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The war in Afghanistan: spatiotemporal analysis of the Taliban combat activities
Kalibová, Lenka ; Jelen, Libor (advisor) ; Horák, Slavomír (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the temporal and spatial distribution of Taliban terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. It covers the period since the start of the Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, when the troops of the United States and their allies invaded the country, until the end of 2018. This thesis aims to find out what targets Taliban attacked during the reported period, and whether there is a link between the frequency of terrorist attacks and the real events that took place at the time of the attacks. The secondary aim of this work is to place the results obtained by the analysis into a broader geographical context. Using geographic information system, this thesis evaluates spatial differences in the localization of Taliban terrorist attacks. Data of the Taliban attacks were obtained from the Global Terrorism Database, and the maps were created in ArcGIS software. Within the temporal analysis window, the frequency of attacks is related to the timeline of predetermined important events, such as elections, religious and national holidays and decisions of foreign parties about their activities in the region. It was found that the increased frequency of Taliban attacks was related to the Afghan elections or the decisions of foreign parties about their operations in the region. The...
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International interventions - the cause of suicide terrorism?
Tesařová, Šárka ; Kofroň, Jan (advisor) ; Ditrych, Ondřej (referee)
This diploma thesis aims to explore whether international intervention can be the main cause of suicide terrorism. To determine this causal relation between suicide terrorism and international intervention, it tests Robert Pape's nationalist theory. The research sample of the cases of Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Palestine was selected based on the Suicide Terrorism Attack database. The thesis applies the empirical-analytical methodology and the method of multiple case study to confirm or refute the validity of the research hypotheses. The outcome of the thesis is that the main trigger for a suicide terrorist campaign is a significantly stronger adversary, a social climate conducive to self- sacrifice, and an individual sense of hopelessness. The presence of international intervention fulfils all these features, but the theory has its limits - an exclusive focus on foreign intervention and state centrality.
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The fight against terrorism at a national and international level
HOLUB, Michal
Terrorism is a modern and constantly developing problem which has been threatening and noticeably affecting the protected interests and built-up values of states. Terrorist groups strive to spread fear, violence, opinions, and ideas to reach their goals through attacks on the population. Today, even countries that have not faced this threat yet, are confronted with this problem. Modern trends and new technologies along with the migration crisis cause that we face this threat in our homes more than ever before. The upraise of The Islamic State can be considered as a phenomenon of today, which has infected practically whole world and gives a space to various individuals to commit terrorist attacks under the auspices of this organization, or just provides instructions on committing such acts for any reason and with different aims. It is necessary to respond adequately to this threat, and it is necessary not to remain only with regret after every terrorist attack. It is essential to monitor the latest trends in terrorist attacks same as fighting against them, which in consequence will help us to set up operational procedures how to deal with these kind of incidences. There is also a need for a strong political spectrum which understands that these measures will never be profitable or popular, however its necessary it keeps supporting them.
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Russian 'hybrid warfare': 1979-2014
Feryna, Jan ; Bahenský, Vojtěch (advisor) ; Kofroň, Jan (referee)
This bachelor thesis deals with research question of whether so called Russian hybrid warfare is new or not. In the introduction chapter, a structure of this thesis is presented. After the introduction, Western and Russian views on hybrid warfare are discussed and used as a concept. The author assumes that hybrid warfare was used by Russia in Crimea and eastern Ukraine and therefore is this case considered as proven. Above mentioned Russian view on hybrid warfare is operationalized and then applied. There are two main cases which will be examined - Soviet invasion in Afghanistan in 1979 and Russian war with Georgia in 2008. Results chapter comprises of final table which sums up results of the research. In the conclusion chapter, there is a clear answer to the above-mentioned research question.
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Personalism Theory in Foreign Policy. Case of Turkmenistan relations towards Afghanistan under the president Berdimuhamedow
Čechová, Diana ; Horák, Slavomír (advisor) ; Šír, Jan (referee)
This work focuses on the adaptation of personalism to foreign policy, which is analysed on a case study of foreign policy of Turkmenistan towards Afghanistan under president Berdimuhamedow's rule. The adaptation is based on the deduction from the basic attributes of personalism, which were obtained through the synthesis of the theories of neopatrimonialism, personalism and patronal presidentialism. The main characteristic of foreign policy of personalist regimes is the leader's undivided power over it, which can be observed on the fact that foreign policy follows and supports the leader's internal policies and goals. The adaptation of personalism to foreign policy making and these characteristics are confirmed by Turkmenistan's foreign policy towards Afghanistan, in which Berdimuhamedow plays a key role. The main foreign policy objective in the political sphere is to maintain friendly relations with both the Afghan government and the Taliban to avoid potential spill over of the Afghan conflict into Turkmenistan, which could undermine Berdimuhamedow's power and patron- client network. The foreign trade policy aims to diversify the Turkmen exports, to loosen dependency on traditional partners and raise money to sustain the regime and president's client network. Concerning the security issues, there...
