Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1991, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: History

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2015, Slavic and East European Studies

When the Soviet army withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, very few people believed that the Soviet-backed Republic of Afghanistan could last through the end of the decade. Instead, Mohammad Najibullah's administration surprised the world as it firmly persisted against the mujahedin forces seeking to overthrow the Afghan government. Despite the international assumption that it would face a quick demise, the Afghan government endured through April 1992, when the mujahedin took full control of the country. Four years later, the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital of Kabul, forcibly extracting Najibullah from a United Nations compound and brutally assassinating him in the streets of Kabul. This study examines the main factors that contributed to the collapse of Afghanistan's socialist government in 1992. In addition to the lingering effects of the decade-long Soviet intervention, several cultural and societal factors prevented the prolonged existence of a Soviet-style socialist republic in Afghanistan. Not only did these factors embolden opposition forces, but they also prevented the people of Afghanistan from embracing the ideologies of a socialist government. By examining these different elements, it is then possible to understand which factors played a more significant role in the downfall of the communist regime in Afghanistan. As the United States hopes to give Afghanistan more independence in the coming years, it is increasingly vital that policymakers possess a holistic view of why the Republic of Afghanistan failed in 1992. A proper understanding of this issue will help the new Afghan government to thrive as a sovereign entity. However, this is not a case where the simplest answer is best. By using a variety of sources to build upon existing research, it is possible to develop a more comprehensive view of the cultural, societal, and international situation in Afghanistan.

Committee: Jennifer Siegel (Advisor); Morgan Liu (Committee Member); Alam Payind (Committee Member) Subjects: History; Near Eastern Studies; Russian History; Slavic Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2012, Mass Communication (Communication)

This dissertation explores media framing of conflict and peace in post-September 11, 2001 Afghanistan. The media selected for this study included: the BBC Pashto Service and Azadi Radio at the international level; Tehran's Pashto Radio at the regional level; National Radio and Television of Afghanistan [NRTA], Tolo Television and Ariana Television at the national level; and Salam Watandar Network and Hewad Television at the local level. In-depth interviews were conducted during fieldwork in the summers of 2008 and 2009. Participant observation, textual analysis and documents analysis were the other methods used in this study. Using comparative frame analysis, this study identified the following main frames: state building, occupation as failure and civilian victims. Other frames identified and available to the media, which were either rejected or only partially supported by this research, were: Jihad, terrorism, ethnic victimization, and peace through negotiation. The results of this study showed that, except Tehran's Pashto Radio, all other media outlets used state building as the main frame. The data pointed to the broader socio-political contexts and the political economy of the media outlets as determining factors in adoption of this particular frame. In the frame contestation process, power relation and culture resonance played an important role. Although the dominant media frames were identified using frame analysis, that process did not always explain why those frames were adopted and especially what were the different constraints, pressures and controversies at play. These positions and issues were addressed in this research through a second level of framing the researcher calls “journalistic frames.” Four different journalistic frames were identified. The two most commonly used by media outlets were: national interest and public interest. The two levels of framing—conflict frames and journalistic frames—together with analysis of environmental pressures, jou (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Don Flournoy PhD (Committee Chair); Drew McDaniel PhD (Committee Member); Claudia Hale PhD (Committee Member); Haley Duschinski PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Political Science

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2024, International and Comparative Politics

India's compliance to the United States' regional ambitions following the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan demonstrated a unique re-alignment that reversed India's historic defiance of international powers pursued since its independence. Instead of resisting the United States or seeking to disengage from the Afghan conflict, India provided aid to the new regime but did not extend military assistance because of limits set by the United States to appease Pakistan. India complied and increased cooperation with the United States despite the disadvantages this compliance presented. It will be argued that the structure of the international system enforcing US hegemony primarily influenced India's compliant Afghanistan policy from 2001 to 2016. First, as determined by the neoclassical model of a nation's foreign policy reacting to its relative place to the international structure, Indian foreign policy makers incrementally increased independent Afghanistan policies when US foreign policy indicated the desire to disengage from Afghanistan. Secondly, the United States increased military and nuclear cooperation with India that directly increased conventional capabilities with minimal conditions, enacting a historic model that previously encouraged India to increase compliance to international powers.

