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The United States, China, and the Emerging Balance of Power in the Arctic
Lavengood, Zachary Colin ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Raška, Francis (referee)
The increasing pace of climate change in the last two decades has brought the Arctic, a former geopolitical afterthought, into growing prominence on the global stage. Receding ice and melting tundra have made a cornucopia of rare earth metals and hydrocarbons ripe for extraction as well as opened new shipping lanes which have the potential to revolutionize how goods are moved around the planet. In this emerging environment is a budding balance of power which involves the most powerful actors in the world-system, two of which, the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, are the focus of this thesis. Their respective arctic policies shape the balance of power for not only themselves, but for all other actors in the theater. The United States' laissez faire attitude towards the Arctic has caused it to fall behind the progress of other powers in the region which could make it difficult to assert its influence in the theater in the future. China however has chosen to follow an ambitious arctic policy despite its geographical distance from the region, and has given the arctic a prominent position in its greater Belt and Road project, much to the suspicion of traditional arctic powers. Analyzed through a realist lens, the balance of power in the Arctic appears to be stable for the...
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The United States and Russia: The Return of the Cold War?
Levý, Jakub ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Litera, Bohuslav (referee)
This bachelor thesis addresses current subject of tense and conflicted relations between the United States and the Russian Federation, which are the worst since the end of the Cold War and are remiscent of that confrontational time period. The state of relations has deteriorated in particular since the events in Ukraine in 2014 and most recently demonstrated by reciprocal suspension of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty from February 2019. The main aim of this thesis is therefore the attempt to answer the question whether the current relations between these powers can really be characterized as a return of the Cold War. And since the Cold War is not only an abstract concept, but also had some specific features (causes, its own characteristics and a certain balance of power), this bachelor thesis, in order to answer the above question in the form of a complex comparison, first analyzes these features and then applies them to the present period.
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Participation of the Executive and Legislative on War Powers After 9/11
Doskočil, Jan ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Kozák, Kryštof (referee)
The subject of this thesis is a resolution titled "Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists" and its importance regarding the matter of war power of the President of the United States. This resolution was proposed by the President George W. Bush immediately after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and Congress passed it with haste. It vested broad war powers in the President to the war on terrorism without the necessity of consulting Congress. This thesis' aim is to evaluate the importance of this resolution in the ever-evolving discussion about the participation of the executive and legislative branches on war powers. The thesis also analyzes the legality and legitimacy of the resolution according to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers' intentions while creating it. This thesis addresses these issues through analyzing diverse interpretations of the Constitution, statements made by the Framers of the Constitution, and through examination of the development of war powers in the second half of the 20th century.
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Trump's campaign promises to fight terrorism and its following implementation in the first two years in the office
Bohunická, Klára ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Raška, Francis (referee)
In my bachelor thesis, I tried to answer my main hypothesis, which was that presidential candidates give many promises during their campaigns and they are not able to fulfill them after taking the office because of missing competences. Sometimes it is not even technically possible. I tried to apply this theory on the campaign of Donald Trump, especially on three promises that were focused on fighting terrorism in the United States. To achieve my goal I examined the promises Trump gave during tha campaign. After that I focused on the steps taken by Trump since his inauguration in January 2017 until the middle of his term in January 2019. The first promise I focused on was "closing parts of the internet where ISIS is". The only one step Trump did in this area was signing a statement in which he and the G7 leaders called for intensifying the pressure from social media to combat online terrorism. From a technical point of view, this promise has been problematic from the beginning. The first problem was the fact that Trump did not have sufficient competence to fulfill it. Second problem was the first amendment to the US Constitution. It protects freedom of speech and closing parts of the Internet would disrupt these freedoms. Thanks to this promise I have confirmed my hypothesis that candidates during...
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Russian-Western Relations in the context of the Ukrainian crisis
Beran, Jiří ; Horák, Slavomír (advisor) ; Hornát, Jan (referee)
This thesis aims to find out the causes of the Ukrainian crisis that started at the end of 2013 with demonstrations in Ukrainian cities against the president Yanukovych's regime. This crisis later escalated into the seizure of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian federation and led to the war in the eastern Ukraine. Moreover, the crisis is closely linked to a broader crisis between Russia and the West, represented mainly by NATO and the European union. This work also attempts to find the possible reasons for the crisis. Furthermore, this thesis searches for an answer to the question whether the Ukrainian crisis could be resolved by Ukraine's acceptance of its neutral status, and whether this would improve the relations between the West and Russia. Since they were in similar situation during the cold war, Austria and Finland are used as examples of possible solution for the crisis by declaring the neutral status.