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Czech soldier's values and the change in them as a result of experiencing the Islamic culture in Afghanistan
NĚMEC, Jaroslav
This bachelor thesis deals with the topic of the value system of soldier operating in foreign operation in Afghanistan. The theoretical part deals with the overall context of foreign operations in Afghanistan. The main chapter is focused on clarifying the definition of "the values" and elaborates in detail what values are important in the Czech society, respectively for the soldier himself. The practical part contains a narrative story of a soldier who participated in military operations in Afghanistan, and its exploration using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The work brings a probe into the experience of the ACR soldier in connection with his participation abroad. It tries to give testimony about what a soldier deployed in foreign operations facing and how strong he influence on him and his values system this experience had.
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Tony Blair and moral arguments in foreign policy
Handl, Vladimír ; Kasáková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Váška, Jan (referee)
For ten years he spent as the Prime Minister, Tony Blair led Great Britain in no less five then military operations, more than any other Prime Minister in the modern history. Neither of these operations was strictly speaking in British national interest and thus Tony Blair had to use other than the usual arguments to legitimize Britain's participation. He therefore started using moral arguments. Usage of these became much more acceptable during the nineties due to the changes in the international arena, this thesis looks at which moral arguments Tony Blair used during his tenure as the Prime Minister and how he used them. It analyses his arguments used to legitimize operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo.
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Narcoterrorism: Searching for the crossroads of drug trade and political violence
Kolínský, Prokop ; Makariusová, Radana (advisor) ; Záhora, Jakub (referee)
The main objective of thesis ''Narcoterrorism: Crossroads between drug trade and political violence'' is to describe and analyze the phenomenon of narcoterrorism, a concept that combines in its core the politically-motivated violence, the illicit drug trade, and the use of terrorist methods. The goal will be to establish a comprehensive theoretical framework for the various types of narcoterrorism and the different supportive types that may occur between the politically-motivated or ideological groups, and the drug-trafficking criminal groups. This framework will be later primarily tested on the case of Colombia, where various warring ideological and criminal groups will be observed and analyzed. Other cases that will be secondarily used to further prove the established assumptions, will be focusing on other countries which seen in recent history a surge of political or criminal violence, and are either manufacturing or trafficking illegal drugs. These will include Peru, Mexico, and Afghanistan. In the final section of the thesis, the theoretical framework will be assigned to real historical cases, and a question of the prerequisites of narcoterrorist emergence will be discussed.
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The Approach of the Bush and Obama Administration to Fighting Terrorism in Afghanistan
Mikšovská, Kristýna ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Raška, Francis (referee)
The Bachelor's thesis deals with the changes of the U.S. counterterrorism strategy during the presidency of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The main purpose is to compare the pre-emption strategy with the diplomatic one, regarding the fight against terrorism. After the 11/9/2001 attacks, the threat of terrorism became the number one priority to all U.S. federal institutions responsible for ensuring security. The terrorist organization responsible for the events of 9/11 was Al-Qaeda, therefore it's activity is main subject for this analysis. Since then, the American counterterrorism strategy went through major changes and during the analysed period it went through further development. The text records mainly the period of 2001 - 2015. The main sources are doctrinal documents published frequently by each administration, and legislation released as a response to 9/11. The conclusion tries to evaluate, which part or parts of counter-terrorism strategy of each president were different from their rhetoric and whose approach was more convenient. Keywords counterterrorism, president, Bush, Obama, Afghanistan, security, threat, Al- Qaeda
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Analysis: Was Barack H. Obama more peacemaker than George W. Bush?
Kučera, Pavel ; Pondělíček, Jiří (advisor) ; Raška, Francis (referee)
Barack Obama's election to the presidential office in 2009 for many people from the United States and abroad was a promise of a change in US foreign policy, which, in the reign of his predecessor George W. Bush, was too discredited by a military campaign to Iraq. Weapons of mass destruction, which were the official rationale for an attack on the regime of Saddam Hussein, were, according to many, only a cover for violent US "export of democracy" and increased influence in the oil-rich region. In the US, however, a year ago President Barack Obama left the highest office and was replaced by Donald Trump. And it is time to evaluate whether and how Obama fulfilled his determination to exert America from the "never-ending" conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, caused - by Obama's words - by his predecessor George W. Bush, who was perceived as a "gunman" in the eyes of a substantial part of the US but also of the world public and never went far to approve the bombing during his presidency. At the same time, however, Barrack Obama's critics often say that his image of the peacemaker is just a chimera, as Obama was no better than his predecessor, and he earned the Nobel Peace Prize undeservedly. And when we make a very simple comparison of the number of countries that both presidents have ordered to bomb, we...
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