Southwestern Journal of International Studies OBAMAPOWER: THE RHETORIC, RESPONSE, AND REALITY 1 Sonia Alianak CAN THE COPTIC CHURCH COHABITATE WITH THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IN THE NEW EGYPT? 41 H. Richard Sindelar III DECIPHERING THE PRC’S DEFENSE WHITE PAPERS 67 Ching Chang LABOR REFORM IN LATIN AMERICA: OLD LAWS, NEW POLITICS 95 Olivia Miljanic ENGAGING CHINA WHILE DEFENDING TAIWAN 123 Dean Chen RESEARCH NOTE: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PROFESSIONAL 157 Jeff William Justice Volume 5 Number 1 Fall 2012 Published by the Southwestern International Studies Association SOUTHWESTERN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT Mehdi Noorbaksh, Ph.D. Department of International Affairs & Coordinator of General Education Harrisburg University [email protected] 2011 CONFERENCE PROGRAM CHAIR Jeff Justice, Ph.D. Department of Political Science Tarleton State University [email protected] JOURNAL EDITOR Hans Stockton, Ph.D. Center for International Studies University of St. Thomas [email protected] TREASURER Linda Dolive, Ph.D. Department of Political Science Northern Kentucky University [email protected] EX-OFFICIO Abbas Manafy, Ph.D. Department of Political Science New Mexico Highland University [email protected] *SOUTHWESTERN INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION IS AN AFFILIATE OF THE SOUTHWESTERN SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION SOUTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES JOURNAL EDITOR Hans Stockton, Ph.D. Center for International Studies University of St. Thomas [email protected] EDITORIAL BOARD Jawad Barghothi, Department of Political Science, Appalachian State University Jeff Justice, Department of Political Science, Tarleton State University Rathnam Indurthy, Department of Government, McNeese State University Betcy Jose-Thota, Department of Political Science, University of Colorado - Denver Abbas Manafy, Department of Political Science, New Mexico Highlands University Dean A. Minix, Department of Political Science, Northern Kentucky University COPY EDITOR: Print Version: Stacy Rollf, Center for International Studies, University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX SOUTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES This issue of the Southwestern Journal of International Studies (SJIS) is another fine example of the inter-disciplinarity and diverse interests of scholars of international studies. The essays herein span four continents from international and domestic perspectives and diverse methods. This issue’s research note departs from what we do professionally with a note about how interact professionally with some helpful reminders about professional courtesy and decorum. The SJIS was established as an outlet for scholarly work presented at the annual meetings of the Southwest International Studies Association, and to encourage SISA activity in-between conferences. As well, scholars engaged in inter-disciplinary research continue to face challenges in publishing such efforts because they do not often fall into the neater categories of the defined disciplines. While this is changing, the SJIS remains an important outlet for scholars seeking to build theoretical and methodological bridges across the disciplines. Another long-standing character of the SISA is to actively encourage undergraduate research through professional integration. SISA is one of few regional or national professional associations that actively and regularly reserves panel space for undergraduate research presentations. The ultimate incentive for our undergraduate (and future graduate) students to engage in rigorous research is to also reserve space in the SJIS for publication of such research. All papers are subjected to the traditional blind review process. While preference is given to manuscripts of research presented at the annual SISA meetings, we are now open to all submissions. Finally, and most importantly, I join all of our SISA colleagues in extending deep thanks to our founding editor, Dr. Dragan Stefanovic, professor of political science at Appalachian State University. Dr. Stefanovic’s dedication to the profession, developing junior professionals, and support of undergraduate research are now proud hallmarks of the Southwest International Studies Association and a major point of distinction for our association. Hans Stockton, Editor Southwestern Journal of International Studies SOUTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES VOLUME 5 NUMBER 1 FALL 2012 CONTENTS OBAMAPOWER: THE RHETORIC, RESPONSE, AND REALITY 1 Sonia Alianak CAN THE COPTIC CHURCH COHABITATE WITH THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IN THE NEW EGYPT? 