This thesis examines the importance of emotions in populist theory. Müller (2017) argued that emotions are not a core element of populist theory, this thesis however will criticize the argument...Show moreThis thesis examines the importance of emotions in populist theory. Müller (2017) argued that emotions are not a core element of populist theory, this thesis however will criticize the argument made by Müller based on a case study of the political party the FVD. In the case study the discourse of twitter messages and news articles from the FVD were analyzed for the presence/use of emotions using the critical discourse method. This study demonstrates that in the case of the FVD emotions are prevalent in their discourse and are therefore a large element of the FVD. The findings in this study are contrary to Müller’s (2017) theory on populism. This research contributes to the discussion on whether emotions are an important factor in populist theory. However, this study focuses only on one case study and has therefore some limitations.Show less
Amartya Sen set the often-cited theory that democracy, in its nature, averts famine. Still, famine struck Malawi in 2002, Niger in 2005, and Madagascar in 2021, which were all regarded as...Show moreAmartya Sen set the often-cited theory that democracy, in its nature, averts famine. Still, famine struck Malawi in 2002, Niger in 2005, and Madagascar in 2021, which were all regarded as democracies at the respective time. Sen’s theory thus fails to explain these as it does not account for factors that incapacitate the famine-averting nature of democracy. Three incapacitating factors were identified as thematic continuities: poverty of the state making relief efforts unaffordable, foreign agency that limits the possible scope of action, and a lack of interest from the press and international donors that undermine the theorized mechanics.Show less
This thesis looks into the memory politics applied by the government of Cambodia during the post Khmer Rouge (KR) regime period from 1979-2015. I will analyse this period through a Case Study...Show moreThis thesis looks into the memory politics applied by the government of Cambodia during the post Khmer Rouge (KR) regime period from 1979-2015. I will analyse this period through a Case Study design and therein by applying the article by Wustenberg & Sierp, on the different levels of agents that use or influence memory politics surrounding the two internationally known memorial sites: Tuol Sleng and Choeung Genocidal center. To do so, I will first provide historical background information on the rise to power of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge regime, followed by a short recount of the historical events after the KR regime and the rise to power of the Hun Sen government. Throughout this thesis I will show that the question posed by Wustenberg & Sierp, whether a government has a monopoly on memory politics, can be answered positively in the case of post KR Cambodia. Furthermore, I will argue that the Holocaust narrative seemingly fits in the case of Cambodia, but when taking a closer look at the two memorial sites it can be seen that this is not the case, as the memorials are more about attracting international visitors and showing them a partial truth of the KR regime.Show less
Since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022, more countries have provided Ukraine with lethal arms. A significant trend break for countries such as Germany, for example, therefore enjoying...Show moreSince the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022, more countries have provided Ukraine with lethal arms. A significant trend break for countries such as Germany, for example, therefore enjoying much attention in society and literature. However, situations in which states will not provide arms are also of great political importance (Spindel, 2018). As these cases tend to be overlooked, this thesis examines the decision-making process of the Obama Administration that led to the decision not to provide Ukraine lethal assistance during his second term in the White House (2014-2017). Its focus is understanding the limitations undermining the ability of the patron's dilemma to explain the Obama case, as this study finds insufficient empirical evidence to use the theory to explain Obama's decision.Show less
One year into the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war, debates still rage over the Russian motivations for this war. Purely international explanations, found in offensive and defensive realism, emphasise that...Show moreOne year into the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war, debates still rage over the Russian motivations for this war. Purely international explanations, found in offensive and defensive realism, emphasise that wars are best understood as a means of states to ensure security among states. I argue that domestic considerations matter by stressing the analytical utility of the selectorate theory of war, which argues that state behaviour is best explained by a leader's desire to stay in power through ensuring loyalty by providing public and private goods. Using a qualitative explanatory case study research design, focusing on a single case: the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is found that before the war, Vladimir Putin was facing a crisis of political survival because his ability to ensure support from the elites he depended on and the wider public was increasingly constrained during his presidency due to a persistently stagnating economy. The war strengthened Putin’s political survival because newly acquired territories provide new sources of revenue for Russia’s elites. For the wider public, this study strongly suggests that Putin was aiming for a rally round the flag effect to distract the public at home from deteriorating circumstances and temporarily reduce the demand for public goods. In addition, the war legitimised greater repression, which signals a high cost of expressing discontent with Putin which deters future opposition and serves as a means to purge the elites and the broader public from disloyalty. Understanding these domestic factors that are negated by the purely international explanations of war is crucial for understanding the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war. This thesis provides a novel contribution to the literature explaining Russia’s foreign policies by using the selectorate theory of war, a theory that has not been used systematically for explaining Russia’s foreign policy.Show less
