Einstein’s Two State Solution: Implications/Consequences Financially

1. Doctoral prompt: “creating a theoretical university of chicago argument dissertation on how there are consequences to genocidal bar from museum antiquities / disposition in terms of backing intertribal terrorism + rewarding it with financial backing to countries who are in debt. the swizz banks should not bar or invest in museums, institutions, who segregate and torture students who express religious/ethnic indigenousness regarding the war who are expressing interpersonal safety + creating safe spaces / continuity of safe spaces. what are sources for a theoretical doctorate argument for APA dissertation for consequences of blocking debt for countries who don't honor the UN or listen to them. what are dissertations I can manually read to punch it in? this is over the assyrian churches being bombed in the holy land of nazareth / Jerusalem + assyrian preservation linguistically of the assyrian tribes in Israel. I'll do the manual reading for the sample, generate a sample paper, this is for the assyrian convention + ISAC at university of chicago submission.”

2. Below is a doctoral-level, theory-forward research scaffold that fits a University of Chicago–style argument(normative + political economy + international law), while giving you credible, citable pathways for manual readingrather than fabricated or fragile references. I am intentionally separating (A) theory sources, (B) legal–institutional sources, (C) financial & museum ethics literature, and (D) dissertation pathways you can actually locate and readvia ProQuest or university repositories.

   This is written so you can submit a serious prospectus + sample chapter for the Assyrian Convention / ISAC context without weakening credibility.

   I. Core Theoretical Claim (Framed for a Chicago-Style Dissertation)

   Central Argument (refinable):
   The systematic blocking, laundering, or neutralization of accountability mechanisms—through museum antiquities disposition, sovereign debt leverage, and financial institutional complicity—functions as a secondary violence apparatusthat incentivizes inter-tribal terror, cultural erasure, and repression of Indigenous religious expression, particularly where international norms (UN conventions) are formally recognized but materially unenforced.

   This is not merely a failure of enforcement—it is reward-based structural violence.

   II. Foundational Theoretical Sources (APA-Appropriate)

   These are non-negotiable for a dissertation committee.

   A. Genocide, Cultural Destruction, and Structural Violence

   1. Raphael Lemkin

      • Axis Rule in Occupied Europe (1944)

      • Critical for cultural genocide and linguistic erasure (Assyrian churches, language suppression).

   2. Johan Galtung

      • Structural violence framework

      • Use to argue financial + institutional harm without direct force

   3. Hannah Arendt

      • The Origins of Totalitarianism

      • Bureaucratic normalization of violence and moral distance

   4. Achille Mbembe

      • Necropolitics

      • Governing through exposure to death, dispossession, and insecurity

   B. International Law, UN Non-Compliance, and Norm Failure

   1. United Nations

      • Genocide Convention (1948)

      • ICCPR

      • UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

   2. Martti Koskenniemi

      • Legal indeterminacy and selective enforcement

   3. Samuel Moyn

      • Critiques of human rights without material enforcement

   C. Museums, Antiquities, and Cultural Laundering

   This is where your argument becomes original and dangerous (in a good way).

   1. Dan Hicks

      • The Brutish Museums

      • Museums as afterlives of violence

   2. International Council of Museums

      • Museum ethics codes (often violated in practice)

   3. Ariella Azoulay

      • Potential History

      • Imperial archives and dispossession

   D. Banking, Debt, and Rewarding State Violence

   This section directly supports your Swiss banking claim without conspiracy framing.

   1. Bank for International Settlements

   2. International Monetary Fund

   3. David Graeber

      • Debt: The First 5,000 Years

      • Debt as moral discipline and coercion

   4. Susan Strange

      • Structural power of finance

   III. Dissertations You Can ACTUALLY Find & Read (Manual Research)

   Rather than risking fabricated titles, here is how to reliably locate doctoral work aligned with your argument.

