This thesis applies Isiah Berlin's theory on the inversion of positive liberty to the concept of negative liberty. Negative liberty, the freedom from coercion, has become a monistic doctrine...Show moreThis thesis applies Isiah Berlin's theory on the inversion of positive liberty to the concept of negative liberty. Negative liberty, the freedom from coercion, has become a monistic doctrine through the political philosophy of neo-liberalism. This inversion of negative has led to the forceful promotion of democracy, and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. While initial claims of searching for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) were proved false in Iraq, “spreading freedom and democracy” became a dominant part of the discourse. Using process tracing one will argue that, in Iraq, a massive project of social reengineering was attempted. The occupation authorities attempted to reorientate Iraqi society to the values of negative liberty. This engendered huge resistance among the people of Iraq. This led to a postmodern nightmare in Iraq, wherein the occupation forces were torturing, imprisoning, and killing, in the name of freedom from coercion and interference. This thesis argues that the project of democratic revolution in Iraq failed due to a narrow conception of freedom ignoring indigenous demands and culture.Show less
Climate change is becoming an increasingly important topic on the international stage and is one of today’s top priorities on the global agenda. Indonesia is of importance in any discussion about...Show moreClimate change is becoming an increasingly important topic on the international stage and is one of today’s top priorities on the global agenda. Indonesia is of importance in any discussion about climate change because of two reasons: (1) Indonesia is a country extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and (2) Indonesia contributes significantly to the problems of climate change. Therefore, it is perhaps not surprising that the Indonesian government has played an important role in the international debate on climate change. This thesis analyzes Indonesia’s contribution in the movement towards international cooperation to combat climate change.Show less
This paper is on one of the seminal events in Ukrainian history, the Holodomor. The paper seeks to apply the theory of genocidal consolidation to the Holodomor to determine the answer to “why”...Show moreThis paper is on one of the seminal events in Ukrainian history, the Holodomor. The paper seeks to apply the theory of genocidal consolidation to the Holodomor to determine the answer to “why” Stalin executed a genocide against the Ukrainian nation. More specifically, the paper seeks to link the mass killings in Ukraine to Stalin and Stalin’s personal position within the Soviet Union. In seeking the answer previously mentioned, the paper relies on the method of process tracing. The underlying hypothesis of the paper is that the theory of genocidal consolidation best explains the Holodomor and links Stalin to it, using the methodology previously described. By using and exploring genocidal consolidation vis a vie the Holodomor the paper also seeks to further bolster the connection between mass political violence and authoritarian politics. Additionally, the paper sought to expand on genocidal consolidation and add to the already existing research and theoretical applications by attempting to explore the Holodomor through genocidal consolidation. Lastly, it should be stated that the often ambitious aims of this paper allow for further exploration on the topic and potential missed linkages between the Holodomor and Stalin.Show less
This thesis aims to investigate whether there is a connection between improved US-Japan security relations and Okinawan base opposition in the period 2010-2014. Security relations between the...Show moreThis thesis aims to investigate whether there is a connection between improved US-Japan security relations and Okinawan base opposition in the period 2010-2014. Security relations between the United States and Japan are for a large extent shaped by the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Security and Cooperation, which permits the continuous presence of US military bases in Japan to maintain peace and safety in East Asia. Nowadays Japan still hosts approximately 50,000 US forces. About 50 percent of these forces are stationed in Okinawa, which consists of only 0.6% of Japan’s territory. Furthermore, 75 percent of the US military facilities in Japan are also located in Okinawa, demonstrating the unequal US military burden between Okinawa and mainland Japan (Okinawa Prefectural Government 2011). The United States, as well as Japan, agree on the importance of stationing a large amount of US military forces in Okinawa because of the strategic location of the island for maintaining Japan’s peace and safety in East Asia. However, large anti-base protests in Okinawa illustrate that a significant part of the local population opposes the security norm of the Japanese government to host US forces. Improved political ties, joint disaster relief operations and increasing external security threats have resulted in enhanced military cooperation between the United States and Japan in the period 2010-2014. Also, during this period Japanese favorable views on the United States were with an average of 71.6% also somewhat higher than between 2006 and 2009 (58.25%) (Pew Research Center 2015). Nevertheless, it is not clear whether US-Japan security collaboration also resulted in a better image of America among the people in Okinawa. Therefore, the main research question is: to what extent has enhanced military cooperation between the United States and Japan led to a decline of Okinawan base opposition?Show less
Global Health Diplomacy is essentially the relationship between global health and foreign policy in terms of International Relations theory. Health has not typically been at the fore front of world...Show moreGlobal Health Diplomacy is essentially the relationship between global health and foreign policy in terms of International Relations theory. Health has not typically been at the fore front of world politics, but this is rapidly changing due the emerging importance of soft power foreign policy. Joseph Nye tells us that soft power is produced through values, institutions, attraction and culture and in contrast to this; hard power is essentially defined by the use of military power and economic resources. Many small or medium sized countries will never be able to match the hard power capabilities of the likes of the United States or China but they can utilise their soft power potential in a variety of ways. This thesis intends to assess one; Global Health Diplomacy.Show less
