Julia Macdonald
Biographic Data
| ID | 4134776 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Julia Macdonald |
| GIVEN NAMES | Julia |
| FAMILY NAME | Macdonald |
| SIGNATURE | MACDONALD J |
| AFFILIATIONS | George Washington University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 73 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Adopting AI: How familiarity breeds both trust and contempt
Looking back to look forward: Autonomous systems, military revolutions, and the importance of cost
Autonomous systems are often lauded as revolutionary. However, what makes them revolutionary is still up for debate. We identify assumptions about the revolutionary effect of autonomy and draw on historical work to examine how these characteristics have affected past conflicts. Our look at the past suggests where these systems may be most revolutionary is in cost mitigation—both political and economic. Mitigating economic cost helps create mass, …
The Cult of the Relevant: International Relations Scholars and Policy Engagement Beyond the Ivory Tower
Over the past fifteen years, a narrative has developed that IR scholars have become a “cult of the irrelevant,” with declining influence on and engagement with policy debates. Despite these assertions, the evidence for limited policy engagement has been anecdotal. We investigate the extent of policy engagement—the ways in which IR scholars participate in policy-making processes and/or attempt to shape those processes—by surveying IR scholars dire…
Battlefield Responses to New Technologies: Views from the Ground on Unmanned Aircraft
How do individuals on the battlefield respond to the introduction of new technologies? How will unmanned and increasingly autonomous technologies be received by ground combat personnel? In this paper we explore tactical-level perceptions of one particular technology—armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—by conducting a survey experiment of ground fires controllers. Our findings reveal that these personnel have strong behavioral reactions to the i…
How Dangerous Was Kargil? Nuclear Crises in Comparative Perspective
Between May and June of 1999, India and Pakistan engaged in a higher-intensity military conflict than any other pair of nuclear-armed states had before or have since. Although it remained geographi
Small footprint, small payoff: The military effectiveness of security force assistance
After 15 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, many now see ‘small-footprint’ security force assistance (SFA) – training, advising and equipping allied militaries – as an alternative to large US ground-force commitments. Yet, its actual military efficacy has been little studied. This paper seeks to fill this gap. We find important limitations on SFA’s military utility, stemming from agency problems arising from systematic interest misalignment be…
Presidential Risk Orientation and Force Employment Decisions: The Case of Unmanned Weaponry
In this article, we explore how presidential risk orientations affect force employment decisions through an analysis of the use of unmanned weaponry during the Bush and Obama administrations. We hypothesize that the conception of risk plays an integral part in this choice of weaponry. In order to examine our hypothesis, we utilize the verbs-in-context system of operational code analysis to quantify the risk propensities of President Bush and Pres…
Innovation Inhibitors in War: Overcoming Obstacles in the Pursuit of Military Effectiveness
What explains the pace at which militaries adopt new technology? We argue that the hierarchical structure and unique expertise requirements of military organizations combine to empower select individuals as ‘gatekeepers’ of innovation. These individuals acquire beliefs throughout their military careers regarding the nature and means of warfare that act to shape their attitudes towards new military innovations. By filtering, sidelining, and ignori…
Explaining the Variation in Gender Composition of Personnel Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations
How do we account for the dearth of female contributions to UN peace operations (UNPOs)? For answers, this study examines conditions that led the United Nations to move to reduce the gender imbalance in UNPO personnel and provides descriptive evidence that points to the continuing underrepresentation of women in these operations. To interpret this evidence, the study presents theoretical explanations for the varying contributions of personnel to …
Eisenhower's Scientists: Policy Entrepreneurs and the Test-Ban Debate 1954-1958
Journal Article Eisenhower's Scientists: Policy Entrepreneurs and the Test-Ban Debate 1954–1958 Get access Julia M. Macdonald Julia M. Macdonald The George Washington University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Foreign Policy Analysis, Volume 11, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1111/fpa.12018 Published: 09 January 2015
Small footprint, small payoff: The military effectiveness of security force assistance
After 15 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, many now see ‘small-footprint’ security force assistance (SFA) – training, advising and equipping allied militaries – as an alternative to large US ground-force commitments. Yet, its actual military efficacy has been little studied. This paper seeks to fill this gap. We find important limitations on SFA’s military utility, stemming from agency problems arising from systematic interest misalignment be…
Battlefield Responses to New Technologies: Views from the Ground on Unmanned Aircraft
How do individuals on the battlefield respond to the introduction of new technologies? How will unmanned and increasingly autonomous technologies be received by ground combat personnel? In this paper we explore tactical-level perceptions of one particular technology—armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—by conducting a survey experiment of ground fires controllers. Our findings reveal that these personnel have strong behavioral reactions to the i…
Eisenhower's Scientists: Policy Entrepreneurs and the Test-Ban Debate 1954-1958
Journal Article Eisenhower's Scientists: Policy Entrepreneurs and the Test-Ban Debate 1954–1958 Get access Julia M. Macdonald Julia M. Macdonald The George Washington University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Foreign Policy Analysis, Volume 11, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1111/fpa.12018 Published: 09 January 2015
Presidential Risk Orientation and Force Employment Decisions: The Case of Unmanned Weaponry
In this article, we explore how presidential risk orientations affect force employment decisions through an analysis of the use of unmanned weaponry during the Bush and Obama administrations. We hypothesize that the conception of risk plays an integral part in this choice of weaponry. In order to examine our hypothesis, we utilize the verbs-in-context system of operational code analysis to quantify the risk propensities of President Bush and Pres…
The Cult of the Relevant: International Relations Scholars and Policy Engagement Beyond the Ivory Tower
