Two analyses by Colgate professors published in the Washington Post this week

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Colgate political scientists are sharing their research related to major world issues this week in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage analysis section.

On Thursday, October 9, Assistant Professor of Political Science Navine Murshid wrote about the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar (Burma). Murshid explores the reasons why the Rohingya are being singled out, while other ethnic minorities have had armed militias for decades. In addition, Murshid cites research fieldwork she conducted in the country in 2008 and 2012.

“My interviews with Rohingya refugees corroborates research that shows how few Rohingya agree with or belong to these [violent] organizations, disagreeing among themselves how best to gain full citizenship. Most are focused on mere survival,” Murshid writes in the Washington Post.

On Friday, October 10, Assistant Professor of Political Science Danielle Lupton shared her research related to the decline in the number of veterans serving in Congress and how that makes it less likely to restrain the president’s use of force.

Lupton collected data on U.S. House of Representatives roll call votes about military operations from 2003 to 2012 in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She found that members of Congress with military experience were more willing to limit the number of troops deployed and were more likely to vote for increased congressional access to information about the conflicts.

“In other words, members of Congress with military service were more willing to oversee and restrain the White House’s military deployments,” Lupton wrote in the Washington Post.