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Comparison of NATO and EU Decision Making Processes about Intervention in Libya
Černá, Marina ; Čížek, Martin (advisor) ; Hornát, Jan (referee)
The bachelor thesis deals with the comparison of preparedness and the ability of NATO and EU organizations to decide whether to participate in the intervention on the example of the crisis in Libya. The aim is to investigate why the EU has failed to develop a joint plan for intervention in Libya, and what on the other hand has made NATO differently in order to take over the intervention later. Within these two organizations, the work focuses on their member states and how they have influenced the decision-making process. In the EU, I focused on France, Great Britain, and Germany. The first two countries are being explored as actors promoting intervention and I am focusing on their joint cooperation and different attitudes to NATO-led work. While UK officials welcomed the unification of the operation under the command of the Alliance, representatives of France were reluctant to do so. Germany is examined in the work as an actor with a different outcome of the decision-making process that led to the rejection and criticism of intervention. The German refusal is described as one of the factors why the EU did not participate and did not lead the intervention. Within NATO, I focus on the United States, their decision-making process and their influence on the takeover of alliance intervention. I analyze...
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The United States and Iran - The Iranian Nuclear Agreement
Rauvolf, Josef ; Zukerstein, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Hornát, Jan (referee)
The bachelor thesis "The US and Iran - The Iranian nuclear agreement" examines the history and circumstances under which the Iranian nuclear deal (JCPOAR) was created and puts its influence into the broader context of the geopolitical security environment of the Middle East. The bachelor thesis analyzes the main fields of American and Iranian interest in the region, with an emphasis on the situation in postwar Iraq and the temporary conditions under which these interests developed. Their end goal concluded that conflict was not the preferable option for both actors, focusing on the importance of preconditions, namely sanctions and Iranian internal dynamics of accepting the diplomatic means in dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue. It tackles the Iranian network of influence in the region and observes wishes and strategies of American President Barack Obama towards regional stability and the Iranian nuclear agreement. The thesis, in a broader sense, describes also the problem of nuclear nonproliferation and international multilateral diplomacy, contributing to a better understanding of the realities of the Middle East, its geopolitics, and the role of Iran and the US from 2003 until present day.
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UNCLOS and the role of the United States in the South China Sea
Kaňková, Michaela ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Pondělíček, Jiří (referee)
This Master's thesis is focusing on why the United States of America never ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is analysing the prevailing arguments which were used in 1982, which led to President Ronald Reagan never ratifying the Convention. As well as why the same thing happened in 1994 when the United Nations agreed on an Update to the Convention. Then the thesis is focusing on crucial parts of the Convention, which are part of the arguments for or against the ratification of the Convention, as well as those which have a great influence on the American approach to the high seas. Furthermore, this thesis is trying to offer a current insight into the problematic of why the United States still did not ratify the Convention, despite the fact that they used the Convention as an explanation why they patron the high seas as well as the right of innocent passage. At the same time, the findings are then looked at from the perspective of the South China Sea, which is a region the United States monitor. This last part is attempting to do several things. First, it is explaining the issue of the South China Sea and the interest of the United States in it. Then it is looking at the way by which the United States try to promote their interests in the region on how the fact them...
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Liberal Democracy and Chinese Political Culture: American Perspectives and Perceptions
Hornát, Jan ; Bečka, Jan (advisor) ; Sehnálková, Jana (referee)
In the case of China, a rising great power, the question of adopting a democratic political system is not just a domestic issue, but has much broader implications for China's relations with the outside world, especially the United States. Whether Washington and Beijing continue to cohabitate without major conflict will depend in large part on the specific form of the regime that evolves in China and on the American perception of this regime. The research hypothesis of this paper proposes that in the event of a democratic transition, China will not adopt a liberal democracy, but a variation of democracy that will include meritocratic and communitarian aspects, due to the strong role of Confucian ethics and morals in influencing Chinese political culture. In an extreme case, China's "non- liberal" democracy may be perceived by the United States as a wholly undemocratic regime and hence, the presumed benign effects of democracy on state-to-state relations, such as "democratic peace", will become void. Yet, if China adopts a "non-liberal" democratic government that primarily strives to ensure "good governance" and if the United States is prepared to accept China as a "non- liberal" democracy, mutually beneficial and peaceful relations can be maintained. The first part of the paper focuses on defining...
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