This thesis examines the role of the norm of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) during the 2017 Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. Literature shows humanitarian crises have continuously impacted the norm...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of the norm of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) during the 2017 Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. Literature shows humanitarian crises have continuously impacted the norm of R2P since 2005, shifting it towards or away from internalization in the international community. The 2017 crisis in Myanmar presented an opportunity for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to implement the norm yet are widely regarded unsuccessful in doing so. Through conducting a Discourse-Theoretical Analysis (DTA) of UNSC meeting records on the Rohingya crisis, this thesis explores the norm’s (lack of) influence at the time. The analysis finds the duty of a government to protect its citizens and the duty of the international community to assist a struggling government are widely accepted, yet the duty of the international community to protect citizens against their own government is not. Finally, this thesis urges for further research on discourse and R2P to understand what drives UNSC member states in adhering to or rejecting the norm.Show less
Directly or indirectly, diplomacy affects us all, it is thus important to have diverse representation. However, this is not an easy feat. This research focuses on the reasons for the low percentage...Show moreDirectly or indirectly, diplomacy affects us all, it is thus important to have diverse representation. However, this is not an easy feat. This research focuses on the reasons for the low percentage of women in senior diplomacy compared to the number of women in the field altogether. This was researched by conducting a case study in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where 12 employees were interviewed. A literature review combined with in-depth interviewing showed three main obstacles that prevent equal representation in senior diplomacy. Diplomacy is still associated with men, who are associated with having hard skills. Women are associated with soft skills and thus less likely to be seen as suitable candidates for leadership. Moreover, women carry out gender specific actions that add pressure on top of their work, which can increase the likelihood of women leaving the field. Gender specific actions are related to dealing with misidentification, undervaluation, and the lack of access to old-boys’ networks. Networking is essential in promotion rounds and as women are often kept out of these circles, levelling up becomes a challenge. In addition, the career of a women can differ from that of a man, around which diplomacy is structured, due to part time work related to family responsibilities or due to maternity leave. This takes a gap out of a woman’s career path and can make it difficult for women to catch up to men and reach the senior levels. Based on the findings, research must be done to combat these challenges to create equal opportunities for women in diplomacy to reach the diplomatic top and break the glass ceiling.Show less
China’s rise has been accompanied by its growing presence in maritime affairs. With China possessing the largest fishing industry in the world, its national fishing industry constitutes a central...Show moreChina’s rise has been accompanied by its growing presence in maritime affairs. With China possessing the largest fishing industry in the world, its national fishing industry constitutes a central player in China’s expanding maritime presence. The fishing industry is vital for China’s food and economic security, and thus securing access to and power over fish resources is essential. Consequently, China’s fishing industry has been expanding beyond China’s inshore waters to the regional waters of the South China Sea and distant waters surrounding Africa and Latin America. As China’s fishing activities become increasingly global, the fishing industry will increasingly affect global ocean governance. Therefore, this research paper tackles the question of how the geopolitics of China’s fishing industry impacts upon contemporary global ocean governance, and specifically investigates China’s fishing operations in the regions of the South China Sea, West Africa, and Latin America. Through performing a within-case analysis, analyzing the case of China’s fishing industry, and drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data sources, it is evident that China’s geopolitically driven fishing activities in the various regions pose a threat to the central pillars of the current global ocean governance regime, namely the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Sustainable Development Goal 14, and blue economic development. Therefore, the geopolitics of China’s fishing industry undermines contemporary global ocean governance.Show less
The acknowledgement of climate change as a contemporary existential threat to humankind has been prompting scholarly debate on how it might influence the future of nation-states, nationalism, and...Show moreThe acknowledgement of climate change as a contemporary existential threat to humankind has been prompting scholarly debate on how it might influence the future of nation-states, nationalism, and their makings. This theoretical discussion has notably included the question of whether appealing to the emotions of nationalism could make national communities willing to make the effort and sacrifice needed to tackle climate change. It remains to be questioned, however, what are the implications of resorting to the affective blueprint provided by nationalism in the era of climate change in both scholarship and policymaking. By performing Qualitative Content Analysis and Emotional Discourse Analysis, this work aims to address this question by empirically mapping the narratives and emotions of the nationalist environmental rhetoric of President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration in Brazil, one that portrays climate change as a threat to the nation-state’s identity and sovereignty and yet explicitly advances climate denialism. The empirical results indicate three core problems with the emotions of nationalism in the era of climate change as they entail five distinct types of exclusions. It is hoped that this research can provide evidence of what the implications of resorting to nationalism may be as far-right nativist populism makes its way into global politics. Importantly, it also seeks to dialogue with attempts at creating typologies of national discourses engaging with climate change and with methodological efforts to systematically incorporate emotions as a promising level of analysis in International Relations research.Show less
Mass Media and Public Opinion constitute crucial fields in most democratic societies. Yet, their relationship remains uncertain in terms of causality. Some researchers argue that mass media have a...Show moreMass Media and Public Opinion constitute crucial fields in most democratic societies. Yet, their relationship remains uncertain in terms of causality. Some researchers argue that mass media have a significant influence on public opinion, while others contend that public opinion is shaped primarily by real-world events and in turn influences their media coverage. The case study of this paper is the American media coverage of the Israeli settlements. The stimulus for this study was the change in American public opinion; in particular, a 2021 survey revealed a slight rise in the support for the Palestinian side and a gradual decrease in the support for the Israeli one, which is a rare phenomenon, given that the American public opinion has remained stable and pro-Israeli for a long time. Therefore, the question that has been generated based on the change in the American polls is whether this decrease in the support of the Israelis is aligning with the framing being used by the media and specifically with the coverage of the Israeli settlements.Show less
This thesis explores the tension between norms and state-interests in EU foreign policy. It focuses on the energy sanctions against Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine and argues that it is...Show moreThis thesis explores the tension between norms and state-interests in EU foreign policy. It focuses on the energy sanctions against Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine and argues that it is a case in which norms prevail over state-interests. It uncovers the different steps from the beginning of the war on the 24th of February 2022 to the adoption of an oil embargo on the 3rd of June by the council. It analyses how despite diverging interests among the member states, a consensus was reached in the European council.Show less
A socio-historical, comparative curriculum study in both time (1945-2010s) and space (France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) concerning the representation of European identity in two types...Show moreA socio-historical, comparative curriculum study in both time (1945-2010s) and space (France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) concerning the representation of European identity in two types of secondary school curricula: the formal curricula of these four Western European countries and the so-called 'ideological curricula' consisting out of international recommendations from the Council of Europe and UNESCO. The starting point of the research is that a majority of citizens in the European Union consider themselves to feel 'European' in one way or another according to Eurobarometer surveys. The thesis further explores the relationship with curriculum reforms and international educational organisations since 1945. The idea of having complementary, international forms of identity and citizenship requires the increase of international understanding among citizens over time. Meanwhile, fostering international understanding has generally been the main purpose of UNESCO. Curriculum construction is a comprehensive, unfathomable process, but the four cases of formal curricula demonstrate the rise of a global scope in history education throughout the decades. The thesis suggests that education can be understood as a gearwheel accelerating the processes of European integration that were already in place.Show less
