John Cabot University ScholarShip

Recent Submissions

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    Sovereignty Under Siege: Human Rights and the U.S. Quest for Dominance in Haiti". Master's Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.
    (2025) Brito-Cruz, Nicole Alexandra; Sunga, Lyal; Scarpa, Silvia
    This thesis critically examines the use of human rights rhetoric by the United States in its foreign policy toward Haiti, exposing the selective deployment of "naming and shaming" tactics as a mechanism for geopolitical control rather than genuine human rights advocacy. Rather than representing a failure of idealism, this approach reflects a consistent pattern of strategic hypocrisy, where the U.S. dismisses its own domestic and international human rights obligations while weaponizing the concept to legitimize interventionist and self-serving foreign policies. By situating Haiti’s historical struggle for sovereignty, beginning with its revolutionary founding as the first Black republic, within a broader pattern of imperial and neocolonial interventions, the study reveals how the U.S. has alternated between direct support for authoritarian regimes and strategic disengagement, each time cloaked in humanitarian language. Through a comparative analysis of U.S. policy in Haiti, El Salvador, and Guatemala, the thesis illustrates a recurring prioritization of American economic and political interests over human rights, particularly when local reformist movements challenge U.S.-backed power structures. It further interrogates the role of Western media in shaping public opinion, reinforcing narratives of Haitian dysfunction while ignoring external responsibility for instability. The thesis calls for a decolonized framework of human rights advocacy, one that centers Haitian voices, embraces global accountability, and draws on international legal norms particularly the principle of self-determination as a meaningful reform. In doing so, it challenges the prevailing Global North-centric model and advances a vision of international solidarity rooted in equity and justice.
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    Qatar's Role as a Mediator in Conflicts
    (2025) Almuhannadi, Aisha; Tholens, Simone; Driessen, Michael
    Mediation has become the brand identifier of the state of Qatar, and this calls for a closer case study of Qatar and to place it in the scholarship on mediation. The official website of Qatari institutions such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces mediation as a policy of high importance, and this is enshrined in the country’s constitution in Article 7 of 2003. Qatari owned and Qatar based news outlets also dedicate pages to news about Qatari mediations. This role is part of the state’s image of itself and how it identifies and brands itself. In its mediation processes, the state seeks to adhere to its religious tenet of establishing peace and attaining regional stability. Moreover, Qatar has the advantage of being a wealthy small state and seeks to leverage its small size and economic wealth to mediate conflicts. It achieves this role by the advantage of its economic stability and small size. In the process, Qatar challenges the myth of neutral mediation and attempts to achieve some gains through mediation, instead of military intervention. After discussing impartial and partial mediation styles, there is a discussion of the Arab style of mediation based on religious concept of Sulh and shura which are dominant in the Arab Gulf countries. The findings show that Qatar already meets the basic requirements of a mediating country and that its size, wealth, and good diplomatic relations play a key role in its mediation style and drive. Moreover, geographical, political, economic, and historical drivers also shape Qatar’s mediation. Additionally, there are some religious and regional drivers which push Qatar’s bias for peace in order to have some gains. In this process, the state of Qatar instrumentalizes the constitution and Al Jazeera news outlet to support its image as a democratic nation that has weight in the political world. Qatar stands to gain some benefits from this global recognition. For example, it has attained some global, regional, historical, and religious gains that have brought attention and respect to the country. As a Muslim country seeking peace, Qatar can enhance the image of Muslims as peace seekers, and it can become a symbol that all Muslims can look up to. There are also some tangible gains such as Qatar’s access to the U. S. visa waiver program and its hosting of the 2022 World Cup games. This mediation comes with some risks such as being perceived as the enemy that helps the conflicting party because it seems biased. By establishing a long list of mediation related achievements, Qatar is also establishing a history of successes and attempts at mediation. This helps create a historical reference while at the same time it is currently engaged in mediation in many conflicts.
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    Social Enterprises as Chameleons: The Rise of Social Enterprises as Innovative Solutions to Complex Challenges in Italy
    (2026) Capo, Francesca; Maiolini, Riccardo; Ramus, Tommaso
