In a time where global threats are increasingly challenging security, the EU has become more concerned and active in cooperating with member states and other international organisations in building...Show moreIn a time where global threats are increasingly challenging security, the EU has become more concerned and active in cooperating with member states and other international organisations in building a more secure and stable environment for its citizens. A series of instruments and missions have been deployed to work on regions that require assistance on strengthening their security systems. The creation of European Neighbourhood Policy aimed achieving a closer cooperation with the EU’s neighbours in the south and east by promoting common values such as democracy, respect for human rights and rule of law. In this way, the EU hoped achieving greater stability in the regions involved. Since Romania became an EU member state in 2007, the EU became more involved in its neighbour country Moldova. Solving the Transnistria conflict issue has become a key priority for the EU. Several policies have been issued to tackle the issue and initiate reform, especially through Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and European Neighbourhood Policy frameworks. However, the enacted policies did not bring a solution to the conflict. This thesis aims to explain why this has been the case. In this way, this thesis aims to contribute to an explanation of third parties intervention in conflict regions in a global perspective.Show less
Eamon de Valera is one of the most devisive figures in modern Irish history. Throughout the years his legacy has been changed and challenged. That is why the question often comes up what his effect...Show moreEamon de Valera is one of the most devisive figures in modern Irish history. Throughout the years his legacy has been changed and challenged. That is why the question often comes up what his effect on Ireland post-independence really was. This thesis tries to reevaluate his legacy and look at his viewpoints.Show less
Deze scriptie toont de opinies die verschillende Nederlandse kranten uitdroegen ten tijden van de Britse toetreding tot Europese Gemeenschappen in de jaren 1969-1973. Er is onderzoek gedaan naar de...Show moreDeze scriptie toont de opinies die verschillende Nederlandse kranten uitdroegen ten tijden van de Britse toetreding tot Europese Gemeenschappen in de jaren 1969-1973. Er is onderzoek gedaan naar de publicaties van De Telegraaf, De Tijd, Trouw, Algemeen Handelsblad, NRC Handelsblad, de Volkskrant, Het Parool, Het Vrije Volk, Nederlands Dagblad en De Waarheid. De studie toont aan dat de kranten uiteenlopende meningen verkondigden en dat zij verschilden in de wijze waarop zij hun opinie aan het publiek brachten. Er is vastgesteld dat de meerderheid van de onderzochte nieuwsbladen de Britse toetreding steunden. Het onderzoek heeft echter ook uitgewezen dat De Waarheid een zeer uitgesproken tegenstander was, dat het Nederlands Dagblad onverschillig tegen over de Britse aansluiting stond en dat de redactie van Het Vrije Volk verschillende meningen uitten.Show less
This thesis looks at British society and the changes that have taken place in the British minds regarding the EU. It does so by analysing the political discourse and local changes that have taken...Show moreThis thesis looks at British society and the changes that have taken place in the British minds regarding the EU. It does so by analysing the political discourse and local changes that have taken place between the 1975 an 2016 referendum.Show less
The future tends to be determined by the legacies of the past. The transition of the eastern European countries, from abolishing Communism to adopting Democracy, suggests just that. These countries...Show moreThe future tends to be determined by the legacies of the past. The transition of the eastern European countries, from abolishing Communism to adopting Democracy, suggests just that. These countries bared traits of their previous un-democratic regimes that have contributed to the democratization process. The relevance of this statement will be analyzed throughout this study, by looking at two specific cases from Eastern Europe which are characterized as successful democratic transitions, namely Poland and the Czech Republic. Despite the relatively similar international and domestic state of affairs prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the newly emerged regimes took different trajectories towards the implementation of democracy. This raises the discussion on the causal variables behind the rather distinctive paths towards democratization, which is argued here to be attributed to the historical legacies of the countries.Show less
This thesis explores the calls for the right to self-determination in the Catalan secessionist movement. By analyzing European law, international law and the context of the Spanish constitution,...Show moreThis thesis explores the calls for the right to self-determination in the Catalan secessionist movement. By analyzing European law, international law and the context of the Spanish constitution, the paper aims to demonstrate within what legal realms is the Catalan community allowed to exercise their democratic rights as citizens to evoke, in this case unilaterally, self-determining claims. Furthermore, the paper seeks to investigate whether or not the EU, as a supranational body, should be obliged to mediate and aid with negotiations between the Catalan and Spanish parties.Show less
