In the summer of 2023, the Dutch Ministry will launch a feminist foreign policy. We expect this to be a mainly liberal feminist foreign policy. This is comparable to current efforts in name of...Show moreIn the summer of 2023, the Dutch Ministry will launch a feminist foreign policy. We expect this to be a mainly liberal feminist foreign policy. This is comparable to current efforts in name of feminism in Dutch foreign policy, as well as the feminist foreign policies of Sweden, Canada and France. In this thesis, we explore if and how such a liberal feminist foreign policy aligns with stakeholder perspectives on what a feminist foreign policy should entail. By using Q-methodology, we ask respondents to rank statements on foreign policy from perspectives rooted in liberal-, cultural-, socialist-, intersectional- and postcolonial feminist theory. We conclude that respondents rank liberal feminist statements the lowest. Rather, respondents argue for a Dutch feminist foreign policy that prioritizes perspectives rooted in intersectional- and postcolonial feminism.Show less
The influence of the EU or ‘top-down Europeanization’ on the convergence of Member States has been a popular area of research. This study will take it a step further and address the following...Show moreThe influence of the EU or ‘top-down Europeanization’ on the convergence of Member States has been a popular area of research. This study will take it a step further and address the following research question: ‘What effect has Europeanization posed on the shaping of the Counter-Terrorism strategy of France and the Netherlands?’. This specific research will take a look at which terrorism related events happened in both countries before 9/11, how the process of counter-terrorism strategies developed after 9/11, and how (top-down) Europeanization had influenced the shaping of these counter-terrorism strategies.Show less
The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement was perceived as a blow for the environmental movement. The decision to withdraw was justified by the Trump administration...Show moreThe Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement was perceived as a blow for the environmental movement. The decision to withdraw was justified by the Trump administration on the premise that it would protect US jobs and its economy. In the span of eight years the US went from extensively regulating the fossil-fuel industry to deregulating and withdrawing from the most comprehensive international climate agreement. This drastic policy change will be explored in this thesis. More specifically, the factors that contributed to the decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement by the Trump administration. By using Kingdon’s (1995) Multiple Streams Framework, it will explore how the problem, political and policy stream contributed to this decision to withdraw. Furthermore, the role of the politicisation of the policy advisory systems will be explored in the policy stream. Every stream has different indicators/concepts which will be analysed. In doing so, it will strive to explore which factors did contribute to the decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement by the Trump administration.Show less
This study investigates how the European normative intent influences political stability. This impact is to be assessed by analysing the European Neighbourhood Policy, based upon the European...Show moreThis study investigates how the European normative intent influences political stability. This impact is to be assessed by analysing the European Neighbourhood Policy, based upon the European Normative Power theory. The European Normative Power theory is inherently linked to the European Union and is therefore about the persuasion of the European core principles towards third states. The literature contends that normative power is about transferring ideas, principles and values without any harmful means. Additionally, the literature also indicates that political stability is determined by factors that reflect the European core principles. Based on the literature, this would imply that the European normative intent increases political stability. To research this theoretical expectation, this study uses the typology of a comparative case study. This research aims to touch upon the two regions where the European Neighbourhood Policy is pursued by conducting a comparative case study. The European Neighbourhood Policy is divided into two distinct demographical subdivisions, namely the Eastern Partnership and the Euro-Mediterranean Strategy. To draw upon the contextual characteristics of the European Neighbourhood Policy recipient countries, this study focuses on Belarus as being part of the Eastern Partnership and Egypt as part of the Euro-Mediterranean Strategy. The influence of the European Neighbourhood Policy is assessed through document analysis of EU official documents regarding the European Neighbourhood Policy. Besides, the Annual Freedom in the World index by the Freedom House is used to quantify this document analysis. To draw upon the influence of the European Neighbourhood Policy, this study compares the pre-ENP period with a focal point of the year 2003, whilst the year 2020 is used to analyse where the ENP brought the recipient counties studied. As an outcome of the analysis, this study contends that the state and non-state actors play an essential role in pursuing the European normative intent. That is when the state restricts the enhancement of non-state actors such as CSOs, the normative intent of the EU decreases. By that, I put that when recipient states restrict opposition through CSO activities, the EU as a donor through the ENP is forced to express its normative intent through involvement at the governmental level. The lack of ENP presence at the CSO level is not necessarily disastrous for the EU per se. Indeed, strong relations with third countries allow the European Union to ensure security and stability in the regions, which is ultimately one of the main goals of the ENP.Show less
