The thesis seeks to explain the strategic motivation behind international terrorism by focusing on the audience of the violence. Specifically, it aims to explain the political motivations that...Show moreThe thesis seeks to explain the strategic motivation behind international terrorism by focusing on the audience of the violence. Specifically, it aims to explain the political motivations that drive terrorist leaders to plan or associate themselves with such attacks. The sociopolitical benefits that a terrorist organization achieves by conducting a well-organized terrorist attack can tremendously advance the organization’s interests, therefore it is important to identify these benefits and motivations.Show less
Since the euro debt crisis, a polarized debate erupted with regards to which policy measures should be taken in order to rein in excessive public debt figures and regain economic growth during a...Show moreSince the euro debt crisis, a polarized debate erupted with regards to which policy measures should be taken in order to rein in excessive public debt figures and regain economic growth during a crisis. This debate holds two sides, proponents and opponents of austerity measures. Within this context, both sides of the debate have taken Portugal’s remarkable economic recovery as a prime example of their rational. Through an analysis of policy changes that occurred between the Passos-Coelho and Antonio Costa this thesis proposes that the line of policy that the Costa government implemented suggests a nuanced version of both sides. The policies of the Costa government adhere to fiscal discipline, whilst implementing policies that protect the most vulnerable, suggesting a third way between austerity and fiscal expansion.Show less
This thesis argues that the international tax policy community is open to new ideas in times of crisis. However, in the development of an idea into policy, it is seriously weakened. Institutional...Show moreThis thesis argues that the international tax policy community is open to new ideas in times of crisis. However, in the development of an idea into policy, it is seriously weakened. Institutional norms and vested business interests have a strong conservative role in tax politics. Civil society activists fight for transparency of the practices of multinational companies in order to achieve fairer taxation. They successfully advocated a system of Country-by-Country Reporting (CbCR), where companies have to report for each country they are active in. The idea was incorporated in the 2013-2015 OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project. The global financial crisis and tax haven scandals helped galvanize political change. Previous research focusing on state actors and rational power politics cannot account for this unlikely underdog victory. Using public documents, this study traces the development of CbCR in the BEPS Project. It highlights the strong role of a global elite that is open to new ideas to legitimize its leadership of global tax policy. The OECD functions to depoliticize the process into technical discussions, where institutional norms and business interests dominate. The resulting weakened version of CbCR was implemented globally. This thesis provides an insight in the closed, though not impenetrable, bastion of international tax policy making and its mechanisms of change.Show less
Identity politics is a contested, contemporary and highly relevant term. It is used in both ends of the political spectrum and is often associated with liberal democracies. This thesis will explore...Show moreIdentity politics is a contested, contemporary and highly relevant term. It is used in both ends of the political spectrum and is often associated with liberal democracies. This thesis will explore identity polics by providing an in-depth literature analysis, arguments in favour and against the usage of it and its role with international relations (foreign policy) and democracies. Practical examples from India and the United States will be provided.Show less
This thesis considers how British trade unions responded to the suddenly realistic prospect of British membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) following De Gaulle’s resignation of the...Show moreThis thesis considers how British trade unions responded to the suddenly realistic prospect of British membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) following De Gaulle’s resignation of the French Presidency in 1969. Through an analysis of the debates on British entry to the EEC that took place at the British Trades Union Congresses of 1970 and 1971, this thesis uses verbatim historical exchanges between trade union delegates to investigate the following. Firstly, the range of opinions held by various trade unionists from both those in favour and against British entry, in the face of the tendency to view organised labour as generally united in its views. Secondly, whether or not, in arriving at their views on the European Question, trade union representatives privileged economic arguments relating to the future living standards of their members and ideas relating to how industrial relations would operate in the EEC or whether broader political considerations actually proved more prominent. Finally, whether any link existed between a union’s stance on entry and whether it represented white-collar or blue-collar British workers or whether the fact that their members worked in domestically-focused sectors or export-oriented industries was more important.Show less
Both scholars and politicians struggle to understand how the decision was made to go ahead with the annexation and for what reasons. Some scholars argue that Russia decided to annex Crimea because...Show moreBoth scholars and politicians struggle to understand how the decision was made to go ahead with the annexation and for what reasons. Some scholars argue that Russia decided to annex Crimea because of its importance as “the spiritual source” of the Russian nation, others state that Russia’s historical claim to the peninsula was the reason for the annexation (Russia possessed it until 1954 when the Soviet leadership transferred it to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic). Another group claims it was a purely strategic decision since it allowed Russia to increase its military capabilities by taking over most of the Ukrainian Black See Fleet and that this was just the start of president Putin’s great power restoration campaign . Most of the explanations are rooted in either the realist theory that revolves around power maximisation and self-interest or the constructivist theory that focusses on norms and identities. This thesis will build on the realist explanations for the annexation of Crimea, by introducing an analysis through the understudied Type III neoclassical realist theory (NCR), coined by Ripsman, Taliafero and Lobell in their book ‘Neoclassical