The Bachelor Thesis depicts the theory of Securitization applied to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. It looks towards the societal effects of securitizing certain high risk groups in the...Show moreThe Bachelor Thesis depicts the theory of Securitization applied to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. It looks towards the societal effects of securitizing certain high risk groups in the epidemic, such as sex workers and men who have sex with men. The societal effects are mostly the discrimination and stigmatization of these groups.Show less
Why is it that states that are best endowed with power resources do not always achieve the outcomes they desire? This phenomenon is what Baldwin (1979) calls the “paradox of unrealized power”. Dahl...Show moreWhy is it that states that are best endowed with power resources do not always achieve the outcomes they desire? This phenomenon is what Baldwin (1979) calls the “paradox of unrealized power”. Dahl (1957) famously defines power as A getting B to do something that B would otherwise not have done. An example of this paradox is the outcome of the battle between the European Union and the Russian Federation over Ukraine. Since 2004 both the EU and Russia have sought closer integration with Ukraine (Wilson and Popescu 2009). In 2014 Ukraine signed an Association Agreement with the EU, while regions in east Ukraine declared independence and Crimea even acceded to Russia (AlJazeera 2014; BBC 2014a; Reuters 2014a; Centrum for Strategic and International Studies 2014). Paradoxically, although the EU in total possesses more power resources than Russia, it was the Kremlin that achieved their desired outcome of closer integration in the east of Ukraine. In the literature on power two major explanations aim to account for such phenomena: A’s faulty power conversion strategies and A’s failed contextual analysis (Baldwin 1979). Yet one crucial element that is absent in the contextual explanation is a theoretical model about what ultimately motivates B to comply. In order to assess whether the combination of the power conversion and the refined contextual explanation accounts for the paradox, the causal process behind the outcomes of the Ukrainian crisis of 2013/2014 is analyzed using process-tracing. The analysis of behavioral motivations suggests that B’s self-identification determines the boundaries within which A can realize its power, and that B’s identity is largely beyond the control of A. The results also indicate that A’s power conversion strategy needs to include tangible means of power to achieve the goal of territorial expansion.Show less
Non-governmental organizations are viewed by many states as efficient and cost-effective actors to enable the transmission of developmental aid (Edwards and Hulme 1998, 1). NGOs are valued by...Show moreNon-governmental organizations are viewed by many states as efficient and cost-effective actors to enable the transmission of developmental aid (Edwards and Hulme 1998, 1). NGOs are valued by donors for their ability to transfer increasing amounts of physical and financial aid from Western countries to the developing countries. The increasing prominence of NGOs however give rise to questions about the independence of NGOs in pursuing their goals. The aid chain through which aid is transferred to beneficiaries consists of multiple stakeholder with varying interests. NGOs thus have the obligation of upward accountability towards their donors, inward towards themselves and downward accountability towards their beneficiaries. This thesis is an analysis of the multiple mechanisms of accountability and the directions they are used for. The studied case is the AIHRC and the manner in which the organization presents its activities and achievements in annual reports in order to facilitate accountability to its stakeholders. By identifying in which direction the AIHRC facilitates accountability, it can be concluded which of the multiple stakeholders is considered to be most important by the AIHRC.Show less
In this thesis, I will argue that counter-terrorism measures are part of a differentiated and selective focus on migrants of ‘Muslim origin’. The securitization of the Islam in Europe has led to an...Show moreIn this thesis, I will argue that counter-terrorism measures are part of a differentiated and selective focus on migrants of ‘Muslim origin’. The securitization of the Islam in Europe has led to an increasing trend in illiberal practices that destabilizes the importance of humans rights in contemporary liberal regimes under the guise of the ‘War on Terror’. I will begin with a literature review about the impact of counter-terrorism measures on Muslims and the lack of attention in the Netherlands concerning this topic. I will apply a Critical Security Studies approach, based on the theory of International Political Sociology. Thus, I will investigate the impact of bureaucratic routines and practices of security actors on the Muslim population in the Netherlands. Instead of assessing the impact of counter-terrorism measures from a state-security apparatus perspective, I will assess the impact of counter-terrorism measures from a community perspective by interviewing Muslims and gathering insights from the relevant security actors. The conclusion will be that there has not yet been any critical research about the impact of counter-terrorism measures on the Muslim population in the Netherlands. Nonetheless, Muslims experience direct and indirect consequences from the accommodating configurations of context for counter-terrorism measures. Their main concern is the decline of equal treatment in society because they have stigmatized as being part of a group of people that lack ‘moral’ citizenship and are therefore responsibilized through repressive measures. This thesis hopes to spark an academic interest and a careful reconsideration by policymakers of the drawbacks of far reaching preventive security measures and the corresponding configuration of contexts for differentiated and selective counter-terrorism measures on Muslims in the NetherlandsShow less
This research concerns the identity of the Taliban as a non-state actor in the political environment of Afghanistan. Although much has been written on identity from a constructivist perspective,...Show moreThis research concerns the identity of the Taliban as a non-state actor in the political environment of Afghanistan. Although much has been written on identity from a constructivist perspective, very few authors do so from the perspective of a ‘bad actor’ and none have been found that describe the Taliban’s identity based on its own discourse. This research will do so by analyzing statements of the Taliban made on its website on what they state about the Taliban’s relational comparisons. Using this analysis, the Taliban’s identity is described using Abdelal et al.’s four elements of identity: the actor’s cognitive model, its relational comparisons, its social purposes, and its constitutive norms.Show less
