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Chinese Investment in Africa
No full textIntroduction
Foreign direct investment is often cited in relation to economic development, but the actual mechanisms of this interaction can be quite ambiguous. The first section of this paper addresses this, defining foreign direct investment and differentiating it from other kinds of international capital flows. Here, I describe foreign direct investment’s role in development, specifically how it facilitates economic growth by driving technological progress. I also mention determinants that commonly influence a country’s attractiveness to foreign direct investment. The second section of this paper highlights the most popular criticisms against Chinese foreign direct investment in Africa. Using these criticisms as a framework, I then assess how China’s investment both conforms to and diverges from the general characteristics and effects of foreign direct investment. The third section of this paper briefly speculates on China’s underlying motives. By analyzing the nature of Chinese investment in Africa, I put China’s investment in the continent in perspective to show that while these activities are not as alarming as recent reports portray them to be, it does demonstrate the importance of and need for foreign direct investment to drive African development
Comparative Efficacy of Exercise Training and Conventional Psychotherapies for Adult Depression: A Network Meta-Analysis
No full textAbstract
Objective An estimated 3.8% of the global population experiences depression, according to the [2019] WHO report. Evidence supports the efficacy of exercise training (EX) for depression; however, its comparative efficacy to conventional, evidence-supported psychotherapies remains understudied. Therefore, we conducted a network meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of exercise training (EX), behavioral activation therapy (BA), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and non-directive supportive therapy (NDST).
Methods Our search was performed in seven relevant databases (inception to March 10, 2020) and targeted randomized trialsomparing psychological interventions head-to-head and/or to a treatment as usual (TAU) or waitlist (WL) control for the treatment of adults (18 years or older) with depression. Included trials assessed depression using a validated psychometric tool.
Results From 28,716 studies, 133 trials with 14,493 patients (mean age of 45.8 years; 71.9% female) were included. All treatment arms significantly outperformed TAU (standard mean difference [SMD] range, -0.49 to -0.95) and WL (SMD range, -0.80 to -1.26) controls. According to surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities, BA was mostly likely to have the highest efficacy (1.6), followed by CBT (1.9), EX (2.8), and NDST (3.8). Effect size estimates between BA and CBT (SMD = -0.09, 95% CI = -0.50 to 0.31), BA and EX (-0.22, -0.68 to 0.24), and CBT and EX (-0.12, -0.42 to 0.17) were very small, suggesting comparable treatment effects of BA, CBT, and EX. With individual comparisons of EX, BA, and CBT to NDST, we found small to moderate effect sizes (0.09 to 0.46), suggesting EX, BA, and CBT may equally outperform NDST.
Conclusions Findings provide preliminary yet cautionary support for the clinical use of exercise training for adult depression. High study heterogeneity and lack of sound investigations of exercise must be considered. Continued research is needed to position exercise training as an evidence-based therapy.
 
Mapping the Institutional History of Women’s Organizations in Morocco and Egypt: A Comparative Case Study
No full textWomen’s organizations have been at the heart of nearly every struggle for civil rights in the Middle East and North Africa since their inception. This paper will focus on the unique strategizing methods of women’s organizations in the region that confront deeply patriarchal societies with particular focus on the institutional history of Morocco and Egypt. The paper will first summarize the emergence of women’s rights organizations in the region within a historical, social, political, and international context. An in-depth history of Morocco and Egypt’s women’s movement through the lens of grassroots NGO organizing will follow. The two countries will then be examined alongside one another with specific attention to similarities and differences. While the paper will explore the importance of these organizations, it will also give homage to the grassroots, network-style organizing methods that have taken place outside of a hierarchical structure during and following the Arab Spring. Following the comparative case study, I will offer a detailed conclusion summarizing the research presented throughout the paper as well as what the future of women’s rights and organizing may look like in the coming years
Responding to Islamic Extremism in the Sahel
No full textThe rise of Islamic extremism in the Sahel has destabilized the region and drawn attention from much of the international community. Groups like Jama\u27at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, Ansaroul Islam, and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara have largely operated in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, and those states have been unable to adequately address the crisis. International interventions have come primarily from France and the UN, and those missions have partnered with African bodies such as the G5 Sahel Joint-Force to fight the growing insurgency. These responses have largely failed in their efforts, and jihadist leaders continue to exploit ethnic conflict and waning faith in the state to increase their power. This paper focuses on evaluating the extremist groups in the region, the causes of their rise to prominence, and the subsequent responses. An understanding of this conflict will help us to better understand its causes, and how to better address similar conflicts in the future
Radicalization in the Age of COVID-19: An Analysis of IS Propaganda
No full textThis research project sought to explore the utilization of propaganda by the Islamic State and its affiliate organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Propaganda has been a medium through which the Islamic State, as well as other terrorist organizations, have been utilizing to effectively recruit new members and retain current ones around the world. By analyzing recent Islamic State propaganda and past research on the Islamic State’s propaganda machine, this project develops upon existing research to establish what the known tactics of the Islamic State are at this current day and age, in addition to analyzing theories on the matter. Furthermore, this project seeks to understand and explain the current efforts by governments and non-governmental organizations to combat the Islamic State’s propaganda machine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this paper is to analyze and indicate current trends in both propaganda and the counter measures to propaganda stemming from the Islamic State
Essential Roles of United States Women During World War II
No full textThis essay looks at the roles of women in the United States during World War II. The argument is that women were essential to the United States’ victory during the war. This idea is not always shared by historians and was obviously not shared by men after World War II had ended. This essay looks at four roles that women in the United States played that I believe to be essential to the United States’ victory. The four roles that are discussed are women joining the wartime labor force, housewives doing household labor, battlefield nurses, and women who joined the military. The essay works to prove that these four roles were essential to the United States’ victory during the war. It also looks at how each group was either criticized or removed from their roles during or after the war. 
