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
This research paper explored the passport through a postcolonial lens. An existing passport hierarchy motivated the questioning of the performative role that the passport plays in subordinating and...Show moreThis research paper explored the passport through a postcolonial lens. An existing passport hierarchy motivated the questioning of the performative role that the passport plays in subordinating and marginalizing the Global South. It was found that through the process of “Othering,” the passport has played a role in consolidating colonial legacy. To investigate this, a Critical discourse analysis was conducted on the Egyptian film Assal Eswed (2010) to gain better understanding on the discourse around passports and how the Global South is made to feel inferior through it. The film was mapped into themes which display power relations rooted in colonial history. The findings are useful in understanding several key debates in International Relations such as, immigration, refugee crisis, power relations, and colonial legacy.Show less
The people of the Lake Chad Basin area have been suffering under long periods of violence and bad governance. On top of these problems the region has historically had a lower GDP per person than...Show moreThe people of the Lake Chad Basin area have been suffering under long periods of violence and bad governance. On top of these problems the region has historically had a lower GDP per person than the rest of Nigeria, which is linked to a vulnerability to civil war. These issues have received much attention over the years, but little progress has been made in developing the region. State presence is low, with local governments abandoning the basin because of the threat of Boko Haram. This thesis argues that how three institutions, the government, Boko Haram, and the traditional authorities interact with each other is at the core of the lack of progress in breaking the vicious cycle of underdevelopment in the Nigerian part of the Lake Chad Basin. For a while the Nigerian state made little effort to assert its hegemony over the Lake Chad Basin. However, neglect of this area gave space to other groups to assert themselves. Nigeria did not feel the need to assert its control over the region because they were not dependent on that area. The discovery of oil which coincided with Nigerian independence made the federal government less reliant on tax income from the northern state which meant there was little to gain for the federal government in the Lake Chad Basin.Show less
The complex and fluid molecule H2O water addresses multiple societal needs. A plethora of water resources, however, are not situated within one single country, which reveals that water crosses...Show moreThe complex and fluid molecule H2O water addresses multiple societal needs. A plethora of water resources, however, are not situated within one single country, which reveals that water crosses static political boundaries and does not respect state sovereignty. Thus, there are water-related scholarly studies, which contain various hydro-political frameworks, which describe and evaluate international hydro-relations within transboundary river basins. The aim of this thesis is to explore the asymmetric power relationships in the Congo River Basin by using the Framework of Hydro-Hegemony, which brings forward a new proposal for the analysis of international transboundary water relations. In order to do so, this thesis operationalises the conceptual framework to put it into practice. The results of the application of the Framework of Hydro-Hegemony to the Congo River Basin show that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the Hydro-Hegemon in this international river basin, which exercises power over the transboundary water resources in the region. More specifically, it has clear geographical, bargaining, and ideational power advantages due to its predominant geographical position in the Congo River Basin and its role in the regional river basin organisation CICOS. The material power dimension, however, delivered ambiguous results.Show less
Going beyond the Eurocentric perspective that is predominant in the discipline of International Relations (IR), this thesis demonstrates the valuable insights that can be gathered by starting an...Show moreGoing beyond the Eurocentric perspective that is predominant in the discipline of International Relations (IR), this thesis demonstrates the valuable insights that can be gathered by starting an analysis of an internationally relevant topic such as energy security from the viewpoint of commonly marginalised actors. The term ‘marginalised’ refers to actors geographically located in the ‘Global South’ (in this case North Africa) and previously analytically marginalised actors within IR, such as non-state actors. Moreover, this paper provides an informed response to the allegedly neocolonial character of the controversial Desertec project, a transnational energy partnership between the European Union and Middle Eastern and North African states. To be able to do so, the paper adopts an African (Moroccan) agency perspective based on the analytical framework provided by William Brown and a number of selected determinants of agency such as political bargaining power, image management or popular resistance. The paper finds that in its original form, that is, as Desertec was envisioned by its founding father Gerhard Trieb, the Desertec project cannot be described as a European neocolonial project. Yet, in its attempted realisation, Desertec – both the original large-scale project and the following individual projects – certainly had hegemonic features. Its hegemonic character, however, did not exclude and was even partly based upon African actors’ agency. Thus, while European actors still seem to determine the type of international relations held with African countries, North African state and non-state actors demonstrated significant, yet highly uneven agency in the Desertec context, thereby disproving generally held prejudices about African states’ passivity and inferiority in the international system.Show less
