In 2020, more than one hundred documents were classified in Italy throughout the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic. The scope of the following thesis is to contribute to the live debate...Show moreIn 2020, more than one hundred documents were classified in Italy throughout the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic. The scope of the following thesis is to contribute to the live debate in intelligence studies, on transparency and secrecy, by proposing a case study on the Italian experience during the first six months of 2020. It will delve specifically into the accountability channel present between the committee for the security of the republic and the prime minister Conte as head of the intelligence services. Results shows the partial capacity of the committee to ensure transparency and legitimacy over the prime minister who, by utilizing national security as a constant justification, severely manipulated the use of state secrecy for his own purposes. Thus, suggestions propose the need to implement a stronger oversight mechanism to ensure a reasonable use of secrecy in times of crisis.Show less
The main research question of this thesis is “to what extent has the position of women within Afghan society regressed since the 2021 Taliban takeover?” This paper will analyse how the recent shift...Show moreThe main research question of this thesis is “to what extent has the position of women within Afghan society regressed since the 2021 Taliban takeover?” This paper will analyse how the recent shift in Afghan governance has impacted the social status of women in Afghanistan. The social status indicators will be “labour force participation,” political participation,” “education,” and “healthcare”. In contrast to many other studies in the field, this thesis also highlights the importance of the cultural and historical context of Afghanistan since its independence in 1919. Using a variety of literature, research, and reports, this thesis’ findings show that most of the progress made post-2001 has almost completely disappeared since the 2021 government shift in Afghanistan.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to conduct research on challenges to the effectiveness of the WhatsApp neighbourhood watch team (WNWT) ‘Buurtpreventie Uithofslaan’ in The Hague, as a security network....Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to conduct research on challenges to the effectiveness of the WhatsApp neighbourhood watch team (WNWT) ‘Buurtpreventie Uithofslaan’ in The Hague, as a security network. WhatsApp neighbourhood watch teams are continuing to increase in number and use, especially with the shift into a ‘smartphone society’. Relevance lies in the necessity to understand whether this growth of WNWT’s and their use is justified, or if they primarily make the lives of participating member-residents harder. The research question ‘What are the challenges to the effectiveness of a WhatsApp neighbourhood watch team?’ has been answered. The method used for research conducting consists of a mixed method approach, involving five semi-structured interviews with members of ‘Buurtpreventie Uithofslaan’, and a document analysis regarding the groups’ messages. The analysis had displayed multiple challenges findings to the effectiveness of a WNWT. Firstly, ‘non-safety’ related messages, and messages deemed as panicking and/or false alarm. Furthermore, information overload inside of the group, the size of the group, and emerging confrontations inside the group. Lastly, distrust amongst the WNWT’s members and lack of actual action taking by the groups’ residents form the final revealed challenges. While the thought of a neighbourhood watch team seems terrific, there are multiple challenges to its effectiveness that cause problems. These existing challenges take away (some) value of ‘Buurtpreventie Uithofslaan’. Recommendations to tackle some challenges hear: creating an alternate (WNWT) group inside of the neighbourhood, and the assessing of some members as actual action takers so the lack of action-taking will dissolve. Limitations lie in the fact that this study cannot quantify its effect in large scales study hence the relatively short period and therefore small data samples.Show less
Dear reader, This thesis uses levels and indicators of effectiveness and legitimacy intending to identify challenges to the effectiveness and legitimacy of the National Coordinator of...Show moreDear reader, This thesis uses levels and indicators of effectiveness and legitimacy intending to identify challenges to the effectiveness and legitimacy of the National Coordinator of Counterterrorism in the Netherlands (NCTV). A literature review is conducted to assess different scholars’ work on measuring the effectiveness and legitimacy of security networks. This literature review develops the indicators that are utilized in the thesis. The indicators for effectiveness are a controlling state actor, goal consensus, and network structure. Whereas the indicators for legitimacy are democratic (parliamentary authority), legal (a clear legal framework), and social legitimacy (transparency). Afterward, to identify the challenges, this thesis implements document analysis. By the latter, this thesis identifies and explains challenges to the effectiveness and legitimacy of the NCTV by using news articles, and parliamentary documents, e.g., a debate concerning the NCTV. Using the indicators, the challenges are identified. Ultimately, these challenges are discussed using quotes and pieces from hearings, debates, and news articles. It is significant to identify the challenges to effectiveness and legitimacy as this lays the groundwork for further research on NCTV’s activities.Show less
