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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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The Growing Demand for 'White Gold' to Accommodate the 'Green' Transition: The Role of Discourse in Shaping the Cooperation Between the European Union and Chile on Lithium
Zutt, Megan Nicole ; Casaglia, Anna (vedoucí práce) ; Kaunert, Christian (oponent)
University of Glasgow student number: 2656577Z University of Trento student number: 307539 Charles University student number: 64652184 The Growing Demand for 'White Gold' to Accommodate the 'Green' Transition: The Role of Discourse in Shaping the Cooperation Between the European Union and Chile on Lithium Abstract Academia and the international political arena consider lithium, also called 'white gold', as an essential component in the 'green' transition to a carbon-neutral society. However, the socio- environmental challenges linked to the extraction of lithium, as well as other minerals that are labelled as 'critical', raise the question of whether this transition can actually be called 'green'. This thesis critically examines the role of discourse in shaping the geopolitics of lithium, which is based on the post-structuralist notion that social and discursive practices are linked. To research this, a critical discourse analysis is conducted, which analyses how the lithium cooperation between the EU and Chile has been shaped by their respective dominant discourses on critical minerals. The lithium cooperation between the EU and Chile is an important geopolitical topic, as Chile holds the greatest lithium reserves globally and in the EU demand for the mineral is increasing drastically as a result of the...
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Deploying French forces on French soil: Using the armed forces to combat domestic terrorism and the implications for civil-military relations
Eberhart, Linus Cornelis ; Kaczmarski, Marcin (vedoucí práce) ; Kaunert, Christian (oponent)
2683817E Deploying French forces on French soil Using the armed forces to combat domestic terrorism and the implications for civil-military relations Abstract For civilian observers, it is not always clear whether violence is a military threat or one that can be countered by traditional law enforcement means. Terrorism in its various manifestations contributes to this confusion, as the war on terror has been waged since 2001 in Afghanistan and Iraq, for example, in a decisive and high-visibility military effort. But why it makes a difference to fight the same terrorist group in a different way in your own country is the subject of this paper. Using the case of France and its ongoing struggle against domestic Islamist terror, it shows what it means when a state uses its military not only to fight abroad, but also to protect its civilian population at home. The political decision to deploy 10,000 soldiers in Opération Sentinelle to protect the homeland is examined against the background of current civil-military relations in France, their origins, development and configuration. The impact of this decision on civil-military relations is carefully considered in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation. The analysis focuses on how this measure has affected the interactions and dynamics...
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The impact of institutional weakness on the presence of organised crime: A case study on Paraguay and organised crime in the Triple Frontier
Martinez Cristaldo, Clara Elizabeth ; Kaunert, Christian (vedoucí práce) ; Erkomaishvili, David (oponent)
This thesis examines the institutional weakness of the Paraguayan state and its impact on the presence of organised crime in the Tri-border region between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. To do so, it employs a methodological design based on a case study of the institutional weakness of the Paraguayan state and its implications for the development of organised crime activities during the presidential term of Horacio Cartes (2013-2018). The methodological design also includes two sub-case studies analysing the institutional weakness of the Public Prosecutor's Office and the National Police, as well as the infiltration of organised crime in these institutions. The analysis allows for the identification of common patterns between the two institutions which reveals institutional weakness due to non-compliance and instability. Furthermore, these results go hand-in-hand with the presence of organised crime in the tri-border area during the period under study. This criminal presence was consolidated by the commission of various acts of violence that were rarely perpetrated by organized crime in Paraguay before the period of study. There is a close link between the presence of organised crime groups and the weakness of the Paraguayan state. Therefore, policies aimed to mitigate organised crime should not...
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Securitization of Citizenship in Nepal
Kushwaha, Mahesh Kumar ; Kaunert, Christian (vedoucí práce) ; Woelk, Jens (oponent)
This research investigates and analyses the extent to which citizenship in Nepal has been securitized and through what means. It does so by applying an expanded version of the Copenhagen School's securitization framework, which considers speech acts, non-discursive securitizing practices, and securitization through association. The study uses a method of triangulation that combines a critical discourse analysis of 12 speeches, a comparative legal review of Nepal's four Citizenship Acts (1952, 1964, 2006, and 2023) and other documents, and semi-structured interviews with 11 experts from different fields. While Nepal's citizenship laws have gradually liberalized over the years, the exploration notes ample instances of securitizing speech acts and judicial and bureaucratic practices. The securitizing actors see the expansion of Nepali citizenship as a threat to the country's sovereignty, independence, and integrity due to their perceived fear of Indian infiltration through the open border. The research argues that the liberalization has occurred primarily due to internal socio-political pressures, whereas a hill- centric nationalism continues to shape and influence the securitizing moves.
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Presenting EU Strategic Autonomy as Global Actorness? The Role of Eurobarometer Surveys in Framing Foreign Policy for Public Perception
Rioux, Maya Sinclaire ; Kaunert, Christian (vedoucí práce) ; Kučera, Tomáš (oponent)
On the rising tides of public opinion, wars have been fought; elections were won; and strategy was changed. Communicating policy initiatives are crucial to the flow of natural governance discourse between the European public sphere and a ruling body like the European Union. This dissertation showcases an exploratory study into whether or not a rather ambiguous foreign policy concept like strategic autonomy is presented for public perception through communications messaging efforts by the European Union through its polling and publication of the Eurobarometer Standard Survey Series. In consideration of broader information messaging of policy initiatives by an organization that rests at the nexus of a global power, multilateral body, economic leader, and security and defence provider fresh perspectives contributing to the academic body of thought on the European Union and its interactions with its citizen public are crucial and often understudied. This paper aims presents a mixed methods, quantitative content and qualitative framing analysis of the Eurobarometer Standard Survey series public opinion polling mechanisms between 2013-2023. The examined research investigates whether and how intentional frames in questions and responses serve to present inherently ambiguous foreign policy expressions like...