    We draw from historical institutionalism to investigate how historical contingencies shape the influence of multiple institutional logics on the emergence and institutionalization of a social innovation situated at the intersection of different institutional domains. Relying on a vast database of more than 500 archival sources, we show that the social enterprise organizational form emerged in Italy in the early 1980s as an innovative response to societal problems left unaddressed by the State. Initially, the social enterprise organizational form was mainly influenced by the cooperative logic. Over time, elements borrowed from the social welfare and commercial logics complemented the cooperative logic, resulting in greater heterogeneity in terms of characteristics of the social enterprises organizational model. This heterogeneity reflected the growing complexity and interplay of pressures from the cooperative, welfare, and market domains. Building on this evidence, we advance a multilevel, historically grounded understanding of the complex interplay between social innovations and the institutional orders in which they are embedded. In this way, we contribute to research on social innovations, historical institutionalism, and social enterprises.
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    Introducing the Emotions-Affect Systems Elicitation (EASEL-3) Index: A New Tool for Measuring Affect Regulation Systems’ Activation
    (2025) Pinto, Ana Margarida; Figueiredo, Claúdia; Geenen, Rinie; Castilho, Paula; da Silva, José A. P.; Morris, Eric; Kelly, Allison C.; Petrocchi, Nicola; Wieser, Matthias J.; Duarte, Joana; Duarte, Cristiana; Bardeen, Joseph; Davis, Elizabeth L.; Shahar, Ben; Pugh, Mathew; Barros, Filipa; Carona, Carlos
    Objective Although emotions pervade and influence individual and interpersonal functioning and well-being, their nature and taxonomy remain a bone of contention. The ‘three-circle’ model, comprising three dynamically interacting affect regulation systems (i.e., threat, drive, and soothing), provides a useful framework for aggregating emotions and understanding emotion (dys)regulation while closely supporting therapeutic intervention. Imbalances in the activation and (inter)action of these affect regulation systems have been implicated in a wide range of physical and mental disorders; however, there are currently no tools for quantifying each system's activation. The aim of this study was to develop a novel index of the three affect regulation systems: threat, drive and soothing. Method Three independent expert panels, composed of researchers in the ‘three-circle’ model, researchers in the field of affective science, and clinicians (N = 70), estimated the degree of activation of each affect regulation system induced by discrete emotions. Results Overall, agreement among experts was high regarding the emotions that mapped primarily onto each affect regulation system and the degree of the corresponding activation. These results constitute the basis for the Emotions-Affect Systems ELicitation Index (EASEL-3) index, which provides a continuous score of the estimated activation of the three systems. Conclusion and Discussion Although in need of field testing, the EASEL-3 index may prove valuable in research and clinical settings, opening new avenues on the measurement of the affect regulation systems, their correlates and associated outcomes, helping characterize and compare activation patterns across clinical populations and contexts, and informing the assessment and personalization of interventions.
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    The Role of Self-Reassurance in the Relation Between Internalized Gender Stigma, Self-Criticism, and Depression Among Transgender and Nonbinary Patients
    (2025) Baiocco, Roberto; Gregori, Fulvio; Rosati, Fau; Petrocchi, Nicola; Pistella, Jessica
    Purpose: This cross-sectional study investigated self-reassurance as a protective factor in mitigating depression related to internalized gender stigma and enhancing overall well-being among transgender and nonbinary (TNB) individuals during the first step of the gender-affirmation process. Methods: The study included 101 TNB individuals (mean age = 26.42, standard deviation = 8.83) accessing the “Be as You Are” Clinical and Research Center at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, which offers psychological support for individuals undergoing gender-affirmation processes, from 2021 to 2024. Participants completed the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Scale to assess internalized gender stigma; the Self-Criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale to evaluate self-criticism (i.e., hated-self and inadequate-self), and self-reassurance; and the Symptom Checklist-90 to measure depressive symptoms. Mediation and moderated mediation models were tested. Results: Mediation models indicated that inadequate-self significantly mediated the relationship between internalized gender stigma and depressive symptoms. The moderated mediation analysis revealed a complex pattern: higher levels of self-reassurance were associated with a more pronounced mediating effect of inadequate-self, suggesting that self-reassurance may facilitate awareness and processing of self-critical thoughts rather than simply buffer their impact. These findings suggest that self-reassurance is a complex psychological resource that may facilitate recognizing self-critical processes and contribute to emotional regulation during the gender-affirming process. Conclusion: These results underscore the dynamic role of self-reassurance in the initial stages of the gender-affirming process. Clinical approaches such as compassion-focused therapy may help foster self-reassurance and alleviate the psychological burden of minority stress, particularly during the vulnerable period of accessing gender-affirming care.

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