The shaping of voter preferences on migration policies are contingent on a wide variety of factors, most notably economic concerns. This thesis aims to develop a comprehensive analysis which builds...Show moreThe shaping of voter preferences on migration policies are contingent on a wide variety of factors, most notably economic concerns. This thesis aims to develop a comprehensive analysis which builds on the general assessments of the performance of government, thereby replacing the need to include complex behavioral models and economic perspective theory with a comprehensive singular government actor. In addition, through the utilization of experimental methods, this study focuses on testing whether government performance has the claimed causal effect on voter disposition towards immigration policies. Using survey data gathered with the use of non-random convenience sampling and a custom survey, this thesis finds through quantitative analysis that individual voters prioritize their stance on migration policies over economic considerations when evaluating governments and their proposed migration (de-) liberalization. Meaning that despite perceiving a decline in economic performance, respondents maintained positive dispositions towards governments which undertook efforts to promote migration liberalization. Moreover, voters seem to demonstrate greater support for governments that exhibit commitments to liberalized migration policies in conjunction with an increased performance on economic matters. The study's findings challenge conventional wisdom that economic concerns are the primary driver of voter attitudes towards migration policies.Show less
The post-Cold War transnational nature of security threats asks for intelligence and security cooperation. In addition, within the global order of interdependence, a regional approach to security...Show moreThe post-Cold War transnational nature of security threats asks for intelligence and security cooperation. In addition, within the global order of interdependence, a regional approach to security have become increasingly important. As a result of the US-led War on Drugs, Colombia has become apparent for its role as a security exporter in the ‘South-South’ context. However, what has been neglected in academia, is the wider convergence in Latin America concerning the altered regional security environment and the drivers that allowed the shift from traditional ‘North-South’ towards ‘South-South’ intelligence cooperation. This paper presents the application of Regional Security Complex Theory towards Colombia’s geopolitical position and liaison relationships in 21st-century Latin America. By examining English as well as Spanish news sources and academic research, it shows that a variety of interrelated push-and-pull factors and have caused Colombia’s emerging disintegration from the South American Regional Security Complex. More importantly, it reveals that the War on Drugs resulted in Colombia becoming a benchmark in anti-narcotics security and intelligence cooperation and the ‘Colombianization of Mexico’. Ultimately, it caused wide-ranging bilateral intelligence initiatives between Colombia and Mexico as well as triangular agreements in which Colombia acts as a proxy for United States interests. These patterns of amity culminated in Mexico becoming the largest recipient of security and intelligence cooperation from Colombia worldwide.Show less
This thesis examines to what extent authoritarianism persists in Chile's intelligence and security services since democratisation in 1990. The scars left by the oppressive regime of Augusto...Show moreThis thesis examines to what extent authoritarianism persists in Chile's intelligence and security services since democratisation in 1990. The scars left by the oppressive regime of Augusto Pinochet, and the brutal practices of the DINA and the CNI, continue to impact Chile and its intelligence agencies. The intelligence agencies cannot operate effectively due to the historical legacy of authoritarianism within Chilean intelligence services, this thesis examines which indicators affect the intelligence agencies. Incorporating evidence from literature and polling data, this thesis demonstrates three major factors in how authoritarianism persists in the Chilean intelligence services. This thesis argues that the deep-rooted issues of fear, distrust, polarisation, and their consequential effects present significant obstacles for the intelligence services to function optimally. The influence of the Pinochet era on the intelligence landscape of Chile is profound, as the regime relied heavily on repressive intelligence operations. The transition to democracy marked an important turning point, but the legacy of authoritarianism continues to cast a long shadow over the intelligence services. The trauma experienced during the Pinochet era has engendered fear, a deep lack of trust and polarisation, which negatively influence intelligence services.Show less
