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The American Hybrid War? Operation Enduring Freedom through the hybrid warfare lenses
Pinkas, Šimon ; Bahenský, Vojtěch (advisor) ; Karásek, Tomáš (referee)
This diploma thesis delves into the possibility of the Western democratic state waging hybrid warfare. The hybrid warfare has been throughout its existence almost exclusively attributed to undemocratic regimes, which often utilize it in an aggressive fashion. In order to challenge this notion, this thesis seeks to reinterpret the conduct of the USA during the opening stages of the Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan 2001, through the lenses of hybrid warfare. Since hybrid warfare is very wide, often poorly defined term, the author chose to conceptualize a well- known description of Russian hybrid warfare, created by András Rácz in 2015, through which the studied case is then reinterpreted. The possibility of the Western democratic state waging hybrid warfare is, as far as existing research goes, completely unexplored, this thesis is hence delving into a completely new research area. This thesis also ponders on how this realization of Western ability to wage hybrid war can influence our outlook on the phenomenon itself. With this thesis, the author seeks to offer a new, factual outlook on hybrid warfare, unhindered by biases and emotional undertone which sadly mires many contributions to the academic debate on the topic. This new perspective on hybrid warfare, in authors personal opinion, can...
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The main causes of migration in the Middle East: Is migration predominantly caused by armed conflicts?
Béres, Dóra ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Aslan, Emil (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the causes of migration with a special focus on the relationship between international irregular migration and armed conflicts. The first part of the thesis consists of a short overview on the security challenges in the 21st century as a method of approach to the migration topic. Engaging the issue, I clear first the definition then overview the common causes of migration in the Middle East, my geographical area of research. Using Lee's theory of migration, I identify the main push and pull factors behind an individual's or group's decision to leave the homeland. The main part of dissertation deals with the armed conflicts in the Middle East and its effect on the volume of migration. Investigating the different aspects of the topic I narrow my research to Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and the Palestinian territory. In the last part of the dissertation through a descriptive analysis of two case studies I apply Lee's theory to show the chain process that led to the today experienced large-scale migration of Syrian and Iraqi people. As a conclusion, the research question addressed by stating that in the Middle East from the many push factors of migration the armed conflict represents the greatest threat.
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Securitization without escalation? The case of U.S.-Iran relations regarding nuclear proliferation
Petržilková, Daniela ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Ludvík, Jan (referee)
- EN The aim of this thesis is to answer the research question of "Why did the US not conduct a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities during the Trump presidency despite the sharp criticism of Iran's nuclear program?" The thesis presents several hypotheses that deal with the conditions for a military strike against nuclear facilities of a potential nuclear proliferator to be conducted. One such hypothesis is chosen to be confirmed or refuted in the case of US- Iran relations during Trump's presidency. The hypothesis states that Iran was able to deter the US by the threat of conventional retaliation. Methods of single case study and discourse analysis are used. The empirical part of the thesis firstly assesses whether all three steps of securitization as described by the Copenhagen school were completed. This work claims that Iranian nuclear program was indeed successfully securitized in the US during Trump's presidency. Secondly, an analysis of the components of Iranian conventional deterrence is provided. It is ascertained that Iran commanded strong enough conventional forces to be able to mount effective attacks on targets valuable to the US. All three conditions of the deterrent's credibility were also met, and Iran sufficiently communicated the threat to the US. Therefore, this thesis...
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The future of NATO: between territorial defense and out-of-area operations
Béres, Bianka ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Ludvík, Jan (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the development of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) emphasizing the Alliance's capability to adequately adapt to the ever- changing security environment. Using the historical turning points and the experiences gained during the various activities the dissertation's focus is on the future of NATO. The first part of the thesis consists of an overview of the four main stages of the NATO development. The first phase (1949-1990) is the Cold War period, when the member states' emphasis was to build a strong collective defense but at the same time they established liberal democratic system and accepted common values. The new countries have adopted these domestic governance standards and institutions proving the effective assertion of the liberal institutionalism doctrine. The second stage (1990-2001) was represented by emerging new security challenges and the Alliance reacted to this by adapting the crisis management policy and launched out of area operations. This new period could be characterized the best by the metaphor of the former CIA director, James Woolsey, who in 1993 stated in front of the Congress: "We have slain a large dragon, but we live now in a jungle filled with a bewildering variety of poisonous snakes. And in many ways, the dragon was easier...
