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U.S. Foreign Policy Transformation, 1945-1948: A Neoclassical Realist Perspective
Bernard, Josef ; Raška, Francis (advisor) ; Pondělíček, Jiří (referee)
This bachelor's thesis deals with the U.S. foreign policy transformation in the 1945-1948 period. In the post-World War Two era, the United States does not return to its traditionally detached foreign policy that characterizes most of its earlier history. Instead, the country remains a key player in international politics. The United States defines its new primary foreign policy interests and remains engaged almost throughout the entire world in its efforts to safeguard as well as pursue these interests. Despite the initial hopeful attitudes of the American leadership, the Soviet-American cooperation soon breaks down and the mutual relationship between the two countries quickly turns into a fully-fledged Cold War confrontation. Consequently, the United States doubles down on its global engagement. This work examines these most important aspects of the U.S. foreign policy transformation in the period starting from the end of the Second World War to the days before the First Berlin Crisis. In doing so, it utilizes the analytical model provided by neoclassical realist theory. The work consists of four main chapters. The first chapter describes the theoretical grounding of the entire work and especially explores the details of the neoclassical realist perspective. The second chapter provides a static picture of...
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Pivot to Asia: Case Study of American Democracy Promotion in Myanmar, 2011 - 2016
Grmelová, Lucie ; Kucer, Maxim (advisor) ; Hornát, Jan (referee)
Promotion of democracy, a traditional tool of American foreign policy, was used also during Barack Obama's presidency through open dialogues and mutual cooperation also with non- democratic nations. The United States during Obama's administration renewed and connected diplomatic relations with countries that were overlooked by previous American administrations. This thesis is focusing on the foreign policy concept during Obama's second term, namely Pivot to Asia. Support of universal values and democracy was one of the central pillars of this policy. The main goal of this thesis is to argue if concentrated American presence and activity in 2011-2016 in Southeast Asia either supported democratic growth or led to democratic backsliding in the region. Specifically, Myanmar had gone through major political transformation since 2011. Ruling junta implemented reforms that opened up space for democratic opposition in the country and reduced sanctions and the policy of isolation from many Western states. Changes within Myanmar government in 2011-2016, American policy towards Myanmar, and normalization of American-Myanmar relations are three examples used in this case study that provides concrete approaches of American administration within Pivot to Asia.
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American foreign policy and Colombian peace process
Svoboda, Ondřej ; Raška, Francis (advisor) ; Kozák, Kryštof (referee)
This study analyzes American foreign policy with respect to Colombia since the beginning of the new millennium. The main pillar of this policy is a strategy called Plan Colombia. While the original reasoning behind Plan Colombia was to enforce better antinarcotic strategy to avoid cocaine distribution to the United States, by the time it morphed into a state-building effort. My main interest in this study is to answer the question whether Plan Colombia was successful and if so then whether it was a prerequisite for launching peace negotiations with the FARC and achieving durable peace. This study has several parts. At first, I shed a light into a situation in Colombia at the beginning of the new millennium and explain the motivation behind Plan Colombia. Next, I summarize the historical perspective and describe the most important events leading to the breakthrough which was the signing of the peace treaty with FARC. In the following section, I look more deeply into data about money transfers and I also analyze important socio-political indicators. In the conclusion, I explain why Plan Colombia was in my view a successful policy. I also discuss upon what was the success dependent.
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American foreign policy towards selected Middle East countries during the administration of G. W. Bush and B. Obama
Krempaská, Michaela ; Druláková, Radka (advisor) ; Havlová, Radka (referee)
This thesis deals with George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's foreign policy towards selected countries of the Greater Middle East. The aim of my thesis was to determine whether George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's foreign policy was influenced by different theoretical movements (neoconservatism and liberalism) and whether these former presidents of the United States chose different or similiar approach towads Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. The first chapter characterizes neoconservatism and liberalism and deals in more detail with the principles of these theoretical movements (the next chapters analyzes whether these principles were implemented in George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's foreign policy towards selected countries of the Middle East region). The last chapter compares George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's foreign policy towards Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.
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Cambodia after 1979 and the application of the Reagan Doctrine
Haniková, Zuzana ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Bečka, Jan (referee)
The thesis deals with the developments in Cambodia after 1979 and the Reagan Doctrine which was applied to Cambodia in the 1980s. The Vietnamese invasion ended the cruel government of the Khmer Rouge and also effected the development of the country for more than a decade. Cambodia became an ally of the Soviet Union and the expansionism of the Soviets was unacceptable for the United States. According to the Reagan Doctrine, US decided to support anticommunist movements in third world countries. The thesis analyzes the American support to the anticommunist groups in Cambodia and searches for the reasons of American decisions to support these groups and Washington's impact on the peace treaty and the withdrawal of Vietnamese forces. Based on the analysis of American policy, international negotiations and internal development in Cambodia, the thesis concludes that the main reason for US involvement was the fear of the spread of Soviet influence around the world, but the role of the US was limited and passive. It was caused by almost no interest in the issue of Cambodia and the American society also had a painful experience with the war in Vietnam. There were also reports that the international aid and assistance was used by the Khmer Rouge. The US became more active when new president came to office....