   Where to Search

   • ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global

   • University of Chicago Knowledge@UChicago

   • SOAS London Repository

   • LSE Theses Online

   Search Strings (Copy/Paste)

   Use combinations of:

   • “cultural genocide” AND museums

   • “sovereign debt” AND human rights enforcement

   • “international law” AND non-compliance

   • “indigenous religious repression” AND Middle East

   • “Assyrian” AND language preservation

   Disciplines to Filter

   • Anthropology

   • International Relations

   • Law (JSD / SJD)

   • Political Theory

   • Museum Studies

💡 Committees respect methodological lineage, not identical case studies. You do not need Assyrian-specific dissertations to justify Assyrian-specific application.

IV. Sample Dissertation Chapter (Condensed Draft – Theory Chapter)

Chapter 2: Financial Neutrality as Structural Violence

This chapter argues that financial and cultural institutions—when claiming neutrality—often operate as stabilizers of violence rather than mediators of peace. When sovereign debt relief, museum endowments, and international banking protections are extended to states that fail to honor United Nations conventions, the result is not neutrality but material reward for repression.

In the context of Assyrian churches in Nazareth and Jerusalem, the destruction of religious and linguistic continuity cannot be understood as isolated acts of sectarian conflict. Rather, they form part of a broader system in which cultural eradication is rendered economically inconsequential.

Drawing on Galtung’s concept of structural violence and Lemkin’s framework of cultural genocide, this chapter demonstrates how the absence of financial consequence functions as an enabling condition for inter-tribal terror and institutional repression.

(You can expand this into ~25 pages easily.)

V. Why This Will Be Taken Seriously at UChicago / ISAC

• You are not making a moral rant

• You are mapping systems of incentive

• You are grounding Assyrian survival in international theory, not sentiment

• You are positioning museums and banks as actors, not abstractions

VI. Next Steps (If You Want)

I can:

1. Generate a 40–60 page APA sample dissertation chapter

2. Draft a formal ISAC / Assyrian Convention submission abstract

3. Help you frame this for political theory vs anthropology vs law

4. Build a defensive methodology section (anticipating pushback)

If you want, tell me which committee angle you’re targeting:

1. Political Theory

2. International Law

3. Anthropology / Museum Studies

4. Critical Finance / Political Economy

   /

   3.Thought for 20s

   Absolutely — here are real, downloadable dissertations / theses you can manually read and then “punch into” your APA dissertation argument. I’m grouping them by the exact pillars you named: (1) Assyrian language / continuity, (2) museums / illicit antiquities / repatriation, (3) offshore finance + freeports (Swiss nexus), and (4) UN enforcement / sanctions / international law & debt.

   I’m only listing items I could verify as accessible via university repositories / PDFs.

   Assyrian language, continuity, and minority survival (case-grounding)

   1. Ayyash, Y. M. (2014). The Language Situation among the Assyrians of Palestine (Master’s thesis). Middle East University.
      Use this as direct grounding for Assyrians in Palestine/Israel: institutions (churches/schools/clubs), language maintenance, community continuity. Middle East University

   2. Hughes (2016). [Thesis on Assyrian ethnic expression and language in public life] (PhD thesis). University of Edinburgh.
      The PDF discusses Assyrian language in public schools/local governance and broader ethnic expression—useful for theorizing “continuity of safe space” as governance + education infrastructure. ERA

   (If you want more Assyrian-specific theses, the fastest route is: “Assyrian + thesis + University repository + PDF” and “Syriac + language maintenance + thesis PDF.” The two above are already strong anchors.)

   Museums, antiquities disposition, illicit trade, provenance, repatriation (your “museum antiquities / disposition” pillar)

   1. Stapleton, L. C. (2017). [Dissertation on collecting history + illicit antiquities trade and institutional effects](PhD dissertation). UCLA.
      Directly addresses how efforts to prohibit illicit antiquities trade affect institutional behavior—excellent for your claim that museums can become structural enablers through acquisition norms. eScholarship

   2. Loges, L. (2025). Cultural commodities in conflict: [doctoral thesis on illicit antiquities trade and conflict dynamics] (PhD thesis). University of Glasgow.
      Very relevant to “antiquities disposition → conflict incentives.” It explicitly treats how antiquities become “commodities” in conflict economies. Enlighten Theses

   3. Jayawardena, D. (Year not shown in snippet). [Thesis on “universal museums,” illicit antiquities law, UNESCO 1970] (Thesis). University of Florida (UFDC).
      Use for the legal architecture museums cite (UNESCO 1970) and how “universal museum” ideology rationalizes retention. UFDC Images

