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The Caliphate on the Halt: Explaining the Stalling Campaign of the Islamic State in Libya
Lovecký, Tomáš ; Ludvík, Zdeněk (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee)
This diploma thesis examines the prospects of the Islamic State's expansion to Libya. Using the method of process tracing, the author assesses the campaign of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and establishes 6 factors he calls ‚enablers' that played key roles in facilitating its success - the ideology, exploitation of state breakdown and governance, funding, combat know-how, propaganda, and sectarianism. He dedicates special attention to the problematics of sectarianism and the way the Islamic State made instrumental use of it in both of these countries. The author then proceeds to assess the viability of the IS enterprise in Libya, examining whether the conditions and circumstances in the country are conducive for an IS unsurgency. He identifies 8 structural conditions that underpinned the relevant enablers in Syria and assesses their relevance in Libya. Comparison of the two cases shows that except for sectarianism all the structural conditions are relevantly present in Libya which, according to J. S. Mill's method of a difference of J. S. Mill's method of a difference, should explain the stalling campaign of IS in Libya. The author proceeds to confirm this hypothesis by assessing the actual campaign of the Islamic State in Libya. He contends the Islamic State tried to follow the successful...
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Development of the Mutual Assured Destruction concept in comparison before and after the Fall of the Iron curtain
Lovecký, Tomáš ; Bříza, Vlastislav (advisor) ; Smetana, Michal (referee)
The subject of this paper is an analysis of the current state of Mutual Assured Destruction in the relationship between the United States and Russian Federation. Although the concept was conceived during the Cold War its relevance is, in the author's opinion, determined by the magnitude and technological attributes of nuclear weapons possessed by the actors involved, as opposed to the political climate in the world. The author argues that regardless to the significant reductions in either side's nuclear arsenal MAD is still valid and will remain so in the foreseeable future. After briefly outlining the historical events that lead to the establishment of MAD, a chapter presenting evidence that the concept is still relevant even today is included. The theoretical framework is provided by MAD's characteristic that is built on 3 premises: the robustness of nuclear arsenal, the vulnerability to a retaliatory strike, and the ability to retaliate after absorbing a first strike. The analysis is conducted as a qualitative research. Regarding the former two premises, journal articles and data published in the context of the disarmament treaties serve as sources of information. The analysis of the latter premise constitutes the key part of this paper and the main sources of information are models simulating various...
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