing international contexts, and other factors not otherwise explained by systems level theories (Neorealism) or ideological differences. Understanding the multiple input factors in U.S. policy helps to explain why little progress has been made in U.S.-Cuban relations more than 30 years after the end of the Cold War.

After the Arab Spring, many ethno-linguistic minority groups in the Southwest Asia and North Africa region found themselves at odds with both their governments and themselves. Periods of Arab conquests, Ottoman rule, European colonialism, Arab nationalism, and most recently, brutal wars and conflicts, have shaped the nationalist ideologies that countries in the region adopted as an attempt to strengthen their states, ultimately resulting in the oppressive policies they direct towards minorities. Kurds, Copts, Assyrians, Amazigh, and other linguistic minorities are some of the last communities keeping indigenous cultures and languages alive. Through utilizing four case studies to examine relations between minority groups in the SWANA region and their respective states and an analysis of the viability of internal preservation efforts and questions of autonomy, I argue that the survival of minority linguistic heritage in the region depends most directly on state tolerance and policies promoting preservation.

National security is not an easily defined concept. Over time, technological advances, globalization, and climate change have changed our perceptions of national security and how we approach policies to effectively contain potential hazards. This work aims to examine the emergence of zoonotic disease and the implications climate change has on humans and animals, the theories of international relations and their usefulness in formulating strategy, and why biodefense measures should be made priority in national security policy.

The idea of Pan-Africanism has long percolated amongst those of African descent, given the agglomeration of external exploitative forces that impact the continent and its people. This thesis aims to explore the history and tenability of a Pan-African Union within the modern context and state of the continent. Utilizing examples from other successful regional organizations and theories of regional integration, the thesis seeks to prescribe some possible means by which the ideal of an effective and stable Pan-African Union can approach realization, particularly amongst the nation-states of sub-Saharan Africa.

International Peacekeeping has been a polarizing topic since becoming established as a
mainstay in United Nations policy. Although international involvement of this sort is bound to be
vulnerable to situational complications, the consistency of the UN’s failures makes it impossible
to ignore the fundamental issues engrained in its standard operating procedures. This thesis
analyses a number of key UN peacekeeping operations that resulted in varying degrees of
success as well as the general assessments that have been developed in response to these
operations. Based upon an analysis of these cases as well as the literature on the issue of UN
Peacekeeping, the thesis identifies the common problems in Peacekeeping operations and traces
their evolution to the foundational elements of the UN Peacekeeping program combined with the
evolving types of Peacekeeping missions undertaken.

The last time the United States was witness to a successful comprehensive immigration reform law was 1986. This thesis explores the question of why it has not happened since and the factors that have halted every effort since 1986. The 1986 law did not clear the United States of immigration problems. While the law granted amnesty to over a million undocumented immigrants, there were millions more who were left in the shadows. So why has nothing happened since? The factors that led to success in 1986 have changed and so have the priorities of the two major parties. The efforts immediately following the 1986 law failed to find the kind of consensus that the 1986 law had, making future efforts more difficult. This thesis explores the factors that make comprehensive immigration reform difficult and argues that the factors aligned against immigration reform have only grown stronger since the 1986 law was passed.

The rapid growth of Pentecostalism has drawn significant scholarly attention in recent decades. However, few researchers have utilized sermon transcripts as a data source for understanding the evolution of Pentecostal thinking. An archive of thirty sermons from one United Pentecostal Church congregation is the primary data source for this analysis. Two groups of sermons from different time periods (1976-86, 2000-10) were compared to examine how one minister’s approach to social issues changed over time. The minister’s discourse about education, marriage and divorce, and homosexuality held to a Pentecostal worldview of “good” and “evil” across time periods. However, key shifts in the Pastor’s dualistic discourse suggest how Pentecostals can adapt to societal change over time. This study suggests that Pentecostalism may be significantly more adaptable to external changes than some analysts had predicted, and that longitudinal discourse analyses provides a window into how the Pentecostal dualistic worldview adapts to such changes.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is granted in the United States to individuals from countries undergoing armed conflicts, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. TPS holders may obtain employment authorization but the status does not come with any specific pathway to permanent residency and may be revoked by the Department of Homeland Security. Asylum status may be granted to individuals in the United States who can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Asylees are eligible to adjust to permanent resident status after one year. This thesis provides legal, ethical and practical arguments for expanding the categories of asylum to include the conditions covered by TPS, which in turn would provide a pathway to permanent residency to TPS holders. This policy would have legal, economic, political, and social benefits both to the U.S. and to countries of origin of TPS holders.