Committee: Pramod Kantha Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Laura Luehrmann Ph.D. (Committee Member); Vaughn Shannon Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: International Relations; Modern History; Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2024, Civil Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

This research project is intended to prepare an integrated model that can be used as a toolkit for Kabul City in Afghanistan and later for any geographical area to help mitigate the damage due to flooding during the peak-flow period of surface water flow, and also contribute to groundwater recharge as a tool to assist during the drought eras that the city faces. In this project, the surface flow of water over a course of time is assessed, with regards to the volume of flow and the capacity of the water bodies holding it such as river, canals, waterways etc. After the assessment of the volume of flow, this study project proposes areas for water retention during the peak flow period that can provide a sustainable water storage solution, consequently that can contribute to the recharge of the groundwater table for that particular geographical zone as well. The selection of water retention zone is conducted based on the topographical assessment, availability of land, possibility of groundwork and construction and other related factors. In this project, the surface flow of water inside and around Kabul City was analyzed, and accordingly the peak flow periods during the last few decades were examined, which had caused floods and lots of damages inside the city as well. Based on the topographical assessment, land use plan and peak flow simulations, two major sites were selected as water retention zones. These zones were intended to reduce the intensity of water during the peak flow period, retain the water, help mitigate the damage due to the floodings and also contribute in the recharge of groundwater. The wells were established in the selected sites to monitor the groundwater table. The surface flow for the city was simulated to understand its impact on the two selected sites. Based on various mathematical equations, the groundwater recharge was estimated and compared with the actual groundwater table over the time when the wells were monitored. Thi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Shad Sargand (Advisor); Issam Khoury (Committee Member); Jason Trembly (Committee Member); Natalie Kruse (Committee Member); Daniel Che (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Management; Water Resource Management

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, American Culture Studies

This dissertation explores the role of democracy promotion in US foreign intervention with a particular focus on the weaponization of media and civil society by two important US democracy promotion institutions, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and US Agency for International Development (USAID). Focusing on these two institutions and building on scholarship that takes a critical Gramscian Marxist perspective on US democracy promotion, this study brings media imperialism and deep political scholarship into the conversation. Delimiting the study to focus on US activities, I trace historical patterns of intellectual warfare and exceptional states of violence and lawlessness pursued by the US government in case studies of foreign intervention in which democracy promotion has played an important part since 1983. I survey the evolution of elite US Cold War conceptions of managed democracy as well as transformations of covert Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) media and civil society operations into institutionalized, pseudo-overt US democracy promotion that became a foundational pretext and method for US interventionism post-Cold War. Case studies include the Contra War in 1980s Nicaragua, Operation Cyclone in 1980s Afghanistan, the 2000 overthrow of Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic, the 2002 military coup against Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, the 2004 coup against Haitian president Bertrand Aristide, and the 2014 Euromaidan Coup against Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. I dedicate the penultimate chapter to US-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War that began in 2011, demonstrating how USAID provided instrumental monetary, media, and civil society support to primarily sectarian, theocratic, Salafi rebels against the Ba'athist government. Throughout the dissertation, I argue that the NED and USAID represent important engines of intellectual warfare in US foreign intervention, mobilizing communications and organizational resources to reinf (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Cynthia Baron Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Oliver Boyd-Barrett Ph.D. (Committee Member); Radhika Gajjala Ph.D. (Committee Member); Alexis Ostrowski Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: American History; American Studies; East European Studies; History; International Relations; Journalism; Latin American History; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Middle Eastern History; Military History; Military Studies; Modern History; Peace Studies; Political Science; Public Policy; Regional Studies; World History

