During the European debt crisis it became clear that the European fiscal framework needed to be reformed. Part of this reform process was the Fiscal Compact, which required the signatory states to...Show moreDuring the European debt crisis it became clear that the European fiscal framework needed to be reformed. Part of this reform process was the Fiscal Compact, which required the signatory states to adopt a balanced budget rule in their domestic legislation ‘preferably’ on constitutional level. The Fiscal Compact thus required change and reform of the domestic fiscal frameworks. However, the degree of change of the domestic fiscal frameworks in the various Member States is very different. This thesis tried to explain why this is the case. Firstly, this thesis determined the degree of change in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands by comparing the domestic fiscal frameworks of these countries before the crisis to the domestic fiscal frameworks after the introduction of the Fiscal Compact. Secondly, this thesis tried to explain the variety in the degree of change in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, by using concepts from Europeanization theory and Historical Institutionalism, such as the ‘degree of misfit’, veto-players and other mediating factors.Show less
EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is traditionally characterized as a delicate policy area in which Member States reach agreement through tardy intergovernmental decision-making...Show moreEU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is traditionally characterized as a delicate policy area in which Member States reach agreement through tardy intergovernmental decision-making procedures. However, from 2015 onwards new initiatives in the CSDP have revealed unprecedented policy progress. Several scholars have applied state-centred- and realist approaches in accounting for the suggested policy impetus. To offer a more complete account, this Thesis seeks to contextualise the impetus from a historical institutionalist perspective. By analysing the evolvement of the European External Action Service (EEAS) since the Treaty of Lisbon, the main findings suggest that inter-institutional interplays and institutional autonomy have weakened the influence of Member States in CSDP’s policymaking process. As a consequence, institutional bodies like the EEAS found a legitimate way to considerably influence the innovative policy initiatives.Show less
Parallels have been drawn between a catholic marriage and the relationship between the EU and Turkey. Every time the relationship appears to be on the brink of divorce a closer step towards Turkey...Show moreParallels have been drawn between a catholic marriage and the relationship between the EU and Turkey. Every time the relationship appears to be on the brink of divorce a closer step towards Turkey's accession is made. In this sense, the EU-Turkey relationship is in historical institutionalist terms path dependent. The institutionalisation of this relationship has meant that divorce incurs a high cost and is, therefore, unlikely to happen. Theoretical explanations have been given for and against Turkey's accession, but these are unable to explain the fluidity of this relationship. Concentrating on history and how arguments are historically and contextually conditioned, this thesis incorporates a historical institutionalist framework to explain the decision-making by the EU in deepening its path dependent relationship with Turkey in order to aid in understanding EU enlargement and in particular Turkey's EU accession process. Two critical junctures of the periods from 1997-1999 and 2011-2016 will be analysed to reveal the central elements which explain the EU's decision-making. This analysis will examine EU documents concerning Turkish accession such as presidency conclusions, statements of the EU Heads of State or Government and international agreements between Turkey and the EU. In addition, this research will also draw on the already existing academic literature and use statements from the media and from leading figures to reflect on Turkey's accession. Through using a historical institutionalist approach this thesis makes an original contribution in arguing that Europe's enlargement approach has become vulnerable to reverse conditionality, fostering a path dependent relationship. The EU sees Turkey as a strategic ally rather than as an equal partner. Enlargement in the case of Turkey was initially used to incentivise Turkey to cooperate and has, therefore, been the EU's most powerful source of leverage. However, this use of enlargement has made the EU vulnerable to the implementation of reverse conditionality. As soon as accession loses its significance divorce could be immanent unless the couple can find a compromise to settle on a different kind of relationship.Show less
Why did the use of drone strikes increase during the first term of the Obama administration? During his presidential campaign Barrack Obama called for a military withdrawal from Iraq, the end of...Show moreWhy did the use of drone strikes increase during the first term of the Obama administration? During his presidential campaign Barrack Obama called for a military withdrawal from Iraq, the end of torture and indefinite detention of suspected terrorists and the closing of Guantanamo Bay. For these reasons, many believed that Obama intended to end the War on Terror begun by the Bush administration after the attacks on 9/11. Contradicting this expectation, the number of US drone strikes used to counter terrorism increased drastically during Obama's first term as president. This research seeks to identify the causal factors for the proliferation of drone strikes by explaining how it fits into the broader context of the continuation of the War on Terror during Obama’s first term. Firstly, it is argued that Obama was trapped in the War on Terror. Secondly, it is argued that the use of drone strikes increased because the Obama administration sought to reduce public disapproval of War on Terror policies, while continuing war efforts.Show less
