A research on the strategic culture and transatlantic security policies in first decade post-9/11. This thesis tries to answer the question to what extent the change in strategic culture and the...Show moreA research on the strategic culture and transatlantic security policies in first decade post-9/11. This thesis tries to answer the question to what extent the change in strategic culture and the resulting security policies of the EU and the US changed between 2002 and 2010; and how this shaped the transatlantic relationship in the post 9/11 era. The thesis concludes that there was a change in the strategic culture of the United States due to the external-shock caused by the 9/11 attacks on American soil; this shock was not experienced in the European Union. Hence, the security policies of the two powers on both sides of the Atlantic were not in line with one another in the period following 9/11. A decade later, the strategic culture of the United States shifted towards that of the European Union.Show less
A research on the conflict in the South China Sea between China and other claimant states. This thesis tries to answer the question how China has been able to maintain its dominance and activities...Show moreA research on the conflict in the South China Sea between China and other claimant states. This thesis tries to answer the question how China has been able to maintain its dominance and activities in the South China Sea despite the negative ruling of the arbitral case between China and the Philippines. Special focus is being given to the explanation of absence of expected conflict between China and other claimant states or third parties (e.g. the Philippines, Vietnam and the US). The thesis concludes that conflict has stayed out mainly due to political change in involved countries, China's use of its recently increased hard and soft power and because of ineffectiveness of international institutions to solve these kind of conflicts.Show less
The thesis explores the socio-political climate in Spain and the Basque country in the aftermath of the definitive 2011 ceasefire and the eventual 2018 dissolution of the Basque nationalist...Show moreThe thesis explores the socio-political climate in Spain and the Basque country in the aftermath of the definitive 2011 ceasefire and the eventual 2018 dissolution of the Basque nationalist militant group Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA), coming after more than half a century of its armed struggle against the Spanish state. Despite the end of physical violence, its legacies nevertheless still echo in the Basque Country and in Spain as a whole. The thesis analyses the highly polarised ‘fringe’ yet influential “Abertzale” and “Spanish nationalist” narratives which reflect these legacies, with fundamentally opposed parties effectively utilising these discourses as rhetorical weapons in public discourse and politics. A particular feature standing out in these narratives is the problematic conceptualisation of victimhood. The thesis examines these post-2011 narratives of victimhood in detail, specifically focusing on how they detrimentally affect the prospects for societal reconciliation following the end of ETA, whilst taking into account the complex historical burdens of the Basque case and the controversial legacies of the Francoist dictatorship which further entrench these narratives. Furthermore, the conceptualisations of victimhood in the often-compared Northern Irish case are scrutinised in order to devise a theoretical framework for this largely unexplored concept in the Basque case. It is finally concluded that clashing victimhood claims, deeply intertwined with the long-standing narratives of “political conflict” and “terrorism,” fundamentally impede progress towards reconciliation in the Basque case. The thesis suggests a victim-centric approach as well as a push for inclusive conceptualisations of victimhood may be the key avenues to explore in order to pursue societal reconciliation in the post-ETA era.Show less
Unrecognized states seek legitimacy, both domestic and international. The most recent unrecognized state is the Russian backed 'Donetsk People's Republic' (DNR) in South-Eastern Ukraine. The DNR...Show moreUnrecognized states seek legitimacy, both domestic and international. The most recent unrecognized state is the Russian backed 'Donetsk People's Republic' (DNR) in South-Eastern Ukraine. The DNR presents itself with their 'state' media, published on-line in Russian and English. This thesis analyzes the media with the help of Analyzing the articles published, it becomes clear the legitimation strategies of the DNR focus on highlighting the differences between the DNR, which is portrayed as the victim, and Ukraine, which is portrayed as the agressor. The strategy is based more on discrediting Ukraine than promoting the DNR. Such a strategy may be relatively successful, given that local attitudes are relatively anti-Ukrainian due regular shelling and the predominance of Russian news media in the region. The English language articles follow the same line. However, these articles do not reach a wide audience and the effect on international legitimacy is negligible.Show less
The war on drugs is does not only take place in South America, but also in other, less expected, parts of the world. In particular, opium travels from (mainly) Afghanistan to parts all over the...Show moreThe war on drugs is does not only take place in South America, but also in other, less expected, parts of the world. In particular, opium travels from (mainly) Afghanistan to parts all over the world, carried by all sorts of groups and organizations that have specialized in this trade. The PKK is active in a number of regions in the Middle-East and illicit drug trade is one of the means of its financing. Using the crime-terror continuum of Makarenko, this research describes the PKK as a commercial terrorist organization with mainly financial interests, at present stronger than their political motives. The research question of this thesis is as follows: “To what extent has the Kurdistan Workers’ Party transformed into a criminal organization from its erewhile politically motivated terrorist origins?” The relevance of this research is therefore to give the PKK a spot on the crime- terror continuum of Makarenko (2004: 131) and to show its evolution into a transnational organized crime organization, rather than just a static politically driven organization. This research could improve the formulation and implementation of future counter measures. The hypothesis of this thesis is that the PKK can be defined as a predominantly commercial terrorist organization.Show less