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

This body of research is focused on susceptibility risk factors associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), including History of Child Abuse, Attribution Style, Moral Injury, Biological and Familial Risk Factors, Intelligence, Gender, and Social Support (Unit Cohesion and Family Support). The objective of this study is to investigate PTSD risk factors the literature has identified. The goal of this research is to highlight risk factors for PTSD and increase the efficiency of the clinical interview process during the assessment phase of a clinical intake and treatment. The data comes from The Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (STARRS) which includes the All-Army Study (ASS), and New Soldier Study (NSS), a de-identified cross-sectional survey of active-duty soldiers exclusive of those in Basic Combat Training or deployed to a combat theater. The de-identified research data comes from a 5-year study on risk and resiliency factors impacting our service members a total of N = 21,449. The overall model for this proposed analysist is based on the Diathesis Stress Model, also known as the vulnerability-stress model. The Diathesis Stress model made it possible to generate and study new hypotheses about the role of risk factors in causing mental health illness. A multiple regression model will be utilized to assess whether PTSD symptomology could be predicted by the following variables: history of child abuse, Attribution style, Moral Injury, Biological and Familial Risk Factors, Intelligence, Gender, and Social Support (Unit Cohesion and Family Support.) This dissertation will be available when complete in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu.

Committee: Brett Kia-Keating Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Patti Tacket Colonel (Ret), Psy.D. (Committee Member); George Leoffler M.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Mental Health; Military Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Social Psychology; Sociology

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English

This dissertation investigates the production of Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier as a necrospace and how such a spatial formation contributes to the ungrievability of the local population. Drawing on the scholarship of bio(necro)politics, this dissertation examines a wide range of literary texts—from British colonial and Af-Pak anglophone literary works to Pashto literature in English translation—to discuss the symbiotic relationship between space and subjectivities. By adopting a bottom-up approach and analyzing subject formation under necropolitical conditions, this study adds an important missing link to the bio(necro)political framework that often focuses on the structure and operation of power. This dissertation argues that literature plays a significant role in conceptualizing the Af-Pak frontier as a necrogeography. This imaginative necrogeography normalizes violence in the region, renders local lives “ungrievable,” and subjects the local population to a persistent rule of death that limits their actions to either necroagency or disidentificatory practices. This dissertation also argues that instead of organized resistance to necropolitical structures and forces, various subjectivities—such as the death-bound, the implicated, and the quotidian—emerge in a necrospace.

Committee: Babacar M'Baye (Committee Co-Chair); Jennifer MacLure (Committee Co-Chair); Masood Raja (Committee Member); Felix Kumah-Abiwu (Committee Member); Vera Camden (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian American Studies; Asian Literature; Asian Studies; Literature; South Asian Studies

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2022, English

A significant body of scholarship exists on second language (L2) learning investment and strategies within the classroom, yet considerations for successful L2 learners in fragile contexts with limited formal education are conspicuously absent from literature. This article explores enabling factors of successful L2 learning in the particular warscape (Korf et al., 2010) of Afghanistan within the sociological framework of investment (Norton, 1995) and psychological framework of motivation (Garner & Lambert, 1972). The researcher surveyed and interviewed U.S.-based individuals from Afghanistan who acquired English proficiency there. Results indicate participants were able to overcome barriers to formal education through independent study and family advocacy and achieve high levels of proficiency despite little to no formal language instruction. The article discusses participants' motivation and social positioning with respect to English language learning in light of Norton's framework of investment, as well as possible implications for aid agencies serving regions in conflict.

Committee: Jennifer Haan (Advisor) Subjects: English As A Second Language

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2019, International and Comparative Politics

In the following research, I investigate whether hard offensive counterterrorism results in the failure or success of a counterterrorism strategy. In the second chapter, the academic literature of counterterrorism strategies is examined. Next, a hypothesis is put forth that if a hard offensive counterterrorism strategy is utilized, indicators such as high troop levels, more civilian casualties, more negative public opinion, and an increased rate of terrorism, will point to a failed counterterrorism strategy. Then, I put forth a methodology to test the hypothesis while introducing troop level databases, various public opinion polling sources, and terrorist attack databases to investigate the given variables. In the third chapter, a case study of the Iraq War is utilized, in which the initial invasion from 2003-2006 and the Surge/Withdrawal eras from 2007-2011 are examined. Both time periods are compared to see if hard offensive counterterrorism used in 2003-2006 resulted in a less effective counterterrorism campaign than the softer counterinsurgency strategies from 2007-2011. Data from the Brookings Iraq Index, Iraq Body Count, and Global Terrorism Database are then analyzed to investigate the variables of casualties, public opinion, and rate of terrorism during each era in Iraq. In the fourth chapter, the war in Afghanistan is presented as a case study. I then evaluate whether hard offensive counterterrorism used from 2001-2008 resulted in less terrorism than the counterinsurgency strategies of Surge and withdrawal used from 2009-2016. Data from the Congressional Research Service, UNAMA, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the BBC, the Asia Foundation, and the Global Terrorism Database are then utilized to assess each variable. Finally, I present my findings and conclude that evaluating a strategy primarily using hard offensive counterterrorism strategies is rather complex and then present ideas for future research in counterterrorism strategy.

