Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, tensions between Estonians and ethnic Russians in Estonia have exacerbated due to the controversial language policy. Having Estonian as the only official...Show moreSince the collapse of the Soviet Union, tensions between Estonians and ethnic Russians in Estonia have exacerbated due to the controversial language policy. Having Estonian as the only official language is proven to be discriminatory towards Russians with low Estonian language skills. This manifests itself in employment and education outcomes that are vital for members of ethnic minorities to avoid being marginalised by society. This paper discusses the likeliehood of each of the pathways of segmented assimilation theory (upward, downward and upward mobility combined with biculturalism) occuring within different regions of Estonia.Show less
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is the largest proposed trade agreement in history, affecting a total of 800 million people. Included in this trade agreement are provisions that...Show moreThe Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is the largest proposed trade agreement in history, affecting a total of 800 million people. Included in this trade agreement are provisions that challenge traditional ideas of state sovereignty. Most important of these are Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions. These provisions allow corporations to circumvent domestic court systems and sue national governments before a tribunal that is insulated from judicial review. While a nation might want to exercise its sovereign right to regulate on the behalf of the safety and welfare of its populace, the potential effect on the assets of its foreign investors can lead to a regulatory chill affect causing governments to cancel its adoption of legitimate regulatory changes because of the threat of arbitration. To further investigate the effect of these provisions on state sovereignty, this thesis will employ the neo-Gramscian theory of international relations. Antonio Gramsci and the theorists of neo-Gramscianism break with the notions of state centrism and focus instead on the social classes that exercise global governance. By taking ISDS out of the law perspective and into an international relations perspective, we, with the help of Gramsci, can begin to identify the possible motives of such provisions and, more importantly, attempt to uncover the true origins of power and hegemony.Show less
Despite economic progress, Mexico is commonly illustrated by mainstream US media and many politicians in terms of extreme brutality of Mexican drug cartels. It further juxtaposes vicious cartels...Show moreDespite economic progress, Mexico is commonly illustrated by mainstream US media and many politicians in terms of extreme brutality of Mexican drug cartels. It further juxtaposes vicious cartels against the virtuous United States, which has devoted billions of dollars to fighting organized crime in Mexico. However, the mainstream account is misleading; the United States has also used its aid programs to strengthen its hegemony over Mexico. This paper argues that the United States’ involvement in the Mexican War on Drugs has been to a significant degree motivated by political and economic interests, whose advancement strengthens US hegemony over Mexico, and which have also helped exacerbate the drug-related violence. Implicit interferences of the United States in Mexico have been legitimized through discourses of Mexican racial inferiority, criminality, and vice. This thesis looks at three broad areas - culture, politics, and economics - and tries to elucidate US interests in respect to the Mexican War on Drugs.Show less
