After the influx of Central American unaccompanied child migrants to the U.S. southern border in 2014, the Northern Triangle governments of, Honduras, and Guatemala, and El Salvador, partnered with...Show moreAfter the influx of Central American unaccompanied child migrants to the U.S. southern border in 2014, the Northern Triangle governments of, Honduras, and Guatemala, and El Salvador, partnered with the Obama administration to implement the Alliance for Prosperity plan, a development initiative introduced by Northern Triangle governments to stem irregular migration through promoting regional economic growth and security. To support the Plan, the U.S. financed $1 billion in foreign aid assistance and programming. In reality, the Alliance for Prosperity plan was a continuation of the same neoliberal economic model in existence between the U.S. and Northern Triangle region for decades, which has been found to secure national security and business interests over that of inclusive growth among Central American societies. Considering President Biden’s $4 billion commitment to build on this model, the case study that follows seeks to explore through qualitative analysis the hypothesis that the previous Alliance for Prosperity plan was used to perpetuate neocolonial mechanisms of economic dependency, resource extraction, and territorial control, to undermine the Plan’s objective to inspire inclusive growth among the Central American people. The findings reveal that the Plan perpetuates neocolonialism by consistently implementing policies that exacerbate local inequalities and neglecting to enforce measures of transparency and accountability. Maintaining the status quo affords the U.S. favorable economic and security interests while at the same time ensuring the dominance of a Central American elitist class. Both partners lack an incentive to change development approaches, serving as an explanation to why foreign aid to address the Central American migrant crisis has undermined its own efforts.Show less
Since the start of the civil war in 2011, Syria has attracted a lot of attention due to the millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands of deaths that it has caused.While it is difficult to...Show moreSince the start of the civil war in 2011, Syria has attracted a lot of attention due to the millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands of deaths that it has caused.While it is difficult to uncover the exact reasons for which the numerous actors are involved in this civil war, as the years go by, different schools of thought will research this war and give different explanations.In this thesis what is of interest is to take a closer look at the changes in the American foreign policy in the scope of the civil war in Syria. What is researched is the determinant role that the news media might have played in the relations of those two countries.Thus, the hypothesis which is examined in this research is that the news media have played an important role in the shifts of the American foreign policy towards Syria from Reagan to Trump, which contributed to a further escalation of the civil war that started in 2011.Then, having outlined the four different phases that will be outlined in the analysis, the thesis initially seeks to draw a link between the news media and foreign policies by looking at the field of international relations. In turn, having drawn a relation, what is introduced is the media framing theory in order to discover how the news media are involved in foreign policymaking. Consequently what is discussed is the debate around the CNN Effect, an aspect which can fall under the framing theory and consists of the increasing ability of the media to influence foreign policy and diplomacy.Show less
This thesis has examined the coherence of U.S. foreign policy toward NATO during the Trump presidency. It has compared the political narrative, the policy enunciation, and the policy implementation...Show moreThis thesis has examined the coherence of U.S. foreign policy toward NATO during the Trump presidency. It has compared the political narrative, the policy enunciation, and the policy implementation of the United States toward NATO. As a result, this thesis was able to compare and analyze the political narrative and the actual policy of the United States toward NATO during the Trump presidency.Show less
The purpose of this thesis is connecting the issue of women's rights to the controversial relations between the United States and Iran. Hereby the research provides insight in the role...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is connecting the issue of women's rights to the controversial relations between the United States and Iran. Hereby the research provides insight in the role nongovernmental women's rights organisations play in influencing American foreign policy towards Iran.Show less
