Disruptions to the routine operations of ICTs in conflict situations have made cybersecurity come to ascend a prominent position in the legal and political decision-makeing of the EU....Show moreDisruptions to the routine operations of ICTs in conflict situations have made cybersecurity come to ascend a prominent position in the legal and political decision-makeing of the EU. Europeanization has been used to describe the processes by which EU decision-makeing manifests itself in the logic of, for example, national policy outcomes of those processes (see Radaelli, 2012, p. 1 as cited by Fererro & Ackrill, 2016, p.880). The literature has pointed to the significant amount of soft law which the EU has issued to regulate cybersecurity. However, per definition EU member states are not legally obliged to implement soft law. Accordingly, by utilizing Europeanization as a conceptual frame, this thesis has sought to answer the question: To what extent has non-legally binding EU soft law on cybersecurity influenced the making of the national cybersecurity policies of its MS over time? To address the research, question the thesis has taken a small-scale empirical mixed-method approach by analyzing the extent to which specifically, Germany's and Slovakia's national cybersecurity strategies have harmonized over time toward the 2020 EU cybersecurity strategy (EUCSS) as a consequence of using the soft law document in their stagey-making. The analysis suggest that the EU cybersecurity strategy did influence the national strategy-making, but that the degree of harmonization depended on the extent to which the EUCSS aligned with national ambitions and priorities. To this end, the member states actively strived to 'Europeanize' their national cybersecurity strategies.Show less
This thesis compares the discourse of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and non-OIC states concerning the topic of the “Combating Defamation of Religion” Resolution in the 61st session of...Show moreThis thesis compares the discourse of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and non-OIC states concerning the topic of the “Combating Defamation of Religion” Resolution in the 61st session of the General Assembly during Agenda Point 67. It aims to provide a better understanding of norm translation and implementation, as well as the interaction between them. It does so in order to illustrate the influence these statements have had on the formation of soft law by showing the ‘sociology of states’ contributing to the institutional translation and implementation of new norms in International Relations. It shows that even though the resolutions have been passed, the argumentation for supporting the resolution of non-OIC states is not consistent with OIC argumentation. As such, OIC efforts to instill a new norm through institutional translation of their values concerning the defamation of religions has failed to gain sufficient support.Show less
In recent years, China has made international headlines as a result of its poor factory labour conditions. Chinese leaders have observed that this international coverage has reflected poorly on the...Show moreIn recent years, China has made international headlines as a result of its poor factory labour conditions. Chinese leaders have observed that this international coverage has reflected poorly on the country and greatly impacted its image both internationally and domestically. Therefore new strategies to (re)build China's image have utilized CSR in order to gain a certain influence and stability in the national and international sphere.Show less
