http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/606/constantine-j-petallides Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Fri, 12 Jun 2026 23:54:11 -0400 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 23:54:11 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1339/competing-claims-in-the-south-china-sea-viewed-through-international-admiralty-law By Constantine J. Petallides - The Spratly Islands sit in the eastern waters of the South China Sea, west of the Philippines and northwest of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.[1] The island chain consists of “more than 140 islets, rocks, reefs, shoals, and sandbanks spread over an area of more than 410,000 square kilometers.”[2] Some of the islands are totally submerged, some appear and disappear with the tides, and some are always above the sea.[3] Less than forty of the Spratly Islands’ features are islands under Article 121(1) of UNCLOS, which defines an island as “a naturally formed area of land, surrounded... Wed, 27 Jan 2016 05:36 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1339/competing-claims-in-the-south-china-sea-viewed-through-international-admiralty-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/715/international-law-reconsidered-is-international-law-actually-law By Constantine J. Petallides - As it stands now, states’ obligations are outlined in treaties and customs, but enforcement relies on vague clauses and empty threats found within the documents, or in international bodies like the UN Security Council (UNSC) where power asymmetries grant the more powerful states significant influence. Consent is very important, but international law’s status as “law” cannot rest on consent alone. As rational, unitary actors, states make decisions that are in their best interests, and more often than not, consenting to various conventions and treaties is in a state&rsquo... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:06 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/715/international-law-reconsidered-is-international-law-actually-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/629/cracking-the-digital-vault-a-study-of-cyber-espionage By Constantine J. Petallides - The Internet originated with research funding provided by the Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to establish a military network. As its use expanded, a civilian segment evolved with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other science agencies.[3] While wired connections between mainframes at certain bases existed as early as the late 1950s,[4] these rudimentary links had very limited functionality. The connection was usually unreliable, and in some cases could only transmit small bundles of data in one direction. While it is true that these connections... Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/629/cracking-the-digital-vault-a-study-of-cyber-espionage http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/627/cyber-terrorism-and-ir-theory-realism-liberalism-and-constructivism-in-the-new-security-threat By Constantine J. Petallides - This level of exposure and uncertainty creates a new security dilemma faced by all states. In his article “Virtual Defense,” James Adams adopts a strict neorealist approach to dealing with issues of cyber terrorism and security, and while he does lessen the security dilemma, he creates a tense, distrustful, and ultimately unsustainable international system. I argue along with Johan Eriksson and Giampiero Giocomello that to deal with these security threats, the Internet must be viewed as having its own customs and states must come together to promote its continued development and ensure... Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/627/cyber-terrorism-and-ir-theory-realism-liberalism-and-constructivism-in-the-new-security-threat http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/607/trading-for-membership-effects-of-eu-candidacy-on-trade-openness-and-gdp-per-capita-in-countries-seeking-membership By Constantine J. Petallides - Since the data from Lars and University of Pennsylvania confirm that candidates trade more than they would normally with the EU, the next question becomes: why? Using “data on sovereign debt instruments from thirty-four emerging markets,”[4] Julia Gray determined that “EU candidacy leads to a decrease in perceived default risk, while EU entry decreases the variance of risk levels,”[5] attracting more foreign investment from international agents. To paraphrase, Gray found that when a smaller nation joins a political and economic union, investors are less worried that the... Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/607/trading-for-membership-effects-of-eu-candidacy-on-trade-openness-and-gdp-per-capita-in-countries-seeking-membership http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/603/cedars-to-the-east-a-study-of-modern-lebanon By Constantine J. Petallides - The political history of the Middle East is a complex story wrought with instability, conflict, religious and ethnic cleavages, and artificial imperial and colonial borders. These challenges manifest themselves in varied political systems, norms, and tensions--both domestic and external--in the countries throughout the region. Looking at Lebanon, we see a country that has been, for centuries, a central meeting place of all these conflicts and challenges. From its time under Ottoman rule, Lebanon was beset by religious conflict and infighting among rival religious sects. These violent flare-ups... Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:19 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/603/cedars-to-the-east-a-study-of-modern-lebanon