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Arguments used in parliamentary debates on Western Balkan European integration in EU member states
Rääk, Ingriin ; Weiss, Tomáš (advisor) ; Kasáková, Zuzana (referee)
This thesis set out to compare the discourse on possible future European Union enlargement to the Western Balkans in the national parliaments of Estonia, Slovenia, Austria, and Ireland. There is a lack of literature present on arguments for Western Balkan enlargement specifically and especially arguments on member state level. Thus, stenographic minutes were analyzed to fill this research gap. Arguments were divided into five categories: economic, security, containment of third actor influence, democracy promotion and moral. The results showed that the status quo strongly favors enlargement with only two out of the 92 statements analyzed opposing enlargement. Security arguments were most prevalent in all of the parliaments under study with the highest frequency of occurrence in the debates of Austrian and Slovenian parliaments. Interestingly, Irish discourse strongly favored moral arguments whilst Austrian discourse is focused on economic and security arguments. For Slovenia and Estonia, a surprisingly small number of statements were present. For Austria, Slovenia and Ireland, there was a significant increase in the salience of the Western Balkan enlargement topic from 2018 onwards.
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Securitization Theory and Danish Discourse during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2021)
Hierl, Mathias Finn Thisted ; Weiss, Tomáš (advisor) ; Escriba, Abel (referee)
Using the case of Danish discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic, this thesis explores the influence of counter-securitization on a primary securitization narrative. In doing so, this thesis identifies the characteristics of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's primary securitization of the COVID-19 pandemic. The counter-securitization narrative in question is the securitization of the government's crisis management by the Men in Black protest group. The thesis employs discourse analysis to uncover how counter-securitization impacted the primary securitization narrative. The findings suggest that the counter-securitization of the Men in Black, indeed, had a significant effect on the primary securitization narrative. The presence of the counter-securitization narrative prompted the primary securitization actor, Mette Frederiksen, to change her construction of the threat and the referent object. It also caused her to focus her justifications for the security construction on other actors besides herself. The insights gained from the findings add to the academic debate about the impact of counter-securitization. Keywords: Securitization, Counter-securitization, COVID-19, Discourse analysis, Denmark, Social policy language, Mette Frederiksen, Men in Black
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Moisture regime in near sub-surface of porous rocks: measurement and visualization
Weiss, Tomáš ; Bruthans, Jiří (advisor) ; Migoň, Piotr (referee) ; Kumar, Navneet (referee)
Moisture regime in near sub-surface of porous rocks: measurement and visualization Doctoral thesis Tomáš Weiss Charles University, Faculty of Science Abstract The near-subsurface of porous rocks plays a critical role in hydrological, physical, and chemical interactions between the atmosphere and the lithosphere. Hydrologically, the area can be conceptually divided into two zones: the dry surface layer and a deeper zone with capillary water, separated by the so-called evaporation front between the zones. Since salts tend to crystallize at the evaporation front, knowledge of its depth is important for understanding weathering processes. However, measuring the depth of the front is difficult, as differences in water content above and below the front are too low to measure by most methods. This thesis presents new methods for studying the evaporation front and tests them in a variety of lithologies and climates. Na-fluorescein dye was used for visualization of the front either as a direct application to the material in the form of solution or powder or as a part of a moisture probe on which the dye dissolves in the capillary zone. This moisture probe (named uranine- probe) was successfully tested and used in a range of porous rock types, from sandstone and limestone to rhyolite, building materials, and soil;...
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The EU as a mediating actor in conflict and peacebuilding in neighbouring regions and beyond: the case of Kosovo
Dautzenberg, Tom ; Weiss, Tomáš (advisor) ; Styczyńska, Natasza (referee)
This research investigates the targeting of EU state building policies in Kosovo. By employing the conceptual framework of the 'minimalist state' and applying this to the case, it studies to what extent the EU policies are suitable to improve Kosovo's status and performance as a state. Minimalist states are countries that have been established as a result of intervention and state building by international actors and were developed to accommodate competing claims, but in doing so, fall short of sets of functions states are widely expected to carry out. By applying this concept to Kosovo, this study analyses to what extent the EU's policies are targeted correctly to improve the features of Kosovo's minimalist state. The study was conducted by analysing the three main policy frameworks through which it engages with Kosovo: the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP), EULEX, and the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. Document analysis was conducted with Kosovo as a single case study to answer the research question. The research has shown that the EU addresses only a limited number of features of Kosovo's minimalist state. Whereas the policies focus on increasing the strength of Kosovo's state, the EU's state building policies do not directly target the scope and legitimacy of Kosovo. Keywords: European...
