Leiden University Student Repository

Herweijer, Matthijs (2021)

Assessing the importance of agency: Analyzing the Impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on US Foreign Policy

Master thesis | Public Administration (MSc)

Parsimonious system-based theories take center stage within the scholarly field of International Relations. Assuming the international system to be the key determinant of international politics, they aim to explain any geopolitical event. Utilizing 60 speeches from United States presidents Obama and Trump, and employing China’s Belt and Road Initiative as an important divide, this thesis will examine the role of agency, through the individual leadership of both Obama and Trump, within the realm of international politics.

Operational Code Analysis

OCA

Trump

Obama

Belt and Road Initiative

BRI

Agency

US Foreign Policy

Author

Herweijer, Matthijs

Faculty

Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs

Specialisation

International and European Governance

Supervisors

Karakasis, V.P.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en