This thesis deals with the how and under which conditions does the Turkish denial (and the international politics surrounding this) of the Armenian genocide has shaped the formation of Armenian...Show moreThis thesis deals with the how and under which conditions does the Turkish denial (and the international politics surrounding this) of the Armenian genocide has shaped the formation of Armenian identity.Show less
Considering the global boom in Transitional Justice (TJ) and its bureaucratization since the 1980s, critical multi-disciplinary scholars realised that ‘transitional’ discourses and practices were...Show moreConsidering the global boom in Transitional Justice (TJ) and its bureaucratization since the 1980s, critical multi-disciplinary scholars realised that ‘transitional’ discourses and practices were depoliticizing alternative political perspectives. But although they refer to interrelated phenomena, their language and chief academic objectives diverge, making depoliticization incoherent and under-conceptualized. This paper unifies prior efforts by asking what depoliticization is and tracing its consequences. We present six tentative definitions of depoliticization, categorise them into three types, and incorporate our preferred definition into our methodology. In a case study of TJ and post-transitional activism in Argentina during 1983-1996, we map its occurrence beginning with a depoliticizing move in 1983 by the Alfonsín administration that facilitated the production of Nunca Mas in 1984 and examine its relationship to the marginalization of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, a civil society organisation that emerged in response to mass disappearances under the former military junta. We conclude that depoliticization occurred and contributed to marginalization of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, having produced a clear conceptual framework for further applications of depoliticization in contexts of TJ.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to analyze Pyongyang's changing architecture taking into account the North Korean regime's recent implementation of a market-oriented economy and the social and spatial...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to analyze Pyongyang's changing architecture taking into account the North Korean regime's recent implementation of a market-oriented economy and the social and spatial effects of that. The analysis is based on the prediction of the book "Unprecedented Pyongyang", describing the transformation of the iconic monuments and the specific socialist morphology of Pyongyang to a more "functional" capitalistic city. By analyzing architecture, and the social production of such the thesis sheds light on the possible clash between the social and the political body in North Korea, explaining the mechanisms of cultural propaganda and especially advocating for the prevalence of agency in Pyongyang's inhabited space. The study is situated within the broader debate of globalization and modernization as possible external forces, being implemented in Pyongyang and represented in build form. The thesis questions whether the economic transitioning and a resulting spatial and social change also results in a temporal one, wherein Pyongyang "catches up" to the globalized and modernized world. Overall the conclusion shows that there are some major issues pertaining to how the processes of time and modernity are considered within International Relations.Show less
In this paper we will explore the complex relationship between the news media and political decision making in the United Kingdom, as well as how that relationship affects an actor’s role in...Show moreIn this paper we will explore the complex relationship between the news media and political decision making in the United Kingdom, as well as how that relationship affects an actor’s role in international relations. Focussing on a selection of British newspapers and the government, we analyse the discourse surrounding migration and refugees during the 2015 Refugee Crisis. We observe the intersections of political influence which travel between the press and politicians, and vice versa, as well as the ways in which those influence mechanisms can impact behaviour at the international level. Considering the relationship according to conceptions of normative values and social hegemony we can identify how the discourse informs the national attitude towards particular issues.Show less
This thesis analyses competing discourses around the 2017 Catalan independence referendum. Taking a quantitative approach, several distinct text-mining techniques are applied to political speech...Show moreThis thesis analyses competing discourses around the 2017 Catalan independence referendum. Taking a quantitative approach, several distinct text-mining techniques are applied to political speech transcripts and newspaper opinion pieces of pro-independence and pro-union elites in order to identify broad lexical patterns in discourse. These results are then interpreted with the guidance of previous literature and within the theoretical framework of discursive institutionalism. The analysis finds that the most salient patterns are a pro-union emphasis on law and the constitution, and a pro-independence focus on the symbolic imagery produced by the referendum, such as polling stations, ballot boxes, and police violence. The results also find differing representations of the relationship between Catalonia and Spain, and to a lesser degree, the role of Europe within the dynamic. Taken together, these findings illuminate broad discursive strategies employed by both sides of the independence debate as they seek to either provoke or prevent institutional change.Show less