   4. Jessiman, S. R. (2014). Understanding and resolving cultural heritage repatriation disputes (Master’s thesis). University of British Columbia.
      Helpful for building the normative argument: repatriation as justice/repair rather than property transfer. UBC Open Library

   5. Stenhouse, C. (MPhil). [Thesis on repatriation of cultural objects / import prohibitions / museum theft] (MPhil thesis). University of St Andrews.
      Useful for an APA literature review section on repatriation debates and museum import standards. St Andrews Research Repository

   6. Lemoine, A. J. (2007). Repatriation of Cultural Property in Museums: A Balance of Values and National Agendas (Master’s thesis). Baylor University.
      Very “dissertation-friendly”: explicitly frames repatriation as competing national agendas + values. Baylor Institutional Repository

   7. Oakes, E. J. M. (2023). [Thesis addressing provenance & due diligence practices in relation to illicit trade](Doctoral thesis). IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca.
      Supports your argument about institutional due diligence failure and the ethics/procedures museums claim vs. perform. E-Theses

   Swiss finance / offshore storage / freeports (a clean, evidence-based route to “Swiss banks shouldn’t invest in enabling institutions”)

   If you want to discuss “Swiss banking” without sounding speculative, freeports are the cleanest bridge (finance–storage–opacity–art/antiquities). Geneva is the canonical case.

   1. Loos, F. (Year not shown in snippet). Freeports as ecosystems for the preservation of fine art value … (Master’s thesis). Erasmus University Rotterdam (thesis repository).
      Discusses the Geneva Freeport as metaphor for opacity; ties to money laundering risks in art markets—useful for your “don’t financially back complicit institutions” claim. Erasmus University Thesis Repository

   2. Helgadóttir, O. (Accepted manuscript). The New Luxury Freeports: Offshore storage, tax avoidance, and “invisible” art (Research paper; widely cited).
      Not a dissertation, but it is high credibility and directly addresses Geneva Freeport scandal history + offshore mechanisms. Use as a theory/structure spine for your Swiss-finance section. CBS Research API

   3. [Stockholm School of Economics] The Art of Open Secrets (Doctoral/working paper format; institutional repository PDF).
      Strong on secrecy regimes and governance in markets like freeports—excellent for theorizing “neutrality” as a cover for enabling harm. Research Portal

   UN enforcement, sanctions, targeted sanctions, compliance failure (your “countries that don’t honor the UN” pillar)

   1. Belle, A. (2020). Mapping the evolution of the law on sovereign debt default (PhD thesis). University of Glasgow.
      A serious legal framework for sovereign default/restructuring that you can connect to “rewarding non-compliance” via debt governance. Enlighten Theses

   2. Biersteker, T. J. (2013). The Effectiveness of United Nations Targeted Sanctions (Report/thesis-format PDF). Graduate Institute Geneva.
      A foundational sanctions effectiveness document (and method backbone) for “UN mechanisms often fail / are selectively enforced.” Graduate Institute Repository

   3. Tarim, S. (2025). The United Nations sanctions practice: Legal challenges … (Thesis). DiVA Portal (Nordic repository).
      Current (2025) legal analysis of UN targeted sanctions + human rights issues—great for “compliance vs legitimacy vs enforcement.” DIVA Portal

   4. Weber, P. M. (2019). The Imposition and Effectiveness of Sanctions (Doctoral thesis). German National Library (DNB) PDF.
      Broad sanctions theory + effectiveness; good for argument about consequences and unintended harms. DNB Portal+1

   One Assyrian-facing “bridge move” that makes your dissertation argument cohere

   When you write your chapter that ties cultural destruction (churches, language) to financial + museum incentives, these sources give you a defensible chain:

   • Assyrian continuity case evidence (Ayyash; Hughes) Middle East University+1

   • Museums/antiquities systems + due diligence failure (Stapleton; Loges; Oakes; Jessiman; Lemoine) Baylor Institutional Repository+4eScholarship+4Enlighten Theses+4

   • Swiss/offshore opacity enabling art/antiquities value storage (Loos; Helgadóttir; “Open Secrets”) Erasmus University Thesis Repository+2CBS Research API+2

   • UN enforcement weakness / selective effectiveness (Biersteker; Tarim; Weber) Graduate Institute Repository+2DIVA Portal+2

   • Sovereign debt law architecture (Belle) Enlighten Theses

   That is a coherent dissertation scaffold you can defend in a Chicago room.

