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Mapping the Proliferation of Strategic Partnerships
Rosendorf, Ondřej ; Parízek, Michal (advisor) ; Karlas, Jan (referee) ; Faude, Benjamin (referee)
Since the end of the Cold War, states have increasingly resorted to the establishment of informal alignments, with "strategic partnerships" at the forefront, whereas the number of formal military alliances has been stagnating. In spite of the rapid proliferation of these partnerships-next to other forms of informal cooperation-the extant International Relations literature has paid only limited attention to this phenomenon. In this dissertation, I introduce and analyze the first dataset of Bilateral Intergovernmental Strategic Partnerships (BISPs) established by G20 members between 1993 and 2020. Utilizing insights from international alignment and institutionalist literature, I aim to: (1) provide the first empirical account of the extent to which strategic partnerships have proliferated among the G20 and over time; (2) identify factors driving states to form strategic partnerships; and (3) determine whether these partnerships operate primarily as complements to the existing alliance structures, or exist in place of them as "low-cost" alternatives. Firstly, I found that G20 members alone established approximately 382 strategic partnerships by the end of 2020, surpassing previous estimations. Secondly, I found that the onset of strategic partnerships correlates with factors such as economic...
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EU response to hybrid threats: the national position of the Slovak Republic
Ilkova, Alexandra ; Bahenský, Vojtěch (advisor) ; Rosendorf, Ondřej (referee)
The main purpose of this master's thesis is to illuminate the national position of the Slovak Republic on the EU response to countering hybrid threats. The national position is illustrated through 9 semi-structured interviews conducted with the Slovak national officials and experts working for the national authorities and alternatively for the non-governmental organisations within the field of hybrid threats. The national officials represent the various state departments, such as the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ministry of Defense or the Office of the Government. The respondents' professional background heterogeneity leads to a more complex national position, incorporating as many national authorities' structures as possible. At the same time, the work also provides a comprehensive overview of the EU and Slovak approach to countering hybrid threats. While the EU response is mapped out through the adaptation of political and legal frameworks, the emergence of new institutional bodies and inter-institutional cooperation, the Slovak response is demonstrated through the development of national security and defense strategies and the emergence of the departmental units focusing on hybrid threats. Clarifying the approaches to countering hybrid threats from the...
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Image of enemy in contemporary military operations: a comparison of interventions in Iraq and Libya"
Trojáček, Jan ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Rosendorf, Ondřej (referee)
Diploma thesis "Depicting the Enemy in the current Military Operations: A Comparison of Interventions in Iraq and Libya" deals with the events after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and the war in Iraq and related military operation Iraqi Freedom, and the military intervention of NATO coalition forces in Libya in Operation Unified Protector. This diploma thesis examines the concept of creating an image of the enemy, which is largely constructed through the discourse of important political leaders in the United States and Great Britain. Securitization, as a research theory, is a compelling complement to enemy image research that works through a negatively constructed image of a formidable enemy. The actual securitization process begins with the securitization movement and is also the starting point for the construction of the hostile image.The thesis uses official press releases and documents to analyze the rhetoric of US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom Tony Blair and David Cameron.The research used a discursive analysis of statements by individual officials in relation to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. In the first part of the thesis, the author deals with the concept of construction of the image of...
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Pledge fulfillment in NATO: free-riding of "new members"
Slánský, Jan ; Kučera, Tomáš (advisor) ; Rosendorf, Ondřej (referee)
The diploma thesis focuses on the causes of the phenomenon of free-riding and the approach to fulfilling commitments towards NATO and burden-sharing in general in the cases of "new" NATO members. The timeframe of 2015-2019 and the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method combined with three case studies (Lithuania, Hungary, Romania) were chosen for the research. The QCA focused on four independent variables - economic situation, perceived level of threat, strategic culture (Atlantism/Europeanism) and ideological orientation of the government (left/right). The perceived level of threat proved to be a necessary and potentially sufficient variable. However, among the investigated cases, there was none empirically confirming the sufficiency. The simplest combination of variables that led to fulfilling the commitments and was supported by an existing case was a combination of an intensely perceived level of threat and the strategic culture characteristic of Atlanticism. Because already existing research on free-riding indicates that it is a multi-causal phenomenon, the author is inclined to the opinion that the mentioned combination of variables is the simplest sufficient combination. The economic situation proved to be without significant influence. The QCA results also indicate the ideological...
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Inverting Peace: The Bottom-Up Role of the Mine Action Community in Postliberal Peace-Building
Emery, Rupert Nicholas Ruscombe ; Ditrych, Ondřej (advisor) ; Rosendorf, Ondřej (referee)
This thesis explores the role of the humanitarian mine action (HMA) sector in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction. Mine action is widely believed to be an integral component of peacebuilding, and its conduct has evolved significantly through the 20th and 21st centuries. Through the lens of postliberal international relations theory, HMA - and its practices and practitioners - is examined as a contributor to peace. To accomplish this a Bourdiesian field analysis of the HMA sector was conducted; along with a more in-depth case study of mine action in Sri Lanka which draws upon data from in-depth interviews and policy analysis. The results shed light on certain power relations in the HMA field relating to knowledge, expertise, and legitimacy; and provides a preliminary exploration of the contributions of mine action to a postliberal conception of peace. These results highlight both the potential of the method, and the need for further ethnographic study.
