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How the illicit activities of armed non-state actors undermine state governance: A comparative study of Hezbollah and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Abrego Valdez, Mario David ; Florea, Adrian (vedoucí práce) ; Kaunert, Christian (oponent)
1 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the negative impact of the illicit activities of criminal organisations on state security governance. The main idea is how drug trafficking by two criminal groups affects and weakens state security governance. For this purpose, a comparative case study approach was chosen, with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico as selected case studies. The analysis of the study focuses on the interactions between the drug trafficking activities of these criminal organisations and their impact on security governance in these countries. It was possible to identify and compare the negative impact of drug trafficking in Lebanon and Mexico through the number of drug seizures and the number of homicides. The analysis shows how Hezbollah and the Sinaloa Cartel influence the violence and lack of security in certain regions of both countries due to their power over local populations and their financial capacity derived from illicit activity. Therefore, to understand how both governments must deal with the activities of these groups in terms of security, scholars must consider the various factors that make these criminal organisations prominent and undermine the security of Lebanon and Mexico in order to attack the problem at its root. Key Words: Armed Non-State Actors, Drug...
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Sustaining Violence - A Colonial Déjà Vu?
Turnbull, Rabia ; Parks, Louisa Rosemary (vedoucí práce) ; Florea, Adrian (oponent)
I. Abstract In the midst of a world grappling with interconnected global challenges, climate change has surged to the forefront as a growing concern demanding urgent resolution. This research delves into the intricate interplay of historical legacies, power dynamics, and the pursuit of sustainability within the context of cobalt mining-a pivotal facet of the global green energy transition. The research navigates the nexus between climate justice, an unrelenting growth paradigm, and extractivism, with a particular focus on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) using an exploratory case study approach to determine whether green extractivism can serve as a threat multiplier. The findings unveiled an intricate tapestry wherein historical imprints and power dynamics converge, shaping the violent trajectory of cobalt extraction which has remerged in the post-Paris era. The case of the DRC underscores the discord between sustainability aspirations and the unfettered pursuit of economic growth. The ecological toll of cobalt mining, particularly its resonance within the Congo Basin rainforest, reveals alarming environmental consequences while economic realities expose a paradox wherein growth comes at grave human and environmental expense. The country's contemporary dependence on cobalt fuels an overreliance...
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"Honor behind Human Trafficking Absenteeism in Italian Mafias." A comparative study among Italian, Nigerian and Albanian Mafias
Sollecito, Angela ; Aslan, Emil (vedoucí práce) ; Florea, Adrian (oponent)
Human trafficking is ranked as the third most profitable activity within the realm of organized crime, following drug and arms trafficking. Despite its highly rewarding feature, Italian mafias have never been directly involved in such a criminal activity. Attributing honor to the Italian mafias' absenteeism in the trafficking of human beings is precisely the aim of the present study. The distinctive conceptualization of honor, onore, is believed to have persistently forged autochthone mafias and their culture of operations, culminating in the establishment of a quintessential criminal organization archetype. In sharp contrast to this, the Nigerian and Albanian mafias, while categorized as such, notably lack the pivotal trait of this form of organized crime: honor. Devoid of their own conceptualization of honor, these criminal organizations have emerged as the two leading mafias currently governing the trafficking of humans in Italy. Incorporating evidence from publicly available interviews, trails recordings, testimonies, and official documents, the research will unmask the underlying framework of Italian, Nigerian and Albanian mafias. Additionally, through the lenses of a comparative study, the research will identify the four major divergences between Italian and the two foreign mafias: old vs new...
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Where are the women? Gender sensitivity in deradicalisation strategies for female foreign terrorist fighters in Germany.
Scharnagl, Annika Johanna ; Aslan, Emil (vedoucí práce) ; Florea, Adrian (oponent)
The aim of this thesis is to examine German deradicalisation practices for IS returnees in terms of their gender sensitivity. While the majority of former foreign terrorist fighters were men, up to one third of those who left Germany for Syria or Iraq were women. Furthermore, only women and their children have been repatriated so far as part of the coordinated repatriation efforts. There is thus a good reason to look at the issue using Germany as an example. The literature on deradicalisation suggests that gender plays an important role in this process and should be included in interventions. Therefore, it is also necessary to look at the adaptation of deradicalisation practices based on the gender of the person using the German example. Through expert interviews, the situation on the ground was investigated. The results of this work show that German interventions are already gender-sensitive to some extent. However, they are not named as such and much work and change are still needed to be able to call the whole method gender sensitive. Based on these findings, policy recommendations were formulated. Possible limitations of the work and further fields of research in the field of gender-sensitive deradicalisation are also mentioned. Keywords: Deradicalisation, Gender, Women, Islamic State, Foreign...