Realist Theory of International Politics’. The neoclassical realist theory used in this research recognises that a system-only explanation is insufficient and therefore combines systemic variables with unit-level variables in attempting to explain foreign policy choices. This thesis build on the realist explanations for the annexation of Crimea, by introducing an analysis through the understudied Type III neoclassical realist theory (NCR), coined by Ripsman, Taliafero and Lobell in their book ‘Neoclassical Realist Theory of International Politics’. The neoclassical realist theory used in this research recognises that a system-only explanation is insufficient and therefore combines systemic variables with unit-level variables in attempting to explain foreign policy choices. This thesis determined if the four intervening variables neoclassical realism type III identified (e.g. leader images, strategic culture, state-society relations and domestic political institutions) affected the manner in which Russia responded to certain external stimuli (geography, military technology, distribution of power, polarity of the international system, clarity of the international system and the nature of state’s strategic environment) that lead to the annexation of Crimea. This thesis found that a state's strategic environment contributed most significantly to the decision to annex Crimea, because without the political turmoil going on within Ukraine it would have been unlikely that Russia would have succeeded. The research also found that the intervening variables of leader image and strategic culture played a part in the decision making process. Even though the strategic culture helped to gain acceptance among society, it was the leader image that was most influential in shaping the ultimate decision. In the case of Russia and Crimea, it is very clear that president Putin was the actor that made the annexation a reality.Show less
Interstate territorial conflict has seen a sharp downward trend since the end of the Cold War. This same trend has continued for claim militarization in general. However, the overall number of...Show moreInterstate territorial conflict has seen a sharp downward trend since the end of the Cold War. This same trend has continued for claim militarization in general. However, the overall number of states since the end of the World War Two has grown. More territorial disputes have come with the increasing number of states but not increasing military conflict over those disputes. This phenomenon is seen as a consequence of a lack of acceptance in the idea of conquest between states and the creation of the Territorial Integrity Norm. The overall trend has continued into the 21st Century but some fatal interstate territorial conflicts do still occur. This thesis asks, what leads to fatal interstate territorial conflict in the 21st Century (2002-2016) despite a strong trend away from fatal conflict over territory between states and how effective is fatal force? A comparative case study examining four fatal territorial conflicts that occurred within the timeline attempts to address this by analyzing the interaction of factors that lead up to a fatal event. It also explores the outcome of such action. This thesis finds that fatal action is the result of a complex interplay of domestic motives and a lack of external costs. When force is used, its effectiveness to assert control over disputed territory is limited but force can be effective in reigniting stalled diplomatic negotiations.Show less
This work discusses political strategic communication through an assessment of German television debates between chancellor candidates. The analysis of the German debates, which is based on the...Show moreThis work discusses political strategic communication through an assessment of German television debates between chancellor candidates. The analysis of the German debates, which is based on the Functional Theory and supported through the concept of collective identity, reveals that politicians construct collective identities during the political debates, in an aim to appeal to their audience and gain their votes. The Functional Theory of political campaign discourse is a widely used theory within the field of political campaign research. Most work has been conducted on television debates in the United States, yet it strives to be perceived not only as a national but as an internationally applicable theory. The paper forms a comprehensive picture of strategy within the competitive political discourse, through the application of the Functional Theory to the German political context.Show less
Public support for the EU in Turkey has been widely recognised as one of the main drivers of the improvement in EU-Turkey relations, especially in the early 2000s. Although the existing literature...Show morePublic support for the EU in Turkey has been widely recognised as one of the main drivers of the improvement in EU-Turkey relations, especially in the early 2000s. Although the existing literature mostly focuses on the individual-level determinants of the public support for EU, it somewhat fails to provide a comprehensive analysis of one of the most notable features of this support: its volatility. This volatility has been qualitatively associated with the oscillations in EU-Turkey relations, however the formal evidence is lacking in this direction. In this thesis, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, we provide a unified framework to examine the support levels for the EU both in the cross section and over time. We first put forward the most notable individual-level determinants of public support by leveraging on the existing literature. Then, we present an overview of the EU-Turkey relations in order to identify the milestones in the last decade, which may have affected the support levels. Finally, we conduct a regression analysis on a pooled sample of Standard Eurobarometer surveys between 2012-2019, which enables us to disentangle the effect of time factor from individual characteristics. Our results reveal that the revitalisation efforts of EU-Turkey relations and increasing cooperation did not translate into an increase in the Turkish public support. However, the public opinion took a positive turn after the constitutional referendum in 2017. On the determinant level, utilitarian considerations remain one of the most important determinants for support, with a growing importance of political stances (left-right).Show less
Thesis examines the Italian spy comic book series Alan Ford and its cross-cultural reading in Yugoslavia and ex-Yugoslav states as not only an ideological critique Capitalism, but also of Marxism...Show moreThesis examines the Italian spy comic book series Alan Ford and its cross-cultural reading in Yugoslavia and ex-Yugoslav states as not only an ideological critique Capitalism, but also of Marxism-Leninism and Yugoslav socialism.Show less