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The Role of Privacy in Forming the European Union's Normative Power through Regulation
Hejtmánek, Matěj ; Young, Mitchell (advisor) ; Weiss, Tomáš (referee)
The question of privacy has long been an integral part of the debate on human rights and fundamental values, which national governments should ensure. The rapid technological development of last decades brought the topic of privacy protection even more to display mainly because of the rising digital economy and new challenges that are connect with it. This thesis discusses the role of privacy, as a fundamental right, in forming the European Union's role as a global power, specifically, the thesis builds on two theories: The Normative Power Europe and The Brussels Effect. Digital economy of the European Union has been growing exponentially over the last two decades. Given the increased importance of the digital economy since the 1990s the European Union started to gradually implement laws to regulate the flow of the personal data online. These new regulations often had influence on global markets and big tech companies operating on the European single market but residing outside of Europe. Apart from analyzing the development of the European data protection laws, and the role that was played by the European Courts in forming the European global power, the thesis overviews the debate surrounding the incentives to introduce new regulations to protect the right private life of European citizens.
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NATO Membership: Changing Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Preference in Sweden and Finland during the RussiaUkraine War
Phan, Quang Nghia ; Michaels, Jeffrey (advisor) ; Weiss, Tomáš (referee)
The academic community has not yet reached a consensus on the role of public opinion in shaping foreign policy. To contribute to this theoretical debate, this research investigates how public opinion influenced Sweden and Finland's foreign policy preferences, especially security policy, in response to the increasing security tension following the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war. After Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, both Sweden and Finland witnessed gradually deteriorating relationships with Russia, with many efforts to improve their security arrangements through both domestic empowerment and international cooperation. Nevertheless, both countries, well-known for their longstanding military neutrality and non-alignment traditions, remained consistent in opting out of military alliances, most significantly NATO, until 2022. The 2022 war between Russia and Ukraine fundamentally changed this strategic atmosphere, most significantly with the increase in domestic public support for NATO membership. Both countries seriously considered and eventually pursued NATO membership as not only a viable but also a necessary decision to ensure their national security. Though the past pattern was strategically favourable to both Sweden and Finland, why did they embrace a seemingly riskier direction (embracing NATO...
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The impact of international linkages on the behaviour of environmental non-governmental organisations
Suchá, Magdaléna ; Weiss, Tomáš (advisor) ; Tomalová, Eliška (referee)
Master's Thesis Magdaléna Suchá Summer 2021/2022 Abstract The growing number of NGOs has also resulted in the growing interest of academics in them. However, the available literature on NGOs suffers from several weaknesses. For example, researchers do not substantially reflect the influence of international linkages on organizational behavior. The theory of sociological institutionalism, which is the theoretical framework of this thesis, assumes that through contacts and the influence of exposure to international structures, the institution changes and with it its behavior. The aim of this thesis is therefore to find an answer to the question of whether it is indeed the different degrees of institutionalization of organizations that manifest themselves externally in different behavior. The answer to the question is sought through an analysis of the behavior of two differently internationally institutionalized NGOs linked by their subject of interest - the environment. The first organization is the Greenpeace Czech Republic, the Czech branch of the international NGO, while the second NGO is Hnutí DUHA, which has its roots purely in the Czech Republic. The first part of the thesis introduces the theory of new institutionalism with a focus on its concrete form - sociological institutionalism, followed by a...
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Modernization of agricultural drainage as a new trend in improving the quality of drainage water
Mrázková, Simona ; Weiss, Tomáš (advisor) ; Zajíček, Antonín (referee)
Agricultural drainage is a frequent feature of the landscape, which significantly affects its water regime, when it drains water from land according to pre-set parameters. As a result of not only due to climate change, its modernization to controlled drainage with sub-irrigation is being researched, which would allow for greater control over water management and increase the quality of drainage waters. The aim of the bachelor's thesis is to assess the influence of controlled drainage on reducing nitrate nitrogen (N-NO3) in drainage waters. Based on the literature, the thesis evaluates the changes that the outflow regulation will cause in the reduction of N-NO3. The evaluation of the research showed that the effect of controlled drainage through the prevention of runoff does reduce losses of N-NO3, but its effect on reducing N-NO3 concentrations in drainage waters is not demonstrable. However, limitation of drainage runoff brings an additional risk regarding the spread of N-NO3 to the environment through increased percolation and surface runoff. The location of the site and its environmental conditions (soil type, meteorological situation, agricultural management, etc.) are essential factors for N-NO3 reduction. Future research should focus more on the other runoff pathways (percoation, surface...
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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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