The US embargo against Cuba is the longest-running economic sanctions package that has ever been implemented. This thesis analyses the factors influencing the effectiveness of sanctions in the US...Show moreThe US embargo against Cuba is the longest-running economic sanctions package that has ever been implemented. This thesis analyses the factors influencing the effectiveness of sanctions in the US-Cuba case.Show less
This thesis examines the evolution of China's soft power strategies by comparing the nation branding elements of the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies in 2008 and 2022. The research question...Show moreThis thesis examines the evolution of China's soft power strategies by comparing the nation branding elements of the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies in 2008 and 2022. The research question explores the differences and similarities between the two ceremonies to shed light on China's changing position in the global system and its approach to projecting soft power. The analysis employs semiotic analysis and explores themes such as the past-future dichotomy and the appeal to norms and values.The study finds that the 2008 ceremony was part of China's "Olympic coming-out party" and focused on establishing the country as a rising power on the international stage. It emphasized China's development, heritage, and cultural identity, primarily for viewers unfamiliar with the country. In contrast, the 2022 ceremony demonstrated China's response to foreign criticisms and aimed to align itself with Western-centric norms and values. It showcased China's commitment to the international community and inclusivity by incorporating non-ethnically Chinese elements into the ceremony. The findings suggest that China's evolving soft power strategies align with its changing role in the global order. China's rise to a dominant player in the international system allows it to express its vision for the future and create a nation brand that portrays itself as modern, outward-looking, inclusive, and peace-promoting. However, China's exclusive nationalism and the Western-centric Olympic values of harmony and unity create a tension that challenges the believability of its nation branding attempts.Show less
The Great Translation Movement is a digital activity organised by Chinese diasporic netizens, having launched during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The movement seeks to translate the...Show moreThe Great Translation Movement is a digital activity organised by Chinese diasporic netizens, having launched during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The movement seeks to translate the ultranationalist, pro-Russian and anti-Western sentiments, as well as the ongoing discussion about the social events from the China online discourse and show them to the broader audience in the West. In fact, what lies behind online comments such as "Putin the Great", "US is demeaning China," and " the system is fatally broken" is the phenomenon of digital nationalism in China. Thus, this paper examines the two sides of digital nationalism. On the one hand, by promoting nation-patriotism online, the authoritarian regime of China increased support by the Chinese people worldwide. But on the other hand, nation-building in the age of ICT is a complex process that produces unpredictable outcomes, especially under the circumstances such as polarised online discourse and social discord. Thus, this paper examined the most recent data curated by the GTM, aiming to comprehend GTM's participant's ideas and behaviour and the consequences of CCP's engagement in the digital nationalism process.Show less
Social media and videoblogging, or vlogging, are taking over the internet and North Korea is joining this trend. While doing so, the state is reaching out to the international community through...Show moreSocial media and videoblogging, or vlogging, are taking over the internet and North Korea is joining this trend. While doing so, the state is reaching out to the international community through relatable media content and soft power tools. One of the examples, in which North Korea reached out to the international viewer, is the Youtube channel ‘Echo of Truth’. This research aims to answer the question as to how soft power tools are applied in the videos of ‘Echo of Truth’. By using a qualitative visual discourse analysis, it analyzes the videos of ‘Echo of Truth’ to answer this question. This thesis argues that soft power tools, such as cultural and culinary diplomacy, are applied in the videos in order to make these videos more relatable to the international audience. However, not all the videos were found to have used these soft power techniques as traditional propaganda videos were still uploaded to the channel. The sheer differences found in the channel’s videos raised the question of a power dilemma the channel seemed to be facing.Show less
The Covid-19 pandemic has altered how countries project and gain soft power. Within the context of this global crisis, most researchers followed the conventional trend to investigate soft power as...Show moreThe Covid-19 pandemic has altered how countries project and gain soft power. Within the context of this global crisis, most researchers followed the conventional trend to investigate soft power as a resource (i.e., health diplomacy). Yet, scant studies have approached soft power as an outcome. The present thesis fills this gap by examining how countries’ (i.e., United States’ and New Zealand’s) Covid-19 response affected their attractiveness abroad (i.e., in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands). In order to address this inquiry, the theoretical lenses of rational and social attraction are amplified with socio-psychological literature on the Similarity-Attraction Theory. The theories are tested by means of minimalist process-tracing, combined with a cross-case analysis. The findings support the proposition that (in)competencies (demonstrated through the Covid-19 response) sparked rational attraction (or aversion) among foreign audiences. While support indicating the presence of social attraction (or aversion) is detected, it warrants a more cautious interpretation due to case-specific alternative explanations. The findings challenge the assumption that “likeness goes with liking”, by underscoring how dissimilarities tied to success appeared to elicit attraction. Further research should investigate whether this effect is still present when the scope condition is not met.Show less
