The Tigris and Euphrates are international rivers vital to the four countries through which they flow: Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The population in the region has more than doubled in less than thirty years, and irrigated agriculture, hydroelectric power generation, industrialization, and urbanization have increased. All of these developments require more water, and the dependence of the riparian nations on the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers has become apparent, as has the need for comprehensive, basin-wide management of water resources. At present the riparians have shown some concern about the management of water in the two rivers, although no consensus exists as to the precise nature of the problem or what should be done to resolve it. This policy-oriented dissertation attempts to help frame the policy issues of managing the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates basin. It also seeks to provide an understanding of the policy process and to meet the intelligence needs of policy-makers with regard to the future management of these international waterways. Finally, it provides strategies for developing and implementing a cooperative water policy for this international basin.

Chapter I of this study of the Arabian Ba'th Socialist Party discusses the evolution of Arab nationalism and concludes that Ba'th was a natural outcome of this evolution; two intellectuals supporting Arab nationalism were Party co-founders Michael Aflaq and Salah Bitar, Part One of Chapter II summarizes their lives to facilitate understanding of their thought and its impact on Ba'th; Part Two examines the Party's first convention (source of the Ba'th constitution), the reasons for it, and the necessity of establishing Ba'th; and Part Three outlines Ba'th ideology and organization. Chapter III analyzes Ba'th's promotion of Syrian-Egyptian union and that union's resultant adverse effect upon Party cohesiveness, The Conclusion discusses the groups into which Ba'th split after 1961 and their new interpretations of Ba'th ideology.

Presentation of the author's research and areas of interest. This presentation is from the Conference on Language Endangerment and Political Instability held at the University of North Texas in Denton, Tx on October 4-6, 2018.

Poster presentation for the 2012 University Scholars Day at the University of North Texas discussing research on images of the American Indian in Hollywood films.

Paper explores the interaction effect of tangible and intangible salience on the management of contentious issues between countries.

Poster presentation for the 2012 University Scholars Day at the University of North Texas discussing research on the relationship between depression and obesity.

Video recording of UNT's Constitution Day event for 2020 which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote. The event was a moderated panel presentation with speakers Dr. Christina Bejarano, Texas Woman's University; Dr. Rachel Moran, University of North Texas; and Dr. Andrea Silva, University of North Texas, and moderated by Dr. Rafe Major, University of North Texas.

This article uses panel data for eighteen Latin American countries from 1995 to 2015 to study whether clarity of responsibility can influence presidential decision-making concerning unpopular policies, especially microeconomic policies.

This article investigates the religious dimension of Republican legislators' participation in one-minute speeches during the 104th Congress (1995-1996).

This paper explores the relationship between the locations of conflict zones and refugee camps in African nations.

Flyer for UNT's Constitution Day event for 2021 which highlights the calls for election reform being renewed around the country. The event was a moderated panel presentation with speakers Jan (Janice) Johnson, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of Denton; Linnie McAdams, Co-President of the League of Women Voters of Denton; and Dr. Matthew Wilson, Associate Professor of Political Science, Southern Methodist University; and moderated by Dr. Rafe Major, University of North Texas.

Flyer for UNT's 2022 Constitution Day webinar event that featured a wide-ranging conversation on data technology, surveillance, cybersecurity, social media, privacy, and information freedom in honor of Constitution Day. The event was a moderated panel presentation with speakers Amy K. Sanders, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Media and School of Law, UT Austin; Scott H. Belshaw, founder and director, Cyber Forensics Lab, University of North Texas; Daniella Smith, Director of the Information Science Ph.D. program, University of North Texas; and moderated by Dr. Rafael Major and Dr. Catherine Borck, University of North Texas. A watch party for this webinar was held in 250H of Willis Library.

A presentation that introduces language differences and armed conflict as a way to approach language endangerment and political instability research. This presentation is from the Conference on Language Endangerment and Political Instability held at the University of North Texas in Denton, Tx on October 4-6, 2018.

The most important long-term political forces operative in the Japanese political system are the interplay of decentralized community authority and the consolidation of that authority toward the top. The mura kyodotai (village community) concept is representative of both types of authority, neither of which has defined boundaries. An examination of the nature of indigenous community authority may provide the broad context for a valid understanding of Japanese decision making. Under the ideal of this order, Japanese political organization has valued the structure of Shinto: polytheistic local authority, plus conflated authority of church and state. Buddhism and Confucianism have provided direction and moral force to preserve traditional order.

This article seeks to extend literature on Latinos' policy preferences by examining the influence of multiple dimensions of acculturation and religiosity on two contemporary moral policy issues: abortion and same-sex marriage.

Poster presentation for the 2012 University Scholars Day at the University of North Texas discussing research on transitioning coal-fired power plants into combined solar and wind energy power plants.

This article investigates the effect of parishioners and institutional superiors on clergy political attitudes.

This article assesses the effects of randomly priming priests with varying considerations of their professional responsibilities and relevant constituencies (including parishioner expectations).

This presentation is part of the faculty lecture series UNT Speaks Out on the 2012 Presidential Primaries. In this presentation, the author discusses how members of different racial and ethnic backgrounds responded to the 2012 Republican primary candidates.

Paper examines the impact of the perception of losses and gains on the length of rivalry and conflict between rival states.

Poster presentation for the 2012 University Scholars Day at the University of North Texas. This poster discusses research on the changing American family and its consequences.

The presentation introduced the Conference on Language Endangerment and Political Instability held at the University of North Texas in Denton, Tx on October 4-6, 2018.

Paper examines how and why the United States had difficulty accomplishing diplomatic goals under the Articles of Confederation.

Paper investigates the relationship between the granting of indigenous rights and indigenous conflict in Latin America.