Since the start of the war in Ukraine 3 years ago, much has changed in the country. In 2014, many wrote about misinformation in the Ukrainian news, but since then scholars have focussed mostly on...Show moreSince the start of the war in Ukraine 3 years ago, much has changed in the country. In 2014, many wrote about misinformation in the Ukrainian news, but since then scholars have focussed mostly on Russian propaganda regarding the war. This thesis presents a case study on misinformation in the Ukrainian news and debates what the forms of misinformation found can tell us about the media landscape and the overall situation in Ukraine. It concludes that Ukraine clearly is a new democracy in which grave forms of misinformation such as propaganda are not found, although the news does show one-sidedness in its reporting on the war.Show less
This thesis explores the compounded effect of the three biggest changes in the the current global energy system on the Russian gas export market and strategy. The three changes identified are the...Show moreThis thesis explores the compounded effect of the three biggest changes in the the current global energy system on the Russian gas export market and strategy. The three changes identified are the globalization of the gas market, the rise of renewable energy sources and lower oil prices for longer. We argue that in light of these changes, the current strategy behind Russia's gas exports is no longer sustainable in terms of maintaining its position as a dominant player in the global gas market. However, if Russia were to alter its strategy, its market might yet benefit from the new status quo and ensure its dominant position for a long time to come.Show less
Dit onderzoek schetst op basis van wetenschappelijke literatuur, populaire literatuur en een case study hoe RT en Spoetnik desinformatie gebruiken. Uit een analyse van de literatuur blijkt dat...Show moreDit onderzoek schetst op basis van wetenschappelijke literatuur, populaire literatuur en een case study hoe RT en Spoetnik desinformatie gebruiken. Uit een analyse van de literatuur blijkt dat Russische desinformatie een tamelijk recent verschijnsel is, dat verschilt van ouderwetse propaganda en het Sovjetfenomeen dezinformatsia. Waar ouderwetse propaganda tot doel had de ontvanger tot actie aan te zetten, lijkt desinformatie vooral bedoeld om de ontvanger te verwarren en in een passieve staat te brengen. Naast een grote hoeveelheid (tegenstrijdige) berichten komt uit de populaire literatuur nog een aantal elementen van desinformatie naar voren, namelijk samenzweringstheorieën, whataboutism, (geladen) taalgebruik, en journalistieke balans. Aan de hand van deze kenmerken is de case – de verslaggeving over MH17 door RT en Spoetnik – bestudeerd. De analyse laat zien dat er in de case sprake is van desinformatie, en dat de voornoemde elementen in meer of mindere mate gebruikt zijn in de verslaggeving.Show less
In this thesis John Mearsheimer's claim about the reliance of Western elites on liberal principles (such as the rule of law, economic interdependence, and democracy) to justify NATO enlargement has...Show moreIn this thesis John Mearsheimer's claim about the reliance of Western elites on liberal principles (such as the rule of law, economic interdependence, and democracy) to justify NATO enlargement has been examined in order to gain more insight into the annexation of Crimea and the wider Ukraine crisis.Show less
In 2014, the European Union enforced sanctions against Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine. The theory on sanctions provides multiple theories on their potential effectiveness. These...Show moreIn 2014, the European Union enforced sanctions against Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine. The theory on sanctions provides multiple theories on their potential effectiveness. These theories are applied in the case of Russia to answer whether they can be successfull in achieving their goal.Show less
This thesis argues that the Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko have so far justified their territorial claims to Crimea in strikingly similar ways. Through a...Show moreThis thesis argues that the Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko have so far justified their territorial claims to Crimea in strikingly similar ways. Through a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of each president's key speeches, this study finds that both presidents emphasise national-historical arguments when addressing a domestic audience and normative arguments when addressing an international audience, but that both presidents weave the two types of arguments together to create an overall narrative. When compared against each other, this study also finds that Putin uses the most national-historical arguments while Poroshenko uses the most normative arguments. Several conclusions are drawn from these findings, including that the plethora of possible legitimation strategies make positions in a conflict relatively easy to justify, that the Crimea conflict is likely to be intractable, and that more research should be conducted on legitimation strategies in territorial disputes.Show less
