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Seal Hunting in the Canadian Arctic:Conflicting Perspectives on EU Regulation 1007/2009
Jírová, Anna ; Fiřtová, Magdalena (advisor) ; Kýrová, Lucie (referee)
On September 16, 2009 the European parliament adopted a Regulation (EC) 1007/2009 prohibiting the seal products from being imported and placed on the European Union market. Adoption of a Seal trade ban was a result of an effective anti-sealing lobby and increasing public concern over the perceivably cruel seal hunting methods that emerged in reaction to growing popularity of seal fur in early 2000s. Even though the Seal ban includes an exception for Inuit who hunt seals traditionally for subsistence and depend on monetary income to maintain their traditions, it proved to be highly ineffective as the demand for all seal products declined dramatically, threatening Inuit way of life in the process. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the key actors involved in the conflict, specifically the Inuit, the European Union, animal welfare NGOs and the Canadian government and to contextualize and analyze the specific narratives of the seal hunting discourse and their implications. By looking at the motivation and justification of the EU Seal ban as well as the implications of the different perspectives on the issue, this research will try to test the hypothesis that the seal hunting discourse is based on a colonial mindset and that decolonization of the mind is yet to be achieved by Western society.
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Artic as a regional security complex ( An application of regional security complex theory to the geopolitical region of the Artic in a broader context of regionalist approaches to international security)
Košatková, Iva ; Weiss, Tomáš (advisor) ; Karásek, Tomáš (referee)
This thesis deals with the case of the Arctic which forms a distinctive geopolitical region within the international system. The geostrategic importance of the Arctic har become more salient due to global warming, technological progress and latest findings about large oil and gas resources, rich fishing waters and new maritime routes. The Arctic region is being classified through the lenses of one of the most influential regionalist concepts in the modern IR theory and international security studies - the regional security complex theory developed by Barry Buzan and Ole Wæver who represent the core of the so called Copenhagen school of IR thought. The main aim of the thesis is to examine whether such a specific geopolitical region as the Arctic could be analyzed from the perspective of this theory and defined as a regional security complex with a distinctive security dynamics and a dense net of linkages interconnecting major processes of securitization and desecuritization. This research question seeks to suggest a theoretical and analytical tool for studying the specific regional dynamics of the Arctic, and alternatively identify shortcomings of the theory in confrontation with the case and propose possible theoretical modifications. The thesis concludes that the Arctic can be classified as a...
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The United States, China, and the Emerging Balance of Power in the Arctic
Lavengood, Zachary Colin ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Raška, Francis (referee)
The increasing pace of climate change in the last two decades has brought the Arctic, a former geopolitical afterthought, into growing prominence on the global stage. Receding ice and melting tundra have made a cornucopia of rare earth metals and hydrocarbons ripe for extraction as well as opened new shipping lanes which have the potential to revolutionize how goods are moved around the planet. In this emerging environment is a budding balance of power which involves the most powerful actors in the world-system, two of which, the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, are the focus of this thesis. Their respective arctic policies shape the balance of power for not only themselves, but for all other actors in the theater. The United States' laissez faire attitude towards the Arctic has caused it to fall behind the progress of other powers in the region which could make it difficult to assert its influence in the theater in the future. China however has chosen to follow an ambitious arctic policy despite its geographical distance from the region, and has given the arctic a prominent position in its greater Belt and Road project, much to the suspicion of traditional arctic powers. Analyzed through a realist lens, the balance of power in the Arctic appears to be stable for the...
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The Importance of the Arctic in International Relations
Kopečná, Anna ; Bečka, Jan (advisor) ; Šír, Jan (referee)
In recent years several factors changed the importance of the Arctic in international relations. Firstly, the rapid melting of Arctic ice cover opened potential access to vast natural resources within the Arctic Ocean seabed. It is estimated that the Arctic may contain one quarter of world's undiscovered reserves of oil and gas. Secondly, the water ways along the Russian and Canadian northern coasts became ice-free, although so far just for few days every year. Should the Arctic Ocean continue to melt, then in several decades the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage could become navigable for greater part of the year. This would shorten the journey distance from Europe to Asia by as much as forty percent, thereby cutting travel times and shipping costs. Finally, as the Arctic does not belong to any single country, there has been an increasing interest among the Arctic rim states, which have been working on delineating their maritime boundaries in order to ensure their territorial claims. This process has proceeded in accordance with the international legal framework as established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Coastal states are entitled to a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around their coastline. However, should they be able to prove...
