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IJOIS Spring 2016, Volume I 

Program in Arms Control & Domestic and International Security 

2 

 

Letter from the Editor  

 

Dear reader, 

On behalf of the IJOIS Editorial Board, the Program in Arms Control & Domestic and 

International Security, the University Library, and the supportive academic community of the University 

of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I would like to thank you for reading the inaugural issue of Illini Journal 

of International Security (IJOIS)! IJOIS is a peer-reviewed academic journal that was founded in 

September 2015 by undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We publish 

exceptional papers on topics within international security or foreign affairs.  

For our first issue, we are excited to publish outstanding undergraduate papers that explore some 

of the most pressing issues within international security and foreign affairs, covering a wide range of 

topic areas and geographical regions.  “Redefining Deterrence: Nuclear Forensics and Administration 

Spending Priorities” argues that nuclear forensics can be used to trace recovered nuclear material to its 

source and prevent terrorists from acquiring it, thus serving as a more effective deterrent than the 

traditional definition of deterrence which holds that mere force parity is sufficient.  “What Do They See? 

A Look at the Appeal of IS to Young Muslim Women Raised in the United Kingdom” examines the 

recruitment of young Muslim women raised in the U.K. into the Islamic State and the reasons for IS’ 

appeal to this demographic group.  “How US Joint Ventures are Playing a Political Role in US-Cuban 

Relations” provides a unique perspective on how relations between the U.S. and Cuba began to thaw and, 

with a primary focus on the US-Cuban tourism industry, demonstrates that economic interests played a 

role in this thaw.   

“Disruptive Element: Frozen Conflicts and the CDRN,” focuses on the four separatist territories 

that make up the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations and how frozen conflicts within these 

territories have derailed Western alignment, as well as the role that Russia plays in this process. “South 

Asia: After the Bomb” investigates whether the presence of nuclear bombs has impacted the ability to 

resolve territorial disputes between nations in South Asia. Finally, “American Foreign Policy Towards the 

Islamic State” examines the Obama Administration’s efforts against the Islamic State, and posits that 

Operation Inherent Resolve acts as a blueprint for battling the new paradigm in world terror, the Islamic 

State, and breaks free from the foreign policy axioms that hindered effective decision-making in the past.  

These exceptional undergraduate papers present novel arguments on a wide array of issues within 

international security and foreign affairs. We hope that these papers will challenge and inform our 

readers, spark discussion, and encourage undergraduate students to explore these pressing issues or 

pursue international studies further.  

We hope you enjoy reading! 

  

Jonas Murphy 

Editor-In-Chief 

 

 

 


