|
| |
|
|
Russian Airpower in Ukraine: Analyzing the Performance of Russia's Aerospace Forces and its Implications for the Theory of Airpower
Ferruzzi, Carlo ; Ludvík, Jan (vedoucí práce) ; Ó Beacháin, Donnacha (oponent)
2687344F - 47266728 Russian Airpower in Ukraine: Analyzing the Performance of Russia's Aerospace Forces and its Implications for the Theory of Airpower Abstract A heated debate emerged in the West regarding the reasons behind the seemingly underwhelming performance of Russian airpower in Ukraine. Yet although many experts in the field have advanced their own hypotheses, few have put their ideas to the test through empirical analysis and the scientific method. This essay aims to address this gap in the literature by using explaining- outcome process tracing to comprehensively reconstruct Russia's blitzkrieg strategy to conquer Ukraine and examine the performance of the VKS in the skies over Ukraine. The timeframe for the reconstruction of events spans from February 24th , 2022, the day Russia launched the invasion, to the end of March and early days of April 2022, when the so-called first phase of the war ended following Russia's retreat from the northern axis. By analyzing the evidence thus gathered, this essay then seeks to provide an explanation for why the VKS did not achieve air supremacy. More precisely, this essay concludes that the inability of the VKS to assert uncontestable control over Ukrainian airspace was the result of a nonlinear synergistic interaction of multiple factors: (1) the lack of...
|
|
|
A comparison of online news media framing of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict in Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. & China
Kwei, Quaye-Foli ; Van Puyvelde, Damien (vedoucí práce) ; Ó Beacháin, Donnacha (oponent)
1 Title: A Comparison of Online News Media Framing of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine Conflict in Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. & China. July 2022 University of Glasgow ID: 2574393Q Dublin City University ID: 20109351 Charles University ID: 18329097 Dissertation Abstract The 2022 conflict between Russia and Ukraine that ensued after the former invaded the latter has received extensive media attention around the world. The news media's framing of the war ultimately has an impact on how its audience views the actions of the conflicting countries, their respective allies as well as other issues pertaining to the conflict. The online news media, due to its relatively easy and broad access, plays a key role in how the war is covered and framed. This study compares how major news websites in Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and China have framed their coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict between from December 2021 when Russia began to amass troops on its border with Ukraine, and the end of April 2022, when the war was still raging in Ukraine. The findings of this study indicate that the online news media's framing of the conflict within each country largely mirror their respective government's stated geostrategic interests regarding the war, particularly in terms of security, economics, energy supply and geopolitics. The...
|
|
|
Torn by divided loyalties? - Russian soft power influence in Estonia's Narva amid the Russo-Ukrainian War
Kutzscher, Christian ; Ó Beacháin, Donnacha (vedoucí práce) ; Cheskin, Ammon (oponent)
The city of Narva is Estonia's third largest city, located on the border to Russia. Its inhabitants are largely of Russian origin and many ties to the neighbouring Russia to the east are still existent. When Russia invaded Ukraine for the first time in 2014, breaching the sovereignty of an independent nation, various scholars, journalists, and experts were quick to identify parallels with other geostrategic locations that seemingly resemble the Ukrainian case. For Estonia, the scenario of 'Narva next?' was created. The large proportion of Russophones, economic problems, the legacy of the Soviet oppression and exploitation as well as a societal gap between Estonians and Narvians seemed to make Narva an entry point for Russia's 'green men'. In 2022, Russia is invading Ukraine in a large-scale war, once again showing the violent character of Putin's expansionist ideology. Together with the fear of invasion in the Baltic States, Narva is once again in the spotlight. The Russian influence in NATO and EU member countries is largely exerted through disinformation campaigns, propagated through various media outlets. This dissertation analyses the impact of Russian soft power, both in media, traditions, and cultural ties. The comparison between before and after the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022,...
|
|
|
Managing Declining Power: The Visegrad Group's Defence Cooperation within the Context of EU Defence and Security Integration
Watt, Keir Alexander ; Ó Beacháin, Donnacha (vedoucí práce) ; Ludvík, Jan (oponent) ; Cheskin, Ammon (oponent)
This paper examines the Visegrád Group's (V4) defence cooperation within the wider context of EU defence cooperation. Analysis centres around explaining the V4's place in these broader developments and how EU policies have interacted with the V4's attempts at increasing their defence cooperation. Defence cooperation initiatives are conceptualised as an effort to manage and reverse declining European military power. The analysis follows a narrative form, theoretically informed by neoclassical realism to detail and explain the most important factors propelling closer defence cooperation at the European and V4 level. Whilst also explaining intervening factors which have hampered these efforts. These factors are identified and interpreted through neoclassical realism using multi- layered analysis. Analysis follows a narrative centred around several periodic crises which have created "perceptual shocks," propelling cooperation as a response to further declining capabilities. These include the Balkans crisis (1992), the financial crisis (2008), and Russia's annexation of Crimea (2015). The paper shows that these crises propelled EU and V4 defence cooperation, but with variable success. A key obstacle for EU cooperation was the primacy of national interests in defence cooperation, which in turn hampered successful...
|
|
|
Securitization of an imaginary threat as an authoritarian legitimation instrument: The cases of Belarus and Uzbekistan
Akromov, Otabek ; Ó Beacháin, Donnacha (vedoucí práce) ; Kučera, Tomáš (oponent)
Securitization of an Imaginary Threat as an Authoritarian Legitimation Instrument: The Cases of Belarus and Uzbekistan. July 2021 GUID: 2458329A DCU ID: 19108281 CU ID: 22199053 Presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
Degree of International Master in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies Word Count: 22 451 Supervisor: Donnacha Ó Beacháin Date of Submission: 31.07.2021 Abstract This research explores how the securitization of imaginary and exaggerated threats is used as a legitimation instrument in hegemonic authoritarian regimes. Approaching the task through the cases studies, this thesis will situate the securitization practice within the performance mechanism of authoritarian legitimation and apply it in two hegemonic autocratic regimes - Uzbekistan of Islam Karimov and Belarus of Alexander Lukashenko. This dissertation picks qualitative research design. Methodologically, discourse and content analysis will be used to test the theory that will be developed in this project. The arguments presented in the thesis draw upon the primary sources such as speeches, official statements, and memoirs. The dissertation will also refer to the secondary sources in order to synthesise arguments provided by the existing literature related to the issue in question. This research project...
|
host ::
RSS.