This thesis looks at how human rights activism of the Uyghur diaspora in The Netherlands and NGOs impacts Dutch foreign policy towards the People’s Republic of China. I explore academic writing on...Show moreThis thesis looks at how human rights activism of the Uyghur diaspora in The Netherlands and NGOs impacts Dutch foreign policy towards the People’s Republic of China. I explore academic writing on human rights, the construction of foreign policy and human rights activism related to the PRC. These are later looked at through the public and private actions of the Uyghur diaspora in The Netherlands. Furthermore, I will look at the influence of NGOs in Dutch foreign policy construction, as well as, their implications for supranational institutions such as the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU). Firstly, by look at existing literature on the Uyghurs in East-Turkestan. Secondly, in by blending literature with the information about the influence of the activism of the Uyghur diaspora in The Netherlands. Thirdly, by looking at the impact of the advocacy of NGOs within and outside the country and their impact on the foreign policy of the Dutch government. Through this case study, I examine the validity of the “spiral model” by Risse and Ropp in the Dutch context.Show less
The downing of Flight MH17 in July 2014 constitutes a major crisis and a critical juncture in Dutch foreign policy towards Russia. This critical juncture created the conditions under which a...Show moreThe downing of Flight MH17 in July 2014 constitutes a major crisis and a critical juncture in Dutch foreign policy towards Russia. This critical juncture created the conditions under which a significant change in Dutch foreign policy towards Russia became possible as institutional constraints were suddenly loosened. By using process tracing this thesis studies the changes in Dutch foreign policy and the causal mechanism behind them following the downing of the airplane. The Dutch government initially took on a cautious position as it was hoping Russia could be convinced to cooperate with the investigation. However as the Kremlin continually spreads disinformation about Flight MH17 and consistently seeks to discredit and undermine the investigations, the Dutch government started to use more confrontational and less accommodating diplomatic tools. This is evidenced by the way in which the Dutch government exposed the foiled OPCW hacking attempt by the GRU as well as how it criticised Russia’s behaviour surrounding the downing of Flight MH17.Show less
Language has the capacity to make politics, create narratives and impact policy making (Hajer, 2006). In the study of foreign policy, discourses define the issues at stake, create a sense of shared...Show moreLanguage has the capacity to make politics, create narratives and impact policy making (Hajer, 2006). In the study of foreign policy, discourses define the issues at stake, create a sense of shared ‘common knowledge’ and legitimize foreign policies as necessary and plausible (Hansen, 2013, 2016). When the Ukrainian crisis breaks out in 2014, Europe is confronted with one of the most complex situations for decades. The sense of urgency increases for one member state in particular when flight MH17 is shot down above Ukraine. Losing almost 200 citizens in the crash, the Netherlands suddenly becomes a central actor in this conflict. The literature, however, pays little attention to the domestic political debates regarding Ukraine. Moreover, the role of parliaments and oppositional political parties in foreign policy is under-accounted for. Therefore, this thesis analyses whether and how discourses are reflected in the Dutch foreign policy debate since the Ukrainian crisis and what role the parliament and political parties play in Dutch foreign policy. A discourse analysis is conducted to see what discourses are reflected in the parliamentary debates. This studies shows that identity-policy constructions – articulated through discourses – are crucial for defining and legitimizing Dutch foreign policies. Furthermore, it finds that the Government’s official foreign policy discourse is influenced and constrained by oppositional discourses that stress the normative and geopolitical aspects of Dutch foreign policy. Hence, this study provides new insight into the role of discourse in the wider political debate in the Netherlands. Though this thesis establishes that the parliament and political parties matter in this specific case, more research is needed on the role of parliaments and political parties to make generalizable conclusions for foreign policy more broadly.Show less
Research master thesis | Latin American Studies (research) (MA)
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This master thesis will be devoted to the switch in Dutch foreign policy towards Latin America. Hereby we are reffering to the switch from a more development oriented policy towards a policy that...Show moreThis master thesis will be devoted to the switch in Dutch foreign policy towards Latin America. Hereby we are reffering to the switch from a more development oriented policy towards a policy that lays attention on the economic relations. We are aware of the comprehensiveness of the Latin American region, but due to the various developments that have taken place over the years we consider it important to look at Latin America in general. Subsequently, we will take a closer look at specific countries. The first chapter is the theoretical framework, the second chapter will be aimed at the relations between the Netherlands and Latin America in the period of the 1970s to the early 2000s and the third chapter will be aimed at the current relations between the Netherlands and Latin America and includes special attention to the following countries: Cuba, Colombia, Panama, Mexico and Chile.Show less
