The Experts below are selected from a list of 267 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Jerome Slater - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the Domino Theory and international politics the case of vietnam
Security Studies, 1993Co-Authors: Jerome SlaterAbstract:I would like to acknowledge the perceptive comments and suggestions of David Goldfischer, Terry Nardin, and Stephen Van Evera.
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Response to Douglas J. Macdonald
Security Studies, 1993Co-Authors: Jerome SlaterAbstract:A C DO N A L D MAKES two major arguments in his reply to my critique of his article, " A n ti-In te rven tion ism and the Study of American Foreign Policy in the Third World." (Security Studies 2, no. 2, Winter 1992, pp. 225-46) In part one he criticizes my discussion of the Domino Theory, arguing that far from refuting the Domino Theory, I have in fact confirmed it by providing evidence that u.s. interventionism often works. Thus, whereas I claim that the failure ofcommunism to spread in Asia or Latin America after the fall of China (1949), Cuba (1959), and Vietnam (1975) invalidates the Domino Theory, he argues that this outcome validates the Theory because it was largely a result of u.s. or Western intervention. Further, Macdonald challenges my argument that even if the Domino Theory had been true and communism had gained control over all of Southeast Asia, no truly vital interests of the United States would have been threatened, at least to the extent that would have justified major war. Macdonald considers this argument to be based on "an extremely narrow conception of the national interest," (p, 165) and asks a series of rhetorical questions about what would have happened if Japan had "joined or accommodated itself with the Soviet Chinese coalition." (p . 165) He then extends the logic ofmy argument to what he clearly thinks is its reductio ad absurdem: if in the nuclear age the United States was immune from invasion from Asia, then why not from Europe, the Middle East, and even the rest of the Western Hemisphere as well? And if that were the case, then it followed from my argument that the United States had no vital security interests at all. In the second part of Macdonald's reply he essentially reiterates his earlier argument that "the Kirkpatrick Thesis, as practiced in American foreign policy, may have more validity than many scholars allow." (p. 170) Though not universally valid or correct in every case, nonetheless (he argues) the Kirkpatrick Thesis is essentially correct: on balance and over the long run, the consequences if not the original purposes of u.s. interventionism in the Third World have been to promote rather than undermine democracy, reform, and liberty.
Andrea M Dean - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the democratic Domino Theory an empirical investigation
American Journal of Political Science, 2009Co-Authors: Peter T Leeson, Andrea M DeanAbstract:According to the democratic Domino Theory, increases or decreases in democracy in one country spread and “infect” neighboring countries, increasing or decreasing their democracy in turn. Using spatial econometrics and panel data that cover over 130 countries between 1850 and 2000, this article empirically investigates the democratic Domino Theory. We find that democratic Dominoes do in fact fall as the Theory contends. However, these Dominoes fall significantly “lighter” than the importance of this model suggests. Countries “catch” only about 11% of the increases or decreases in their average geographic neighbors’ increases or decreases in democracy. This finding has potentially important foreign policy implications. The “lightness” with which democratic Dominoes fall suggests that even if foreign military intervention aimed at promoting democracy in undemocratic countries succeeds in democratizing these nations, intervention is likely to have only a small effect on democracy in their broader regions.
Luis Delaye - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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testing the Domino Theory of gene loss in buchnera aphidicola the relevance of epistatic interactions
Life, 2018Co-Authors: David J Martinezcano, Andres Moya, Luis DelayeAbstract:The Domino Theory of gene loss states that when some particular gene loses its function and cripples a cellular function, selection will relax in all functionally related genes, which may allow for the non-functionalization and loss of these genes. Here we study the role of epistasis in determining the pattern of gene losses in a set of genes participating in cell envelope biogenesis in the endosymbiotic bacteria Buchnera aphidicola. We provide statistical evidence indicating pairs of genes in B. aphidicola showing correlated gene loss tend to have orthologs in Escherichia coli known to have alleviating epistasis. In contrast, pairs of genes in B. aphidicola not showing correlated gene loss tend to have orthologs in E. coli known to have aggravating epistasis. These results suggest that during the process of genome reduction in B. aphidicola by gene loss, positive or alleviating epistasis facilitates correlated gene losses while negative or aggravating epistasis impairs correlated gene losses. We interpret this as evidence that the reduced proteome of B. aphidicola contains less pathway redundancy and more compensatory interactions, mimicking the situation of E. coli when grown under environmental constrains.
Dan Graur - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the Domino Theory of gene death gradual and mass gene extinction events in three lineages of obligate symbiotic bacterial pathogens
Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2006Co-Authors: Tal Dagan, Ran Blekhman, Dan GraurAbstract:: During the adaptation of an organism to a parasitic lifestyle, various gene functions may be rendered superfluous due to the fact that the host may supply these needs. As a consequence, obligate symbiotic bacterial pathogens tend to undergo reductive genomic evolution through gene death (nonfunctionalization or pseudogenization) and deletion. Here, we examine the evolutionary sequence of gene-death events during the process of genome miniaturization in three bacterial species that have experienced extensive genome reduction: Mycobacterium leprae, Shigella flexneri, and Salmonella typhi. We infer that in all three lineages, the distribution of functional categories is similar in pseudogenes and genes but different from that of absent genes. Based on an analysis of evolutionary distances, we propose a two-step "Domino effect" model for reductive genome evolution. The process starts with a gradual gene-by-gene-death sequence of events. Eventually, a crucial gene within a complex pathway or network is rendered nonfunctional triggering a "mass gene extinction" of the dependent genes. In contrast to published reports according to which genes belonging to certain functional categories are prone to nonfunctionalization more frequently and earlier than genes belonging to other functional categories, we could discern no characteristic regularity in the temporal order of function loss.
Ran Blekhman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the Domino Theory of gene death gradual and mass gene extinction events in three lineages of obligate symbiotic bacterial pathogens
Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2006Co-Authors: Tal Dagan, Ran Blekhman, Dan GraurAbstract:: During the adaptation of an organism to a parasitic lifestyle, various gene functions may be rendered superfluous due to the fact that the host may supply these needs. As a consequence, obligate symbiotic bacterial pathogens tend to undergo reductive genomic evolution through gene death (nonfunctionalization or pseudogenization) and deletion. Here, we examine the evolutionary sequence of gene-death events during the process of genome miniaturization in three bacterial species that have experienced extensive genome reduction: Mycobacterium leprae, Shigella flexneri, and Salmonella typhi. We infer that in all three lineages, the distribution of functional categories is similar in pseudogenes and genes but different from that of absent genes. Based on an analysis of evolutionary distances, we propose a two-step "Domino effect" model for reductive genome evolution. The process starts with a gradual gene-by-gene-death sequence of events. Eventually, a crucial gene within a complex pathway or network is rendered nonfunctional triggering a "mass gene extinction" of the dependent genes. In contrast to published reports according to which genes belonging to certain functional categories are prone to nonfunctionalization more frequently and earlier than genes belonging to other functional categories, we could discern no characteristic regularity in the temporal order of function loss.