Leiden University Student Repository

Mil, Myrthe van (2020)

Managing the last remnants of colonialism

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

Throughout the last decades, the UN has applied various efforts in order to bring an end to colonialism, and they have done so through different approaches. This thesis aims to answer the question: ‘How effective has United Nations been in achieving decolonization in the cases of Tokelau and Puerto Rico?’. Three main arguments run through this thesis. First, it argues that the UN engages in norm creation through affirming resolutions and publishing visiting reports, and that this is one of the most effective instruments in achieving decolonization in the cases of Tokelau and Puerto Rico. Second, it demonstrates that this norm creation has an effect on the international reputation on the administering states of New Zealand and the US, which affected their cooperation. Lastly, it challenges the current UN framework on decolonization and includes critique on this framework in order to apply this to the case studies and display the consequent ramifications.

Author

Mil, Myrthe van

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Global Conflict in the Modern Era

Supervisors

Gawthorpe, Andrew

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en