Committee: Vaughn Shannon Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Liam Anderson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Pramod Kantha Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Political Science

Under what conditions does foreign intervention build civilian support in the target state? Put differently, when can foreign patrons build the capacity of their local clients without undermining their partner's public legitimacy? Civilian support is a necessary condition for effective military intervention, yet scholars and policymakers alike have a limited understanding of the requirements for winning local "hearts and minds." The conventional wisdom states that the identity of foreign interveners and the tactics they pursue shape civilian attitudes in the target state. I argue, however, that civilian support for foreign intervention is shaped primarily by perceptions of the local partners. Civilians will support foreign intervention when foreign patrons assist local clients who improve their prospects of survival. I test my theory's hypotheses with original survey data collected in Baghdad, Iraq, in November 2017. My key finding is that Iraqi support for foreign assistance to the anti-ISIS coalition was shaped more by views of local clients than by the identity or tactics of foreign patrons. In fact, respondents preferred more invasive forms of foreign intervention—including airpower, military trainers, and combat troops—when external assistance supported trusted local security providers. To complement the Baghdad survey, I include a comparative case study of the U.S. troop surges in Iraq (2007–2008) and Afghanistan (2009–2011). The Iraq surge successfully decreased insurgent violence by pairing a new strategy with increased troops who supported legitimate local clients. In Afghanistan, however, the U.S. surge failed to consolidate security gains due to local mistrust of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). Considered in concert, my findings suggest that foreign interveners can avoid blowback by assisting local partners with public legitimacy.

Committee: Christopher Gelpi (Committee Chair); Bear Braumoeller (Committee Member); Bradley Holland (Committee Member); Karl Kaltenthaler (Committee Member); William Minozzi (Committee Member) Subjects: International Relations; Political Science

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2019, International and Comparative Politics

This study examines the role of ethnic inclusion as a factor of regime stability in Afghanistan through an historical case analysis from 1880 until 2009. By utilizing case study research methods, the goal of the study is to examine all the past regimes in order to show whether there is a relationship between the dependent variable regime stability and the independent variable ethnic inclusion. The study assumes the hypothesis that an ethnically inclusive regime will be stable while an ethnically exclusive regime will be unstable. Five indicators are used to measure each variable respectively. Each indicator is assigned a score of 1 or 0, with a total possible score of 0 or 5. The differences of the combined scores on each variable are utilized to test the hypotheses, where a lower denominator indicates robustness and a higher denominator indicates weakness.

Committee: Liam Anderson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Pramod Kantha Ph.D. (Committee Member); Carlos Costa Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Comparative; Ethnic Studies; History; International Relations; Literature; Middle Eastern Studies; Modern History; Political Science; South Asian Studies

BA, Oberlin College, 2018, History

This project traces the evolution of the Islamic Deobandi madrassas from their creation during the British colonial period in India to present day Pakistan and Afghanistan. The goal is to argue that these madrassas turned to militancy due to regional political factors. This is done by examining the madrassas in three periods; the British colonial period, the Soviet-Afghan War period, and the years when the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan. Using these eras, the thesis argues that the madrassas were radicalized due to external actors. This radicalization can be seen by comparing the actions of the madrassas at each stage to their original mission, thereby analyzing the ways in which the radicalization occurred.