Plastic carrier bags are a big source of plastic pollution all around the world. To combat environmental degradation, Kenya has adopted a ban on plastic bags in 2017. This action has made Kenya...Show morePlastic carrier bags are a big source of plastic pollution all around the world. To combat environmental degradation, Kenya has adopted a ban on plastic bags in 2017. This action has made Kenya join the forefront of global environmental policy with regards to plastic pollution. Despite the accompanied strict penalties, the Kenyan ban on plastic bags is globally regarded as an environmental success story. Nonetheless, there are various other positive and negative effects of the ban. This thesis examines the social, environmental, and economic effects of the plastic bag ban in Kenya to determine how effective the 2017 ban has been. These three factors are intertwined and affect one another, sometimes leading to indirect negative side effects of an initial positive consequence. Taking all of the effects of the ban into account, this thesis concludes that although the environmental intentions behind the ban were to reach sustainable development in Kenya, there have been many negative consequences of the ban that have lowered its success.Show less
This thesis explores the UN’s Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, specifically focusing on its implementation in South Sudan from 2005 to 2018. Promulgated in 2005, the R2P doctrine aimed to...Show moreThis thesis explores the UN’s Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, specifically focusing on its implementation in South Sudan from 2005 to 2018. Promulgated in 2005, the R2P doctrine aimed to prevent the occurrence of mass atrocity crimes, these being genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. Most of the public debate about and literature on R2P has focused on the use of coercive measures by the international community in general and on potential military interventions for humanitarian purposes in particular. This thesis instead takes a more holistic approach to analysing R2P, discussing all three pillars of the doctrine. These are the state’s responsibility to protect (Pillar I); international assistance and capacity building (Pillar II); and a timely and decisive response by the international community in a situation where mass atrocities are imminent or are already being perpetrated (Pillar III). After exploring the literature on R2P and explaining the methodology that will be used, the thesis then explores the implementation of the doctrine before and during the South Sudanese Civil War. The thesis finds that the South Sudanese government were ineffective in adopting measures to protect its population from mass atrocities. Indeed, some policies actually increased the risk of such crimes while important government members and political elites were actively involved in the crimes that were perpetrated. It also finds that the international community’s assistance under Pillar II was generally well-intentioned but often misguided, while the timely and decisive response under Pillar III was hamstrung by an unwillingness to utilise or even consider all of the tools available.Show less
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights are increasingly promoted by states around the world. The states that promote LGBT rights globally are often perceived as positive and...Show moreLesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights are increasingly promoted by states around the world. The states that promote LGBT rights globally are often perceived as positive and modernising forces that seek to uphold human rights. However, LGBT rights have progressively become a powerful political tool that states can employ for motives that go beyond altruism. This thesis explores how the United Kingdom used LGBT rights in their foreign policy towards Uganda.Show less
Since the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the strive for gender equality and female empowerment has gained momentum. Yet, how to achieve gender equality and female empowerment...Show moreSince the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the strive for gender equality and female empowerment has gained momentum. Yet, how to achieve gender equality and female empowerment remains debated – especially in the realm of politics. African countries are increasingly resorting to electoral gender quotas to reach higher female representation in national legislatures. While scholars have analysed the effect of political regime structure on female representation, they have not accounted for the effects of gender quotas. Thus, this thesis assesses the impact of political regime structure on gender quotas in empowering women by comparing authoritarian Rwanda and democratic Senegal. Female empowerment is measured through an in-depth analysis of descriptive, substantive and symbolic female representation. The paper finds that women in both Rwanda and Senegal have become increasingly empowered as a result of gender quotas.Show less
Constructivism has introduced a new perspective on International Relations (IR) which emphasizes ideational factors for the formation of state interests. Similarly, the so called ‘Emotional Turn’...Show moreConstructivism has introduced a new perspective on International Relations (IR) which emphasizes ideational factors for the formation of state interests. Similarly, the so called ‘Emotional Turn’ in IR advocates for an academic assessment of emotions in international politics and how the experience of feelings like humiliation, pride, anger shapes state behavior. This research aims to contribute to the Emotional Turn by proposing an academic assessment of the expression of victimhood as a dimension of a state’s identity using the case study of Israel. As IR theory is becoming more aware of ideational and emotional drivers of state action, conceptualizing victimhood in International Relations is an important endeavor. Victimhood is a social psychological concept describing a status or identity that the victim ascribes to themselves after suffering trauma. What are the emotional categories underlying a self-ascribed victimhood in Israel’s identity discourse towards international community? The methodological assessment employs Emotions Discourse Analysis to identify the categories and connotations of victimhood uttered in the speeches of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in his Annual Addresses to the UN General Assembly from 2015 to 2017. Understanding the emotional component of identity markers such as victimhood might offer policy makers new ways of reconciling ongoing conflicts and add to the ongoing debate on the impact of emotions in International Relations and discourse analysis.Show less
