After the end of the third democratization wave further democratization has stopped in many countries and even turned around into autocratic governing in several countries. This process is...Show moreAfter the end of the third democratization wave further democratization has stopped in many countries and even turned around into autocratic governing in several countries. This process is characterized by governments limiting the citizens ability to hold their governments accountable. The regimes mainly achieve this through gaining excessive control over the economy and the media, rigging the election system in their favor and dismantling the seperation of powers. The thesis investigates and compares these processes in the case of contemporary Russia and Hungary.Show less
This thesis explores how the discourse around immigration in Russia is shaped by the government, and by society segmented in actors disapproving or favorable of immigration. From the selected...Show moreThis thesis explores how the discourse around immigration in Russia is shaped by the government, and by society segmented in actors disapproving or favorable of immigration. From the selected primary sources, four main themes of discussion and four subsequent main techniques of persuasion used in argumentation around the themes are identified and scrutinized through critical discourse analysis. The main themes are economy, security, lifestyle and demography; the main techniques are play on emotion, anecdotal approach, comparison and statistical manipulation. The main findings of this paper constitute the following. The government pursues a dual policy to maximize the number of its adherents, and in its rhetoric most noticeably uses comparison for the purpose of justifying its policies. Anti-immigrant groups exploit all techniques extensively and mostly build their numerous arguments around economic, security and lifestyle concerns. Immigrant advocacy groups refrain from thorough discussion of security issues, present a limited amount of economic arguments, and focus instead on lifestyle and demography. They use all techniques as well but mainly play on emotion and narrate individual stories, displaying the immigrants’ perspective and encouraging leniency.Show less
A thesis on the effects of the 2008 Georgian War on the relations between Russia and the United States and the role of the media on the public opinion regarding the subject.
Throughout the past decade, two types of scandalous cases in Russia have been frequented in both the domestic and international media. These are cases of activism, and oligarch or elite corruption....Show moreThroughout the past decade, two types of scandalous cases in Russia have been frequented in both the domestic and international media. These are cases of activism, and oligarch or elite corruption. More specifically, the activism case of members of Pussy Riot was covered by news agencies worldwide, and their court cases were followed closely on a global scale. Contrastingly, the media handles cases involving individuals with a high ranking of authority or close affiliation with the governmental elites differently. This is especially evident in the case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The research question of How does the Russian media portray individuals and groups involved in scandalous cases of activism and oligarch corruption? Aims to discuss the similarities and differences to how these cases were handled by the Russian media.Show less