This paper explores the research question: in which way can postmodern feminist theory explain how gender ideology is constructed in the extreme right-wing manifestos of Brenton Tarrant and Elliot...Show moreThis paper explores the research question: in which way can postmodern feminist theory explain how gender ideology is constructed in the extreme right-wing manifestos of Brenton Tarrant and Elliot Rodger? Using a postmodern feminist theoretical framework that emphasizes the role of discourse and language in shaping gender ideology, the paper uses critical discourse analysis to identify the role of gendered discourse. By coding the manifestos for feminine and masculine ideology, taking into account power relations, this paper aims to identify in which way gender ideology and far-right extremism are connected. The findings show that both Tarrant’s and Rodger’s manifestos contain language and ideas that reinforce traditional gender ideology and hierarchies. These gendered iterations are in tune with the growing attention within the far-right for traditional gender hierarchy and hegemonic masculinity. This trend warrants further attention, and this paper aims to shed light on this phenomenon.Show less
This study analyses the differences in which the Islamic State targets female and male audiences by focusing on the following question, “To what extent do the recruitment narratives used by the...Show moreThis study analyses the differences in which the Islamic State targets female and male audiences by focusing on the following question, “To what extent do the recruitment narratives used by the Islamic State differ when targeting female versus male audiences within their magazine, Dabiq?”. To answer this question of interest, this study performs a comparative Thematic Analysis of the English-language magazine Dabiq, specifically examining the “Among The Believers Are Men” and “To/From Our Sisters” sections. It further integrates the Framing Theory developed by Goffman (1974) to examine how the recruitment narratives used by the Islamic State differ when targeting female and male audiences. The study’s findings further demonstrate that gender-specific differences are prevalent in three out of four distinguished categories. These were: ‘Community, Belonging and Meaning’, ‘Gender Roles’’ and ‘Establishment of Common Enemies’. The category of ‘Obligation’ did not portray any differences in the content of the recruitment narratives when differentiating it between the female audience versus the one of men. This signifies that the Islamic State also turns to alternative methods. The analysis of this study substantiates the literature presented by other authors, as their results correspond to and support the findings of this study. However, this study’s results stand in contrast as they differentiate between the content of the recruitment narratives that are used to target women versus men. The study concludes that to tackle Islamic State recruitment, it is essential to understand which gender differences within which recruitment narratives influence individuals to join the organisation. This emphasises the need for further studies to conduct interviews with the returnees of the Islamic State and examine the factors that served as their motivations to join the organisation.Show less
An economic crisis can influence people´s behavior in various ways. One area that is significantly impacted is grocery shopping, as people adapt their shopping habits to the economic situation....Show moreAn economic crisis can influence people´s behavior in various ways. One area that is significantly impacted is grocery shopping, as people adapt their shopping habits to the economic situation. Therefore, this thesis aims at answering the research questions: How do the effects of the 2023 Economic Crisis filter down into the grocery shopping habits of international students (20-25 y/o) in the Hague, The Netherlands?. Through ethnographic research methods, namely in-depth interviews and supermarket follow-along observations, this study analyses data collected from 10 international students. This inquiry found that there was a difference in the perception and definition of an economic crisis, especially between European and non-European students. The most notable changes reported of the participants grocery shopping habits were the increase in price checking and comparison and looking out for sales. Apart from that, the participants registered a decrease in the enjoyment of shopping for groceries and food in general. This study adds to the growing body of ethnography in crisis literature and examines how everyday live is affected by the economic crisis. This is relevant to understand, especially for governments and policy makers, to ensure food and financial security during a crisis.Show less
Abstract This dissertation analyses chat robot Wout as an Artificial Intelligence driven chatbot implemented in the Dutch police force in the public sector. The purpose of this study is to provide...Show moreAbstract This dissertation analyses chat robot Wout as an Artificial Intelligence driven chatbot implemented in the Dutch police force in the public sector. The purpose of this study is to provide an assessment of chat robots in the Dutch public sector supported by a private entity. The current developments of Artificial Intelligence are providing a wide array of opportunities for chat robots to be implemented. The application of these technologies, however, is associated with challenges and limitations. The research consists of a literature review, a case study, an interview study, and a qualitative study on the application of Artificial Intelligence in the Dutch public, analysing policy documents, media reports, and empirical studies. This thesis could be considered a steppingstone for public-private partnerships facilitating Artificial Intelligence implementation in the public sector by addressing the Dutch Police Force, the current Wout product owner, and the Wout users.Show less
