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De-escalation nuclear strike in the military strategy of the Russian Federation
Karel, Karel ; Šír, Jan (advisor) ; Weiss, Tomáš (referee)
This bachelor thesis deals with the concept of a de-escalation nuclear strike in the strategy of the Russian Federation. Unlike the United States of America, the Russian Federation has retained part of its non-strategic arsenal. Furthermore, the delivery systems have been modernized in the last decade. The essence of a de-escalation strike is based on the deployment of non-strategic, lower-yield nuclear weapons, even in the early phase of an armed conflict. This way, a conflict could be ended under more favourable conditions for Russia. The aim of this thesis is to answer a question whether a de-escalation strike is real part of the Russian military strategy. To answer this question, the de-escalation strike is framed within the theoretical framework of limited nuclear war and escalation. The research part of this thesis examines Russian strategic document and missiles capable of delivering lower yield nuclear weapons. Based on the examination of the strategic documents, I have concluded that although the documents do not mention a de-escalation strike, they contain aggressive nuclear signalling. Moreover, the documents show that the threshold for deployment of nuclear weapons by the Russian Federation is very low. The Russian Federation possesses a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles...
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Czech Disinformation Media During the Media and Political Case of Russian Sabotage in Vrbětice and their Connection to the Russian Narrative: the Case of Parlamentní listy
Gottwald, Antonín ; Šír, Jan (advisor) ; Marian, Jan (referee)
The presented thesis examines the presence of elements of Russian strategic narratives in the news of the Parlamentní listy platform on the case of the Vrbětice medial case, which arose after the government's announcement of the involvement of Russian agents in warehouse explosions in Vrbětice in April 2021. The chosen method was a qualitative content analysis of the news that came out in the week after the announcement of information about Russian agents and their involvement in the explosions. Its results were processed using quantitative analysis. The research question was to what extent the Parlamentní listy platform spreads Russian propaganda in cases that are sensitive topic for Russian foreign policy, and by what practices it does so. The thesis also contains a description of the used method and the theoretical embedding of the investigated issue and terms used, such as narrative, strategic narrative, Russian information warfare, etc.
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Legitimization Strategies of the Authoritarian Regime in Belarus
Osterrothová, Sára ; Šír, Jan (advisor) ; Kolenovská, Daniela (referee)
This bachelor's thesis analyses the legitimization strategies of the authoritarian regime in Belarus during the period 1994-2020. The typology of legitimization strategies by Christian von Soest and Julia Grauvogel serves as the theoretical framework of the thesis. This thesis not only identifies which strategies were used by the Lukashenko regime but above all analyses how they manifested themselves. This allows the topic to be examined comprehensively and the evolution of these strategies to be taken into account. Attention is first of all paid to the persona of Alexander Lukashenko and his role as "batka" (i.e. father in Belarusian), the protector of the collective memory of veterans, the guarantor of the country's "economic stability", and the defender of Belarusian sovereignty. The importance of the formal existence of elections in Lukashenko's rhetoric is also addressed. The thesis examines the formation of Belarusian state ideology, which is based on the official understanding of "Belarusianness", and the ideologization of the so-called Great Patriotic War. Last but not least, the thesis examines Lukashenko's social contract as well as how the regime refers to its role on the international stage and how it uses the rhetoric of external threats. The main finding of the thesis is that the...
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Russian soft power towards Austria on the example of cultural and educational policy in the years 2014 to 2019
Jiříček, Dalibor ; Svoboda, Karel (advisor) ; Šír, Jan (referee)
The diploma thesis deals with the transformation of Russian soft power on the example of cultural and educational policy toward Austria in the years 2014 to 2019. The first chapter justifies the choice of topic and draws on the common history of Russia and Austria, economic, political and security relations. The area of tourism and culture of remembrance is also mentioned. The second chapter describes the theoretical discussion of the concept of soft power from the perspective of various authors. Starting from the general concept, the attention is further devoted to precisely focused definitions concerning education with an overlap in the field of culture. The third main chapter analyzes the examined policy in detail on the example of three key instruments. The greatest attention is paid to the "Russian Center" at the University of Salzburg and also to the "Russian Center" at the University of Innsbruck and the "Russian House in Vienna". The development of their programs, projects and other activities is discussed. At the same time, the fulfilment of goals and partnerships with other institutions and organizations in Austria, Germany and Russia are monitored. The activities of these three institutions are also viewed from the perspective of theory. Within their goals and program activities,...