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Territorial Loss to Organized Crime: Assessing National Security Challenges in Mexico and Brazil
Huerta Ludlow, Anna Gabriela ; Erkomaishvili, David (vedoucí práce) ; Kaunert, Christian (oponent)
Tato disertační práce se ponoří do složité souhry mezi organizovaným zločinem, územní kontrolou a státní suverenitou v kontextu Latinské Ameriky. Studie se zaměřuje na odhalení mnohostranných procesů, kterými skupiny organizovaného zločinu narušují schopnost státu udržovat územní celistvost a vykonávat svrchovanost. Porovnáním zkušeností z Mexika a Brazílie se dvě země potýkají s všudypřítomným vlivem organizovaného zločinu, cílem tohoto výzkumu je poskytnout cenné poz která formuje bezpečnostní politiky v regionu. organizovaného zločinu podkopávají územní kontrolu a svrchovanost státu v Latinské Americe. Šetření je podpořeno komplexním přezkumem stávající literatury a identifikuje mezery, které vyžadují hlubší prozkoumání tohoto složitého problému. Prostřednictvím empirickými údaji, tak vyprávěcími účty V Mexiku pronikání organizovaného zločinu do státních struktur vedlo ke korozi vládnutí a zpochybňuje schopnost státu poskytovat bezpečnost a udržovat účinnou kontrolu nad svým územím. Podobně zkušenosti Brazílie s PCC a dalšími zločineckými subjekty upozorňují na složitou síť vztahů, které přispívají k erozi územní kontroly. Tematická analýza příběhů v reálném životě dále odhaluje skryté vzorce a překlenuje teoretické rámce s prožívanými zkušenostmi. Zjištění studie odhalují nuanční procesy, kterými...
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The reality of cyber warfare: The Ukraine-Russia conflict as a catalyst for new dynamics in cyberspace
Naibo, Gloria ; Kaunert, Christian (vedoucí práce) ; Kučera, Tomáš (oponent)
The world is constantly evolving, and so is technological progress, which increasingly impacts the lives of all of us. The Information Revolution, triggered by the advent of the Internet and technological development, has fostered the emergence of a more interconnected world and, thus, of a new domain: cyberspace. Given its ubiquity and global reach, cyberspace is redefining power dynamics by creating new opportunities that different actors are willing to seize. Because goals and ways to achieve them vary, cyber threats also vary and increase accordingly. Actors may want to steal sensitive information by orchestrating espionage operations, gain money and power by conducting criminal activities, or even sabotage and ultimately cause damage to the adversary, as in war. Cyber warfare is a very controversial topic. Despite numerous attempts by the research community to conceptualise the phenomenon, there is still much confusion as to what it really is. Specifically, the definitional ambiguity of the term 'cyber war' is such that, to date, no single universally agreed definition exists. As a result, a debate has ensued on the existence of cyber war from which different currents of thought have emerged. While some argue that cyber war is an imminent threat and is likely to permeate the conflicts of the...
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Illegal migration as a hybrid warfare practice: The case of the Republic of Cyprus
Andronicou, Christina Maria ; Kaunert, Christian (vedoucí práce) ; Paterson, Ian (oponent)
In our changing world, the phenomenon of migration is an ongoing process due to the need of those people to get a better life. Migration has different dimensions, it can include individuals who are seeking asylum, for an improvement of their economic or social status. The phenomenon of globalisation, which is an unstoppable process, has created new realities for the international system. The balances between war and peace are obscure and as a result many times the human pain is being utilised as a weapon for the states to achieve their strategic interests. The western developed definition of Hybrid warfare can conclude what "instrumentalization" of migration refers to. It becomes apparent that migration has become one of the most powerful weapons for the arsenal of states and non-state actors to pressure, achieve or exploit other opponents from their strategic interests. Turkey has utilised the status quo in Cyprus and the illegality of the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", to achieve its interest in the island. The undeclared hybrid war is being performed through the massive illegal migration flows from "TRNC" to the Republic of Cyprus by crossing the RoC. Turkey and "TRNC" have a protagonistic role to the instrumentalization and the formulation of this process, having the...
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Adapting the good practices of offline de-radicalisation and disengagement programmes online: A new approach to online Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism (P/CVE)
Debuire, Delphine Monique Thi-Laï ; Bureš, Oldřich (vedoucí práce) ; Kaunert, Christian (oponent)
This research studies three de-radicalisation and disengagement programmes implemented in Western Europe in order to establish a list of good practices and analyse the extent to which these practices could be turned into online prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE) measures. Drawing from brochures, official reports and research about the British Healthy Identity Intervention, the German de-radicalisation programme implemented by EXIT-Deutschland, and the French Recherche et Intervention sur les Violences Extrémistes (RIVE) programme, this study establishes a list of 10 offline good practices. This research demonstrates that it is theoretically possible to adapt most of these good practices into online P/CVE measures, mainly through the use of social media and instant messaging and videocall platforms. Some of these measures have already been implemented as part of pilot studies or campaigns from civil society organisations and governments. Their encouraging results lead to think that such measures could have a positive outcome on the online prevention and countering of violent extremism.
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