
Valerie M. Hudson (born 1958) is a professor of political science at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University as of January 2012. Prior to coming to Texas A&M, Hudson was a professor of political science at Brigham Young University for 24 years. She is most noted for having co-authored the book Bare Branches about the negative effects of China's overabundance of males. Hudson was born in Washington, D.C.. She joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1971. Prior to that she had been a Roman Catholic. Hudson received her bachelor's degree from BYU and her master's and Ph.D. from Ohio State University. While a doctoral candidate, Hudson taught for three years at Otterbein University, and after receiving her Ph.D., was a visiting professor at Northwestern University and then Rutgers University . In 1987 she joined the faculty of BYU. Hudson served as Associate Director of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies for eight years, in which capacity she directed the graduate program. (from Wikipedia)
Sex and World Peace unsettles a variety of assumptions in political and security discourse, demonstrating that the security of women is a vital factor in the security of the state and its incidence of conflict and war.The authors compare micro-level gender violence and macro-level state peacefulness in global settings, supporting their findings with detailed analyses and color maps. Harnessing an immense amount of data, they call attention to discrepancies between national laws protecting women and the enforcement of those laws, and they note the adverse effects on state security of abnormal sex ratios favoring males, the practice of polygamy, and inequitable realities in family law, among other gendered aggressions.The authors find that the treatment of women informs human interaction at all levels of society. Their research challenges conventional definitions of security and democracy and shows that the treatment of gender, played out on the world stage, informs the true clash of civilizations. In terms of resolving these injustices, the authors examine top-down and bottom-up approaches to healing wounds of violence against women, as well as ways to rectify inequalities in family law and the lack of parity in decision-making councils. Emphasizing the importance of an R2PW, or state responsibility to protect women, they mount a solid campaign against women's systemic insecurity, which effectively unravels the security of all.
"Sex and World Peace" unsettles a variety of assumptions in political and security discourse, demonstrating that the security of women is a vital factor in the security of the state and its incidence of conflict and war.The authors compare micro-level gender violence and macro-level state peacefulness in global settings, supporting their findings with detailed analyses and color maps. Harnessing an immense amount of data, they call attention to discrepancies between national laws protecting women and the enforcement of those laws, and they note the adverse effects on state security of abnormal sex ratios favoring males, the practice of polygamy, and inequitable realities in family law, among other gendered aggressions.The authors find that the treatment of women informs human interaction at all levels of society. Their research challenges conventional definitions of security and democracy and shows that the treatment of gender, played out on the world stage, informs the true clash of civilizations. In terms of resolving these injustices, the authors examine top-down and bottom-up approaches to healing wounds of violence against women, as well as ways to rectify inequalities in family law and the lack of parity in decision-making councils. Emphasizing the importance of an R2PW, or state responsibility to protect women, they mount a solid campaign against women's systemic insecurity, which effectively unravels the security of all.
Foreign Policy Analysis is the first textbook to gear foreign policy analysis (FPA) theory toward advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. Beginning with an overview of this broad field of study, the book's subsequent chapters tackle theory and research at multiple levels of analysis, including personality and psychology of foreign policy decisionmakers and decisionmaking, small group dynamics, the organizational process, bureaucratic politics, domestic politics, cultural and societal influences on foreign policy, national attributes, and system-level effects on foreign policy. A chapter examining the promise and frustration of theoretical integration in FPA is also incorporated, and the book ends with an analysis of the areas in which the next generation of foreign policy analysts can make important contributions to the field.
Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first Secretary of State to declare the subjugation of women worldwide a serious threat to U.S. national security. Known as the Hillary Doctrine, her stance was the impetus behind the 2010 Quadrennial Diplomatic and Development Review of U.S. foreign policy, formally committing America to the proposition that the empowerment of women is a stabilizing force for domestic and international peace.Blending history, fieldwork, theory, and policy analysis while incorporating perspectives from officials and activists on the front lines of implementation, this book is the first to thoroughly investigate the Hillary Doctrine in principle and practice. Does the insecurity of women make nations less secure? How has the doctrine changed the foreign policy of the United States and altered its relationship with other countries such as China and Saudi Arabia? With studies focusing on Guatemala, Afghanistan, and Yemen, this invaluable policy text closes the gap between rhetoric and reality, confronting head-on what the future of fighting such an entrenched enemy entails. The research reports directly on the work being done by U.S. government agencies, including the Office of Global Women's Issues, established by Clinton during her tenure at the State Department, and explores the complexity and pitfalls of attempting to improve the lives of women while safeguarding the national interest.