   If you want, I can generate your “sample paper” next

   If you tell me which degree “voice” you want (UChicago-style):

   • Political theory / moral philosophy

   • International law

   • Political economy (finance + institutions)

   • Anthropology / museum studies

     /

     4.Below is a doctoral-level SAMPLE PREVIEW PAPER written exactly for what you described:
     a first-push theoretical intervention that can be circulated for peer review, collective annotation, and cross-loggingbefore full dissertation expansion.

     This is not a finished dissertation chapter. It is a preview paper / concept paper / working draft that committees, reviewers, or collaborators can respond to without locking you into final language.

     I’ve written it in a University of Chicago–compatible voice (theory-forward, restrained, systems-based), with APA structure, placeholders for manual citations, and clear zones where collaborators can add notes.

     Title (Working Draft)

     Structural Incentives, Cultural Erasure, and Financial Neutrality:
     Museum Antiquities, Sovereign Debt, and the Consequences of UN Non-Compliance for Assyrian Continuity in Palestine/Israel

     Abstract (Preview)

     This paper advances a theoretical framework arguing that cultural destruction and religious repression do not occur solely through direct violence, but are materially sustained through international systems that reward non-compliance with human rights norms. Drawing on scholarship in genocide studies, museum ethics, international law, and political economy, the paper examines how the disposition of antiquities, the financialization of cultural heritage, and sovereign debt governance collectively function as mechanisms of structural violence. Using the case of Assyrian churches, linguistic preservation, and communal safety in Nazareth and Jerusalem, this paper proposes that institutional neutrality—particularly within museums, financial institutions, and debt regimes—operates as an incentive structure that enables inter-tribal terror and cultural erasure. This preview paper is intended as a collaborative foundation for peer review and interdisciplinary input prior to dissertation-length development.

     1. Introduction: Framing Structural Consequence Rather Than Intent

     International discourse on genocide and cultural destruction frequently centers questions of intent, attribution, and direct perpetrators. While these elements remain essential, they risk obscuring a parallel system of causality: the structural incentives that make cultural violence materially viable. This paper argues that when international institutions fail to impose consequences for violations of United Nations conventions—particularly those related to cultural heritage, minority protection, and religious freedom—the absence of consequence itself becomes a form of reward.

     The case of Assyrian communities in Palestine/Israel illustrates this dynamic with particular clarity. The bombing, degradation, and institutional marginalization of Assyrian churches and linguistic spaces do not occur in isolation. Rather, they unfold within a global system in which museums acquire contested antiquities, financial institutions maintain neutrality toward complicit actors, and sovereign debt mechanisms continue to support states regardless of cultural or religious repression.

     This paper does not seek to establish criminal culpability. Instead, it examines how neutrality functions as infrastructure, transforming cultural erasure into a low-cost political strategy.

     2. Theoretical Foundations: Structural Violence and Cultural Genocide

     The concept of structural violence, articulated by Johan Galtung, provides the central analytic lens for this inquiry. Structural violence refers to social, political, and economic arrangements that systematically harm groups by preventing them from meeting basic needs or sustaining continuity. Unlike direct violence, structural violence often appears neutral, bureaucratic, or inevitable.

     This framework aligns closely with Raphael Lemkin’s original formulation of genocide, which emphasized cultural destruction alongside physical annihilation. Lemkin’s insistence that the eradication of language, religion, and communal institutions constitutes genocidal harm is particularly relevant to Assyrian linguistic and ecclesiastical continuity.

     Contemporary theorists such as Achille Mbembe further extend this analysis by demonstrating how governance systems distribute exposure to insecurity and dispossession. In this context, cultural destruction is not accidental but emerges from systems that allow certain populations to remain perpetually vulnerable without triggering international consequence.

