This thesis considered the shift of soft power of the United States in relation to the foreign policy on war on terrorism during the Bush and Obama presidency. It considered three measurements of...Show moreThis thesis considered the shift of soft power of the United States in relation to the foreign policy on war on terrorism during the Bush and Obama presidency. It considered three measurements of soft power: (1) discourse in speeches regarding the war on terrorism, (2) allied support from the United Kingdom and Germany in joining three specific war on terrorism operations, (3) and polls from the United Kingdom and Germany in relation to the foreign policy on the war on terrorism. These three measurements showed a shift in soft power of the United States in relation to the war on terrorism from 2001 to 2016: in comparison to the decline of soft power during the Bush presidency, the soft power was rising during the Obama presidency.Show less
Chile signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in February 2016 with twelve other countries from the Pacific Rim. As the only country with trade agreements in affect with all...Show moreChile signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in February 2016 with twelve other countries from the Pacific Rim. As the only country with trade agreements in affect with all participating countries and the grandeur of the economic, political and substantive scope of the TPP, some concerns were raised as to whether it was beneficial for Chile to join. For this, I analysed the domestic affairs that may have played a role during the negotiations. It became apparent that political leaders and business groups were able to directly influence the negotiations in which they believed the TPP could serve to solidify relations with the Asia-Pacific for the copper industry and enter higher value chains, in order to counter the inequality causing much societal unrest. As the continuous pushing of the neoliberal agenda shows whilst civil society groups opposed this, the failing cooperation between the different sectors of Chile becomes apparent. This confirms the theory of Katzenstein (1985) that small states need strong social policies if it wants to be successful in the international arena. Next to that, this thesis has shown that it is important to look at the domestic affairs of a country to understand its international behaviour.Show less
