Democracies face a crisis of self-preservation: how to defend against internal threats without sacrificing core values? This thesis explores militant democracy, a theory allowing limitations on...Show moreDemocracies face a crisis of self-preservation: how to defend against internal threats without sacrificing core values? This thesis explores militant democracy, a theory allowing limitations on freedoms to safeguard the system. While justifications exist that focus on democratic processes or core values, this thesis argues that the latter struggles with defining those values objectively. Can a democracy claim moral superiority without universal moral truths? Additionally, Rijpkema's (2018) concept of democracy as self-correction, another justification for militant democracy, remains unexamined. This research addresses these gaps by analyzing the limitations of defining core substantive democratic values and the challenges posed by the absence of objective morality. The Böckenförde Dictum will be used to support my argument. Furthermore, it provides a critical analysis of Rijpkema's theory. By examining these underexplored aspects, this thesis aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the tension between militant democracy and core democratic principles. Ultimately, it argues that there is an inherent contradiction within militant democracy, as actions against non-violent anti-democratic voices can contradict the will of the people, the very essence of democracy.Show less
In the early days of terrorism research, it was concluded that perpetrators of terrorist violence were either ‘evil’ or ill. In the past several decades, however, terrorism scholars have...Show moreIn the early days of terrorism research, it was concluded that perpetrators of terrorist violence were either ‘evil’ or ill. In the past several decades, however, terrorism scholars have increasingly sought to understand terrorism from the perspective of the perpetrator. The current paper aims to explore this, by analysing the manifesto of Brenton Tarrant through the lens of Significance Quest Theory in order to determine whether an ‘ideological narrative’ emerged in the perpetrator’s manifesto and how salient it was in the legitimization of terrorist violence. Through the use of thematic analysis, the paper identified five themes related to the ideological narrative present in Tarrant’s manifesto: White decline, Environment, Xenophobia, Identity, and Us. Vs. Them. The paper found that whilst the ideological narrative was salient, it was accompanied by another driver, network. The findings have both scientific and real-world importance as it shines a significant light on the influential role the narrative can play in justifying terrorism. Acknowledging this can lead to advantageous policy implications regarding the prevention, and counter-radicalization of individuals involved in highly accessible networks that spread violence-justifying narratives.Show less
Advanced master thesis | Political Science (Advanced Master)
open access
This thesis examines how governments legitimate and justify climate change policies. It focuses on the dissonant nature of the Australian climate change policy regime since 1987, and in particular...Show moreThis thesis examines how governments legitimate and justify climate change policies. It focuses on the dissonant nature of the Australian climate change policy regime since 1987, and in particular it looks at how successive administrations have legitimated policies which range from ignorance, to acceptance, to outright denial of climate change. In order to achieve this goal, government discourse from 1987–2014 is parsed and analysed according to a predetermined schema. The dominant, marginalised, and challenging discursive fields are studied, and specific attention is paid to how these narratives change in light of certain stimuli (such as economic recessions or natural disasters). It is revealed that traditional, neo-liberal economic narratives have been hegemonic, and thus used overwhelmingly both to legitimate and resist climate change policy regimes. Scientific and ethical considerations have played smaller but still significant roles in justifying and criticising policy regimes. Notably, the actual and predicted effects of climate change are largely absent from the government discourse. As a result, this thesis adds to the existing literature by providing a complete and coherent study of how the justification of Australian climate change policy has varied over the past three decades, shedding light on the dissonant nature of the Australian climate change policy regimes, and raising concerns about the focus of the climate change discussions espoused by the government.Show less