China’s increased presence within the UN and its peacekeeping missions shows its will to be a responsible actor, whilst shifting away from the China threat theory that has fed Western thought....Show moreChina’s increased presence within the UN and its peacekeeping missions shows its will to be a responsible actor, whilst shifting away from the China threat theory that has fed Western thought. However, little research has been done on how power is perceived within this field. The state claims to be non-interventionist but still sent an increasing amount of combat troops to Africa. It is unknown if the end goal is to provide aid or if there is more to it. This study intends to research what China’s model for peace and development within the mission of South Sudan entails, both theoretically and practically, and how it might use an underlying strategy of smart power. Herein, Nye’s concept of smart power is a way for a nation to maximise its strength through a combination of hard and soft power. In order to measure smart power, the components of military, economic, and affective and normative soft power were used. Military and economic power exist on as spectrum ranging from hard to soft power, whilst soft power is also devised into tangible and intangible assets. To research power, the thesis has used a variation of academic sources, databases, newspapers, and official governmental papers. These were chosen as to examine official reporting and factual outcomes. The results showed that the Chinese model for development contains soft power elements, whilst its activities in South Sudan employ both soft and hard power. The results therefore suggest that China might pursue a smart power strategy to safeguard its own interests. The realist concept of power still holds up today and might prove valuable to research more areas of power in UN missions on the African continent.Show less
By using theory-testing process-tracing, this thesis aims to determine how potential Iranian soft power in Iraq has become realized soft power. Two separate areas which can be considered causes of...Show moreBy using theory-testing process-tracing, this thesis aims to determine how potential Iranian soft power in Iraq has become realized soft power. Two separate areas which can be considered causes of Iranian soft power in Iraq have been analysed: Iraqi medical tourism in Iran and Iranian investments in Iraqi infrastructure.Show less
The increasing concerns about Confucius Institutes in Northwest-Europe continue to attract attention on a political level and in news media. This research hopes to provide a relevant contribution...Show moreThe increasing concerns about Confucius Institutes in Northwest-Europe continue to attract attention on a political level and in news media. This research hopes to provide a relevant contribution to the current understanding of the developments surrounding Confucius Institutes in Northwest-Europe. Moreover, it hopes to highlight the numerous disparities between different countries in terms of the development, functioning and recipience of Confucius Institutes. Additionally, this research aims to analyse the functioning of these institutes in China’s public diplomacy. It does so by using a case study analysis which researches the sending and the recipient side of public diplomacy activities of Confucius Institutes in Northwest-Europe.Show less
Tourism is often claimed to be the world biggest industry, but there is no clear idea of what is included and what is excluded.Chinese outbound tourism has grown from 4.5 million departures in 1995...Show moreTourism is often claimed to be the world biggest industry, but there is no clear idea of what is included and what is excluded.Chinese outbound tourism has grown from 4.5 million departures in 1995 to 143 million in 2017 (World Bank, 2019a). Given the growing importance of tourism flows from China, it seems relevant to pay closer attention to the roles of the government, policy-making and the ambiguity laying in the outcomes in the context of outbound tourism. The Chinese government uses outbound tourism as a diplomatic mean to build soft power by deploying various strategies: from approved destination status, to culture activities, foreign aid and tourism cooperation mechanisms. The people-to-people interaction as a tool of soft power has still too many limits, though its potential has been interiorized by the Chinese government who is taking action in rolling out policies and regulations to optimize Chinese tourists ethical and business behaviours abroad.Show less
When looking at the African continent, Africa is now a socially and economically vibrant destination for foreign powers to invest in and has generated interest of traditional Western powers and of...Show moreWhen looking at the African continent, Africa is now a socially and economically vibrant destination for foreign powers to invest in and has generated interest of traditional Western powers and of the newly emerged ‘Southern powers’ such as China. China puts great effort in differentiating themselves from other partners of African nations. China portrays itself as an ‘all-weather friend’ of Africa that strives for changing the economic world order justly in which all (developing) countries have a say. This research looks at how the Chinese government constructs its engagement in Africa as different compared to Western involvement on the African continent, and how this difference is constituted through different strategies of differentiation: historical ties, South-South mutual understanding, Soft Power and Non-conditional development cooperation.Show less
Turkey is located in a very peculiar geographic location, which has reflected itself on the country’s foreign affairs. While its foreign policy was dominated by a Western-oriented outlook since the...Show moreTurkey is located in a very peculiar geographic location, which has reflected itself on the country’s foreign affairs. While its foreign policy was dominated by a Western-oriented outlook since the country’s foundation, this had changed following the election of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) into power in 2002. Since then, Turkey had undertaken a specific foreign policy approach under its new leadership, which was based on the book ‘Strategic Depth’ written by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, who has since been considered the mastermind of the AK Party’s foreign policy vision. However, in light of recent developments seen in the country’s foreign affairs, it is possible to detect some stark differences from the soft power vision then and the one seen in a contemporary context. Considering the lack of up-to-date analyses on these divergences, this thesis attempts to uncover how Turkey’s foreign policy vision today can be differentiated from the one referenced in Ahmet Davutoğlu’s book ‘Strategic Depth’, based on the development of the country’s foreign policy under the AK Party and following the outbreak of the Arab Spring.Show less
