I aim to answer how SWAPO (South West Africa People’s Organisation) gained legitimacy and became formally recognized as the “sole legitimate representative” of the Namibian people1. SWAPO’s progression to such recognition was anything but inevitable, contrary to the portrayal by current and historical leaders of SWAPO, such as the former president of the party, Samuel Nujoma. While the UN cited SWAPO’s formal international recognition in 1973, it was not enforceable under International Law. I suggest that a stronger case can be made for 1978 when Resolution 435 gained the backing of all permanent Security Council members and South Africa was forced to recognize SWAPO.

Bill Clinton left office in 2001 with the highest approval rating of any president in American history. A quarter century later, his presidency seems to be rarely talked about. Yet as Donald Trump’s second presidency continues to raise questions about the future of American foreign and trade policy, it is more important than ever to come to terms with the origins of our present world system and the presidency of the man who governed when the world seemed new.

It is often talked about that after the Second World War, the United States formalized its superpower status by creating institutions and structures such as NATO, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, and a network of alliances across the world that ensured ours was a planet that was linked by the American dollar and protected by the American nuclear triad. Those structures allowed the United States to eventually emerge victorious in the Cold War. Today, the efficacy, and indeed, the legitimacy, of these systems is increasingly called into question by the very nation that created them. For this, the American people have the 1990s to thank, because it was this decade that added fuel to the neoconservative challenge and eventually helped give rise to Donal Trump. This thesis attempts to better understand this crucial time for America and the world.

This thesis draws on both scholarly research and primary sources — including speeches, government documents, and newspaper articles — to understand the somewhat forgotten presidency and foreign policy of Bill Clinton. I arrive at several conclusions. George H.W. Bush made important strategic choices that definitively made America the leader of the new unipolar world. Contrary to much scholarly discourse, Bill Clinton’s foreign policy had a coherent strategy, and he deserves credit for his largely successful engagement with the world. Clinton’s ideology did not vary drastically from the neoconservative critique that rose up in response to his perceived failings, but the foreign policy of George W. Bush still represented a paradigm shift in American foreign policy. The neoconservative project was idealist, but unlike Clinton, it was unable to reign in its ambitions to fit the limits of American power. Bush brought a more unilateral and confrontational posture to the world stage, which stands in sharp contrast to the emphasis on cooperation under Clinton. And finally, the events of the Clinton presidency help better explain the rise of the neoconservatives and the War on Terror, the success of Donald Trump and his political movement, and the current competition between the United States and China.

This thesis examines the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics through the lens of sports, economics and the Cold War conflicts. Faced with financial struggles of the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the widespread taxpayer resistance, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee undertook a fully privatized model to finance the Games. This model leveraged corporate sponsorships and broadcasting rights as the main source of revenue and was driven more by necessity than innovation, ultimately turning a profit and reshaping future Olympic hosting norms. Although this structure was a necessary solution to the struggles that preceded the Games, the structure and symbolism of the 1984 Olympics became increasingly aligned with President Reagan’s ideals. Drawing on newspaper articles, speeches, polling, Peter Ueberroth’s memoir and secondary literature, this study examines the evolution of the Games as they increasingly represented the strengths of the United States. This paper challenges existing interpretations, revealing that all aspects of the Games were not by design, but rather a response to constraints.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) is a system of public theology confessed by many presbyterian churches today. Chapter twenty three of the American revision of the WCF articulates a Christian view of the civil magistrate that is more conducive to civil pluralism. The original version, however, gave the magistrate the responsibility of protecting religion and pure worship. In America, Reformed Christians are still discussing how to articulate the church's relationship to the state in a way that si more consistent with the Bible and the Reformed tradition. The political theology of the Reformed Scottish Covenanters at the Westminster Assembly provides insight on how Scotland envisioned a Christian body politic while maintaining the spirituality of the institutional church. Interpreting chapter twenty three of the WCF in light of Scottish Covenanter theology shows how the chapter may not conflict with sphere sovereignty but rather provide helpful categories of thought for political theology moving forward. However, the history of the Covenanting movement will also show how tying church and state together resulted in division and chaos at every level and that the language of the original might have caused confusion. This paper aims to encourage Christians to think further about how to to learn from mistakes of the past while retaining the timeless principles of Reformed political thought.

This thesis explores the complex, interpersonal social dynamics of African American soldiers in France during the First World War. The interactions between African American soldiers and French civilians, French soldiers, and African colonial troops during WWI provided a distinct contrast to the pervasive racism and legalized “Jim Crow” segregation that African Americans faced in America. These eye-opening experiences influenced and challenged their perceptions of racial identity and citizenship, allowing them to imagine a future beyond the confines of the prejudiced American South. Although the war itself resulted in massive casualties for both the Allied and Central Powers and is one deadliest human conflicts on record, it also symbolized a transformative rebirth of optimism and opportunity for the African American community despite the continual enforcement of institutionalized segregation until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, serving as the foundation for the outset of the early Civil Rights Movement, the concept of the “New Negro” identity, and the Harlem Rennaissance of the 1920s. The historical documents of various WWI African American soldiers, scholars, and reporters offer insight into the lived experiences of both the French and American sides of the war, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the social background often understated by historians and WWI enthusiasts alike. This essay explores the interactions of African American soldiers during WWI and explains their importance for the broader implications of post-war racial identity of black Americans, Pan-African activism, and the concept of citizenship.

This thesis argues that Kentucky underwent an ideological secession during the Civil War. Rather than identifying a single moment or cause of this departure from the Union, it takes a broader lens and synthesizes previously isolated historical arguments. While Kentucky never officially joined the Confederacy, it resisted federal emancipation efforts, opposed Lincoln’s reelection, and rejected the Thirteenth Amendment, ultimately emerging from the war ideologically estranged from the Union too which it had remained loyal. Building on the work of historians E. Merton Coulter, Gary Matthews, and Jacob Lee, this study examines how Kentucky’s political and cultural identity gradually shifted. Through analysis of local newspapers, diaries, manuscripts, letters, and legislation, this thesis traces the gradual unraveling of Kentucky’s Unionism and argues that its transformation was not a moment, but a process.

This thesis explores the significance of bourbon whiskey to American culture, focusing specifically on the way in which federal legislation shaped the spirit’s identity as a symbol of national heritage. Through a deep analysis of the societal context of eras throughout America’s extensive history, this thesis examines the impact that major legislation had on the formation of the American whiskey industry. This thesis analyzes the context and impact of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, the Eighteenth Amendment, the Volstead Act, the Twenty-first Amendment, the Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, and the North American Free Trade Agreement. These legislative actions shaped the bourbon industry and established the spirit’s significance as a symbol of American heritage.