Elon University senior Catherine Serex will be presenting her research, “Transcending the Security Dilemmas: A Comparative Multilevel Study of Trust in Peace Processes,” on April 26 at the Triangle Institute of Security Studies (TISS) Seventh Annual Undergraduates in Security Studies Honor Thesis Presentations.
Serex joins a select group of undergraduates from Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest University and is the first student from Elon to be invited to present at the annual dinner.
Serex’s study examines the conflicts and peace processes between Egypt and Israel, between India and Pakistan, and in Northern Ireland. In particular, she analyzes the role of political leaders and elites in either sustaining or resolving the conflict in each case. Using structured, focused comparisons and process tracing methodology, Serex identifies five factors that can affect elite decision-making, leading either to continued conflict or commitment to peace.
The research has been guided by faculty mentor Jason Kirk, assistant professor of political science and international studies. Serex developed ideas for the project during her political science coursework at Elon and a study abroad experience at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland last year. Also in 2010, Serex was accepted as a TISS Wickersham Scholar at the recommendation of another Elon mentor, Sean Giovanello, who is assistant professor of political science and international studies and a TISS faculty affiliate.
The Triangle Institute for Security Studies “is an interdisciplinary consortium sponsored by three North Carolina research universities – Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Its members share an interest in issues of national and international security, broadly defined […] The purpose of TISS is to promote communication, education and research in the field.” For more information, see the link to the right.