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UAVs as a tool in the fight against Al-Qaeda in the context of the U.S. strategic culture: Discourse analysis
Koleják, Martin ; Ludvík, Jan (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee)
The phenomenon of strategic culture and its influence on the state behaviour has penetrated the theories of international relations only recently. The same stands for unmanned aerial vehicles. The aim of this thesis is to examine how does the United States deploy their UAVs to fight Al-Qaeda in its save heavens located in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. To be specific my intention is to determine what does in this sense the behavior of Obama's administration mean in the context of the U.S. strategic culture. The main research tools utilized in this thesis are discourse analysis and Colin Gray's model of strategic culture. In the public discourse consisting of speeches and comments made by political and military representatives I have identified all the four strategic culture variables set out in the theoretical part of the work. Moreover, the public discourse around drone deployment contains several intriguing metaphors and symbols. Furthermore, the contribution of this work is that it deals with the issue of UAV deployment within the scope of strategic culture. Keywords UAV; drones; strategic culture; Colin Gray; Alastair Johnston; Barack Obama; Al- Qaeda
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Al-Qaeda Before and After 09.11.2001
Andraščíková, Diana ; Makariusová, Radana (advisor) ; Ditrych, Ondřej (referee)
The objective of the master thesis is to evaluate the factors that have influenced the operational capability of al-Qaeda. In order to determine current operational capacity of al-Qaeda, the analysis is divided into three time periods and on the basis of external and internal factors affecting the changes in the structure and thus the functioning of the group, then the network, we have achieved results that we can consider as a basis for assessment of its ability to act today. Analysis of the structure of the al-Qaeda by network analysis based on the theory derived from the article of Ronald Diebert and Janice Stein entitled "Hacking Networks of Terror" is in the thesis considered to be a basis for understanding of the functioning of the network structure as well as its impact on the internal functioning of the network compared with hierarchically organized structure characteristic for the period before the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. The other two periods analyzed in the work are: the period after the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, their impacts and the third period is the period after 2011, when bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda was killed, the revolutions of Arab Spring took place and the long-term impact of the war on terror will be included in the analysis as well. Analysis of...
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Comparison of contemporary terrorism with terrorism of 1970s and 1980s
Knytlová, Petra ; Mlejnek, Josef (advisor) ; Charvát, Jan (referee)
The thesis deals with terrorism and its development as a social phenomenon since 1970s. It has argued that terrorism has undergone a process of radicalization and globalization, particularly as a result of the changed international situation and proliferation of modern technology. Nationalistic terrorism has been replaced with a global form of terrorism. In a similar vein, revolutionist ideologies, typical for terrorist groups of 1970s and 1980s, has given a way to radical interpretations of religions, namely Islamism, which has received substantial popularity as a result of prevailing grievances of the Muslim world. Even though there is no clear distinction between the old and the new form of terrorism, the two social phenomena differ to an important extent. During the second half of 20th century leftist terrorist groups dominated the scene with their fight for a regime change and battle against capitalism as well as imperialism. The organization of the groups took the form of hierarchy and had only limited number of members. At the beginning of the new millennium, the situation changed dramatically with the proliferation of Islamic groups, including the global terrorist group al-Qaeda. The groups work without a formal power structure and are able to hit targets anywhere in the world, as the...
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Predicate Analysis and Analysis of Metaphors Used in Messages Attributed to Osama bin Laden Regarding the United States of America and Their European Allies Following the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
Schneiderová, Klára ; Makariusová, Radana (advisor) ; Drulák, Petr (referee)
MA thesis project Klára Schneiderová PREDICATE ANALYSIS AND ANALYSIS OF METAPHORS USED IN MESSAGES ATTRIBUTED TO OSAMA BIN LADEN REGARDING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAAND THEIR EUROPEAN ALLIES FOLLOWING THE 2003 INVASION OF IRAQ INTRODUCTION - War on terror = war on Islam? (analysis of fundamentalist logic and stream of thought) For this Master thesis project, I chose to analyze the terrorist discourse of Osama bin Laden, the leader of the global Jihadist network, al-Qaeda, particularly his messages regarding the United States of America and its European allies following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as they were gathered in various relevant sources of record up to the near present.1 I chose this topic due to my long-term interest in the Middle East, particularly the relationship and links between religious ideology and politics in the region. The methodology chosen for this work is closely related to media image analysis which I became familiar with during my previous studies and which I applied in my Bachelor's thesis. In the world today, I believe it has become increasingly important to reflect, observe and closely examine the roots and foundations of fundamentalist argumentation and logic, which in this case serve as the key motors of the global Jihadist movement. Following the 9-11-01 terrorist attacks...
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The role of leadership in international relations: Osama bin Laden
Kurzweil, Matěj ; Rolenc, Jan Martin (advisor) ; Kočišíková, Viera (referee)
The main goal of the thesis was to find out how important is the role of leaders and leadership in international relations and to use it on the example of Osama bin Laden. The first half of the thesis is describing ways of leadership and the role of a leader in international relations in the course of history. The second half focuses on Georg W. Bush but mainly Osama bin Laden and his way of becoming a leader and the circumstances of his death.
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Terorism-ethic standards carriing interests of society (politics)
ŠŤASTNÝ, Michal
The diploma thesis deals with the terrorism and war, their meaning in the globalised world and with the possibility of ethical justification of violence. Theoretical part delineates terrorism, its terminology and political and social environment. It describes kinds and methods of terrorism, its history and some of the terrorist organizations with their goals. The thesis also compares terrorism and war in the parts where they intersect. In the next chapters it presents original ethical theories which would be supported by the moral assessment of violent enforcing of interests. There is explained the term of just war, its basic principles and obligatory attributes. Practical part characterize three chosen actual conflicts: the Al- Qaeda attacks on the United States from 11th September, 2001, Chechnya war for its autonomy and current factual occupation of Iraq by allied forces. Legitimate setting in the sense of ius ad bellum, the right to defend by the use of violence, was not mostly deconstructed. In the area of ius in bello, the right in the war, the hypothesis was not verified and the particular violent action did not fulfill some of the basic principles of just war.
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