In the past few years, all major space powers have revamped their interests in the conquest of the Moon as a key geopolitical asset. In May 2020, the United States was the first space-faring state...Show moreIn the past few years, all major space powers have revamped their interests in the conquest of the Moon as a key geopolitical asset. In May 2020, the United States was the first space-faring state to officialise a set of bilateral agreements, the Artemis Accords, aimed a legally and politically support the extraction, utilisation and commercialisation of lunar resources, as well as the permanent settlement of a lunar outpost. The American space agenda marked the opening of interesting times for the politics of space exploration, as all major space powers have either embraced or criticised the American approach. As such, this thesis attempts to fill the gap in the literature on the geopolitical implications of space exploration. In order to do so, a descriptive process-tracing of the single case study of the Artemis Accords is carried out, while investigating its geopolitical link with the international space agenda of four major space powers: the US, China, Russia and Europe. While relying on both primary and secondary data, the analysis allows to conclude the inherent geopolitical value of states’ practice in outer space, as well as the underlying political, economic and diplomatic factors that are at the heart of international politics. Outer space is increasingly bounded by geopolitical value, to a level seeing only during the 1960s space race, and while the future of international politics is yet to be determined, one thing is certain: it will pass by the Moon.Show less
How does sea pollution and fishing affect the marine governance in the South China Sea? Sea pollution and overfishing are some of the biggest threats that the world’s oceans are currently facing....Show moreHow does sea pollution and fishing affect the marine governance in the South China Sea? Sea pollution and overfishing are some of the biggest threats that the world’s oceans are currently facing. As the neo-Malthusian theory implies, they can threaten the national security and create global crises. This thesis will explore closer the relationship between pollution, fishing, marine treaties and militarised dispute by exploring closer, how sea pollution and fishing affect the creation of regional treaties and to what extent does the quantity of treaties mitigate the risk of a militarised dispute in the specific case of South China Sea region? Analysing these questions will intend to fill the empirical gap that exists in the marine security and governance literature by focusing on China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.Show less
Crises impede the achievement of gender equality worldwide, and are unlikely to cede in the coming years. Therefore, understanding the gender effects of crises is crucial to inform policymakers and...Show moreCrises impede the achievement of gender equality worldwide, and are unlikely to cede in the coming years. Therefore, understanding the gender effects of crises is crucial to inform policymakers and strive towards universal gender equality. This thesis seeks to add a new empirical contribution to the existing state of art by exploring how the type of crisis affects gender equality. By pursuing a single-case study focused on Sweden, this thesis aims to address limitations of current literature on this topic, which often lacks thick description and has largely neglected country-specific analyses. Using feminist theory as the theoretical framework, this thesis compares and contrasts the impact of two types of crises on gender equality in Sweden, namely financial and climate crises through document analyses. Whereas financial crises had a limited impact on gender equality, which already enjoyed a high standard pre-crisis, climate crises had a much more profound impact on gender equality in Sweden. By comparing and contrasting findings, this thesis concludes that the type of crisis does matter in terms of the impact it has on gender equality as it varies significantly in terms of the scope and nature of impact.Show less
