Dec. 9, 2020

New Owl in the Olive Tree post "Misreading Britain’s Decline—Identifying the Real Hegemonic Contest Between China and America"

Minerva-funded researcher, Gregory Mitrovich' s new Owl in the Olive Tree post "Misreading Britain’s Decline—Identifying the Real Hegemonic Contest Between China and America". How do we determine when a great power is in decline? When does this “decline” matter to the global balance of power? Since the end of World War II, perceptions of U.S. power have varied wildly, from moments of unparalleled hegemony to fears of rapid decay and a transition to a new dominant power.

Dec. 17, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "The Puzzle of International Intervention in Conflict-Affected States"

Minerva-funded researchers Jessica Piombo, Naazneen H. Barma, and Naomi Levy's Owl in the Olive Tree post on "The Puzzle of International Intervention in Conflict-Affected States". One of the conundrums of post-conflict interventions is that despite copious amounts of international assistance devoted to the dual enterprise of strengthening states and building peace, many post-conflict countries—such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, and South Sudan—remain either poorly governed, stubbornly insecure, or, worst of all, both. Perhaps even more puzzling, however, are countries like Uganda, where peace is lasting but governance...

Dec. 5, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Beneath the "Crime-Terror Nexus": Local Power Struggles, Competition over Resources, and Corrupt State"

Minerva-funded researchers Mariya Omelicheva and Lawrence Markowitz's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Beneath the "Crime-Terror Nexus": Local Power Struggles, Competition over Resources, and Corrupt State". The post-Cold War era has been marked by policy and academic debates about the cooperative links between criminal and terrorist actors. According to the prevailing view, the dissolution of the Soviet Union resulted in...

Oct. 29, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Explaining Great Power Status in Central Asia: Unfamiliarity and Discontent”

Minerva-funded researcher Eric Mcglinchey and Marlene Laruelle's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Explaining Great Power Status in Central Asia: Unfamiliarity and Discontent”. Great powers see Central Asia as a region where they can test strategies for building a post-Cold War international order. Of the great powers, Russia and China are the most influential in the region. Washington’s soft power, despite the continued United States presence in neighboring Afghanistan, trails far behind…

Oct. 10, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Carrot or Stick? Development Aid and the Implementation of Peace Agreements by Recipient Governments"

Minerva-funded researcher Paul Huth and Deniz Cil's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on " Carrot or Stick? Development Aid and the Implementation of Peace Agreements by Recipient Governments". The implementation of peace agreements following civil wars is a lengthy and complex process in which levels of implementation vary greatly (see Figure 1).

Aug. 13, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on " The Emergence of the Chinese Techno-Security State: United States-China Great Power Competition in Comparative Historical Context"

Minerva-funded researcher Tai Ming Cheung's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "The Emergence of the Chinese Techno-Security State: United States-China Great Power Competition in Comparative Historical Context".The intensifying great power competition between the United States and China is frequently referred to as a “New Cold War” because of the

July 23, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Problems in Viewing China's Rise as a Threat to the Liberal International Order"

Minerva-funded researcher Charles Glaser's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Problems in Viewing China's Rise as a Threat to the Liberal International Order". For over a decade, U.S. policymakers and scholars have cast China’s rise as a threat to the liberal international order (LIO).  The LIO has been credited with achieving the Cold War peace,

July 9, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Culture as Counter Extremism: West African, European, and Southeast Asian Cases"

Minerva-funded researcher Mark Woodward and Muhammad Sani Umar's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Culture as Counter Extremism: West African, European, and Southeast Asian Cases".While only a small percentage of Muslims are Salafis, most Muslim violent extremist movements (VEM) are rooted in Salafi teachings. Salafism is a revivalist Islamic

May 29, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Telegram and Online Addiction to Terrorist Propaganda"

Minerva-funded researcher Mia Bloom's Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Telegram and Online Addiction to Terrorist Propaganda."The online media platforms of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) blend graphic audiovisual content with ideological religious writings to sanction and justify violent terrorist tactics throughout the world. ISIS

March 27, 2019

Owl in the Olive Tree post on "Understanding How Populations Perceive U.S. Troop Deployment"

Minerva-funded researchers Michael A. Allen, Michael Flynn, Carla Martinez Machain, and Andrew Stravers' Owl in the Olive Tree blog post on "Understanding How Populations Perceive U.S. Troop Deployments."A mainstay of U.S. foreign policy in the Post-War era has been the deployment of hundreds of thousands of military personnel to countries around