Committee: Zeinab Abul-Magd (Advisor) Subjects: History; Political Science

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2016, Antioch Santa Barbara: Clinical Psychology

War-zone stressors among Service members can lead to adverse psychological consequences that fall outside the scope of post-traumatic stress disorder. Combat stressors can also result in moral injury. Moral injury is an emerging psychological construct. One proposed definition of moral injury is the perpetration of, failure to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. The current study used this proposed definition to conduct a qualitative phenomenological investigation of the lived experience of moral injury among combat Veterans of the wars in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Eight male combat Veterans who self-identified as having the experience of moral injury as put forth in the proposed definition, were individually interviewed. Qualitative analysis was utilized to uncover themes related to morally injurious events and psychological sequela. The findings revealed support for the proposed definition of moral injury as well as six themes describing morally injurious experiences: shame, guilt, and feeling unforgivable connected to the involvement of children in war; shame, guilt, and anger for taking part in killing others; shame, guilt, anger, and feeling unforgivable when they did not speak-out regarding morally injurious events they were a part of as a group; no longer holding the same religious/spiritual beliefs; a loss of meaning in life after viewing death and a sense that they deserved to be disgraced after the way they handled the human remains of the enemy and witnessing others disgrace human remains of the enemy; and difficulty reconnecting emotionally with loved ones after their morally injurious experiences in combat. The most endorsed theme by the Veterans related to morally injurious experiences with children in war. Results suggest an important area for future research could help to define ways to prepare Service members for encountering child soldiers as well as potential ways to manage (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ronald Pilato Psy. D. (Committee Chair); Sharleen O'Brien Psy. D. (Committee Co-Chair); Capt. William P. Nash M.D.,MC USN (Ret.) (Other) Subjects: Armed Forces; Military Studies; Psychology

MFA, Kent State University, 2015, College of the Arts / School of Art

Suddenly I Didn't Want to Die is a visual documentation of an individual experiencing war. The body of work contains four sculptures, thematically connected that investigate the artist's perspective from his involvement in the war in Iraq. Excerpts from his personal journal begin the thesis and help establish the psychological mindset he was in during the war and shortly after. Deibel explores his experiences through 3-Dimensional forms that help to visually explain personal struggle. The sculptures presented represent a timeline of events supporting each other's cathartic references through visual cues. The works are all connected through one man's experience but reach a broad audience through accessible, recognizable forms.

Committee: Isabel Farnsworth (Advisor); Paul O'keeffe (Committee Chair); Navjotika Kumar (Committee Member); Gustav Medicus (Committee Member) Subjects: Armed Forces; Art Criticism; Art History; Fine Arts

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2015, Civil Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

The purpose of this research project is to find a method to detect groundwater contamination from chemicals involved in extraction of copper at a mining facility. Chemicals, mainly acids that are used for extraction of copper may seep into the soil nd reach the groundwater which leads to groundwater contamination. In this project the use of Time Domain Reflectometery (TDR) was assessed to analyze the impact of acids on subsurface soil at a copper mining facility. The basic method is the electrical conductivity of soil and its relation with the electrical potential along with dielectric constant. Since each material has its own specific dielectric constant, the presence of different chemicals in subsurface soil can be examined by the change in the electrical conductivity of soil. Aynak Copper mining facility in Afghanistan is considered as a case study for this research study. The parameters for experiment were as proposed in the guidelines of environmental assessment report for Aynak mine. This research project was able to attain successful results pertaining to the use of TDR as a sensor to examine the presence of sulfuric acid and copper sulfate in soil. To provide sustainable use of the sensor, different types of heat shrink tubes made of polyolefin and PVC were used to cover the TDR so that it is not affected by the impact of chemicals along with assurance that the results are not altered. For better economy of this system, the TDR sensor was made manually through copper wires covered with heat shrinking tubes. The system was able to analyze the presence of acid and show the location of leakage, and it acted as a layer over the ground which will provide more precision and accuracy.

Committee: Shad Sargand (Advisor); Teruhisa Masada (Committee Member); Guy Riefler (Committee Member); Gaurav Sinha (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Civil Engineering; Environmental Economics; Environmental Engineering; Mining; Water Resource Management

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Cross-Cultural, International Education

