The US embargo against Cuba is the longest-running economic sanctions package that has ever been implemented. This thesis analyses the factors influencing the effectiveness of sanctions in the US...Show moreThe US embargo against Cuba is the longest-running economic sanctions package that has ever been implemented. This thesis analyses the factors influencing the effectiveness of sanctions in the US-Cuba case.Show less
Parsimonious system-based theories take center stage within the scholarly field of International Relations. Assuming the international system to be the key determinant of international politics,...Show moreParsimonious system-based theories take center stage within the scholarly field of International Relations. Assuming the international system to be the key determinant of international politics, they aim to explain any geopolitical event. Utilizing 60 speeches from United States presidents Obama and Trump, and employing China’s Belt and Road Initiative as an important divide, this thesis will examine the role of agency, through the individual leadership of both Obama and Trump, within the realm of international politics.Show less
The prime purpose of this paper is examining the varieties of Orientalist discourse in major Hollywood war movies which simultaneous depict Afghanistan and show favour towards US foreign policy. In...Show moreThe prime purpose of this paper is examining the varieties of Orientalist discourse in major Hollywood war movies which simultaneous depict Afghanistan and show favour towards US foreign policy. In order to draw a conclusion, the methodological framework was set using Orientalist themes from the work of Edward Said as a way of examining the discourse within the sample movies. The first movie examined is Rambo: First Blood III, set during the close of the Cold War. To have variety across the movies’ political landscapes and times, the second examined was the award-winning Zero Dark Thirty, set in the post-9/11 era. The last movie, Lone Survivor, however, was picked in order to challenge my main hypothesis – it is a US war movie depicting brotherhood between the two sides. My main conclusion was that the motive throughout all three movies was the Orientalist mindscape being exploited for military justification of the US wars abroad. Be it supporting or demonising the other, it always had a favourable outcome for US foreign policy rather than being critical of it. Seen from the point of view of art reflecting reality, it serves as a model showcasing how Orientalist discourse can be exploited, thus motivating military operations in the Orient. This in turn amplifies conflict and creates false symbolic imprints on audiences attracted to the genre.Show less
After the surrender of Japan following WWII, the US occupied Japan for seven years until 1952 – while remaining in Okinawa until 1972. The aim of the occupation’s administration was to demilitarise...Show moreAfter the surrender of Japan following WWII, the US occupied Japan for seven years until 1952 – while remaining in Okinawa until 1972. The aim of the occupation’s administration was to demilitarise and democratise Japan. One of the goals to achieve this aim was the decartelisation of Japan and the dissolution of the Zaibatsu. However, while the decartelisation of Japan was an early goal of the administration, the dissolution of the Zaibatsu was never fully realised. The occupation’s administration was concerned with New Deal liberalist reforms at the onset of the occupation. However, after the first two years of the occupation, the US shifted its decartelisation policy from economic reform to economic recovery in what has been dubbed as Japan’s reverse course. The origin of the reverse course has often been explained as a Cold War phenomenon. However, through archival research, this thesis shows that domestic factors such as the US domestic economic situation and the Republican victory in the 80th Congress significantly changed the course of the Zaibatsu dissolution. As such, these “intermestic” issues influenced the shift away from economic reform to economic recovery and the result of this can be seen in the Japanese economy to this day.Show less
In this thesis, I analyze journal articles from The Annals of American Academy of Political and Social Science during the 1910s to better understand the conceptualization of American foreign policy...Show moreIn this thesis, I analyze journal articles from The Annals of American Academy of Political and Social Science during the 1910s to better understand the conceptualization of American foreign policy during this period. This was a period of change and shifts, when European imperial powers were receding in global hegemony and American power was ascending. I argue that the authors of these articles interpreted this period of change as an opportunity for America and articulated a new global order by political, economic, and social interaction of global affairs through US intervention.Show less
This thesis argues that the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as part of the War on Terror declared by President Bush in the aftermath of 9/11 can be seen in the light of American Exceptionalism. American...Show moreThis thesis argues that the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as part of the War on Terror declared by President Bush in the aftermath of 9/11 can be seen in the light of American Exceptionalism. American Exceptionalism has actively been used as a discursive tool to justify US foreign intervention in the past. By looking at the historical context of American Exceptionalism one will see how American Exceptionalism originated, how it was adapted and how it was often manipulated by prominent figures in a way that served national interests throughout time. Myths and illusions surrounding American Exceptionalism were created which became part of a discourse that shaped and strengthened US national identity over the centuries. However, in the aftermath of 9/11, these pre-existing beliefs were shattered and a national identity crisis followed. Nonetheless, President Bush managed to once again accommodate and reaffirm the pre-existing national truths and to simultaneously reshape and reform them in a way that made American Exceptionalism become a state fantasy. The discourse surrounding this state fantasy became an important tool for President Bush to justify the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.Show less