By analysing the academic literature on populism, it is clear that there is a lack of consensus in its conceptualisation and classification. Moreover, it is found that an identification of...Show moreBy analysing the academic literature on populism, it is clear that there is a lack of consensus in its conceptualisation and classification. Moreover, it is found that an identification of characteristics related to its electoral success is absent. This study examines the extent to which discourse can serve to classify different types of populism on an international level, while also identifying characteristics related to populist electoral success. In so doing, the paper develops a new classification of populism based on discourse by drawing a distinction between positivistic and negativistic populism. After showing that positivistic populist discourse is related to electoral success in Latin America, the paper studies whether similar positivistic populist discourse appears outside the region. To do so, this study focuses on analysing the extent to which Emmanuel Macron’s electoral victory could be related to the use of a positivistic populist discourse in contrast to Marine Le Pen’s negativistic populism. This is done by examining the actors’ rhetoric used during their 2017 presidential campaigns. The findings reveal that it is possible to have an international identification and classification of populism based on discourse; thus, making a strong argument against the conceptualisation of populism as an ideology or as a political strategy. In addition, these findings show that populist presidential electoral victory is not restricted to Latin America, but also that the category of positivistic populism is related to such an electoral success across regions, whereas negativistic populism is not.Show less
With this contribution I propose to expand the research on crimmigration by conducting two sets of analyses focused on Facebook posts and tweets: a qualitative data analysis and a qualitative...Show moreWith this contribution I propose to expand the research on crimmigration by conducting two sets of analyses focused on Facebook posts and tweets: a qualitative data analysis and a qualitative discourse analysis. In particular, this paper will be focused on the question: How is immigration criminalized in contemporary Western European democracies and how is this discourse exploited by the right-wing populist parties through social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter)?Show less
Decolonising Britain. To what extent did the activities of right-wing groups between 1960-1973 indicate a wider British inability to come to terms with the new post-colonial order?
This thesis deals with the current migration crisis that is dominating the political field in Europe today and how security has come to play a role in the response to manage the migrant influx....Show moreThis thesis deals with the current migration crisis that is dominating the political field in Europe today and how security has come to play a role in the response to manage the migrant influx. Since the September 11 attacks in the United States, migration has become increasingly interlinked with security, within particular the destabilizing effects of migration on internal European security. As a result of the growing sense of a nexus between migration and social disorder, the European political response has shifted more frequently towards the employment of the theory of securitization to manage migration at the external borders. Therefore, this thesis examines the European Union’s political legislation documents to provide an answer to the question; to what extent is migration defined as a security problem and how did that affect the migration discourse and migration policy of the European Union since 2015?Show less
Deze afstudeerscriptie is een case study van drie Ierse Republikeinen, Austin Stack, Michael Fitzgerald en Mary MacSwiney, die in de periode 1916-1923 in hongerstaking gingen om een onafhankelijke...Show moreDeze afstudeerscriptie is een case study van drie Ierse Republikeinen, Austin Stack, Michael Fitzgerald en Mary MacSwiney, die in de periode 1916-1923 in hongerstaking gingen om een onafhankelijke Ierse Republiek te realiseren. Deze scriptie heeft aangetoond hoe deze hongerstakingen gelegitimeerd werden door de Republikeinen en hoe de Ierse bevolking reageerde op de hongerstakingen. De drie cases zijn met elkaar vergeleken om per periode de verschillen te ontdekken in de legitimering van de hongerstakingen en de reactie van de bevolking.Show less
In this thesis, political theory on party discipline is used to shed light on the disunity within the British Labour Party on the European Question during 1965-1975. The managerial regime of the...Show moreIn this thesis, political theory on party discipline is used to shed light on the disunity within the British Labour Party on the European Question during 1965-1975. The managerial regime of the Whip System used to contain rebellious behavior within the MP's of the Labour Party, but was challenged by the growing amount of leftist MP's who considered the EEC too capitalistic. The management of this discord by the party top and Harold Wilson in particular is what is researched in this thesis.Show less
The Falklands War of 1982 was a historical anachronism, a territorial dispute from the 17th century that became an interstate conflict fought with modern weaponry. The War was brief and resulted in...Show moreThe Falklands War of 1982 was a historical anachronism, a territorial dispute from the 17th century that became an interstate conflict fought with modern weaponry. The War was brief and resulted in a decisive British victory, leading many to assume that it was an isolated incident, a flash in the pan that would fade into history, carrying little wider significance. In the modern day, 14 territories, including the Falkland Islands, remain constitutionally linked to the United Kingdom. They are now known as the UK or British Overseas Territories. These are relics of the colonial era that have not achieved independence either by choice or matters of practicality. This thesis proves that the 1982 Falklands War was a conflict of wider significance for the British Overseas Territories in several key areas affecting life and politics in these territories and in the UK itself. This is in contrast to writers who have argued the contrary, that the Falklands War was of no wider significance to Britain's interests overseas.Show less