The Japanese video game industry used to be a leading force in the world. During the 90’s and the early 2000’s, Japanese video games dominated the international market. Recently, however, during...Show moreThe Japanese video game industry used to be a leading force in the world. During the 90’s and the early 2000’s, Japanese video games dominated the international market. Recently, however, during the end of the last decade and the start of the current decade, Japanese video games experienced a huge dip in their sales. Japan has been attempting to use the ‘Soft Power’, the concept of influence generated by its popular culture overseas, to its advantage. The link between the Japanese video game industry and the concept of Soft Power have not been sufficiently examined as of now, hence why it was the focus of this study. The aim of this study was to come to an understanding of why these fluctuations in the market occurred, as well as look for the potential influence of Japanese video games and their popularity overseas on Japan’s Soft Power. By asking questions, in the form of a survey, to experts from the Dutch video game industry, the objective was to come to new insights on the matter and open up possibilities for further research. Results from the survey showed that previously underrepresented factors contributed to the fall in popularity of Japanese video games in the West. Elements like ease of use, lingual nuances, as well as intrinsic differences in preferences of the Japanese domestic audience and the Western audience, were identified. The link between the performance of Japanese video games overseas and Japan’s Soft Power was also confirmed. Respondents acknowledge the capability of Japanese video games to influence the consumer’s image of Japan, albeit not always in a purely positive way. Arguments were also raised that the Japan portrayed in video games is often not the real Japan. This holds true, but in order to make a target audience think more positively about Japan, the ‘real’ Japan does not need to be represented accurately. Thus, it can be argued that popularity of Japanese video games overseas does indeed correlate to an increase in Japan’s Soft Power.Show less
This thesis explores Saudi Arabia’s power behavior towards Lebanon in order to explore the pattern of Saudi Arabia’s waning influence. After all, it is among the most powerful regional actors and...Show moreThis thesis explores Saudi Arabia’s power behavior towards Lebanon in order to explore the pattern of Saudi Arabia’s waning influence. After all, it is among the most powerful regional actors and wields immense financial as well as religious resources compared to lightweight Lebanon. Nevertheless, Saudi action in Lebanon backfires seemingly frequently, either strengthening its opponents or weakening its allies. It is argued that Saudi Arabia is very capable of using their economic might in Lebanon; however, the more they strangle Lebanon the more likely Lebanon is to fall into Iran’s open arms. This, in turn, hurts Saudi Arabia’s overarching goal of regional influence and limiting Iran’s expansionism. On top of that, Saudi’s credibility, trust and legitimacy were thwarted after the 2009 elections and especially after the 2017 Hariri debacle in Lebanon. While prioritizing immediate national interest is natural for any country, Saudi Arabia’s policies disregarded the Lebanese target population’s perception and failed to achieve its regional interest with regards to pushing back Iranian influence. Hence, its prematurely hard power-driven policy pushed its allies away into the open arms of Iran. Saudi Arabia indeed has immense soft power resources, which, however, it has been largely ineffective in utilizing thus far. After all, it has become evident that despite its small size, Lebanon is the stage for regional power play. If Saudi Arabia continues to employ such a miscalculated policy, it will threaten its regional standing despite its immense, yet waning, economic might. Consequently, an unbalanced use of soft and hard power behavior of Saudi Arabia results in a cost inefficient foreign policy. Instead of self-defeating its efforts, it should be in Saudi’s self-serving interest to winning the hearts and minds of the people for effective power conversion and a strong standing to challenge Iran.Show less
This thesis examines soft power and self-image building in China and contrasts this with the current Western hegemonic ideology in order to establish to what extent China can operate within the...Show moreThis thesis examines soft power and self-image building in China and contrasts this with the current Western hegemonic ideology in order to establish to what extent China can operate within the world order. Furthermore, this thesis analyses several films in order to indicate that the image surrounding China is heavily influenced by external powers. The findings of the thesis suggest that within the current Western hegemonic ideology China's influence is limited and partly affected by certain discourses.Show less
The arrival of Donald Trump on the global political stage, has significantly changed how other countries regard the US. One country where this is especially true is China. This thesis therefore...Show moreThe arrival of Donald Trump on the global political stage, has significantly changed how other countries regard the US. One country where this is especially true is China. This thesis therefore analyzed three different Chinese newspapers on their discourse regarding the US in the period between the latter part of the 2016 US elections and the first few months of Trump’s presidency. Special focus is paid to how the discourse of the newspapers relates to China. Generally, the newspapers treated the presidency of Trump, as well as his election, as symptoms of a greater US decline. Apart from US decline, there was also special emphasis in the newspapers on China’s importance as a great power. Overall, there was a big difference in reporting between the two state-owned newspapers and the one private-owned newspaper. These difference were mostly related to the focus of the articles and a relatively large shift in tone of the articles. The official newspapers changed their reporting on the US drastically in later reporting, as well as China’s relationship with the US. These changes betray a lack of coherent strategy in regards to China’s view of itself as a great power and its relationship with the US.Show less