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Comparison of Czech and French security policies in Mali
Zelenka, Jan ; Doboš, Bohumil (advisor) ; Rosendorf, Ondřej (referee)
Thesis Comparation of the Czech and the French security policy in Mali elaborates Czech and French foreign policy analysis in Mali. Main focus explores their reaction on security threats, especially international islamist terrorism. Thesis rests on Foreign policy analysis (FPA) methodology, that examines genesis and evolution of foreign policy while analysing government documents, security reports and statements of government and army officials. Research regards rational choice theory as its main theoretical background, this theory is based on neorealism and rationalism in international relations. Supporting theory is a normative approach of responsibility to protect. Thesis introduces security policies of the Czech Republic and France, defines their domestic and external circumstances, and describes application of these policies during a military intervention in Mali. Both actors in Mali participate on operations Barkhane and Takuba and cooperate on missions EUTM Mali or OSN MINUSMA. Objective of this thesis is to deliver a complex comparative analysis of security policies and to present a definition of major motives of intervening actors.
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The Trade Policy Review Mechanism: Shedding light on non-compliance?
Rosendorf, Ondřej ; Parízek, Michal (advisor) ; Karlas, Jan (referee)
This thesis examines the notion of monitoring mechanisms and their ability to identify non-compliance. The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) of the World Trade Organization constitutes the main focus of analysis. The purpose of the thesis is to improve the current empirical account of the functioning of the mechanism, and to examine the extent to which the mechanism is able to detect rule violations before they are taken up to the court, as well as factors affecting this ability. From theoretical standpoint, the thesis draws mainly upon rational institutionalism and other approaches related to notions of transparency and compliance. In particular, the thesis focuses on the concept of the so called information systems in international regimes. As regards methodology, the thesis relies on the method of content analysis the purpose of which is to procure empirical evidence of occurrence of matters related to non-compliance in trade policy reviews. Thus procured empirical evidence is then subjected to statistical analysis, including logistic regression. The thesis finds that TPRM covers surprisingly large number of matters that later become subjects of judicially confirmed rule-violations at the WTO. As much as 72% of the matters that are eventually taken up to court are mentioned in trade policy...
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Campaign to stop 'killer robots': prospects of a preemptive ban on autonomous weapons systems
Rosendorf, Ondřej ; Smetana, Michal (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee)
This thesis addresses the issue of autonomous weapons systems and their potential preventive prohibition with regard to current international discussions at multilateral forums such as the Human Rights Council, First Committee of the General Assembly, and Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons at UN. The aim of this thesis is to provide an extensive empirical account of the substance of those discussions and their most likely outcome, estimating state preferences with use of content analysis and the likely outcome with median voter prediction. From a theoretical standpoint, the thesis draws from defensive realism and contributions of arms control, arms trade as well as institutionalist literature from which it draws the concept of legalization. From a methodological standpoint, the thesis relies on quantitative methods, in particular, content analysis for collection of data and median voter theorem for prediction of the likely outcome. In addition, the thesis uses the method of regression analysis to examine states' activity at the aforementioned fora. In conclusion, the thesis finds that the most likely outcome of discussions on autonomous weapons systems is a moderate-obligation form of hybrid regulation, which includes solutions such as framework convention and moratorium. Further finding of...
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The Study of Use of Heavy Armoured Vehicles by Non-State Actors in Syria Conflict
Kotrbáček, Adam ; Kučera, Tomáš (advisor) ; Rosendorf, Ondřej (referee)
The use of heavy weaponry - such as tanks - in recent and current military conflicts has been overlooked, as were the principles of conventional warfare in general. With relation to armed conflict, attention has been given especially to the questions of conflict prevention and deconfliction. The thesis focuses on the ongoing conventional conflict in Syria, with the emphasis on the tactics of use of heavy armoured vehicles by non-state actors. The thesis takes advantage of volume of accessible primary sources concerning the topic to establish distinct modes of use of heavy weapons - the patterns of deployment, to analyse how the heavy weapons itself and the environment affecting their usage. On the two chosen case studies, these patterns of deployment are operationalised into an independent variable to assess whether the use of heavy armoured vehicles by insurgents in north-western Syria could be causally link with the outcome of military operations.
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The Venezuelan Migration Wave and its Impact on Colombia
Potocká, Eliška ; Soukup, Jaromír (advisor) ; Rosendorf, Ondřej (referee)
The thesis deals with the effects of the Venezuelan migration wave on Colombia. The aim of the thesis was to find out what impact the Venezuelan migration crisis has had on the situation in Colombia and what is the position of the Colombian government in relation to it. In order to answer these research questions, a qualitative content analysis was applied, which examined data provided by international organizations, political institutions or Colombian government authorities describing the current situation in the country. The main theoretical concept that this thesis uses as its basis is the push-pull theory of migration, which explains migration based on the mechanism of "push" and "pull" factors that motivate the population to move. As a result of the analysis of the examined data, the hypothesis was confirmed, which assumed that the migration crisis has had a negative impact on the Colombian national situation, specifically in the institutional, economic and social spheres. The results of the content analysis revealed significant negative impacts in all three mentioned spheres and subsequently the possible future development was outlined. Furthermore, the results of the analysis reveal Colombia's historical and current approach to Venezuelan migrants and confirm the hypothesis that the...
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