This thesis researches the different effects that Chinese FDI has on the economy of Brazil as well as on Sino-Brazilian international relations. In particular, it takes the case study of Brazilian...Show moreThis thesis researches the different effects that Chinese FDI has on the economy of Brazil as well as on Sino-Brazilian international relations. In particular, it takes the case study of Brazilian oil company Petrobras and its cooperations with Chinese oil company Sinopec. The main argument provided in the thesis is that although FDI had an impact in the development of Sino-Brazilian economic relations, other factors, such as patterns of trade, played a larger role here.Show less
This paper will discuss what role same-sex marriage legalized in 2019 has within Taiwanese diplomatic discourse (Ministry of Justice 2019). Taiwanese diplomatic discourse is heavily influenced by...Show moreThis paper will discuss what role same-sex marriage legalized in 2019 has within Taiwanese diplomatic discourse (Ministry of Justice 2019). Taiwanese diplomatic discourse is heavily influenced by the fact it has no official United Nations recognition (Schafferer 2020, 46). As the head of state, President Tsai shapes Taiwanese diplomatic discourse. Current academic work has discussed the role of human rights diplomacy and same-sex marriage in Taiwanese diplomacy to a very limited extend. This causes understanding of Taiwanese diplomacy to be lacking. Same-sex marriage has taken a prime position within global diplomacy. Discussing President Tsai’s diplomatic discourse can provide insights in how same-sex marriage is adopted within Taiwanese diplomatic discourse. This paper provides further insight on the mechanics of Taiwanese diplomacy and the role of human rights and same-sex marriage within Taiwanese diplomatic discourse. Through thematic content analysis it became apparent that President Tsai argues for recognition of Taiwan’s sovereignty by mainly western actors based on shared values. The base of these relationships is shared liberal values, such as freedom, democracy, the upholding of human rights, and providing gender and LGBTQ+ equality. She also argues that the legalization of same-sex marriage reason to support Taiwanese democracy. The legalization of same-sex marriage legitimizes President Tsai’s narrative to present Taiwan as a beacon of freedom and democracy in Asia. Based on these shared values, President Tsai argues for protection by the international community of Taiwan from the People’s Republic of China. The legalization of same-sex marriage takes a position within Taiwan diplomatic, as presented by President Tsai, as proof to legitimize Taiwanese advanced democracy, respect for human rights, and Taiwanese sovereignty.Show less
Kirkpatrick claimed that French keyboard music sounded like French. Hall (1953) talked about a resemblance of Elgar’s Music and the intonation of British speech. Both discussed instrumental music...Show moreKirkpatrick claimed that French keyboard music sounded like French. Hall (1953) talked about a resemblance of Elgar’s Music and the intonation of British speech. Both discussed instrumental music and a likeness with the speech, which has remained controversial. This thesis investigates the robustness of the metrics used for the two experiments in rhythm and melody to provide information about their linguistic origins. To this end, this thesis replicates the two experiments of Patel et al. (2006) regarding the rhythm and melody of British English and French speech and instrumental music. In addition, a third parameter labelled as “slope” was tested to investigate if melody, when taking into consideration the durational property of the melodic interval, provides the same results as the two previous replicated experiments. We replicated the findings for rhythm and melody reported in Patel et al. (2006). The slope parameter, however, showed a reverse pattern raising some critical questions about the validity of the metrics to portray statistical evidence of national characteristics in speech and music.Show less
In August 2019, the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to revoke the special status of the state of Kashmir. Because of this special status, the Kashmiris were able to...Show moreIn August 2019, the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to revoke the special status of the state of Kashmir. Because of this special status, the Kashmiris were able to live under their own Constitution and host their own elections. Without a doubt, revoking this special status will have far-reaching consequences on the disputed region of Kashmir. Chances are that the fragile balance that exists in the area will be jeopardised by the decision to revoke Kashmir’s special status. However, the abrogation of the special status is not a completely random decision. It can be argued that this special status has never been effectively implemented. Thus, this thesis will analyse why this is the case, and which factors influenced the erosion of Kashmir’s special status. Furthermore, this thesis will analyse possible consequences of the revocation of this special status. In doing so, the aim of this thesis is to fill the research gap provided by the topicality of this research.Show less
