Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
On the case of Croatia, this research analyses the changes in the border management at the external EU border that have been implemented since the 2015 migration crisis. Special focus is on the...Show moreOn the case of Croatia, this research analyses the changes in the border management at the external EU border that have been implemented since the 2015 migration crisis. Special focus is on the practice of pushbacks, carried out by the Croatian law enforcement, in the context of EU migration policy.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
While the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, travels fiercely and fast throughout the world, many countries have also seen the growth of other supposedly viral phenomena such as conspiracy...Show moreWhile the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, travels fiercely and fast throughout the world, many countries have also seen the growth of other supposedly viral phenomena such as conspiracy theories and fake news. High-speed information sharing between news media providers and users, as well as cross-platform information cascades, have been made possible by social media platforms and digital technology. As a result, conspiracy theories and false information swiftly spread. For this thesis, a meta-analysis will be performed on several studies including new data and experiments related to the COVID-19 crisis. The COVID-19 crisis is a very impactful crisis. It affects every individual in a society. The theory states that there is a relationship between conspiracy theories and political violence. Sitting at home and working can make people experience more stress, anxiety and insecurity, which is detrimental to their mental and physical well-being. The possible consequences can in the worst-case result in physical violence. These are relevant topics, because they can be anticipated in the event of possible new waves or new crisis. This research will show why it is important to pay extra attention during the corona crisis when it comes to conspiracy theories and how they spread on social media. In this way, the results of this research can be used to see the connection better and faster between social media, conspiracy theories and violence.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
This thesis investigates the effectiveness of the legal accountability mechanisms that govern the marketization of intelligence agencies. The current scholarly debate focuses primarily on...Show moreThis thesis investigates the effectiveness of the legal accountability mechanisms that govern the marketization of intelligence agencies. The current scholarly debate focuses primarily on accountability issues related to privatization of military functions, failing to provide a similar discussion of the conduct of private intelligence actors. Within this research, four types of legal accountability mechanisms are identified: international law, extended jurisdiction of national law, public law values and contractual law, and soft law. Subsequently, three case studies, to which one or more of these mechanisms apply, are evaluated regarding the effectiveness of the legal accountability mechanism or mechanisms in place. The findings show that there are four reasons why legal accountability mechanisms fail to properly hold Private Intelligence Companies and their employees to account. First, there is no clear and legally binding definition of the ground rules of privatization. Second, there is legal asymmetry between the government and the private sector. Third, political interference in legal processes problematizes the establishment of accountability. And lastly, there is a clear reluctance to enforce laws in place that should contribute to good behavior.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
Every year people are reported missing in the Netherlands. In the situation that a missing person is not found quickly, it creates unbearable situations for their close ones. Therefore, it is...Show moreEvery year people are reported missing in the Netherlands. In the situation that a missing person is not found quickly, it creates unbearable situations for their close ones. Therefore, it is important to continue to improve the effectiveness of the search for missing persons. With the recognition that citizens need and want to contribute to a safe society, it is important to learn more about the ways in which citizens can be effectively involved. This is especially relevant for the police. One of the ways to involve citizens is the form of coproduction. This research focuses on coproduction between the police and citizens during the time of missing persons cases. A comparative case study is applied. The cases that are compared are those of Ruben and Julian and Anne Faber. Qualitative content analysis is applied to analyse a triangulation of sources with the use of operationalization tables established on coproduction and effectiveness in missing persons cases. The findings of this study shed light on the impact of coproduction during the search for missing persons as it reveals similarities and differences between the two cases.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
Preventive corona measures imposed by the Dutch government have resulted in a lot of turmoil and eventually in protests and demonstrations. This study aimed to link radicalization theory to the...Show morePreventive corona measures imposed by the Dutch government have resulted in a lot of turmoil and eventually in protests and demonstrations. This study aimed to link radicalization theory to the corona crisis. More specifically, the main objective was to find determinants of radicalization processes regarding attitudes about anti-corona measures demonstrations as well as participation in these demonstrations. Existing radicalization models were the basis of the study. A quantitative method was used, and results have been analysed statistically. The study found that group relative deprivation, trust in government officials and belief in conspiracy theories regarding the coronavirus significantly predicted attitudes towards (participation in) anti-corona measures demonstrations. The use of online news sources significantly predicted attitudes towards participation in anti-corona measures demonstrations as well.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