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The dynamics of Poland-U.S. security relations: motivation for cooperation and current developments
Kučová, Markéta ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Kučera, Tomáš (referee)
The subject of this diploma thesis is the topic of Poland-United States bilateral relations, the form of which results, among other things, from the geographical location and historical experience of Poland. This bilateral cooperation has a major impact on events in the region, making it a very relevant topic to explore in the light of current developments on the international scene. The work is conducted in the form of a case study and its purpose is to analyse the dynamics of Poland-United States cooperation, while the basic premise of the research is the asymmetric form of Polish-U.S. bilateral relations. The aim is to point out that relations between Warsaw and Washington are, by their development and current form, based on consensus rather than coercion from the position of a stronger partner. Glenn H. Snyder's alliance security dilemma is used in this work to analyse the dynamics, too. Due to the conceptualization of strategic culture as a context of strategic behaviour, the work also provides a relatively detailed insight into Polish strategic culture, which serves as a tool for better understanding of Polish foreign policy, security priorities and thus motivation to maintain significant relations with the United States. It is precisely the form of these relations that opens the opportunity...
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Strategic Culture of the Czech Republic
Beneš, Jan ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Eichler, Jan (referee) ; Kučera, Tomáš (referee)
Jan Beneš Strategic Culture of the Czech Republic Abstract The aim of the dissertation is to define in a complex manner the strategic culture of the Czech Republic. Strategic culture is at first analysed as a conceptual phenomenon both in relation to strategy itself and to the theories of international relations. The dissertation introduces the different streams of thought about strategic culture and then studies the approaches of the key involved authors with a special focus on the discussion between the first and the third generation of strategic culture scholars. Concerning the fact that the strategic culture has been originally created for the study of the behaviour and strategic thought of major powers, the author analyses the historical and geostrategic peculiarities of a small state in the Central Europe and then defines own conceptual and methodological framework. Using the method of grounded theory, the important symbols and narratives from the Czech history as well as the most important moments in the Czech political and strategic thought and decision-making are being examined. The historical narratives re-appear and influence the decision-making, thinking and argumentation of the key actors in the Czech security community. The research of the key decisions and historical moments after the 1989 is...
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Assessing Coherence Within the CSDP: A Top-Down Analysis of Military Capabilities Developed in the EU in the last Twenty Years
Lougedo Novillo, Rocío ; Střítecký, Vít (advisor) ; Karásek, Tomáš (referee)
Rocío Lougedo Novillo Master Thesis Assessing Coherence Within the CSDP A Top-Down Analysis of Military Capabilities Developed in the EU in the last Twenty Years Abstract in English Ever since the establishment of the European Security and Defense Policy in 1999, the European Union has strived to develop a more holistic and coherent foreign policy apparatus. This paper examines this 20-year process of military capabilities reform in order to assess the level of coherence in the field of defense and security policy. For this purpose, this thesis sets a Top-Down analytical framework built around five variables specifically designed for measuring capabilities. Through this framework, and based on the pertinent data gathered, this study will assess the global level of coherence (or incoherence) among targets, expectations and outputs, as well as it will identify the perils and uncertainties that could jeopardize further integration on the European defense sphere.
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Operations of African States Against Violent Non-State Actors in Somalia, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Müller, Vojtěch ; Ludvík, Zdeněk (advisor) ; Karásek, Tomáš (referee)
The thesis focuses on violent non-state actors (VNSAs) operating in Africa, and operations of African countries against them. Firstly, the thesis conceptualizes and categorizes both VNSAs and state military operations, which are generally labeled as counterinsurgency operations. Secondly, in addition to the theoretical framework, the thesis provides an analysis of the types, regional distribution and motives of African VNSAs, which have been active between 2010 and 2020. Thirdly, the thesis analyses three case studies, namely AMISOM missions in Somalia since 2007, counterinsurgency operations in Nigeria against Boko Haram since 2009, and military operations against M23 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Based on the comparison of these case studies, the thesis describes the common characteristics and features of military operations of African states against VNSAs.
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