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The American Hybrid War? Operation Enduring Freedom through the hybrid warfare lenses
Pinkas, Šimon ; Bahenský, Vojtěch (advisor) ; Karásek, Tomáš (referee)
This diploma thesis delves into the possibility of the Western democratic state waging hybrid warfare. The hybrid warfare has been throughout its existence almost exclusively attributed to undemocratic regimes, which often utilize it in an aggressive fashion. In order to challenge this notion, this thesis seeks to reinterpret the conduct of the USA during the opening stages of the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan 2001, through the lenses of hybrid warfare. Since hybrid warfare is very wide, often poorly defined term, the author chose to conceptualize a well- known description of Russian hybrid warfare, created by András Rácz in 2015, through which the studied case is then reinterpreted. The possibility of the Western democratic state waging hybrid warfare is, as far as existing research goes, completely unexplored, this thesis is hence delving into a completely new research area. This thesis also ponders on how this realization of Western ability to wage hybrid war can influence our outlook on the phenomenon itself. With this thesis, the author seeks to offer a new, factual outlook on hybrid warfare, unhindered by biases and emotional undertone which sadly mires many contributions to the academic debate on the topic. This new perspective on hybrid warfare, in authors personal opinion, can...
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North South, East West: Modern Inequality of Germany and its Reflection in the Political Discours
Kindl, Jakob ; Nigrin, Tomáš (advisor) ; Handl, Vladimír (referee)
Bachelor Thesis - Abstract Kindl Jakob The bachelor thesis deals with the topic of inequality between the northern and southern federal states of Germany. First, it seeks to place the north-south division into a historical context - Germany was characterized by a north-south divide for a long time. Whether it was Austro-Prussian dualism, an industrial orientation against the agrarian one, or a confessional distinction between Southern Catholics and Northern Protestants. The bachelor's thesis therefore deals with where the border between north and south is located. Since the existence of the north-south border is not as clear a discrepancy as the west-east border, it must first have been proved in the thesis that the differences between north and south prevail. The author quantitatively compares economic and social data published by the federal government. These data include GDP, unemployment, indebtedness, willingness to invest or education. In all selected criteria, the existence of a difference between a richer, more educated and less indebted south and a poorer, less educated and more indebted north was confirmed. However, the north-south division affects not only the western Länder but also the New Bundesländer. After dividing the eastern Bundesländer into southern Saxony and Thuringia and comparing...
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The changes in foreign policy of Russia during the first presidential term of Putin
Muchin, Viktor ; Dubský, Zbyněk (advisor) ; Eichler, Jan (referee)
The aim of this bachelor thesis is evaluation of changes in Russian foreign policy during the first presidential term of Putin. The thesis is divided into two parts- theoretical and practical. In theoretical part I am concerned with operating one of the theories of international relations called social constructivism. This theory brought manifold changes into foreign policy of Russia through seeking Russian own national identity. My observational question asks to which magnitute national aspect of Russia was approved in its foreign policy. Social constructivism is consequently introduced in the analysis of three Russian doctrinal documents- the National Security Concept, Military doctrine and the Foreign policy Concept of 2000. In practical part I present the application of this theory on demanded complex of co-operation with the USA as the representative of Western civilization, while there is also the effort to maintain the sphere of influence on post-soviet region such as Baltic states, Ukraine and Belarus.
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Colonel Jaroslav Sommer, the fate of an ordinary soldier affected by two dictatorships
Sommer, Jakub ; Cuhra, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Čížek, Martin (referee)
Bachelor Thesis "Colonel Jaroslav Sommer, the fate of an ordinary soldier effected by two dictatorships " attempt to descibe the lifestory of Colonel Jaroslav Sommer with use of comparison method of secondary literature and thorough Archive research. Author based on family information reveals the story of his relative Jaroslava Sommer, who fought in the Second World War in the West. His actions in the Czechoslovak army are so interesting that it certainly deserve attention and detailed historical research. The thesis focuses on Jaroslava Sommers life milestones, that are placed in historical context. By using the obtained materials leads to the conclusion that the key factor that significantly influenced Sommers life, was joining to foreign resistance. Especially his stay in the West, which was the pretense for his departure from the army and the subsequent persecution by the communist regime, can be regarded as decisive. The theme of the thesis is rewarding not only from the perspective of a specific family history, but also allows us to open up issues concerning contemporary context. The fate of one soldier helps bring complicated phase of czechoslovakian, but also international history in the first half of the twentieth century.
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The image of the world in journalistic photography (the comparetive analysis of international photography exhibitions Interpressfoto and World Press Photo)
Kolářová, Klára ; Lábová, Alena (advisor) ; Ždimera, Jan (referee)
Thesis The image of the world in journalistic photography (the comparative analysis of international photography exhibitions Interpressphoto and World Press Photo) deals with the comparison of both exhibitions before the fall of the Iron Curtain. World Press Photo was designed for photographers of the West, Interpressphoto for photographers of the East. The work focuses on the ideological aspects of both exhibitions and ask the question whether an image - that West (World Press Photo) and East (Interpressphoto) wanted to present - is suspended by ideological establishment, what level of manipulation both of exhibitions show and whether this manipulation in both cases is comparable to or significantly different. The work also focuses on comparing important aspects of the winning photos of both exhibitions: selected places from which the photos were brought, the level of drama, accessibility (how is the photographer of the country easy / difficult to get into the country) and importance (how much the photographers focus on countries that have a large size, wealth and military power). At the beginning, it is hypothesized that the level of ideology was comparable in both countries. This hypothesis is then verified using coding tables.
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Imaginary Elsewhere: The "West" in Czechoslovakian society in the time of Perestroika
Andělová, Kristina ; Pullmann, Michal (advisor) ; Randák, Jan (referee)
In societies of state socialism the image of West was usually characterized by high degree of ambivalence. On the one hand the West was a space where negative social and politic phenomena could be displaced - as negative film should the official image of evil West full of social insecurity, criminality and poverty, reassured Czechoslovakian citizens of rightness of building socialism. On the other hand entirely opposite scenes were part of the public meaning- unconcealed admiration of fashion trends inspired by western mass culture (films, music). There was not only the fascination with consumer commodities of the western World, but also an admiration of lot of nonmaterial aspects (freedom of press, traveling, ecologic, feministic, pacifistic movements etc.). The West became gradually something mystical- it was at the same time "familiar and inaccessible, real and abstract, mundane and exotic". This ambivalence and inaccessibility was transforming the West in some mysterious and dreamlike place where instead of evil, the promise of happiness could be projected. Despite the official ideology and censoring attempts that limited the information about life behind the Iron Curtain, citizens in Czechoslovakia had an opportunity to create their own, quite clear image of West. At the same time I am trying to...
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The Development of Orientalism and its Form in the Contemporary World
Přibáňová, Tereza ; Balon, Jan (advisor) ; Horák, Vít (referee)
The bachelor thesis deals with problems of orientalism, which is considered primarily in Edward Said's definition as a power discourse in which knowledge about the Orient is created. Even today, Westerners have to rely solely on mediated information about Orient, which can be quite misleading. The thesis first defines different meanings of orientalism and the categories of West and East. The thesis presents development of orientalism in its pre- modern and modern or academic form, including criticism of Said's concept. Critique of orientalism is currently included in postcolonial criticism, therefore there is a chapter on postcolonial criticism as well, which includes part about relationship of sociology to this issue. In conclusion is discussed occidentalism, which is often seen as the opposite of orientalism, but it isn't entirely accurate. Also is analyzed the contemporary form of orientalism, which is associated mainly with attitude of the Western world (mainly U.S.) to the Islamic countries.
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