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Tag: Published Faculty

Rhamey Publishes Article

Col. J. Patrick Rhamey, professor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science at Virginia Military Institute, was a contributor to a recently published article on Ukraine in the peer-reviewed academic journal, International Studies Review (ISR). ISR is a journal of the International Studies Association and provides a window on current trends and research in international studies worldwide.

In the article titled, “Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Accounting for the Domestic Alongside the International,” Rhamey examines the overwhelming majority of analyses explaining the motivations for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine being not only wrong, but leading to terrible predictions of Russia’s inevitable success. 

“Politicians and cable news talking heads repeatedly granted Russia the mantle of a great power organizing their geographic space, though as we discussed in the article, Russia has not deserved that mantle since it was the Soviet Union. Consistently overlooked, however, is the role domestic politics and Putin’s internal political machinations play in Russia’s attack and continuing assault, as well as the power of Ukraine’s politics and identity in withstanding the Russian onslaught. International politics is not a big game of ‘Risk.’ The internal politics of countries has a dramatic impact on their foreign policy choices and, in war, their potential for victory,” explained Rhamey.

Richter Publishes 7th Book

Dr. Duncan Richter, professor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies and holder of the Charles Luck III ’55 Institute Professorship at Virginia Military Institute, has recently authored his seventh book titled, “Wittgenstein Versus Anscombe on How to Live: Linked Philosophical Lives,” published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

The book explores the lives of two of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Elizabeth Anscombe. Anscombe was Wittgenstein’s friend and student, chosen by him to be his translator and editor, but the two had very different views on ethics, religion, killing in war, sexuality, politics, God, and the meaning of life. Drawing on previously unpublished work by Anscombe, Richter explains where these beliefs came from, how they affected the lives of these two great philosophers, and some of the strengths and weaknesses of their divergent positions.

All seven of Richter’s books may be purchased on Amazon.

Passmore’s Research Published

Lt. Col. Tim Passmore, associate professor in the Department of International Studies and Political Science, recently published an article addressing the effect of populist government on international cooperation in International Studies Quarterly, a peer-reviewed academic journal of international studies and an official journal of the International Studies Association. The article was co-authored with Dr. Jared Oestman, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.Dr. Tim Passmore

Passmore has spent several years studying nations’ willingness to support multinational peacekeeping operations with personnel and funding.

“I have sought to understand why peacekeeping operations, which are overwhelmingly effective as shown in a body of literature, still struggle to acquire the resources necessary to carry out their mandates. In particular, the United Nations (U.N.) peacekeeping in recent years has been underfunded by up to 30%. This has a critical impact on peacekeepers’ ability to do their jobs and often results in scaling back mandates or performing tasks effectively,” he said.

Passmore and Oestman collected data over a number of years to test the impact of populist governance on financial contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations since 1991. They found a strong negative impact of right-wing populism, but no such effect for left-wing populism. They theorized that right-wing populist leaders are more averse to the costs of participating in multilateral operations, oppose interventions in distant foreign countries, and are more likely to view the U.N.’s bureaucracy as part of the global elite.

This research makes an important contribution to a growing body of literature on how shifts in the domestic political landscape, particularly among western democracies, has impacted and will continue to impact international order and cooperation.

Biology Professor Publishes Article

Maj. Alison Burke, assistant professor and health professions advisor in the Department of Biology at Virginia Military Institute, recently had a research article published in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Burke, whose specialty is molecular microbiology, explained the article highlights information about four newly discovered viruses that could be used to improve seafood safety.

“We used oysters purchased from the grocery store, that had been harvested from the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, to isolate bacteriophages — viruses that destroy host bacteria — against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacterium commonly found in coastal waters that can accumulate in oysters and cause foodborne illness in humans when contaminated shellfish are eaten raw or undercooked. Unlike antibiotics or chemical treatments, bacteriophages are highly specific and naturally occurring, targeting only their bacterial hosts without harming other organisms or the environment.”

This work, which spanned over a period of one year and co-written by five other biologists, contributes to a growing body of research exploring solutions for food safety and aquaculture. “By improving our understanding of how bacteriophages interact with harmful bacteria in marine environments, the study lays important groundwork for future strategies to reduce bacterial contamination in shellfish without relying on antibiotics.”