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the largest refugee movement in Europe since World War II. While refugees and migrants were commonly securitized in German right-wing media during the...Show moreThe 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the largest refugee movement in Europe since World War II. While refugees and migrants were commonly securitized in German right-wing media during the 2015 refugee crisis, it is remarkable that reporting on Ukrainian refugees in 2022 includes elements of support and solidarity. Therefore, this study investigates how German right-wing media outlets framed the Ukrainian refugee movement to Germany following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. By means of discourse analysis, 26 articles from five well-known German right-wing media outlets are analyzed to identify trends in media discourse. Results demonstrate that (1) German right-wing media clearly set Ukrainian refugees apart from other refugee flows, and (2) German right-wing media outlets frame Ukrainian refugees as humane and positive. This study contributes to the lack of research on refugee framing in non-English media discourse. The findings that German right-wing media outlets embrace Ukrainian refugees can also have implications for the tenability of the anti-immigration argument that Germany has reached its limit on accepting refugees.Show less
The Sustainable Development Goals of the UN aim at promoting initiatives that aid in fighting climate change and creating a more prosperous future. One project that has been greatly celebrated by...Show moreThe Sustainable Development Goals of the UN aim at promoting initiatives that aid in fighting climate change and creating a more prosperous future. One project that has been greatly celebrated by the UN is Morocco’s Solar Plan and NoorO, which is the largest CSP plant in the world. Yet, the case of NoorO can be said to be an example of green grabbing, which is a puzzling environmental justice issue, that on the surface may seem to be beneficial to climate change mitigation efforts. However, the project led to communities losing their land and livelihoods, so as to create space for the construction of NoorO. By investigating the following research question, “How do the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals facilitate green grabbing, specifically, in the case of the Noor Ouarzazate Solar Power Complex?”, this paper shows how the SDGs enabled green grabbing to occur under the guise of Goals 7 and 13. It is argued that by using language that is both ambiguous and narrow, the SDGs allowed injustices to fall upon marginalized communities in the Ouarzazate area. As such, effective climate change mitigation has to take into account the realities of all individuals, in order to be successfully achieved.Show less
In recent years, migration has been subject to intense securitisation, which can especially be observed when analysing the development of the European borderscape. Extreme measures such as barbed...Show moreIn recent years, migration has been subject to intense securitisation, which can especially be observed when analysing the development of the European borderscape. Extreme measures such as barbed fences, illegal pushbacks and militarised borders have contributed to poor conditions and many casualties on and around the EU’s external borders. Additionally, human trafficking rates have increased significantly over the past decade and is globally prioritized among the most pressing human rights issues. Research in the field of development and border studies has shown that strict borders negatively impact human trafficking dynamics. Moreover, feminist security research observes a forced protection rhetoric fuelled by a masculine hegemony, that has significant negative impact on the living experience of female trafficked sex workers. To test this hypothesis, a critical discourse is conducted on discourse published by the EU, Frontex and Europol in order to analyse how the EU mediates the two incompatible goals of border control and human trafficking. The results showed two distinctive narratives based on xenophobic and exclusionary securitisation politics and the social construct of masculine protection. These results suggest that a new intersectional approach should be adopted in order to ensure safe migration, human rights and female agency.Show less
This thesis is about intimate partner homicide (IPH) perpetrated by women, focusing on the role of self-defense as an explanation for why they killed their (former) partner. Using thematic analysis...Show moreThis thesis is about intimate partner homicide (IPH) perpetrated by women, focusing on the role of self-defense as an explanation for why they killed their (former) partner. Using thematic analysis, eight case studies from the Netherlands are used to demonstrate that the dominant explanation for female perpetrated IPH, namely self-defense, is inadequate in explaining all cases of IPH due to the lack of consideration for other factors present in the homicide. Instead, the present research found that factors such as psychiatric issues and quarreling play a role in female perpetrated homicide, which are elements not covered by the self-defense theory. This study argues that future research should consider the complexity of IPH and expand the theory in order to fully understand female perpetrators of IPH and the complex process that precedes the offense.Show less
