Research

Based on observations of engineering teams dispersed between East Lansing, Michigan and Monterrey, Mexico, this case study analyzes the use of telecommunications technology to overcome geographic barriers. Included in the findings are an analysis of one team's use of UGS Teamcenter. Teams tended to use different technologies for different tasks, and technologies were selected based on which provided the path of least resistance, often counter to the expectations of project sponsors. Further, power dynamics on the teams were significantly more complex than traditional expectations, which typically deal with cultural or geographical dimensions.

Using declassified archival material, this paper analyzes American assumptions about Israeli intentions preceding the 1956 Suez Crisis. It finds that while Israel, France, and the United Kingdom were colluding to invade the Egyptian Sinai, American policy makers continued to believe that Israel fostered territorial ambitions towards Jordan and were focusing an attack there. American concerns about communism, a dichotomous world view, a failure to understand growing Arab nationalist movements, assumptions about Israeli territorial ambitions, and communication problems with their allies all resulted in a catastrophic American intelligence failure that ultimately led to international crisis.