Parsimonious system-based theories take center stage within the scholarly field of International Relations. Assuming the international system to be the key determinant of international politics,...Show moreParsimonious system-based theories take center stage within the scholarly field of International Relations. Assuming the international system to be the key determinant of international politics, they aim to explain any geopolitical event. Utilizing 60 speeches from United States presidents Obama and Trump, and employing China’s Belt and Road Initiative as an important divide, this thesis will examine the role of agency, through the individual leadership of both Obama and Trump, within the realm of international politics.Show less
This thesis focuses on the factors that led to the military intervention of France and the United Kingdom in Libya in 2011. Both actors were at the forefront of discussions regarding how the...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the factors that led to the military intervention of France and the United Kingdom in Libya in 2011. Both actors were at the forefront of discussions regarding how the international community should answer to the threat to civilians posed by the Gaddafi regime, and remained prominently engaged throughout the process leading to the UN-mandated and NATO-led intervention. This research applies the multiple-stream framework as developed by John Kingdon (1984), to identify factors within the problem, policy and political streams defined by the theory. This allowed for several factors and actors crucial to the process to be identified, and for a comparison between the cases of France and the United Kingdom to be established. The multiple-stream framework analysis offers valuable insights into the processes at different levels of analysis, although the qualitative nature of this research hinders possibilities for generalizability.Show less
There are relatively few case studies on the role of think tanks in the Dutch policy advisory system. In this exploratory case study, I will address the role of The Netherlands Scientific Council...Show moreThere are relatively few case studies on the role of think tanks in the Dutch policy advisory system. In this exploratory case study, I will address the role of The Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) in the Dutch policy advisory system. Specifically, I will lay out which factors have contributed to the impact of the advisory report ‘Security in an Interconnected World. A Strategic Vision for Defence Policy’ (2017) on The Integrated International Security Strategy 2018- 2022 (IISS). Theoretically motivated by Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework, I will elaborate on the problem stream, the policy stream and the political stream as factors that are expected to be partly responsible for the influence of the advisory report on the policy change under investigation. In the problem stream, I will investigate a combination of three focusing events, namely the MH17 airplane crash, the return of foreign fighters to the Netherlands and the failed coup d’etat in Turkey. In the policy stream, I will investigate whether an available policy alternative was formulated that received sufficient recognition among government officials and other advisory actors. In the political stream, I will investigate the swings of national mood and government turnover. Based on these findings, I will conclude to which extent these factors have contributed to the influence of the WRR on the formulation of the IISS (2018-2022).Show less
The rationale of a government’s decision to dispatch troops in order to participate in peacekeeping operations has already been at the centre of attention in the academic field of Public...Show moreThe rationale of a government’s decision to dispatch troops in order to participate in peacekeeping operations has already been at the centre of attention in the academic field of Public Administration and the study on Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) for a couple of decades. Many scholars investigated the impact of certain domestic factors on foreign policy decisions. On the contrary, the rationale of a government’s decision to withdraw its troops from a peacekeeping operation is still a destination unknown in academic literature, due to the more societal character. In order to detect what led to such a policy decision, more extensive research is needed on the role of domestic factors that exercised their influence on the policy-making process. The aim of this research is to retrospectively detect what domestic factors affected the outcome of the government’s decision to withdraw its troops from a peacekeeping operation. Much of the attention in academic literature is focussed on e.g. the role of coalition politics and the impact on a country’s foreign policy. However, not much is known yet about that role on the decision to withdraw. Therefore, the following research question is addressed: ‘To what extent does coalition politics affect a government’s decision to withdraw troops from peacekeeping operations?’ In order to answer the research question, a qualitative research design with a document-analysis method was used. Due to the societal character of the research question I chose a comparative case-study to analyse the participation and withdrawal of Dutch troops in two peacekeeping operations: The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan 2006-2010 and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The societal character of a government’s decision to withdraw warrants a more comprehensive approach rather than investigating the influence of only one domestic factor on its own. Therefore, the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) was used as a theoretical lens to analyse other domestic factors next to the political context. The conclusion is that the impact depends on whether the dynamics within the Cabinet are characterized by consensus or dispute at the time of the mission. When the Cabinet finds itself in consensus on the purpose and the execution of the mission, it is more likely that if troops are withdrawn, this is due to shifting political interests and decreased added value. On the contrary, when the Cabinet finds itself in a situation of highly political disputes amongst its coalition parties, it is likely the opposition rejects further work relations in which the only option is to announce their resignation.Show less
