In this thesis, a case study will be performed on the influence of terrorism on American public opinion. The case that will be studies is that of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Hamas’ attack...Show moreIn this thesis, a case study will be performed on the influence of terrorism on American public opinion. The case that will be studies is that of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Hamas’ attack on Israel on the 7th of October 2023. This adds to filling a gap in literature on the public opinion of people who are not directly involved in a conflict. This is relevant, as these people shape the political landscape in countries that could choose to send aid to the combatant parties. To perform the research, quantitative data was gathered on sympathy with Israelis and Palestinians in the conflict over the course of six months, starting shortly after the attack. This is complimented with a thematic content analysis that was performed on comments under Instagram posts from the New York Times and Fox News to expose the reasoning people have for sympathizing with Israelis or Palestinians. The research finds that sympathy with Israelis reaches a high point shortly after the attack, after which it steadily declines. Sympathy with Palestinians moves inverse to sympathy with Israelis and thus drops first and then starts climbing. Underlaying pro-Israeli narratives largely focus on the terrorist attack and depicts Israel’s retaliation to it as self-defense, while pro-Palestinian narratives depicts the terrorist attack as self-defense, and claims that Israel’s retaliation is an act of genocide.Show less
This paper addresses the effect of EU identity on EU citizens’ support for integrative EU policy. Based on the social identity approach it is hypothesized that positive relationship between these...Show moreThis paper addresses the effect of EU identity on EU citizens’ support for integrative EU policy. Based on the social identity approach it is hypothesized that positive relationship between these variables exists. Additionally the study attempts to replicate the findings of Carey (2002) that national identity strength impairs support for EU integration. Quantitative deductive research is conducted using Eurobarometer (2022) data. The models control for levels of income and education, political beliefs, and trust in national government. Results from seven binary logistic regressions and two multiple linear regressions show significant effects of EU identity on support for integrative EU policy and indicate that EU identity is a valuable addition to more established theories of support for EU integration. Furthermore, this study contradicts the findings of Carey (2002) that national identity strength hampers EU support.Show less
Public opinion has become increasingly important when it comes to furthering European integration. This thesis looks into the dichotomy of public opinion in Bulgaria, in which support for the EU...Show morePublic opinion has become increasingly important when it comes to furthering European integration. This thesis looks into the dichotomy of public opinion in Bulgaria, in which support for the EU has remained relatively high for the period since the country’s accession to the EU, while support for the euro has become relatively low. By employing a benchmarking theory, which posits that people’s attitudes towards the EU and its policies are formed in comparison to national contexts, this thesis seeks to explain this dichotomy. The analysis of Eurobarometer data from the past 13 years combined with analysis of online news media data provides an insight into why Bulgarians support the EU (as a regime) more than the euro (a specific policy). This thesis finds that while distrust in national institutions and the bleak economic performance boosts support for the EU, the same distrust might play a role in the negative perceptions towards the euro. While Bulgarians tend to trust the EU’s institutions and evaluate the EU economy better than the national one, they fear price increase, loss of control over economic policies, and even losing a part of their national identity when it comes to euro adoption.Show less
As civil war broke out in Spain the entire world watched. The deeply ideological nature of the conflict ensured it spurred public interest worldwide. In the Netherlands too the public took sides, a...Show moreAs civil war broke out in Spain the entire world watched. The deeply ideological nature of the conflict ensured it spurred public interest worldwide. In the Netherlands too the public took sides, a process regulated by the existing pillarisation. Most Dutch catholics supported Franco, though the pillar also knew some dissidents. This paper looks at the argumentation used by Dutch catholics for their position in the civil war, using newspapers and books as sources. Through this research it tries to add to the existing views on the interwar Netherlands and to the corpus of research on how the civil war was perceived outside of Spain.Show less
This thesis looks at the relationship between the Cool Japan products and how the export of these products reflects upon the public opinion of the Chinese and South Korean public. It addresses the...Show moreThis thesis looks at the relationship between the Cool Japan products and how the export of these products reflects upon the public opinion of the Chinese and South Korean public. It addresses the limitation of cultural diplomacy as a source of soft power in the context of Sino-Japanese and South Korean-Japanese relations.Show less