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Discourses and their implications on the field: A study of Rafael Correa's and Lenín Moreno's speeches on narcotrafficking in Ecuador during their presidential mandates (2007-2020)
Broquet, Johanna Marie Samantha ; Florea, Adrian (vedoucí práce) ; Parks, Louisa Rosemary (oponent)
This paper seeks to give an overview of the framing adopted around narcotrafficking by Rafael Correa and Lenin Moreno during their presidential mandates in Ecuador. The first aim is to explore the role of Ecuador in the global narcotrafficking, understanding how the issue became prevalent with time and describing the recent dynamics that it brings in the daily life of the country. Next, the relations between discourses, the framing of an issue, power and the implications on the field are presented to show how they are linked. Then, with the Critical Analysis Discourse methodology developed by Van Djik, the space that narcotrafficking holds in the discourses of Rafael Correa and Lenin Moreno is examined, analysing the framings that they adopted to speak about the issue. Finally, commonalities and differences in framings are discussed, and the strategies employed by the two governments against narcotrafficking are critically assessed.
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A place of safety: Rethinking "everyday" security and peacebuilding in Northern Ireland
Miller, Sarah ; Visoka, Gëzim (vedoucí práce) ; Florea, Adrian (oponent)
The latter half of the twentieth century in Northern Ireland was defined by "the Troubles", a brutal sectarian conflict between the country's Catholic and Protestant populations. Since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, post-conflict peacebuilding in Northern Ireland has aimed to assist the country's ongoing transition to 'normality' after decades of violence and terror. Official peacebuilding practices have for the most part relied on liberal orthodoxy that conceives of peace in terms of non-violence, modernisation, and development. As a result, the dominant focus has been on creating secure, economically successful spaces in which the markers of violence have been erased. While this approach has succeeded in transforming certain areas such as Belfast city centre, in the marginalised neighbourhoods of the interface the continued presence of peace barriers is seen as an ongoing symbol of sectarianism and a major obstacle to change. While taking down the walls is one of the main targets of policymakers, progress so far has been gradual due to ongoing distrust and insecurity on the part of locals. Consequently, peacebuilding in interface areas has emphasised the importance of healing sectarian divides through ongoing good relations initiatives. The nature of the state's approach to peacebuilding,...
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Insurgent Assassinations: A Theoretical Analysis of Targeted Killing in Chechnya and Dagestan
Gorringe, Zoe Louise ; Florea, Adrian (vedoucí práce) ; McDonagh, Ken (oponent) ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (oponent)
2 Abstract Assassinations are some of the least understood methods of violence used in insurgencies. This paper discusses the potential drivers for the use of assassinations by insurgents, to argue that grievances, structural inequalities and religious ideology are the most prominent drivers for assassinations. The discussion is developed through a comparative case study of insurgents in Chechnya and Dagestan using descriptive statistics, to critically assess the saliency of diverging theoretical explanations for what drives the use of assassinations and variations in target type and methods used. Cultural, structural and ideological explanations are found to be the most effective at explaining this phenomenon.
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The Effects of NATO Integration Process on the Military Professionalism of the Georgian Defence Forces
Zabakhidze, Rusudan ; Kučera, Tomáš (vedoucí práce) ; Florea, Adrian (oponent) ; Pili, Giangiuseppe (oponent)
The Effects of NATO Integration Process on the Military Professionalism of the Georgian Defence Forces July 2019 2338285z 17116431 63432624 Presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of International Master in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies Word Count: 21 387 Supervisor: Dr Tomáš Kučera Date of Submission: 26 July 2019 2 Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to whole IMSISS cohort of 2017-2019: students, academic staff and coordinators who made this research possible by providing inspiration, confidence, resources, and guidance throughout the process. I am thankful to my supervisor Dr Tomáš Kučera whose patience and mentorship was detrimental to achieve the research goals. I am extremely grateful to those friends (May the judgement be yours) who helped me to stay calm in times of research obstacles by providing comfort, encouragement, and advice to move forward. I would also like to thank all the research participants whose voluntary willingness to enrich my study with their expertise and knowledge was key to get invaluable insights into the Georgian defence sector. After all, I thank me for believing me, for doing this hard work and never quitting (Broadus, also known as Snoop Dogg, 2019). I sincerely hope to adhere to the trust and expectations...
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Adaptive Structuration Theory and The Role of Social Computing Sites in the Biafran Struggle.
Orbunde, Terver ; Střítecký, Vít (vedoucí práce) ; Florea, Adrian (oponent)
Front Matter Abstract \ On May 30th,2017, a sit-at-home order was planned by organisers of the struggle for a sovereign Biafran statel . This protest was largely mobilised via social computing sites such as twitter and Facebook andwas deemed a success due to the unprecedented level of compliance across the south-eastern region of Nigerid. However, this success did no t c olr e sp ond w it h t he p att e rns de duc e dfr o m t he #B i afr a tw it te r ne tw o r k. The ne tw o r k was lacking in terms of poor coherence in their message, shabbily crafted narratives etc. So, could there be something more at play in driving the success of these social media inspired campaigns, andwould that deliver the longlerm goals of independence for the 'Biafran state'? This research explores these issues using NodeXL analytic tool to analyse the interaction of these groups on the #Biafra twitter network. The findings are then discussed using Adaptive structuration theory to explore the existing gaps in the impact of social computing sites on self-determination groups in south eastern Nigeria, By doing so, I deduced that, the interaction between socio-political entities and technolog,t is an iterative one between technology, tasks and grqups understanding of the two. Furthermore, while social computing sites was used as an...
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