As the United States military engagement in Afghanistan comes to an end, so do Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), the primary tool for hearts and minds projects by the U.S. military. These teams of United States military members from all branches worked in provinces to help build roads, mentor Afghan government officials, and provide humanitarian assistance. Throughout the literature I researched, the voices of those who served on PRTs was missing. Understanding their interactions in the context of informal education was sought to be explained through PRT members' words. This thesis was conducted as a collective case study using coding within each interview and then cross-coded to find relevant themes that defined informal education within the context of Provincial Reconstruction Teams. Six PRT members from various provinces and years of service participated in the thesis. Five themes were found, 1) cultural exchange 2) building relationships 3) importance and influence of interpreters 4) empowerment and self-reliance, and 5) reflection. Conclusions draw upon themes found the need for further research as this thesis is the first to ask about informal education within the context of PRTs. Further research is needed regarding the voices of other PRT members, specifically Army Civil Affairs and Security Forces. Afghans remain silent within this work and must also have a voice in order to understand all sides of informal education within the PRT context. Advice is given regarding future implications of PRTs as a strategy and how to better equip our military members to play the role of educator in cross-cultural contexts.

Committee: Bruce Collet (Advisor); Christopher Frey (Committee Member); Marc Simon (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Military Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2014, International and Comparative Politics

As the United States moved closer to ending its military involvement in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, intense debate on the relevance and success of the United States' counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy in the country continues. Many observers have been quick to declare the strategy a failure without fully analyzing the critical components of COIN doctrine that are necessary for a campaign to succeed, and the extent to which those components were in place in Afghanistan. This study examines the case of Afghanistan by determining whether the U.S.'s counterinsurgency strategy was successful in achieving the four main objectives identified by FM 3-24 as necessary for COIN's success. This study also looks at whether or not the United States' COIN strategy was successful in generating and maintaining the public support needed to carry out a prolonged counterinsurgency operation. By utilizing a mix of deductive logic based on contemporary COIN theory and currently available scholarly resources, government documents, and U.S. and ISAF military field reports, this study seeks to answer whether the counterinsurgency strategy devised by Generals David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal was successful in achieving the four main objectives needed for the success of this strategy in Afghanistan.

Committee: Pramod Kantha Ph.D (Committee Chair); Vaughn Shannon Ph.D (Committee Member); Donna Schlagheck Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Comparative; International Relations; Military Studies; Political Science

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2014, Renewable and Clean Energy

This thesis analyses the potential of large-scale grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power plants in two of Afghanistan's most populous provinces (Balkh and Herat) to meet a fraction of growing electricity demand. The analysis is performed by quantifying resource quality, variability and cost of energy generation. First, the quality of solar and wind resources is quantified by characterizing wind speed and solar radiation and calculating capacity factors and energy yields from hypothetical power plants using measured wind speed and typical solar radiation data. Second, variability of wind and solar resources is quantified by comparing their daily and seasonal profiles with electricity demand profiles, analyzing their impacts on load duration curves and determining their penetration and curtailment levels for various demand scenarios. Finally, cost of energy generated from solar PV and wind power plants is determined. The research shows that future solar PV and wind power plants in Balkh and Herat provinces could achieve very high penetration levels without significant curtailment meaning less reliance on unpredictable and unstable power purchase agreements with neighboring countries, longer life of limited domestic fossil fuel resources such as coal and natural gas, and less imports of diesel fuel with rising costs and unfriendly environmental impacts.

Committee: Robert J. Brecha Ph.D. (Committee Chair); J. Kelly Kissock Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kevin P. Hallinan Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering; Energy; Environmental Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

MA, Kent State University, 2013, College of Communication and Information / School of Media and Journalism

A lot of research has examined news framing and the government's influence on how news is framed. However, there is no existing scholarly research on news framing and American military service members. This study focuses on how The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal frame the post-9/11 service members. A content analysis grounded in news framing theory will identify the frames that exist, examine the sources of the frames, and reveal other factors that influence the construction of these frames. The post-9/11 service member is one of the approximately 4 million Americans who enlisted in military service since 9/11 during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, collectively labeled the 'Global War on Terror.' The post-9/11 service member's war is different, his culture is different, and the media are different. Post-9/11 service members are diagnosed with mental health issues like Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in numbers greater than those who served in other era. More journalists are embedded with troops in-country, and the post-9/11 service member is communicating from the battlefield to their families back home and social media via the Internet, which makes those who serve a subject of the news like never before.

Committee: Danielle Coombs PhD (Advisor); Gordon Murray PhD (Committee Member); Jeffery Fruit (Committee Member) Subjects: Cultural Anthropology; Journalism; Military Studies