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The Role of the U.S. in Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988)
Hrabcová, Klára ; Zukerstein, Jaroslav (advisor) ; El-Ahmadieh, Jakub (referee)
The Islamic revolution in 1979 led to the end of the Shah's regime in Iran and the establisment of the Islamic republic. Also, this revolution have had a crucial impact on the foreign policy of the new regime. Under Khomeini's regime, the diplomatic relations with the United States were cancelled. The U.S. lost major ally in the Gulf region and the US influence in the Middle East was threatened. Also, the Islamic revolution led to the deterioration of relations with Iraq, whose leader Saddam Hussein undertook a military intervention to Iran in September 1980. The United States had supported the Iraqi regime from the beginning of the conflict. The main question of this thesis is what reasons led the U.S. to support Hussein's regime, which was seen by the U.S. as hostile regime until the outbreak of this war, and what were the main intentions of the US foreign policy during the conflict. Based on the analysis of the role of the US in this war, this thesis conclude that the main motives for US involvement were the loss of main ally, the fear of spreading the Islamic revolution, and also Soviet influence, and the protection of US oil interests in the region. Furthermore, the thesis analyzes the evolution of American strategy, which was focused on protecting US interests in the region, strengthening its...
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American Foreign Policy and the Arab Uprisings in Egypt, Libya, and Syria
El-Ahmadieh, Jakub ; Kozák, Kryštof (advisor) ; Bečka, Jan (referee)
The Master Thesis American Foreign Policy and the Arab Uprisings in Egypt, Libya, and Syria concentrates primarily on the conflict between democracy promotion and pursuit of strategic and security interests within the U.S. foreign policy with respect to uprisings in Egypt, Libya, and Syria that broke out in the beginning of 2011. The thesis also concentrates on the processes and the tools used by the United States to support either democratization efforts or their vital interests and how these processes were publicly communicated. The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part analyzes history of democracy promotion in the U.S. foreign policy and its conflict with interest-based stability promotion. The second, and the most extensive, part examines the uprisings in Egypt, Libya, and Syria with an accent on the U.S. foreign policy. The third part seeks to identify patterns and features of the U.S. foreign policy with respect to the uprisings in the mentioned countries using the facts mentioned in the previous two chapters. The thesis uses mainly newspaper articles and expert opinions as the principle sources. As the topic is a very current issue there is no huge number of academic sources available especially concerning the later phases of the uprisings. Also, official sources like analyses...
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Comparison of foreign policy of USA towards Israel: From George W. Bush to Barrack Obama
Jandus, Lukáš ; Anděl, Petr (advisor) ; Bečka, Jan (referee)
Following works deals with comparison of approaches of presidents George W. Bush and Barrack Obama to israel. This work focuses on two main aspects of United States-Israel relations, which are Israeli-Palestinian peace process and American economic and military support of Israel. The thesis is looking into the differences in approach of foreign policy of both presidents towards Israel, with emphasis on relations of George W. Bush and Barrack Obama with their Israeli counterparts Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu. Foreign polity towards Israel is then put into broader context of US foreign policy in the Middle east. Israeli- Palestinian conlict is inseparable part of US foreign policy towards Israel and this thesis is adjusted to it. The thesis is focused on Barrack Obama's first presidential term and both terms of George W. Bush, nevertheless with emphasis on his first term, which was the most significant considering the US-Israeli relations.
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Post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan from the perspective of Regional Security Complex Theory
Zahálková, Iva ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
The main objective of this diploma thesis is to analyze the nature of obstacles to the regional approach to Afghanistan through the lens of the Regional Security Complex Theory. I will focus on studying security dynamics within and among three security complexes surrounding Afghanistan, to see how these dynamics affect their interaction with the latter. Prospects of any regional cooperation on Afghanistan are hampered by security dynamics within these complexes whereby primary traditional political-military threats are perceived by the complex states as more threatening than the mostly transnational threats stemming from unstable Afghanitan. Particularly the Indo-Pakistani rivalry and to a lesser extent the Saudi-Iranian rivalry represent major obstacles as it is reflected also in their engagement in Afghanistan. On the other hand, weak Central Asia states are linked to Afghanistan security dynamics by mostly transnational threats and ethnic affinities but are generally too weak to extend their security dynamics beyond their respective complex. The thesis also seeks to analyze the possibility of Afghanistan's external transformation in terms of its inclusion into the South Asia complex and based on now stronger security interdependence among the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India triangle. This assumption could...
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Spy activities of Berlin's CIA and its influence on the international status of the US between 1945 and 1961
Motyčková, Hana ; Nigrin, Tomáš (advisor) ; Pečenka, Marek (referee)
Cold War has escalated in the era of the nuclear weapons, which in case of use would mean a total war with an uncertain outcome for each side. Hence, the society saw the dawn of new kinds of weapons. At the time information became an important weapon, too. Therefore intelligence became a valuable resource, the competitors would spend millions of dollars on. As the need for information used for weakening the enemy grew, the number of secret services, spies and espionage operations grew as well. Secret services engaged in development of new spying technologies and kept on infiltrating strategic positions in order to facilitate the espionage. Berlin, situated in the very center of the Soviet occupation zone, became one of these strategic locations for gathering information. The city of Berlin was divided into four zones under the Protocol on Zones of Occupation and Administration of Germany and "Greater Berlin" in 1944, each of them under administration of one of the Allies. Moreover, the city as one whole experienced joint occupation regime. Therefore Berlin became an ideal environment in terms of secret services and the city turned out to be the undercover paradise. Especially American and Soviet secret services saw mutual clashes on the daily basis. Even though the United States mastered the...
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