This thesis aims to further refine the existing academic knowledge about the framing of refugees by conducting a critical discourse analysis focused on the portrayal of Ukrainian refugees at a...Show moreThis thesis aims to further refine the existing academic knowledge about the framing of refugees by conducting a critical discourse analysis focused on the portrayal of Ukrainian refugees at a subnational level in East and West German newspapers utilizing securitization theory as a theoretical framework (n=48). The analysis found that Ukrainians are framed from a German-centric perspective. On the one hand, they are framed as vulnerable, requiring German aid. On the other hand, their mass migration into Germany is associated with challenges and threats utilized in securitizing moves. This suggests that the frequently cited victim and threat frames are not as mutually exclusive as previous academic literature suggests. Moreover, the threats utilized in securitizing moves are nonexistential, supporting calls for broadening the securitization framework. Contrary to what the initial hypothesis would suggest, no significant differences in the portrayal of Ukrainian refugees between Eastern and Western German newspapers were observed.Show less
This thesis aimed to explore the development of the U.S. government’s threat perception of cyber espionage through the Securitization Theory between 2011 and 2020 (Buzan et al, 1997). A case study...Show moreThis thesis aimed to explore the development of the U.S. government’s threat perception of cyber espionage through the Securitization Theory between 2011 and 2020 (Buzan et al, 1997). A case study was deployed in which the U.S. government was the case and a total of 34 governmental documents were analyzed. The analysis shows that Chinese industrial espionage is at the core of developing the threat perception of the U.S. Furthermore, the speech act, referent objects, and acceptance of a relevant audience remained fairly constant factors between 2011 and 2020. However, the level of threat that Chinese industrial cyber espionage posed to the U.S fluctuates. From 2011 until 2015, the analysis indicated an increase in the threat level but seemed to have slightly decreased between 2015 and 2016. From 2016 until 2020, the perceived threat seems to increase again. The year 2020 indicated a shift from Chinese industrial cyberespionage to Russian cyberespionage. However, the latter statement requires more rigorous analysis.Show less
Migration is an opportunity for Europe: an opportunity to increase economic and cultural development. This claim is made by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a liberal party...Show moreMigration is an opportunity for Europe: an opportunity to increase economic and cultural development. This claim is made by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a liberal party in the European Parliament. The ALDE claim to view migration as an advantage and not as a security threat, a view that xenophobic populistic parties in the European Parliament do have. There is a significant amount of academic research focused on the securitization of migration and the role of right-wing parties in the securitization process. However, research on the role of politically moderate parties in the securitization process is limited. That is why this thesis focuses on the ALDE. It seeks to examine the relation between centrist parties in the European Parliament and securitization theory by exploring how the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe securitized migration between 2011 and 2017.Show less
This thesis attempts to point out that whenever Shinzo Abe’s vision for Japan is discussed, he seems driven by emotions and new, grander agendas. While he has the Japanese interest at heart, his...Show moreThis thesis attempts to point out that whenever Shinzo Abe’s vision for Japan is discussed, he seems driven by emotions and new, grander agendas. While he has the Japanese interest at heart, his approaches to matters often make it seem as though the state’s best interest is not necessarily something on Abe’s political agenda. This thesis attempts to contextualize Shinzo Abe’s current political strategies in order to find out whether he holds ulterior motives, and questions whether his current course a matter of pride and nationalism or whether there is actually an unseen strategy involved by providing marked examples of the prime minister's past actions in the face of controversies, the constitution, and current political affairs.Show less
According to the Securitization Theory, a threat is a discursive construction that justifies extraordinary measures for the sake of security. Despite being claimed to be universally applicable, the...Show moreAccording to the Securitization Theory, a threat is a discursive construction that justifies extraordinary measures for the sake of security. Despite being claimed to be universally applicable, the theory has been subject to a large share criticism for being Euro-centric, and thus inapplicable beyond the liberal-democratic context of the 'West'. However, soon after the US launched the 'Global War on Terror' in 2001, the Chinese authorities initiated the so-called China's War on Terror against Muslim Uyghurs; part of this policy was to construct a discourse that classified the Chinese Muslims as an existential threat not only to China, but likewise to the rest of the international community. Through substantial discourse analysis, this thesis provides evidence of how China's main news outlet, Xinhua News, constructs a discourse of the Uyghurs as a threat to justify extraordinary Chinese policies directed at Islamic practices, and simultaneously underlines the argument that the ST is universally applicable.Show less