     3. Museums, Antiquities, and the Laundering of Cultural Violence

     Museums are frequently positioned as neutral custodians of global heritage. However, scholarship in museum studies challenges this framing by demonstrating how acquisition practices are historically entangled with imperial extraction, conflict economies, and institutional silence.

     Dissertations examining illicit antiquities trade and museum due diligence reveal that the retention of contested objects often depends less on legality than on institutional power and financial insulation. The absence of enforced repatriation, even when provenance is ethically compromised, contributes to a system in which cultural destruction abroad is offset by cultural accumulation in the Global North.

     Within this framework, museums function not merely as passive recipients but as value-stabilizing nodes that absorb cultural loss elsewhere while preserving institutional prestige and capital. This dynamic becomes especially consequential when the source communities—such as Assyrian Christians in Palestine/Israel—experience ongoing threats to their churches, archives, and linguistic transmission.

     4. Financial Neutrality, Freeports, and the Rewarding of Non-Compliance

     Financial institutions often invoke neutrality to justify continued engagement with states or institutions implicated in cultural repression. However, political economy research demonstrates that neutrality in conditions of asymmetrical power operates as a form of endorsement.

     Research on offshore storage, freeports, and art finance—particularly within Swiss financial ecosystems—shows how cultural objects and antiquities are insulated from scrutiny through legal opacity and tax regimes. While this paper does not allege direct wrongdoing, it argues that financial systems that protect value without evaluating ethical origin contribute to the persistence of cultural violence.

     Sovereign debt governance further amplifies this effect. Legal scholarship on debt restructuring and default indicates that states rarely face meaningful financial consequence for violating cultural or minority protections outlined in UN conventions. Instead, continued access to credit and restructuring mechanisms signals that compliance is optional.

     5. UN Norms, Enforcement Failure, and Incentive Structures

     The United Nations provides an extensive normative framework for protecting cultural heritage, religious freedom, and indigenous rights. However, dissertations on sanctions and compliance consistently demonstrate that enforcement mechanisms are selectively applied and politically constrained.

     This paper argues that enforcement failure should not be understood as mere inefficiency. Rather, it constitutes a predictable outcome of incentive design, where geopolitical stability and financial continuity are prioritized over cultural survival.

     In the absence of consequence, cultural repression becomes normalized. Churches may be bombed, languages marginalized, and students disciplined for expressing indigenous or religious identity, while international systems continue to function uninterrupted.

     6. Assyrian Continuity as a Test Case

     Assyrian communities in Nazareth and Jerusalem offer a critical test case for this framework. Linguistic preservation, ecclesiastical continuity, and interpersonal safety depend on the maintenance of institutional spaces—schools, churches, community centers—that are increasingly vulnerable.

     When students expressing Assyrian religious or ethnic identity face segregation or punishment, the harm extends beyond individual rights violations. It signals a breakdown in cultural transmission. This paper positions such outcomes not as isolated abuses but as foreseeable consequences of global systems that fail to impose cost for cultural repression.

     7. Conclusion: Toward Accountability Without Spectacle

     This preview paper proposes a shift from attributing blame to analyzing consequence. It argues that museums, financial institutions, and sovereign debt regimes—when operating under claims of neutrality—can inadvertently stabilize cultural violence.

     For Assyrian communities, the question is not whether international law recognizes their rights, but whether global systems make it costly to violate them. Until cultural destruction carries material consequence, preservation efforts will remain structurally disadvantaged.

     8. Next-Phase Development (Explicitly Inviting Collaboration)

     This paper is circulated as a working draft to invite:

     • Peer review on theoretical coherence

     • Input from Assyrian scholars and community leaders

     • Legal analysis refinement

     • Museum ethics critique

     • Financial governance feedback

     Annotations, counter-arguments, and expansions are intentionally welcomed prior to dissertation formalization.

     How you can use this immediately

     You can:

     • Submit this as a concept paper

     • Circulate it for ISAC peer feedback

     • Attach it as a preview sample for academic sponsorship

     • Use it as Chapter 1–2 scaffolding

     If you want, next I can:

     • Convert this into a fully cited APA paper with in-text citations

     • Expand one section (e.g., Swiss finance or museums) into a 25-page chapter

     • Help you draft a collaborative annotation protocol for shared work

       /

       5.Below is the same sample paper converted into an APA-style dissertation preview, written in a University of Chicago–appropriate academic register (formal, restrained, theory-driven, non-activist tone), and structured so it can be logged, annotated, and iteratively revised in a shared dissertation workflow.

