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Sacred Bodies: Gendered Experiences within the QAnon Mythology
Sandy, Brianna Nicole ; Střítecký, Vít (advisor) ; Scotto, Thomas (referee)
The QAnon conspiracy theory has been flagged as a threat to national security and to social cohesiveness in the United States and abroad. While many researchers have addressed separately the religious dimensions of the conspiracy and the differences in how men and women interact with the conspiracy, research that considers how both aspects feed into each other has been absent. This paper seeks to fill that research gap through a thematic content analysis of the gendered theologies that QAnon draws on and creates. Through examination of the 'canon' of Q drops from 2017-2022 under a lens of feminist political theology, this paper explores thematic overlaps with evangelical and New Age religious movements and examines how constructions of gender within each are reflected or transformed within the conspiracy.
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Assessing the Degree of Extremism of the Incel Community Online: A Comparative Analysis of Social Media Platforms
Brigati, Maria Sole ; Fitzgerald, James (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
The term "incel" is an abbreviation for "involuntary celibate" and is used to describe a man who desires a romantic or sexual relationship with women but is unable to obtain one. They blame women for their inability, claiming females reject them solely on the basis of their appearance. This belief led many of them to develop misogynistic views, which they express in hateful and degrading speeches or, in the most extreme cases, by glorifying violence against women and sexually active men. The majority of the Incel community exists online. The majority of users report having little to no social life in the real world, which is why they seek out online communities where they can interact with people experiencing similar challenges. The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the extremism levels of the incel community on two social media platforms. The first one is the most popular forum in the community, Incels.is, while the second one is the relatively new Twitter community "Incel Talk". For the purpose of the analysis, the author will perform content analysis and critical discourse analysis of the posts shared by users on both social media platforms between October 5 and December 31. She collects more than 640 tweets for Twitter and more than 13,000 for Incels.is. The findings indicate...
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Unpacking Hungary's and Czechia's strategic profiles amid the Russian aggression against Ukraine
Vozovych, Anastasiia ; Snitar, Corina (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
This dissertation attends to the strategic profiles of Hungary and Czechia amid the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. The dissertation unpacks the similarities and differences of Hungary's and Czechia's strategic outlooks referring to their experience of Soviet occupation in 1956 and 1968, respectively. The author argues that different stances on the Russia-Ukraine war cannot be explored without attending to Hungary's and Czechia's strategic cultures. In this dissertation the author points out the interrelation between strategic culture and foreign policy decision-making to flag the interplay between strategic culture and strategic behaviour. The author presents a set of three hypotheses related to the correlation between the strategic culture and decision-making process, Hungary's memory of the Soviet occupation and its ramifications on the current stance on the Russia-Ukraine war as well as Czechia's memory of the Soviet occupation and its implications on the Czech strategic choices. The author outlines the main features of Hungary's and Czechia's strategic culture, their commemorative practices, and tools for framing the reactions towards the past and present security matters.
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Mindful Maneuvers: A Normative Framework for Disinformation Defence Using Cognitive Security
Dantuluri, Vamsi Varma ; Střítecký, Vít (advisor) ; Scotto, Thomas (referee)
In an era marked by digital interconnection, the phenomenon of disinformation has evolved into a critical challenge to both individual and collective cognitive security. This thesis identifies disinformation as not merely a byproduct of the information age but as a tactical weapon, wielded by various state and non-state actors to influence, distort, and destabilize, with the potential to sway democratic processes. The current global landscape, characterized by polarization and hybrid warfare, has elevated the role of disinformation in exploiting vulnerabilities to erode societal trust and credibility. The thesis acknowledges the limitations of conventional security measures in countering disinformation, and instead advocates for translating proactive strategies from cybersecurity such as encryption, threat modelling, and constant monitoring into the cognitive security domain. A comprehensive, pioneering framework is proposed that integrates artificial intelligence, machine learning, cognitive psychology, and other disciplines, aiming to provide robust protection against disinformation's insidious effects. The proposed framework emphasizes privacy by design and insists on a strict data trail to mitigate abuse. Potential constraints, such as practical implementation hurdles, consent overhaul,...
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The Relevance of Azerbaijan and Georgia in New Energy Geopolitics
Dvořáková, Tereza ; Střítecký, Vít (advisor) ; Plechanovová, Běla (referee)
The submitted thesis called "The Relevance of Azerbaijan and Georgia in New Energy Geopolitics" deals with the topic of perception of energy security from the perspective of the European Union with special emphasis put on two southern Caucasian countries - Azerbaijan and Georgia. The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the topic by means of the constructivist approach. The theoretical framework is based on the redefined theory of securitization. The methodological basis is represented by the discursive analysis of the official documents issued by the European Union, embedded in the context of European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership initiative respectively whilst taking into consideration the external influence of the Russian Federation in the time period of approximately ten years, i.e. from 2003, when the European Neighbourhood was established, up to the present. The main objective of the submitted thesis is to assess the perception of energy security from the point of view of the European Union and to identify key contextual links and discursive themes that dominated the political discourse of the European Union in particular moments of the respective period.