41 Richard H. Sindelar DECIPHERING THE PRC’S DEFENSE WHITE PAPERS 67 Ching Chang LABOR REFORM IN LATIN AMERICA: OLD LAWS, NEW POLITICS 95 Olivia Miljanic ENGAGING CHINA WHILE DEFENDING TAIWAN 123 Dean Chen RESEARCH NOTE: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PROFESSIONAL 157 Jeff William Justice Obamapower: The Rhetoric, Response and Reality Sonia Alianak, PhD Department of Political Science, Univ. of Texas Pan-American ([email protected]) Abstract This study is an analysis of Obamapower, a unique form of Smart Power, in terms of the president’s rhetoric, the response and the reality over a three year period during his first term. This paper arrives at a theory of the specific nature of Obama’s utilization and dovetailing of soft power, with economic power and hard power, after applying the literature on power to Obama’s Rhetoric in terms of his major foreign policy speeches, the Response he received from his two audiences in terms of domestic public opinion and foreign polls, and the Reality he faced in terms of Bush’s legacy, the constraints both domestic (economic and re-election campaign) and international, with an emphasis on the highly volatile Greater Middle East. Introduction The scholarly literature on power tends to concentrate on the finished product of power concentrating on the state as a unit of analysis – that is, whether a country has hard power, soft power or a combination thereof (Brown et. al. 2008, Carpenter 2008, Parmar and Cox 2010). However it tends to make short shrift of power as a dynamic process of evolution especially in a democratic system of government like the United States. Here I propose a more complete picture of power which is depicted as a process in constant flux where the rhetoric of the President is shaped by, tends in turn to shape it and is further shaped by the response of the public opinion it elicits amid evolving domestic constraints, whether economic (for example an economic downturn) or political (for example an approaching Presidential election), and international events. I go beyond Craig Hayden’s The Rhetoric of Soft Power (2012) by adding three new dimensions: (1) Whereas he concentrates on the rhetoric of diplomacy and its influence on foreign audiences, I cover also the domestic United States audience; (2) Whereas he concentrates on soft power, I analyze hard power’s effect on the rhetoric, response and reality concentrating on smart power; (3) Whereas he follows a comparative approach by studying in prose public diplomacy programs, in general, of four nations, Japan, Venezuela, China and the United States, I concentrate on the United States and in particular to its relation to the volatile Greater Middle East as depicted by Obama’ speeches. Southwestern Journal of International Studies 1 The game of power, that is the relation of power vis-à-vis international actors, is best analyzed by Joseph Nye in terms of a three-dimensional chess game on three simultaneous chess boards (2011, 213-217): the first chess board is Unipolar involving United States hegemony and mainly concerns American military superiority, a hard power best analyzed by Realism; the second chess board is Multi-polar and involves economic relations between the United States, Britain, France and Germany (European Union), Japan and the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) best analyzed by Liberalism; the third chess board involves Trans-nationalism, through the communication revolution, NGOs and IGOs such as the United Nations and is best depicted by the soft power of Liberalism. Nye concludes by advocating Smart Power for the United States combining both hard power and soft power (2011, 218-234). President Obama’s unique version of Smart Power combination, Obamapower, is conveyed best through his Rhetoric in his major foreign policy speeches during the course of his first term, over a three year period to date, starting with his Inaugural Speech on January 20, 2009 and extending till his remarks at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on May 1, 2012 mainly concerning the crisis hot points in the Greater Middle East. Given that Obama is a master rhetorician adroitly presenting his stance on issues in a systematic analytical mode, this study has concentrated on his major speeches. As a best-selling author, who is a master of words, Obama, through his remarks, provides us a candid and succinct window to his evolving intentions, plans, and visions for United States foreign policy both present and future. Hence his speeches provide ample and pertinent material for the analysis of his concept of American hegemony. The President’s speeches are directed toward two audiences, the domestic American audience and the foreign audiences. The Responses of these two audiences are depicted by public opinion polls which in turn affected his future speeches in a two-way relationship. This study covers three analytical segments, soft power of the Third Chess Board, economic power of the Second Chess Board, and hard power of the First Chess Board, which together make Obama’s unique