The thesis comprises the main motives for Shinzo Abe and Barack Obama to commit to apology events and speeches in 2016 at Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor respectively, as well as a more detailed look at...Show moreThe thesis comprises the main motives for Shinzo Abe and Barack Obama to commit to apology events and speeches in 2016 at Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor respectively, as well as a more detailed look at the circumstances that allowed for the to take place, as well as the role of public opinion and support for the two political leaders.Show less
Through an extensive analysis of speeches and statements of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian federation, an ideological shift towards Eurasianism is assessed. By comparing Putin’s discourse...Show moreThrough an extensive analysis of speeches and statements of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian federation, an ideological shift towards Eurasianism is assessed. By comparing Putin’s discourse with regard to Crimea, religion and what it means to be Russian with public opinion polls published by the Levada-Center, the contemporary place of identity in Russia is reconfigured. I propose a new ‘pick-and-mix’ type of Eurasianism, in which Russia’s uniqueness is established in political speeches and statements, but in which the reason for this special nature remains fluid. Public opinion and Putin’s discourse do not always line up with regard to the nature of Russian identity, showing how multiple narratives are colliding in the public sphere.Show less
As a religious test of any sort is prohibited by the United States Constitution, it should not matter with which religion a candidate associates when running for president. However, a significant...Show moreAs a religious test of any sort is prohibited by the United States Constitution, it should not matter with which religion a candidate associates when running for president. However, a significant number of Americans states that they would not vote for non-Christian president, and therefore it does seem to matter. Mitt Romney, who participated in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, identifies as a Mormon, and this identification has often been portrayed negatively by both the media and by his opponents. Furthermore, the American public often has a negative connotation with the Mormon Church, and Romney often had to defend his religion. While previous research has focused on the attitude of the general public regarding Romney and his Mormon identity, this research will analyse the opinions of Mormons themselves on the intersection of religion and politics, and on Mitt Romney and his electability by analysing questionnaire results.Show less
Public opinions, political visions and international interference were important aspects of the duration of the decolonisation wars in Indonesia and Algeria after the Second World War. These three...Show morePublic opinions, political visions and international interference were important aspects of the duration of the decolonisation wars in Indonesia and Algeria after the Second World War. These three factors influenced together the events that formed the wars. This thesis concentrates on these three aspects and shows how they are combined and explain the duration of the wars.Show less
A black American named Joe Louis fought a white German named Max Schmeling in the 1930s, how did the American public respond to this fight? Did they hope for a victory by Louis, who was an American...Show moreA black American named Joe Louis fought a white German named Max Schmeling in the 1930s, how did the American public respond to this fight? Did they hope for a victory by Louis, who was an American, or did they hope for a victory by Schmeling, who was white. Research has been conducted by researching around 880 articles extracted from 65 newspapers. by doing so this thesis gives a view of the public opinion on the fight per state, area and in the end for the entire U.S.A. This thesis also looks at what was mentioned more in newspaper articles regarding this fight: Nationalism or Racism.Show less
This study aim at providing an answer to the core research question “What is the role of Twitter in the conduct of public diplomacy in The Netherlands?” On the basis of qualitative interviews with...Show moreThis study aim at providing an answer to the core research question “What is the role of Twitter in the conduct of public diplomacy in The Netherlands?” On the basis of qualitative interviews with foreign diplomats and experts on public diplomacy in The Netherlands, it was discovered that they use Twitter as a tool for providing the local communities with information about the advocated countries and their foreign policies. The foreign officials also employ Twitter to address certain members of the Dutch general public, attract their attention to specific topics and engage in discussions with them to enhance their perceptions of the represented states. The conducted content analysis of the Tweets posted by diplomats from the Embassy of Ecuador, the Embassy of Poland, the Embassy of Sweden, and the Embassy of the USA to the Netherlands also demonstrated that they post direct Tweets and personal messages concerning important topics to engage with the foreign publics. However, it is also found that only a small number of them use the language of the local community members, namely Dutch, to disseminate information about their foreign policies. Some of the interviewees explained that they translate only content that is relevant to the Dutch audiences in Dutch. Nevertheless, to engage in more debates with the local communities and enhance their understanding and image of the represented countries, it is recommended that foreign diplomats should provide all messages on Twitter in the language of the host state. Thus, they can use it as an effective tool for accomplishing their public diplomacy goals.Show less
