This research is a crafted investigation of how Nigeria's foreign policy frameworks formed the country's external relations under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo's civilian...Show moreThis research is a crafted investigation of how Nigeria's foreign policy frameworks formed the country's external relations under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo's civilian administration (1999–2007). The study attempts to uncover the variants of strategies used during the administration of President Obasanjo to deal with the complexities in international diplomacy against the background of Nigeria's historic orientations and the complex problems it encountered within the time frame of the study. This study investigates Nigeria's diplomacy, regional engagement, and international alliances in that particular era, and it tries to provide insights into the complex approach it was used by Nigeria in order to establish its international influence. This paper aims to explore the underpinning elements determining the nature of Nigeria's foreign policy strategy of Constructive and Beneficial Concentricism through a systematic investigation of its objectives and application with other countries, international organizations or regional blocs. Also, a critical assessment is done on how successful these types of diplomacy have built the national interests of Nigeria, promoted stability in the region and stimulated economic development. This study aims to reveal those variables that matter for the foreign policy of Nigeria as well as discover the reasons for the changing place of the country in the world community via a thorough examination of the successes and failures of the foreign policy of Nigeria. In addition to secondary literature and expert analysis, this paper improves the primary sources like official documents, policy statements and diplomatic letters to project the big picture of Nigeria's foreign policy trajectory during the Obasanjo administration. The research advances the understanding of the dynamics that made Nigeria interact with the international community to strengthen external relations and offers the reader helpful insights for individuals with an interest in the nation's diplomatic efforts.Show less
The debate around the issue of abortion rights is not new in American politics. However, in recent years American politics has been polarized along partisan lines. This is also the case in the...Show moreThe debate around the issue of abortion rights is not new in American politics. However, in recent years American politics has been polarized along partisan lines. This is also the case in the abortion rights debate. The abortion rights debate has an effect on policy making in U.S. politics. Abortion rights also play a role in foreign policy making. Under the Trump Presidency, the Mexico City Policy was reinstalled and even further strengthened, entailing that no government funds were allowed to be given to actors that provide or promote abortions. Republicans, after years of supporting the initiative, now also threaten to defund PEPFAR, the successful initiative that has saved millions of lives in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They threaten to do this since they claim that the program funds abortion services. This thesis investigates and reveals the impact that this partisan polarization on the abortion rights issue has on American foreign policy and therefore on the United States’ image and influence in Africa. Furthermore, this research investigates China’s efforts to benefit from America’s impacted foreign policy by the abortion rights discussion. This thesis indeed reveals that the United States’ image and influence in Africa is negatively impacted by the partisan polarized abortion debate in American politics and that China is actively using its propaganda apparatus to portray the United States as hypocritical and unreliable and China as the better alternative.Show less
This thesis investigated how Chinese language and culture education as supported by the Confucius Institutes is perceived by secondairy education students in the Netherlands and assesses whether...Show moreThis thesis investigated how Chinese language and culture education as supported by the Confucius Institutes is perceived by secondairy education students in the Netherlands and assesses whether these students experience Chinese influence on their education by conducting interviews. The analysis from the interviews concludes that students have a generally positive experience with learning Chinese, that there is a lot of attention paid to culture education, and that students do not appear to experience any Chinese influence on their education.Show less
