The United Nations' foundational principles, delineated in the Charter of the United Nations, remain the driving political and ideological force in its decision-making, formation, and performance....Show moreThe United Nations' foundational principles, delineated in the Charter of the United Nations, remain the driving political and ideological force in its decision-making, formation, and performance. This research will show that, because the Organization is built on a liberal internationalist morality, it prioritizes liberal ethics to the detriment of a communal morality. Currently, the principles governing the institutions are mostly generalized principles of conduct aimed at fostering economic freedom and to maintain security – a morality mostly based on voluntarism, mutual gains, and negative freedom – but these principles do not speak of an intrinsic motivation towards an (additional) morality based on fellowship, solidarity, equality, and global well-being. A communal moral dimension is absent in the Charter, and this in turns prevents the United Nations from becoming a community instead of an aggregate of member-states. As I will showcase later following the Akan philosophy, such intrinsic motivation is internal to the practices of a community, and the universalisation of the liberal morality currently is insensitive to the international context of the United Nations. Since the Organization has thus yet to become a holistic community, it is unable to take up grand collective responsibility in their striving towards global well-being and development. Akan philosophy specifically and African communitarianism in general will be put forward as candidates to manifest this additional morality, one which will be able to facilitate the formation of a community, to strengthen the bond between member-states and United Nations, and to address social responsibility within a framework of relationality and interconnectedness. African communitarianism could help bridge the gap that currently exists between the theoretical appeal and the actual implementation of the Organization’s collective responsibility. A synthesis between liberal internationalist and African communitarian principles could fashion the United Nations as a community, one in which concepts of freedom and voluntarism would be coupled with values of solidarity and relationality, and where the individual member-states are motivated to adhere to their social responsibilities.Show less
Since the 2008 financial crisis, US hegemony has been challenged increasingly by rising and reemerging powers such as China and Russia. Former US president Barack Obama and his successor Donald...Show moreSince the 2008 financial crisis, US hegemony has been challenged increasingly by rising and reemerging powers such as China and Russia. Former US president Barack Obama and his successor Donald Trump have approached this competition for global dominance in distinctly different ways. This thesis examines the state of transatlantic relations under both the Obama and Trump administration, in order to draw conclusions on the presidents’ respective impact on US hegemony. Both presidents’ transatlantic foreign policies are analysed at the hand of three criteria. These criteria have been derived from John Ikenberry’s five convictions of liberal internationalism. The assessment of Obama and Trump’s respective foreign policies leads to a final conclusion which ultimately favors the prior’s approach over the latter’s.Show less
Since the 9/11 attacks, maritime security and ocean governance received intense attention from the international community, maritime organizations, and the maritime industry. Regions of strategic...Show moreSince the 9/11 attacks, maritime security and ocean governance received intense attention from the international community, maritime organizations, and the maritime industry. Regions of strategic importance showed vulnerability in illegal activities from non-state actors. For instance, in the Horn of Africa (HoA), a core transit passage for the maritime industry, piracy skyrocketed. These risks were accompanied by side-effects, such as disruption of international trade or environmental pollution, having an impact both locally and globally. This thesis explores EU’s initiatives for maritime security and ocean governance. This thesis will prove whether EU’s foreign policy influenced the recent EU Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS) and the role of EUMSS in EU’s naval missions to tackle piracy in HoA, EUNAVFOR Operation Atlanta and EUCAP Nestor.Show less