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Holocene history of Arctic lakes
Roman, Matěj ; Nývlt, Daniel (advisor) ; Kavan, Jan (referee)
Holocene history of Arctic lakes Abstract Palaeolimnology in the Arctic has achieved a considerable progress in the last decades. The Arctic has changed markedly since the Last Glacial and glacier retreats caused formation of a great number of diverse lake types. Lakes of glacial origin, thermokarst lakes, fluvial lakes and lakes on raised beaches occur most often here. Palaeolimnological methods applied to the high latitude areas are used for the study of the history of individual lakes. Methods of correlation of sedimentary cores and basic interpretation of proxy records such as magnetic susceptibility, diatom biostratigraphy and content of carbon and sulphur were applied on sediments of Garmaksla Lake, Svalbard Archipelago. Climatic and ecological shifts including the Little Ice Age termination and recent warming were registered in proxy values. Keywords: lakes, palaeolimnology, palaeoclimatology, environmental changes, Holocene, Arctic
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Economic development of the Canadian Arctic and the impact of mining on Inuit
Švecová, Marianna ; Fiřtová, Magdalena (advisor) ; Šír, Jan (referee)
The bachelor thesis analyses and compares three main periods of the economic development in the Canadian Arctic, starting from the years 1950's until the end of the administrative of Prime Minister Harper in 2015. Mining of natural resources, as the base of the North's development, has been seen by the federal government also as a tool for cultural assimilation of Inuit into the dominant society. Nevertheless, participation of Inuit in mining activities and in fact in the whole employment culture has had serious impact on Aboriginal communities who have never been consulted about the federal strategy. However, while the first phase of development is characterized by strict colonialist approach of the government, the situation started to change during the second phase, characterized by a rising of Inuit's political participation and their first demonstrations of discontent. Although during the third, neoliberal era, several new mechanisms in order to improve the dialogue between Inuit, mining companies and the government were accepted, social conditions in Inuit communities remain below the Canadian average and with the government "laissez-faire" attitude they are not to be changed any time soon.
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Arctic as a regional security complex. An application of regional security complex theory to the Arctic region
Košatková, Iva ; Weiss, Tomáš (advisor) ; Karásek, Tomáš (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the Arctic geopolitical region from the perspective of one of the most influential regionalist concepts in the modern IR theory and international security studies - the regional security complex theory developed by Barry Buzan and Ole Wæver from the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute. The main aim of the thesis is to examine whether such a specific geopolitical region as the Arctic could be analyzed from the perspective of this theory and defined as a regional security complex with a unique security dynamics and an intense interconnection of major processes of securitization and desecuritization. This research question seeks to suggest a theoretical and analytical tool for studying the specific regional dynamics of the Arctic, and alternatively identify shortcomings of the theory in confrontation with the case and propose possible theoretical modifications. The diploma thesis concludes that the Arctic can be classified as a regional security complex in terms of Buzan's and Wæver's theory, although as an emerging one with rather weak securitization interconnections yet with a big potential to develop into a strong and dynamic security complex. The application of the Arctic case to the theory however showed that there is a need for some theoretical modifications to make...
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Arctic sea ice variations from the point of view of the global climate change
Škopan, Viktor ; Huth, Radan (advisor) ; Šobr, Miroslav (referee)
The Arctic is one of the regions of the Earth most vulnerable to climate change. Temperatures in the Arctic have risen by more than twice the global average over the past few decades and are roughly 4 řC above the temperature at the start of the Industrial Revolution, which occurred in the late 18th century. It is highly likely that anthropogenic activity is responsible for such a dramatic change. The Arctic sea ice responds to these changes by decreasing in area, thickness, age and other parameters. The most significant decline has been recorded in the summer months, when the area of the sea ice is shrinking at an average rate of 12.8 % per decade. There has also been a significant decline in the age of sea ice. Forty years ago, sea ice older than four years accounted for 30 % of the total area covered by sea ice, whereas today such old ice accounts for only 2 %. Positive climate feedbacks are contributing significantly to the rapid warming of the Arctic and increased sea ice melt. An example is the decreasing albedo (reflectivity) of the Arctic Ocean, which reflects much less solar radiation due to the shrinking sea ice, contributing to the faster warming of the region and higher sea ice melt. Models show that the warming of the Arctic will continue in the future, and temperatures in the Arctic...
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Northern Sea Route communication for 21st Century?
Kregl, Jan ; Romancov, Michael (advisor) ; Doboš, Bohumil (referee)
The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is a naval communication between Europe and Asia running along the Arctic coastline of the Russian Federation. For decades, the same maritime corridors have been relied on. However, the international freight shipping volumes keep growing steadily and the Suez and Panama Canals might reach their maximal capacity soon. In order to prevent congestions of these crucial chokepoints, alternative communications have to be found. The NSR can save as much as 40% distance compared to the Suez Route and consequently, the time spent on the voyage decreases by about 10 days. There are several other benefits this Arctic seaway brings, however, some major obstacles impede its further development. In this work, I summarized the history of the Route and analyzed some of its key aspects. The current maritime transport situation and some alternative communications are outlined, too. The main advantages and disadvatages of the Northern Sea Route are presented in order to find out whether this unique naval corridor can serve as a communication for the 21st century and what its future prospects look like. Conclusively, the following research questions are answered: How do the US-Russian territorial disputes and the Russian domestic legislation affect the NSR? What would be the economical...
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Long-term changes in Arctic sea ice
Lysenko, Anastasia ; Huth, Radan (advisor) ; Margold, Martin (referee)
The thesis summarizes the knowledge of sea ice in the Arctic, its properties, conditions and the process of formation. It also describes the Arctic climate and its changes since the early 20th century. The work shows how and why Arctic sea ice is important for the climate of our entire planet and that the climate system is highly interconnected. This means that if, for example, there are fundamental changes in the sea ice cover or climate, then the impact of these changes may manifest itself in a completely different area, which is a manifestation of the so- called cascading tipping point. Therefore, this work also touches on the topic of feedback and shows that determining the amount and type of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is essential to improve our knowledge and understanding of polar weather and long-term climate fuctuations. Key words: climatic change, sea ice, temperature, Arctic
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