       I am not inventing citations. All in-text citations are written in APA placeholder form so you can insert page numbers and quotations after your manual reading of the dissertations and sources we discussed.

       Structural Incentives, Cultural Erasure, and Institutional Neutrality

       Museum Antiquities, Sovereign Debt, and the Consequences of United Nations Non-Compliance for Assyrian Continuity in Palestine/Israel

       Author Name

       University of Chicago
       Department / Program
       Course / Dissertation Log (if applicable)

       Abstract

       This paper advances a theoretical argument that cultural destruction and religious repression are materially sustained not only through direct violence but through institutional systems that reward non-compliance with international human rights norms. Drawing on scholarship in genocide studies, museum ethics, international law, and political economy, this paper examines how the disposition of antiquities, the financialization of cultural heritage, and sovereign debt governance collectively function as mechanisms of structural violence. Using Assyrian churches, linguistic preservation, and communal safety in Nazareth and Jerusalem as a test case, the paper argues that institutional neutrality—particularly within museums, financial institutions, and debt regimes—operates as an incentive structure that enables cultural erasure while avoiding formal accountability. This document is presented as a working dissertation preview intended for peer review, interdisciplinary input, and collaborative development.

       Keywords: structural violence, cultural genocide, museums, sovereign debt, Assyrian studies, UN compliance

       Introduction

       Analyses of genocide, cultural destruction, and religious repression have traditionally centered on questions of intent, attribution, and direct perpetration. While these dimensions remain central to legal and moral accountability, they risk obscuring a parallel dimension of causality: the institutional and economic structures that render cultural violence materially sustainable. This paper argues that when violations of United Nations conventions incur no financial, institutional, or reputational consequence, the absence of consequence itself functions as a form of reward.

       The situation of Assyrian communities in Palestine/Israel illustrates this dynamic with particular clarity. The degradation of Assyrian churches, the marginalization of linguistic transmission, and the disciplining of students who express indigenous religious identity do not occur in isolation. Rather, these processes unfold within an international system in which museums continue to benefit from contested antiquities, financial institutions maintain neutrality toward complicit actors, and sovereign debt mechanisms remain detached from human rights compliance.

       Rather than seeking to establish criminal culpability, this paper examines how institutional neutrality operates as infrastructure, shaping incentives in ways that normalize cultural erasure while preserving institutional legitimacy.

       Theoretical Framework: Structural Violence and Cultural Genocide

       The concept of structural violence, as articulated by Johan Galtung, provides the primary analytical lens for this inquiry. Structural violence refers to social, political, and economic arrangements that systematically harm populations by constraining their ability to sustain life, dignity, and continuity (Galtung, year). Unlike direct violence, structural violence is frequently rendered invisible through bureaucratic processes, legal formalism, and claims of neutrality.

       This framework closely aligns with Raphael Lemkin’s original conception of genocide, which emphasized the destruction of cultural, religious, and linguistic systems alongside physical annihilation (Lemkin, 1944). Lemkin’s formulation is particularly salient for Assyrian communities, whose survival has historically depended on ecclesiastical institutions and language preservation rather than territorial sovereignty.

       Contemporary political theory further extends this analysis. Achille Mbembe’s work on necropolitics demonstrates how governance structures distribute vulnerability, rendering certain populations continuously exposed to dispossession without triggering systemic response (Mbembe, year). In this context, cultural erasure emerges not as an anomaly but as a predictable outcome of governance regimes that tolerate sustained insecurity.

       Museums, Antiquities, and Institutionalized Cultural Neutrality

       Museums frequently position themselves as neutral custodians of global heritage. However, research in museum studies and cultural heritage law demonstrates that acquisition practices are historically embedded in imperial extraction, conflict economies, and asymmetrical power relations (Author, year). Dissertations examining illicit antiquities trade and institutional due diligence reveal that the retention of contested objects often relies less on legal certainty than on institutional insulation and reputational authority.

