In the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russia has used the Russian Orthodox Church in its narratives to justify the invasion. While “denazification” is the primary casus belli put forth, the idea of the...Show moreIn the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russia has used the Russian Orthodox Church in its narratives to justify the invasion. While “denazification” is the primary casus belli put forth, the idea of the destruction of the Orthodox Church by the Ukrainian government is often ingrained in the same narratives. Ukraine is officially a secular state, but the vast majority of Ukrainians are still adherents to Orthodox Christianity and there is no hard proof for the claim the Ukrainian government has made any actions towards or has goals to destroy the dominant faith in their country. However, officials in the Russian government use inflammatory language to incite the idea that the Orthodox Church is attacked. This is done to multiple ends, from the moral justification for the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the deconstruction of the Ukrainian cultural identity.Show less
The thesis looks into the major electoral reform of the late 2010s in the Republic of Moldova in order to provide insight into the continuation of the process of democratization and adherence to...Show moreThe thesis looks into the major electoral reform of the late 2010s in the Republic of Moldova in order to provide insight into the continuation of the process of democratization and adherence to European democratic values in the countryShow less
Realpolitik is accepted in this thesis as the only approach to conducting international politics, by arguing that (a) the way the West enhanced and responded to the War in Kosovo in 1999, as well...Show moreRealpolitik is accepted in this thesis as the only approach to conducting international politics, by arguing that (a) the way the West enhanced and responded to the War in Kosovo in 1999, as well as its consequences of it is in its practice an obvious example of realpolitik; and (b) that these unilateral actions by NATO convinced and was a tipping point for the Russian leadership to conclude that they could not be partners with NATO, leaving the Russian leadership view the West as its adversary and seek self-helping mechanisms to protect what is left from their sphere of influence.Show less