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From Developmentalism to Mobilisation: The Case of Georgian Violent Transition
Střítecký, Vít ; Drulák, Petr (advisor) ; Plechanovová, Běla (referee) ; Ditrych, Ondřej (referee)
This thesis seeks to conceptualize a link between the phenomenona of developmentalist state and ethnopolitical mobilization while arguing that the study of post-developmental transition should be based on a complex framework involving crucial social, economic, and political processes. The argument begins with the overview of the approaches of the late/post-Soviet transition, which are critically assessed on the basis of their anchoring in the modernization paradigm. The thesis then turns to the formulation of the alternative theoretical explanation based on the sound theoretical observations from the field of historical sociology. The theoretical debate leads to the formulation of the model involving three causal mechanisms connecting the macro and micro levels. Empirically, the thesis argues that Georgian violent mobilization resulted from the processes that were determined by the functioning and decline of the Soviet developmentalist state. While accepting the dynamics of ethnopolitical mobilization it seeks to answer the question which socio-economic processes breed these mobilizations.
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Territorial Disputes of the 21st Century in the Context of Resources Security
Machytka, Daniel ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
Mgr. Daniel Machytka, Ph.D. Abstract This thesis focuses on the comparison of four selected territorial disputes and on the analysis of their related realities with an emphasis on the strategic importance of these disputed areas. The chosen topics were the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan over the Kuril Islands, the dispute between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falkland Islands, and then two multilateral territorial disputes over the Paracel and Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. This work presents these researched disputes not only from their historical point of view but also with regard to valid international regulations, especially with regard to the rules based on the regulation of the law of the sea, which was adopted in 1982 by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Last but not least, the development of such disputes was studied as close as possible to the present time, when the main time period of the presented research was the period from the beginning of the 21st century. The studied territorial disputes were first analyzed separately and then compared together in order to discover mutual macro-causal connections and key similarities. The biggest similarity is the potential for conflict, which is evident from the actions that national states use to dominate their area of...
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Emerging Threats to Space Security and Protection of Space Assets
Pražák, Jakub ; Doboš, Bohumil (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee) ; Hays, Peter Lang (referee)
The dissertation entitled "Emerging Threats to Space Security and Protection of Space Assets" introduces outer space as an important strategic domain with undisputable significance for the present and future of humankind. Despite the specific features of space environment, it explains that the outer space domain is not entirely divergent from traditional terrestrial domains and space-provided services are part of everyday life. The dissertation discusses and analyses the threats to space security and proposes countermeasures to mitigate the negative consequences on the space environment and for human activities beyond the borders of Earth, contributing to the spacepower theory and shaping the approach to outer space as an economic and political area. The dissertation illustrates the complexity of space threats and urges they be resolved. The theoretical framework is based on realist assumptions; however, it broadly acknowledges the different roles of various space stakeholders, resulting in an eclectic approach to space relations. Accordingly, the dissertation elaborates on dynamics and interconnections between space actors and outlines the prospects for future cooperation that is vital for preserving the space environment.
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Conditions of Peace in the Context of the Colombian and Northern Irish Peace Process
Kindl, Jakob ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
This diploma thesis examines the relationship between the content and language of peace agreements and their acceptance by the population. It investigates the content on the basis of Johan Galtung's theoretical concept of positive peace and the language on the basis of structuralist linguistic theory. It is therefore an interdisciplinary research that combines the theoretical concept of the field of international relations with language theory. This thesis defends this approach by analyzing the concept of peace in international relations theories in which it identifies its shortcomings. A comparative case analysis of two peace agreements is conducted, the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and the Peace Agreement in Colombia. While the two conflicts and peace processes show many similarities, the outcome differed and while the agreement was accepted in Northern Ireland, the agreement was rejected in Colombia. This thesis is concerned with the search for the causes that may have led to the different outcome of the referendum on its adoption, and it seeks these causes in the content and language of the two agreements, rather than in the rejection of the referendum per se. The main contribution of the thesis is the analysis of the content and language of the two peace agreements, which examines...
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The Decline of Terrorism in European soil: Comparative Political Analysis
Pinto Guzman, Isaac David ; Střítecký, Vít (advisor) ; Myftari, Kledian (referee)
1 Master Thesis : The Decline of Terrorism in European Soil: Comparative Political Analysis Written by Isaac David Pinto Guzmán Date: 31.07.2023 Charles University Department: Security Studies Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Vít Střítecký Student ID: 47544203 University of Konstanz Department: Politics and Public Administration Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Michael Dobbins Student ID: 1252046 2 Abstract: This paper focuses on the effectiveness of counterterrorism policies and strategies implemented by European Union (EU) member nations. The study examines the types of policies and measures put in place, the effectiveness of intelligence gathering and sharing, and the level of funding provided for security efforts. The research question guiding this study is: Which policies, security strategies, and measures implemented by European Union member nations have most effectively reduced the frequency or success rate of terrorist attacks on their territory, including completed, failed, and foiled attacks? The study aims to provide valuable insights for policymakers and security experts to develop evidence-based strategies to prevent and combat terrorism in the EU. The literature review critically examines the securitization of terrorism in Europe and its implications for civil liberties and democratic governance. The theoretical...
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