For decades, Mozambique was a showcase of a beneficial Western aid recipient on the African continent. However, following a national debt crisis and the global financial crisis in 2008, the country...Show moreFor decades, Mozambique was a showcase of a beneficial Western aid recipient on the African continent. However, following a national debt crisis and the global financial crisis in 2008, the country started looking eastwards, increasingly seeking and accepting investment and aid from China. Mozambique witnessed increasing engagement from China, especially in the exploitation of raw materials and infrastructure development. In academic literature and public discourse, the South-South cooperation between the two developing countries is often portrayed as benefitting only China, ascribing the Mozambican state a merely passive and receiving role. This thesis scrutinizes this assumption and explores the different ways in which the Mozambican government asserts its agency vis-à-vis China, specifically in the mining sector. Indeed, the analysis shows that, despite structural constraints, the government does exercise agency on various levels.Show less
A continent that is continually viewed as a victim from its history of marginalization and exploitation, African states struggle for their place in international relations. Africa is hardly studied...Show moreA continent that is continually viewed as a victim from its history of marginalization and exploitation, African states struggle for their place in international relations. Africa is hardly studied on its role and impact on exogenous actors and relations. Consequently, it is therefore simple to view Africa as the hopeless continent as it is primarily studied on its history of exploitation. However, African states have been amongst the first to declare themselves nuclear free zones, they drove the global campaign to end apartheid and much more (Van Wyk, 2015, 108). What is more is how African states have exerted agency in international relations. The use of unusual tactics like utilizing a victim discourse that has been prescribed to them to their advantage.Show less
“The struggles for water between hegemons and subordinates are set within the framework of hydro-hegemony and include the concept of power. Hegemonic and counter-hegemonic strategies drive changes...Show more“The struggles for water between hegemons and subordinates are set within the framework of hydro-hegemony and include the concept of power. Hegemonic and counter-hegemonic strategies drive changes at the international level allowing different states to shift their perceived power. Their positions actively affects the discourse, influencing processes like agenda-setting, policy-making and hydropower plans. This paper analyses the struggle between Egypt and Ethiopia within the hydro-hegemonic framework assessing the different practices employed by Cairo to (re-)assert its position as the most powerful player in the Nile River Basin complex, the hegemon.”Show less
This thesis project investigates how the personal experience contributes to International Relations’ understanding of migration. Employing a feminist IR theoretical framework and an engaged,...Show moreThis thesis project investigates how the personal experience contributes to International Relations’ understanding of migration. Employing a feminist IR theoretical framework and an engaged, qualitative methodology of semi-structured interviews, I investigate the migration experiences of undocumented Latina factory workers, as an interplay between their gender, their undocumented immigration status, and their work. The findings allow us to examine self-narrativized realities where the politicization of the personal is paramount. Gaby, Valentina, and Margarita, the collaborators, share their personal experience with undocumented migration, motherhood, tiring work schedules and hard labor, all while navigating gendered oppressions. I find that even the most common private matters and experiences are imbibed with power dynamics and tensions, and that they are present at all stages of international politics. The research concludes that using the personal experience in order to make (feminist) sense of International Relations is a necessity.Show less
This thesis explores the increasing importance of LGBT+ rights in international relations. Through foreign policy analyses, this thesis successfully identified Dutch homonationalism within Dutch...Show moreThis thesis explores the increasing importance of LGBT+ rights in international relations. Through foreign policy analyses, this thesis successfully identified Dutch homonationalism within Dutch foreign policy, although the findings within the United Nations' Human Rights Council are inconclusive. Homonationalism thus plays a role in Dutch foreign policy choices and behaviour, however, its importance differs in different settings.Show less
This thesis aims to contribute to the conversation started with the aesthetic and emotional turn in IR by adding a sonic lense to the discipline of IR. It addresses the discipline’s structural...Show moreThis thesis aims to contribute to the conversation started with the aesthetic and emotional turn in IR by adding a sonic lense to the discipline of IR. It addresses the discipline’s structural epistemic violence, and proposes a new approach that focuses on healing, in line with Daoist IR, where resonance and the in-between space in the international are the space of the political. However, with a holistic world-view, nothing can be detached from its spirituality. It is therefore that I hope for a third turn in IR: the spiritual turn.Show less