Malala Yousafzai is a teenage woman who is known for her advocacy for the right to education for girls. After the attack of the Taliban on October 9th 2012 she has evolved from a ‘normal’ girl to a...Show moreMalala Yousafzai is a teenage woman who is known for her advocacy for the right to education for girls. After the attack of the Taliban on October 9th 2012 she has evolved from a ‘normal’ girl to a norm entrepreneur advocating the right to education for girls on an international level. According to Finnemore and Sikkink, norm entrepreneurs play a critical role in the first stage of norm emergence in the norm life cycle (1998, 895). Constructivism lacks a theory of agency. The role of individuals as norm entrepreneurs has been neglected in previous research in particular. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is on how individuals as norm entrepreneurs attempt to persuade states to conform to a norm. Norm entrepreneurs challenge discourse through persuasion. According to Keck and Sikkink there are four advocacy tactics norm entrepreneurs use to spread their norm(s). These are: information politics, symbolic politics, leverage politics and accountability politics (1999, 95). This thesis presents a sinlge case study of Malala as a norm entrepreneur diffusing the right to education for girls. Keck and Sikkink’s typology of advocacy tactics is used to determine which advocacy tactic Malala uses in her advocacy. Content analysis of four of her speeches of 2013 is done through a combination of qualitative and quantative research. The results of the analysis of the four speeches show that Malala mainly uses symbolic politics as the dominant advocacy tactic to diffuse the right to education for girls, which is often combined with information politics as the subdominant advocacy tactic. Moral leverage is also often used to motivate others to join her advocacy.Show less
Since the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported about the possible clandestine goals of Iran’s nuclear program , the P5+1 group (consisting of the US, the UK, France, Russia and China ...Show moreSince the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported about the possible clandestine goals of Iran’s nuclear program , the P5+1 group (consisting of the US, the UK, France, Russia and China + Germany) suspects Iran of covertly building a nuclear weapon . The aim of the thesis is to demonstrate why states abide by the nuclear non-proliferation norm in general. Specifically, the research aims to gain insights into the Iranian political decision-making on the nuclear issue in order to answer the question whether the choice in 2013 to abide by the nuclear non-proliferation norm is caused by the logic of consequences, the logic of appropriateness, or both. The research takes a constructivist approach and uses Checkel’s (1997) model of domestic norm implementation and the spiral model of Risse and Sikkink (1999) to analyze how these logics of behavior and the domestic political structure influence the Iranian elite decision-making process. It is expected that, in accordance with these models, the election of a new president in June 2013 has fostered further domestic norm implementation. Negotiation proposals of both Iran and the P5+1 group, together with IAEA and United Nations Security Council resolutions, are analyzed through process tracing. The results show that while from 2005 to 2013 the Iranian governments followed a logic of consequences and defied international sanctions, the current government’s behavior seems to be based predominantly on a logic of appropriateness and cooperates more willingly with the P5+1 and appears to abide by the nuclear non-proliferation norm.Show less
The topic of this thesis revolves around the identity of the Indisch Dutch in the Dutch East Indies during the Second World War and the Bersiap period. This topic has been researched through the...Show moreThe topic of this thesis revolves around the identity of the Indisch Dutch in the Dutch East Indies during the Second World War and the Bersiap period. This topic has been researched through the perspective of societal security, as put forward by the approach of the Copenhagen School in the Critical Security Studies, combined with Rogers Brubakers’ theorization of identity. It combines ethnic identity and ‘securitization’ in such a way that there is being investigated if an identity can be shaped, or further developed, by the occupier to ‘securitize’ this group (i.e. to identify them as an existential threat to society).Show less
Since the terrorist attacks on 9/11 in New York, the War on Terror has emerged and a change in the perspective of security and development has taken place. Underdevelopment and conflict in failed...Show moreSince the terrorist attacks on 9/11 in New York, the War on Terror has emerged and a change in the perspective of security and development has taken place. Underdevelopment and conflict in failed states is considered to be dangerous to the North. Some authors describe that underdevelopment and conflict in failed states can pose a threat to the security of the Northern states because failed states could offer a safe haven for terrorists. Because Northern states see underdevelopment and conflict as dangerous, they intervene in those states in order to fight the terrorists and make failed states more secure and stable. France is one example of a Northern state intervening a lot in failed African states. Ivory Coast and Mali are two states in which France has intervened. In Ivory Coast France intervened within a Civil War to stop the fighting whereas in Mali France intervened in order to counter terrorists. Those interventions by Northern states have certain effects on the state in which is intervened and although much has been written in the current literature about the general effects of liberal interventions, little has been said about the effects of liberal counterterrorist interventions in particular. In this research thesis I will therefore look more closely at the political and social effects of liberal counterterrorist interventions by comparing the two different interventions in Ivory Coast and in Mali.Show less