Since 9/11 and the migration crisis which followed after the Arab spring migration has been increasingly securitised within Europe. Meaning that polarisation and discrimination have increased...Show moreSince 9/11 and the migration crisis which followed after the Arab spring migration has been increasingly securitised within Europe. Meaning that polarisation and discrimination have increased against migrants and that migration into a country has been seen as a threat to the host country and its population. Instead of securitising boundaries it is important to understand what causes radicalisation amongst migrants and whether measures can be taken to decrease this radicalisation. Understanding radicalisation processes amongst migrants can not only help migrants but also the host countries’ population. Thus the research question that will be answered is: whether addressing root causes of radicalisation can be an alternative to securitising boundaries. To do so, a root cause model has been used which looks at causes of radicalisation on both a macro and micro level, this root cause model is supplemented by a SWOT analysis. By using a SWOT analysis, specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats can be identified regarding root causes of radicalisation. While much research has been done on the root causes of radicalisation amongst migrants, most of the times these are treated as individual causes, by using a SWOT analysis the root causes can be mapped upon which relevant strategies can be developed which hope to reduce the radicalisation of migrants. The SWOT analysis will evaluate separate root causes of radicalisation while mapping them in the SWOT matrix, once this is done strategies will be proposed which aim to emphasize strengths, reduce weaknesses, create opportunities or reduce threats. Hopefully with this research better strategies can be employed in addressing the root causes of radicalisation amongst migrants while also providing an alternative to securitising migration which can increase discrimination and polarisation regarding migrants within a country.Show less
Violent extremism has impacted Pakistan since its establishment in 1947. However since 2014, a rise of extremism can be highlighted due to an increase of attacks on civilians. As a response, the...Show moreViolent extremism has impacted Pakistan since its establishment in 1947. However since 2014, a rise of extremism can be highlighted due to an increase of attacks on civilians. As a response, the Pakistani government has shifted the focus away from using violence, to formulating various policy documents. Current academic literature is non-western and solely uses policy documents to analyse CVE. Through a discourse analysis, this paper uses interviews with former and current senior officials, and Pakistani policy documents to analyse overarching themes and differences on the evolution of CVE policies. Accordingly, the research question that this paper seeks to answer is: ‘What is the evolution of Pakistan’s counter-violent extremism policies and how has this affected the country's approach to addressing the threat of extremism?’ The findings indicate that there has been no real revolution since the formulation of the first policy document as they all resemble each other, and that there has been a lack of implementation. Moreover, interviews revealed that extremism is deeply engrained within its society due to the strong link between religion and governmental institutions. These challenges explain the difficulties that hinder the country’s CVE efforts. Limitation of this study includes the sample size and the online setting of the interviews, therefore future research should conduct increase the amount of interviews on the ground.Show less
Abstract This paper focuses on the impact of democratic decay on the intelligence services in Ecuador. It assesses what specific events led to organizational and legislative changes within the...Show moreAbstract This paper focuses on the impact of democratic decay on the intelligence services in Ecuador. It assesses what specific events led to organizational and legislative changes within the national intelligence system of Ecuador. Both changes in capabilities and practices of the intelligence services will be discussed, focusing on the period after 2007 until the present day. The creation of new intelligence agencies takes a central role in this discussion. The Dirección Nacional de Inteligencia (DNI), the Secretaría Nacional de Inteligencia (Senain) and the Centro de inteligencia estratégica (Cies) are thoroughly analysed and compared to one another. The organizational goals, practices and capabilities of these agencies are further discussed and synthesized within the analysis portion of this paper. The legislative frameworks within these intelligence agencies perform their duties is provided in a conceptual framework section. To look at specific events that led to changes in the Ecuadorian national intelligence system, press data collection was performed. Articles that met the inclusion criteria were collected from online news archives, Factiva and Google news archives. The Columbian raid near Angostura, the 2010 police revolt, multiple instances of fraud and instances of political espionage are discussed in this manner. Democratic decay played an important part in why these events were able to impact the intelligence services in Ecuador. These intelligence services were impacted by democratic decay in a multitude of areas, such as target selection, means of obtaining information, leadership, organizational capabilities, transparency and fiscal oversight.Show less