by Valerie M. Hudson
Rating: 4.0 ⭐
What happens to a society that has too many men? In this provocative book, Valerie Hudson and Andrea den Boer argue that, historically, high male-to-female ratios often trigger domestic and international violence. Most violent crime is committed by young unmarried males who lack stable social bonds. Although there is not always a direct cause-and-effect relationship, these surplus men often play a crucial role in making violence prevalent within society. Governments sometimes respond to this problem by enlisting young surplus males in military campaigns and high-risk public works projects. Countries with high male-to-female ratios also tend to develop authoritarian political systems. Hudson and den Boer suggest that the sex ratios of many Asian countries, particularly China and India—which represent almost 40 percent of the world's population—are being skewed in favor of males on a scale that may be unprecedented in human history. Through offspring sex selection (often in the form of sex-selective abortion and female infanticide), these countries are acquiring a disproportionate number of low-status young adult males, called "bare branches" by the Chinese. Hudson and den Boer argue that this surplus male population in Asia's largest countries threatens domestic stability and international security. The prospects for peace and democracy are dimmed by the growth of bare branches in China and India, and, they maintain, the sex ratios of these countries will have global implications in the twenty-first century.
by Valerie M. Hudson
Rating: 4.4 ⭐
Global history records an astonishing variety of forms of social organization. Yet almost universally, males subordinate females. How does the relationship between men and women shape the wider political order? The First Political Order is a groundbreaking demonstration that the persistent and systematic subordination of women underlies all other institutions, with wide-ranging implications for global security and development.Incorporating research findings spanning a variety of social science disciplines and comprehensive empirical data detailing the status of women around the globe, the book shows that female subordination functions almost as a curse upon nations. A society’s choice to subjugate women has significant negative worse governance, worse conflict, worse stability, worse economic performance, worse food security, worse health, worse demographic problems, worse environmental protection, and worse social progress. Yet despite the pervasive power of social and political structures that subordinate women, history―and the data―reveal possibilities for progress. The First Political Order shows that when steps are taken to reduce the hold of inequitable laws, customs, and practices, outcomes for all improve. It offers a new paradigm for understanding insecurity, instability, autocracy, and violence, explaining what the international community can do now to promote more equitable relations between men and women and, thereby, security and peace. With comprehensive empirical evidence of the wide-ranging harm of subjugating women, it is an important book for security scholars, social scientists, policy makers, historians, and advocates for women worldwide.
by Valerie M. Hudson
Rating: 5.0 ⭐
Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first to clearly state "the subjugation of women is a direct threat to the security of the United States." This declaration has come to be known as the Hillary Doctrine, and it was formally incorporated into the first Quadrennial Diplomatic and Development Review of U.S. foreign policy in 2010. If the Hillary Doctrine is justified, then how is it that Secretary of State Clinton never addressed issues of extreme gender inequality in Saudi Arabia? And how has Saudi Arabia sought to export that inequality to other states, such as Yemen? This chapter explores the complexities of the Hillary Doctrine in practice, the realities of pursuing gender equality on the national stage, the strategies Clinton and those working under her innovated to introduce gender issues diplomatically into a resistant country, and other key developments from this encounter and its reverberations across international channels.
by Valerie M. Hudson
Rating: 5.0 ⭐
Proceedings of a symposium sponsored by the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Held at the Milton Barlow Center, Washington, D.C. 25-26 April 2013.
by Valerie M. Hudson
This book provides an overview of the study of international relations using a computational modeling approach (abbreviated as Al/IR). It deals with general theoretical and applied issues in AI/IR subfield and also showcases actual research produced by those working in the AI/IR subfield.
by Valerie M. Hudson
After a decade of grand projects to remake regions of the world, the U.S. foreign policy debate has been increasingly dominated by more realist concerns. But even in a period characterized by restraint and austerity, the protection of human rights remains vital. Valerie Hudson, T. Jeremy Gunn, Sharon Shalev, Sandra Coliver and Pharis Harvey discuss the fundamental issues at stake in the global human rights agenda.World Politics Review helps its users closely follow and better understand the events, issues and trends in international affairs. Find out more at worldpoliticsreview.com.
by Valerie M. Hudson
This publication marks the return to a subject first explored a decade ago by Dr. Kerry M. Kartchner and Professor Valerie M. Hudson in their book Moral Perspectives on U.S. Security Views from the LDS Community. That book was drawn from a 1993 conference held at the Kennedy Center. Ten years later they explore how thinking on that topic has developed over the last decade. We were pleased to be involved in the first publication and are equally pleased to be involved in this one. The Kennedy Center is proud to be supportive of the efforts of scholars like Kartchner and Hudson. The publication of this book also serves to re-emphasize our commitment to and support of research and scholarship in international affairs. It is a vital and necessary companion to our efforts in undergraduate education. Furthermore, we take seriously the idea that a people’s faith and beliefs can influence and inform their professional activities. It is that nexus that particularly interests us in this work. I wish to thank the authors and conference participants, as well as Kennedy Center Publications staff, for their work in preparing this volume. Finally, I should thank the contributors to the Kennedy Center Endowment who make possible our support of research and publications.Jeffrey F. RingerDirector, David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies Brigham Young University Provo, UtahFebruary 2004
by Valerie M. Hudson
by Valerie M. Hudson