The debate around the issue of abortion rights is not new in American politics. However, in recent years American politics has been polarized along partisan lines. This is also the case in the...Show moreThe debate around the issue of abortion rights is not new in American politics. However, in recent years American politics has been polarized along partisan lines. This is also the case in the abortion rights debate. The abortion rights debate has an effect on policy making in U.S. politics. Abortion rights also play a role in foreign policy making. Under the Trump Presidency, the Mexico City Policy was reinstalled and even further strengthened, entailing that no government funds were allowed to be given to actors that provide or promote abortions. Republicans, after years of supporting the initiative, now also threaten to defund PEPFAR, the successful initiative that has saved millions of lives in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They threaten to do this since they claim that the program funds abortion services. This thesis investigates and reveals the impact that this partisan polarization on the abortion rights issue has on American foreign policy and therefore on the United States’ image and influence in Africa. Furthermore, this research investigates China’s efforts to benefit from America’s impacted foreign policy by the abortion rights discussion. This thesis indeed reveals that the United States’ image and influence in Africa is negatively impacted by the partisan polarized abortion debate in American politics and that China is actively using its propaganda apparatus to portray the United States as hypocritical and unreliable and China as the better alternative.Show less
This thesis investigated how Chinese language and culture education as supported by the Confucius Institutes is perceived by secondairy education students in the Netherlands and assesses whether...Show moreThis thesis investigated how Chinese language and culture education as supported by the Confucius Institutes is perceived by secondairy education students in the Netherlands and assesses whether these students experience Chinese influence on their education by conducting interviews. The analysis from the interviews concludes that students have a generally positive experience with learning Chinese, that there is a lot of attention paid to culture education, and that students do not appear to experience any Chinese influence on their education.Show less
The thesis analyses the process of 'hybridization' in Hollywood movies and how this has been perceived by the PRC audiences. The case studies taken into analysis are "Mulan" and "Kung Fu Panda".
The thesis mainly provides insights into the Japanese government's denial of meeting the demands of the surviving comfort women. It deals with far-right arguments and how they are formed through...Show moreThe thesis mainly provides insights into the Japanese government's denial of meeting the demands of the surviving comfort women. It deals with far-right arguments and how they are formed through national memory and other institutional tools such as Particular Event Narratives.Show less
This research evaluates the framing of Nazi Germany in Turkish newspapers, Cumhuriyet and Tan, from 1939 to 1945. The articles from the historical newspaper archives were collected from a database...Show moreThis research evaluates the framing of Nazi Germany in Turkish newspapers, Cumhuriyet and Tan, from 1939 to 1945. The articles from the historical newspaper archives were collected from a database and a website which was then analyzed with Pan and Kosicki’s four categories for determining frames. There were two main reasons for choosing Cumhuriyet and Tan: because they were the two of the most published newspapers during the Second World War and second was that a clear distinction was identified between the two. By using a qualitative analysis method, the study investigates how these media outlets view Nazi Germany within the broader themes of Turkish neutrality, German propaganda, and the Rise and Fall of the Second World War-era Germany. It was found that Cumhuriyet maintained a generally positive attitude towards Nazi Germany while occasionally expressing criticism which is characterized by a measured and balanced approach. In contrast, Tan's framing was marked by a consistent and unyielding critique of the Nazi nation approaching it with a negative approach. The findings aim to contribute to the broader discussion on the role of media framing in shaping perceptions, particularly the Turks.Show less
The use of female combatants in terrorist organisations that are ideologically patriarchal and misogynistic is paradoxical by definition. The conception of an organisation such as the Islamic State...Show moreThe use of female combatants in terrorist organisations that are ideologically patriarchal and misogynistic is paradoxical by definition. The conception of an organisation such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who defines much of their ideology on the subordination of women, allowing these women to hold frontline positions, in some ways be the face of the organisation, is puzzling in nature and shows the contradiction that the organisation purports. This thesis explores ISIS' transition to utilising female combatants and the reconciliation of their ideology with this action.Show less