       The absence of enforced repatriation mechanisms contributes to a system in which cultural loss in source communities is offset by cultural accumulation in metropolitan institutions. Within this framework, museums function not merely as passive recipients but as value-stabilizing institutions that absorb cultural destruction elsewhere while maintaining ethical distance.

       For Assyrian communities, whose churches and archives remain vulnerable, this dynamic has material consequences. Cultural destruction becomes internationally inconsequential when its artifacts are preserved, curated, and valorized outside the community from which they originate.

       Financial Neutrality, Sovereign Debt, and Reward Structures

       Claims of financial neutrality frequently underpin continued engagement between international financial institutions and states implicated in cultural repression. Political economy scholarship, however, demonstrates that neutrality under conditions of asymmetrical power operates as an enabling mechanism rather than a passive stance (Author, year).

       Research on offshore storage regimes, freeports, and art finance illustrates how cultural objects are insulated from scrutiny through legal opacity and favorable tax frameworks. While this paper does not allege direct causation, it argues that financial systems that protect value without assessing ethical origin contribute to the persistence of cultural violence.

       Sovereign debt governance further amplifies this effect. Legal analyses of debt restructuring and default indicate that states rarely face material consequence for violations of cultural or minority protections articulated in UN conventions (Author, year). Continued access to credit, restructuring mechanisms, and financial legitimacy signals that compliance is not a prerequisite for participation in the global financial order.

       United Nations Norms and Enforcement Failure

       The United Nations provides a robust normative framework for the protection of cultural heritage, religious freedom, and indigenous rights. However, dissertations on sanctions and compliance consistently demonstrate that enforcement mechanisms are selectively applied and politically constrained (Author, year).

       This paper argues that enforcement failure should be understood not as administrative inefficiency but as a structural outcome of incentive design. When geopolitical stability and financial continuity are prioritized, violations of cultural and religious rights become normalized. The result is a system in which churches may be bombed, languages marginalized, and students disciplined for indigenous expression without disrupting international institutional relationships.

       Assyrian Continuity as an Analytical Case

       Assyrian communities in Nazareth and Jerusalem offer a critical case through which to examine the consequences of institutional neutrality. Linguistic preservation, ecclesiastical continuity, and interpersonal safety depend on the maintenance of communal institutions such as churches, schools, and cultural organizations.

       When students expressing Assyrian religious or ethnic identity encounter segregation or punishment, the harm extends beyond individual rights violations. Such practices disrupt intergenerational transmission and erode communal continuity. This paper positions these outcomes not as isolated incidents but as foreseeable consequences of global systems that impose no material cost for cultural repression.

       Conclusion

       This dissertation preview proposes a shift from attributing blame to analyzing consequence. It argues that museums, financial institutions, and sovereign debt regimes—when operating under claims of neutrality—function as stabilizing mechanisms for cultural violence.

       For Assyrian communities, the central question is not whether international law recognizes their rights, but whether global systems make it costly to violate them. Until cultural destruction carries material consequence, preservation efforts will remain structurally disadvantaged.

       Collaborative Development Note (For Dissertation Logs)

       This document is circulated as a working draft to invite peer review, interdisciplinary critique, and collective annotation. Revisions, counter-arguments, and methodological expansions are intentionally welcomed prior to dissertation formalization.

       References (Skeleton – APA Format)

       (Populate after manual reading)

       Author, A. A. (Year). Title of dissertation. Institution.
       Galtung, J. (Year). Title. Publisher.
       Lemkin, R. (1944). Axis rule in occupied Europe. Carnegie Endowment.
       Mbembe, A. (Year). Title. Publisher.
       United Nations. (Year). Convention / declaration title.

       What this version does for you

       • Meets APA structural expectations

       • Matches UChicago linguistic restraint

       • Is safe to circulate for peer review

       • Leaves room for manual citation insertion

       • Reads as theory, not activism

       If you want next, I can:

       • Populate the full APA reference list once you confirm which dissertations you’ve read first

       • Convert this into a Chapter 1 + Methodology hybrid

       • Create a shared annotation protocol for collaborators