This thesis aims to answer the question on why did the United States use private military contractors in Iraq between 2003 and 2011. It approaches the advantages and downsides of using PMCs in...Show moreThis thesis aims to answer the question on why did the United States use private military contractors in Iraq between 2003 and 2011. It approaches the advantages and downsides of using PMCs in times of war through the political and economic framework. It engages with several literatures re-assessing the role of PMCs in Iraq. Regarding the economic approach, it targets the cost and logistical benefits of contracting these firms through over-outsourcing, intelligence and logistics, additional costs and expenses, and the differentiation between private and conventional military operators. Furthermore, the focus of this paper is also to analyze whereas PMCs have a political mean. Thus, it explores the concept of depoliticization of war, lobbying and market adaptation and military independence. This paper concludes PMCs were crucial in Iraq to sustain United States military actions. It provided men power, vital logistics and intelligence. However, it was not effectively monitored and appeared to drain many unnecessary ressources. It questions also the role of the U.S government regarding the way it wages war and answer to its citizens.Show less
Language is a topic that has been routinely manipulated and contested in the political arena. It was a significant tool during the colonial era and has also acted as a force for social unity among...Show moreLanguage is a topic that has been routinely manipulated and contested in the political arena. It was a significant tool during the colonial era and has also acted as a force for social unity among divided peoples. Major empires have succeeded in subjugating the conquered by imposing their own language. This has led to minoritisation of languages that were once widely spoken in certain countries and regions. In the era of postcolonialism and multiculturalism, language continues to be a battleground where old fears and rivalries play out. In Western Europe, there are a range of official attitudes towards minority and regional languages. These attitudes are generally reflected in the status given (or not) to such languages by the governments in the affected countries. There is a lack of comparative work in the field at present, with most scholars focusing on individual cases. Through both positive (Republic of Ireland and Spain) and negative (Northern Ireland and Franco-era Spain) cases, this paper will show how economic and political power play a crucial role in preserving minority languages.Show less
At the turn of this millennium Russia stood before the behemoth task of rising from the ashes left behind by the chaotic 90's. Russia's seemingly endless natural resources and an accompanying rise...Show moreAt the turn of this millennium Russia stood before the behemoth task of rising from the ashes left behind by the chaotic 90's. Russia's seemingly endless natural resources and an accompanying rise in oil prices only go so far in its development. However, to gain relevance on the world stage beyond the constant military flexing and being an energy appendage to the upper echelon industrialised countries, it needs to produce marketable technologies and secure a spot among the greatest economies. At the end of the first decade a new paradigm in the way we transact information found prominence in the minds of the tech savvy, which turned into the explosive development of the Blockchain technology. This potentially revolutionary new technology has the characteristics to alter the social fabric in which old power structures become obsolete, but at the same time provide a golden opportunity for the relative young and unbound Russian IT sector to thrive and leave a global mark. The new generation technocrats plead for full scale adoption, regulation and development of this technology, but their older and politically more powerful Soviet rooted counter parts plead against the dangers of this shift in dynamics. In this work I looked at what the blockchain technology means for Russia and how the Russian authorities took a stance in adapting the technology.Show less
