Since requesting financial assistance from European and international partners in 2010, Greece has been involved in three consecutive macroeconomic adjustment programmes negotiated with the Troika...Show moreSince requesting financial assistance from European and international partners in 2010, Greece has been involved in three consecutive macroeconomic adjustment programmes negotiated with the Troika of international institutions: the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. The European heads of states decided to provide the conditional assistance at the gatherings of the Euro Summit, an organisation where they also founded the Eurogroup and set conditions for Greece to start negotiations. After preparatory work by the Troika, the Eurogroup and the IMF shaped conditions and adopted decisions on the loan programmes. The Eurozone states, which contributed the majority of financing, channelled their financial assistance through the Greek Loan Facility, the European Financial Stability Facility, and the European Stability Mechanism. The IMF participated financially in the first two programmes, while remaining in stand-by in the third. Policy conditionality was specified in Memoranda of Understanding and formally adopted in Council Decisions adopted by the Council of the EU. It mainly consisted of Greece passing a number of austerity measures combined with specifically prescribed structural reform, a strategy based on the theory of expansionary austerity. The specific institutional rules and setup have given the international institution the power to shape Greece’s public spending and legislation in key areas such as labour, social field and more. Taking into account this impact and the consideration that institutions are the most important factors in the occurrence of poverty, while examining the theoretical and practical implications of austerity, this paper builds on the position proposed by Thomas Pogge that deliberate and predictable actions that lead to poverty can be deemed a violation of human rights. In particular, it explores whether the impacts of the conditionalities imposed on Greece by the mentioned international organisations can implicate their responsibility for the effect of their policies on the state of human rights in Greece, in particular the right to work and the right to social security.Show less
In an even more globalised world, the role of international institutions has become both increasingly important and controversial. The rise of global governance also has an impact for governance at...Show moreIn an even more globalised world, the role of international institutions has become both increasingly important and controversial. The rise of global governance also has an impact for governance at the domestic level as many issues are decided, at least partly, at the international level. The question is, then, how great is this influence of international institutions at the domestic level? This thesis will explore this topic by doing a case study analysis that focuses on a specific issue, the Irish abortion law. The case study will focus on three instances in which Irish women sued the Irish state in the international courts for the suffering that the strict abortion law had caused them. The research question that will be used is ‘How did international institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union influence the abortion law in Ireland?’. This thesis’ hypothesis is that the executive power of international institutions at the domestic level is limited. Instead, the influence that international institutions have mainly flows from their ability to set international norms and standards. Through a qualitative document analysis of official court documents, court rulings, reports, and news articles, the impact of international institutions on the Irish abortion has been explored. Previous research on the practical impact of UN treaties and the concept of ‘soft power’ have been used as the foundation for the research. The main research findings are that the international institutions’ impact at the domestic level varies per domestic issue and context. Further, the hypothesis was correct in that the international institution’s involvement in the issue was considered legitimate due to its use of soft power. The final conclusion was that for the Irish abortion law specifically, an interplay of both international and domestic factors were needed for a change to be brought about.Show less
Russia-West relations have been deteriorating since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Major events, such as the Yugoslavian crisis / Kosovo war, Georgian war, and Ukrainian conflict have...Show moreRussia-West relations have been deteriorating since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Major events, such as the Yugoslavian crisis / Kosovo war, Georgian war, and Ukrainian conflict have exacerbated these declining relations. With the concept of brinkmanship as the catalyst for explaining Russian conduct in the international realm during these events, and international institutions as opposing forces, Russia-West diplomacy is explained in a new light.Show less