Over the past fifteen years, a narrative has developed that IR scholars have become a “cult of the irrelevant,” with declining influence on and engagement with policy debates. Despite these assertions, the evidence for limited policy engagement has been anecdotal. We investigate the extent of policy engagement—the ways in which IR scholars participate in policy-making processes and/or attempt to shape those processes—by surveying IR scholars dire…
Innovation Inhibitors in War: Overcoming Obstacles in the Pursuit of Military Effectiveness
What explains the pace at which militaries adopt new technology? We argue that the hierarchical structure and unique expertise requirements of military organizations combine to empower select individuals as ‘gatekeepers’ of innovation. These individuals acquire beliefs throughout their military careers regarding the nature and means of warfare that act to shape their attitudes towards new military innovations. By filtering, sidelining, and ignori…
Looking back to look forward: Autonomous systems, military revolutions, and the importance of cost
Autonomous systems are often lauded as revolutionary. However, what makes them revolutionary is still up for debate. We identify assumptions about the revolutionary effect of autonomy and draw on historical work to examine how these characteristics have affected past conflicts. Our look at the past suggests where these systems may be most revolutionary is in cost mitigation—both political and economic. Mitigating economic cost helps create mass, …
Explaining the Variation in Gender Composition of Personnel Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations
How do we account for the dearth of female contributions to UN peace operations (UNPOs)? For answers, this study examines conditions that led the United Nations to move to reduce the gender imbalance in UNPO personnel and provides descriptive evidence that points to the continuing underrepresentation of women in these operations. To interpret this evidence, the study presents theoretical explanations for the varying contributions of personnel to …
How Dangerous Was Kargil? Nuclear Crises in Comparative Perspective
Between May and June of 1999, India and Pakistan engaged in a higher-intensity military conflict than any other pair of nuclear-armed states had before or have since. Although it remained geographi
Eisenhower's Scientists: Policy Entrepreneurs and the Test-Ban Debate 1954-1958
Journal Article Eisenhower's Scientists: Policy Entrepreneurs and the Test-Ban Debate 1954–1958 Get access Julia M. Macdonald Julia M. Macdonald The George Washington University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Foreign Policy Analysis, Volume 11, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1111/fpa.12018 Published: 09 January 2015
Innovation Inhibitors in War: Overcoming Obstacles in the Pursuit of Military Effectiveness
What explains the pace at which militaries adopt new technology? We argue that the hierarchical structure and unique expertise requirements of military organizations combine to empower select individuals as ‘gatekeepers’ of innovation. These individuals acquire beliefs throughout their military careers regarding the nature and means of warfare that act to shape their attitudes towards new military innovations. By filtering, sidelining, and ignori…
Explaining the Variation in Gender Composition of Personnel Contributions to UN Peacekeeping Operations
How do we account for the dearth of female contributions to UN peace operations (UNPOs)? For answers, this study examines conditions that led the United Nations to move to reduce the gender imbalance in UNPO personnel and provides descriptive evidence that points to the continuing underrepresentation of women in these operations. To interpret this evidence, the study presents theoretical explanations for the varying contributions of personnel to …
Presidential Risk Orientation and Force Employment Decisions: The Case of Unmanned Weaponry
In this article, we explore how presidential risk orientations affect force employment decisions through an analysis of the use of unmanned weaponry during the Bush and Obama administrations. We hypothesize that the conception of risk plays an integral part in this choice of weaponry. In order to examine our hypothesis, we utilize the verbs-in-context system of operational code analysis to quantify the risk propensities of President Bush and Pres…
Small footprint, small payoff: The military effectiveness of security force assistance
After 15 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, many now see ‘small-footprint’ security force assistance (SFA) – training, advising and equipping allied militaries – as an alternative to large US ground-force commitments. Yet, its actual military efficacy has been little studied. This paper seeks to fill this gap. We find important limitations on SFA’s military utility, stemming from agency problems arising from systematic interest misalignment be…
Battlefield Responses to New Technologies: Views from the Ground on Unmanned Aircraft
How do individuals on the battlefield respond to the introduction of new technologies? How will unmanned and increasingly autonomous technologies be received by ground combat personnel? In this paper we explore tactical-level perceptions of one particular technology—armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—by conducting a survey experiment of ground fires controllers. Our findings reveal that these personnel have strong behavioral reactions to the i…
How Dangerous Was Kargil? Nuclear Crises in Comparative Perspective
Between May and June of 1999, India and Pakistan engaged in a higher-intensity military conflict than any other pair of nuclear-armed states had before or have since. Although it remained geographi
The Cult of the Relevant: International Relations Scholars and Policy Engagement Beyond the Ivory Tower
Over the past fifteen years, a narrative has developed that IR scholars have become a “cult of the irrelevant,” with declining influence on and engagement with policy debates. Despite these assertions, the evidence for limited policy engagement has been anecdotal. We investigate the extent of policy engagement—the ways in which IR scholars participate in policy-making processes and/or attempt to shape those processes—by surveying IR scholars dire…
Adopting AI: How familiarity breeds both trust and contempt
Looking back to look forward: Autonomous systems, military revolutions, and the importance of cost
Autonomous systems are often lauded as revolutionary. However, what makes them revolutionary is still up for debate. We identify assumptions about the revolutionary effect of autonomy and draw on historical work to examine how these characteristics have affected past conflicts. Our look at the past suggests where these systems may be most revolutionary is in cost mitigation—both political and economic. Mitigating economic cost helps create mass, …
Political science (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Law (6 works) · Computer Science (5 works) · Economics (5 works) · Politics (4 works) · Psychology (4 works) · Computer security (3 works) · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies (3 works) · Engineering (3 works)