The research in this thesis will investigate which different leadership communication styles and traits there are, whether they are connected to gender, and to what extent they influence public...Show moreThe research in this thesis will investigate which different leadership communication styles and traits there are, whether they are connected to gender, and to what extent they influence public trust in government during a crisis. More specifically, the thesis answers the following research question: “How do male and female leadership communication styles affect trust in government during the COVID-19 pandemic?”. The relevance for this is the importance of leadership and communication in times of crisis and whether these have explanatory power for influencing public trust. The thesis starts by investigating expectations about leadership communication connected to gender. Then it goes on to exploring female and male styles in leadership communication and additional existing feminine and masculine traits. This is applied to speeches of prime ministers in four different countries in which a comparison can be made between two smaller and two larger countries. The research found that gendered leadership communication does influence trust in government. Even more, when controlling for infection rates in the levels of trust, there still was a difference in the outcome of trust, which is attributed to the actual communication in practice.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
Increasingly, law enforcement focuses on the prevention of crime. In this approach, the role of information is important. Especially combined with the technological advancements of Internet and...Show moreIncreasingly, law enforcement focuses on the prevention of crime. In this approach, the role of information is important. Especially combined with the technological advancements of Internet and social media make that using publicly accessible information is inevitable. Whether this implies that such “open-source information” is freely accessible to law enforcement officers tasked with intelligence-led policing and creating intelligence remains to be the question. By means of a literary analysis, document analysis, interviews with practitioners and a single case study this research aimed to find out how intelligence officers can make use of this vast and valuable amount of information whilst adhering to security principles of surveillance and entrapment. This study found that there is no judicial framework built around creating intelligence as is the case with ongoing criminal investigations and surveillance is only partially possible. Article 3 of the Police Directive functions as the basis of officer’s functioning and any privacy breach that is more than necessary needs to be carefully considered under principles of proportionality and necessity. The assessment of these is thus vital, especially when applied to issues of national security – e.g. right-wing extremism – where these two principles have the opportunity of clashing. The study also found that a clear distinction between tasks of the public prosecutor and the municipality is of importance in order for intelligence officers to engage in effective intelligence-led policing. Finally, the attitude towards information as merely “nice-to-have” within intelligence-led policing needs to shift towards “need-to-have” to properly assess necessity and proportionality.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
This thesis examines the specific mechanisms through which non-state actors involved in the civil wars in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have purposely targeted, employed, or manipulated water resources...Show moreThis thesis examines the specific mechanisms through which non-state actors involved in the civil wars in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have purposely targeted, employed, or manipulated water resources and infrastructures as instruments and tools during conflict. The presence of violent non-state actors seeking military expansion, combined with prevailing dire water situations, underline the importance of examining and clarifying the intersection between water and conflict in these countries. To critically examine how violent non-state actors can actively instrumentalize water-related resources and infrastructures to form part of warfare tactics and strategies, this thesis will focus on two specific non-state actors operating in episodes of conflict and analyse the following research question: How have the Islamic State and the Houthis instrumentalized water resources and infrastructures as a part of military tactics and strategies in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen?. To study this phenomenon, this research applies the categories proposed by the conceptual model from Gleick who argued that water can become a target or a weapon during episodes of conflict. Chapter 2 provides a critical discussion of the existing academic body of knowledge on the connections between water and conflict before focusing on the literature theorizing the instrumentalization of water during episodes of conflict more particularly. The review of existing relevant literature leads to the theoretical approach employed for the current research project. Next, chapter 3 specifies the research design, including a justification of the adoption of a descriptive comparative case study model, as well as its operationalization. Chapter 4 and 5 apply the theoretical framework on the instrumentalization of water during conflict to the case studies of IS in Iraq and Syria between 2013-2020 and the Houthis in Yemen between 2014-2020. Based on the comparative analysis of the water-related military tactics and strategies of these two non-state actors, chapter 6 provides an answer to the research question and discusses the limitations to these findings. Chapter 7 discusses the conclusions of this study in relation to its academic and practical relevance.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
This study conducts research to unravel the influence of crisis response strategies applied by public leaders on the stances taken on by stakeholders, anticipating on their future process of...Show moreThis study conducts research to unravel the influence of crisis response strategies applied by public leaders on the stances taken on by stakeholders, anticipating on their future process of political accountability. Anticipating on dynamic crisis communication efforts, this study conducts research to crises in which Dutch public leaders experience a significant crisis aftermath in the form of an official inquiry. Findings confirm the key argument within the SCCT-theory by Coombs (2007), that stresses the importance to formulate the response strategy, during and in the aftermath of a crisis, by means of the perceived initial responsibility. Remarkably, findings from the case of Utrecht may suggest that consistency positively contributes to the stakeholder stances taken on towards the crisis handling of the mayor. In addition, inconsistency during and in the aftermath of a crisis, present in the response strategy by Pauline Krikke in the case of The Hague, seems to negatively affect stakeholders stances towards the mayor’s handling of the crisis. Finally, findings of this study reveal the importance of incorporating the findings from the inquiry report in the response strategy during the aftermath of the crisis. When anticipating on the findings of the inquiry report, the mayor takes on political accountability for their crisis efforts.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