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The economic, political and social reasons of the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan in 2005
Bilinec, Vít ; Horák, Slavomír (advisor) ; Šír, Jan (referee)
The topic of the bachelor thesis is a description of the long unresolved problems that led to the emergence of the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan in 2005. This event belongs to the socalled color revolutions that took place after the collapse of the Soviet Union in successor states and whose participants used color or a flower as a symbol (Georgia, Ukraine…). The importance of the revolution lies not only in the impact on Kyrgyzstan itself, but also on the other states in the region. During the revolution, the long-standing regime of president Askar Akayev was overthrown and Kurmanbek Bakiyev was elected. The main focus of the work is to examine the various causes that directly led to the outbreak of the Tulip Revolution. Special attention is paid to the social, economic and political spheres. Within the political area, the work focuses on both national and international aspects. The president Askar Akayev, whose decision-making had a significant influence on the above-mentiones areas, has also space in this work.
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The war in Donbass and its social effects on the local population
Radchenko, Alona ; Kolenovská, Daniela (advisor) ; Šír, Jan (referee)
The bachelor's thesis is devoted to the analysis of the changes that pre-war inhabitants have been facing daily due to the military conflict in the Donbass since 2014. Various spheres of the Donbass people life, experiencing difficulties caused by the war are described. The work is based on the theory of migration explaining the importance of making a decision to leave the region. In order to achieve the aim of the research, non-standardized interviews were conducted using the sociological snowball sampling in the autumn of 2021. The survey involved14 pre- war inhabitants of the region. Subsequently, the respondents were divided into two groups depending on whether they remained in the occupied Donbass or left their homes. The research shows that most often the respondents face problems in the economic and social spheres while determining their future life strategy. The war also had an impact on the mental health. Also, it changed the respondents' understanding of life priorities. In this consideration, the thesis also captures a minority of changes, which were defined by the respondents as positive.
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Ideological affinity or political opportunism? Pro-Russian attitudes of euopeans political parties of the populist right. The Case of League and the Freedom Party of Austria in 2014-2019
Bartoš, Marek ; Svoboda, Karel (advisor) ; Šír, Jan (referee)
The aim of the bachelor thesis was to find out what reasons led the European right-wing populist parties to articulate their pro-Russian attitudes in the political and media environment after the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.Based on two case studies, the paper analyzes pro-Russian attitudes of the European parties: Italian Lega,( English: League) and Austrian Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ,( English: The Freedom Party of Austria) between 2014 and 2019 in the European Parliament and in the media. It also examines the nature of this alliance from the perspective of political parties. The subject of the analysis was to monitor the degree of consistency of pro-Russian attitudes of both parties before and after they became a part of national governments, and the aim was to reveal whether the motivation of both parties was driven by ideological affinity with Russia, pragmatic motives, or a combination of both. At the same time, the paper tries to show how the real politics and rhetoric of populist parties change at the time when these parties are in power.
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The Factor of Water in Central Asia
Kopajová, Zuzana ; Horák, Slavomír (advisor) ; Šír, Jan (referee)
The final thesis Factor o f Water in Central Asia presents an analysis of the phenomena of trans-boundary water interaction in the Aral Sea basin. Particular attention is given to the emerging political inter-state and regional affairs, connected to international management and security at Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers. Global hydro-politics debates offer various theoretical frameworks of approaching the inter-state water relations. Theories such as Integrated Water Resource Management, Environmental Security and Hydro-Hegemony are explored with the ambition to find a comprehensive research background for our case studies. Thereafter, the theory is applied to the particular negotiating constellations in the Central Asian water basins. The case studies at Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers illustrate several interesting cleavages, for example between: (1) upstream and downstream riparian states; (2) irrigation and hydropower; (3) water and energy; (4) geopolitics and international law; (5) national and regional affairs. Central Asian water situation is perceived in the context of geopolitics; economic and human development; culturally-historical background and future potential challenges. Further we present, the overall tendencies in the Newly Independent States, consequences of the Aral Sea catastrophe and the...
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Uzbekistan's Foreign Policy (2001-2012): The Pendulum Diplomacy between the US and Russia
Lídl, Václav ; Šír, Jan (advisor) ; Horák, Slavomír (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the creation of Uzbekistan's foreign policy. It attempts to answer three main research questions: What were the chief goals of Tashkent's foreign policy? What were the factors that influenced the creation of Uzbekistan's foreign policy? Which factors and causes played the decisive role in the case of Uzbekistan's most significant foreign policy turnovers in 2001, 2005 and 2012? It claims the principal aims of Uzbekistan's foreign policy were threefold. Firstly, it was the preservation of Uzbekistan's independence. Secondly, it was the strengthening and securing of Karimov's regime. Finally, it was the attempt to become the regional leader in Central Asia. Subsequently, the study maintains that the foreign policy formulation was altered by four processes or challenges which the regime in Tashkent had to cope with. These were namely the challenge of geopolitical position, establishing of a viable political system, transforming the command economy, and the threat of radical or political Islam. Uzbekistan's pendulum diplomacy between the US and Russia is a new term coined for the purposes of this study. I argue that Tashkent was prone to change abruptly its strategic partner in order to secure its three strategic imperatives. Hence, there occurred three turnovers of...
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