In 2013, President Xi Jinping of China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This initiative of unprecedented scale aims to connect China with its western hinterland, eventually reaching...Show moreIn 2013, President Xi Jinping of China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This initiative of unprecedented scale aims to connect China with its western hinterland, eventually reaching Europe and the African east coast, through massive infrastructural investments. Although, the potential consequences of this initiative can be enormous, the EU has hitherto shown limited (re)action towards the BRI. This led Misiągiewicz & Misiągiewicz (2016, p. 39) to state that “the European Union has to date been slow and reluctant in responding to the ‘One Belt, One Road’ idea”. This reveals what some would call a low degree of EU-‘actorness’, with ‘actorness’ being understood as the extent to which an actor can deliberately operate among and with other actors within the international system (Sjösted, 1977). This leads to the research question of this thesis, namely: “What factors can explain the low degree of actorness of the European Union regarding the Belt and Road Initiative?”. Following on a literature review towards actorness, three factors that influence actorness are identified. These three factors are context, capability and coherence. The first factor, context, is about external elements that influence actorness (Brattberg & Rhinard, 2012; Bretherton & Vogler, 2013; Da Conceição-Heldt & Meunier, 2014; Jupille & Caporaso, 1998). The factor of capability is about the different ‘tools’ an actor has and whether it is able to use those tools (Brattberg & Rhinard, 2012; Bretherton & Vogler, 2006; 2013). The third and last factor this thesis will study is coherence. This factor is about how coherent an actor and its institutions are among themselves (Bretherton & Vogler, 2013; Da Conceição-Heldt & Meunier, 2014; Nilsson et al., 2012). These factors are elaborated upon and analyzed in this thesis to determine whether they can explain the low degree of EU actorness regarding the BRI. To analyze the factors of context and capability, qualitative content analyses are conducted towards primary sources, consisting of EU documents and two EU webpages. To study the factor of coherence, a quantitative content analysis will be conducted towards primary sources, consisting of EU documents that represent the external message of the EU. Following from these analyses, it can be concluded that the factors context and coherence resulted in the low degree of EU actorness regarding the BRI. The factor of context constrains EU actorness regarding the BRI, because the EU is not completely recognized as a relevant party by other international actors with regard to themes that are relevant in the context of the EU and the BRI, for example concerning FDI laws. The factor of coherence constrains EU actorness regarding the BRI, because the external ‘message’ of the EU is not coherent in three ways. First of all, EU documents often contradict themselves. Secondly, EU documents that are published in the same year are not coherent with one another. Last, the EU’s message is also not coherent with itself over time.Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
The duration, intensity, and diversity of Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks are on the rise and due to the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) will only increase this trend. As the...Show moreThe duration, intensity, and diversity of Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks are on the rise and due to the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) will only increase this trend. As the DDoS attacks on the Belastingdienst, the Bunq bank, internet site Tweakers, and internet provider Tweak show, even Dutch teenagers can perform DDoS attacks on vital organisations such as financial and governmental institutions. Therefore, DDoS attacks pose a real treat to Dutch society. Presented in the report of the NCSC (2019), the main issue with DDoS attacks is the lack of resilience measurements. This research approaches the defence against DDoS attacks from a new perspective. It substantiates the choice to start with resilience instead of security and explains the differences between the two notions. The research extends the resilience matrix of Linkov et al. (2013-b) to offer organisations an holistic view to DDoS mitigation. The matrix did not provide measurable elements and was not designed for DDoS attacks. For this reason, this research consists of expert interviews and a literature study to redesign the matrix. The research finds elements in the different domains and phases and suggests new aspects and adjustments to the resilience matrix. By rethinking the resilience matrix, this research suggests measurable aspects, interrelations between the aspects, and outcomes for resilience. It becomes evident that measuring resilience requires more emphasis on the planning and preparation phase, a new legal domain, and on splitting the social domain into an internal and external domain. It also lays out the steps to an overall system resilience and finds that this requires the metrics to involve the interrelationships between the aspects and cells of the matrix, something previous scholars overlooked. In addition, resilience will only be shown during a test or attack. It is up to the organisation to determine in which of the two situations they would prefer to find out. Finally, a resilience measurement will become less valid over time. Therefore, organisations would need to re-evaluate their systems regularly. This study paves the way for future research. Based on the findings, it is evident that scholars should aim to adjust the selection of interviewees, involve scholars with different backgrounds, take interrelationships into account, add measurements on individual aspects, include weights, and append aspects in the legal, internal, and external domains.Show less
