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Ghana - a way to democracy
Zhelyaskova, Marina ; Riegl, Martin (advisor) ; Werkman, Kateřina (referee)
This bachelor's thesis deals with the changes in the Ghanaian political system after its independence in 1957, with an emphasis on the changes made in the 90s which paved the way for democracy in Ghana. The work studies the development of Ghana's transition to democracy, particularly the actors and circumstances that allowed transition that shift. Furthermore, this thesis is analyses if transition in Ghana might be considered as completed and also if Ghana established a system that can be classified as democratic. Right after achieving independence with Kwame Nkrumah at the helm, Ghana began a gradual descend into a totalitarian regime. He began dismantle institutions and curtailed political competition with his opponents being forced into exile. Due Nkrumah's Soviet Union leanings, the country embarked on socialist experiments and ideology which ultimately that led the country into a series of crisis. In a short period of time (1966 - 1979), the country faced several military coup d'états that brought the country to a near economic collapse. A significant change was brought by J. J. Rawlings in 1981 and during his leadership the country gradually worked its way to democracy. The beginning of the 90s saw J. J. Rawlings begin the process of political liberalization. A new liberal constitution...
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Human rights issues of minority communities in post-war Kosovo : successes and failures of the international administration and the provisional authorities
Karalić, Srdan ; Werkman, Kateřina (advisor) ; Riegl, Martin (referee)
The given thesis examines the issues of human rights of minority communities in Kosovo under the UN-led international administration. The human rights of minority communities, Serbs and Roma foremost, are assessed through four wide areas of issues distinctive for Kosovo: security and freedom of movement; displaced, return and property rights; cultural rights; and economic and social rights. The thesis presents and highlights the most pressing issues for minority communities in these four areas, aiming to construct a comprehensive analysis of their status in Kosovo for the past 12 years. The thesis also scrutinizes policies, strategies and actions of the international administration and, subsequently, the provisional authorities in respect to minority human rights. Special emphasis is placed on the discrepancies between the proclaimed and the achieved, as the best measure of the international community's level of success in Kosovo. The thesis concludes that Kosovo is the part of Europe where minority human rights are least respected and where the oppression of members of minority communities by majority Albanian population is widespread and systematic. Furthermore, the international administration and the provisional authorities were both unable and unwilling to prevent and punish major violations...
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Transforming conflict at the local level: Women peace mediators in Burundi
Vodičková, Anna ; Werkman, Kateřina (advisor) ; Plechanovová, Běla (referee)
Armed conflict affects men and women differently due to their previous roles in the society. For instance, it often crucially changes the status of women and enhances their emancipation. Therefore, women should be included in conflict resolution as well as in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction, to ensure sustainable peace. Examples from many African countries driven by conflict denote that women are not automatically included in these processes. This single intrinsic case study documents the work of women peace mediators in Burundi. At the theoretical level, the study argues for an elicitive endogenous approach to peacebuilding, embedded in the conflict transformation theory by John Paul Lederach. Nevertheless, theoretical concepts are not emphasized because they tend to limit the mediators' agenda which actually involves a wide range of conflict handling mechanisms. The main part of the study is based on semi-formal questionnaires filled out by women peace mediators in Bujumbura. The goal of the research is twofold: First, it is aimed to introduce the mediators and to understand their motivations to mediate. Second, it documents their everyday work by analysing official reports. The findings show that an "average" mediator is a married woman, with children, with at least secondary...
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The role of private security companies in conflict resolution in Africa
Volencová, Ivana ; Werkman, Kateřina (advisor) ; Ludvík, Zdeněk (referee)
This thesis concentrates on the topic of private military companies in the relation to their activities within conflict resolution in four selected African countries - Somalia, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Côte D'Ivoire. The main goal of this thesis is to chart their activities in three areas - within peacekeeping operations, in peacebuilding and within the efforts to maintain stability - and by comparison of collected data for each case study evaluate within which phase of conflict resolution they operate most frequently. At the same time the attempt of this thesis is to identify services that are desired most during conflict resolution process in Africa and examine the possibility that private military companies came through some changes since 1990. In order to gain relevant data for the comparison, technical texts and collected data analysis is being carried out. Keywords security, private military companies, privatization, peacekeeping, peacebuilding
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Congo War and Power Politics in Central Africa
Michalek, Tomáš ; Werkman, Kateřina (advisor) ; Ujfaluši, Marcel (referee)
The aim of this paper is to describe power in Central Africa in terms of actors and aspects. In order to find out who has the power and what it is like, the matrix of aims, strategies and results is used. The argument is that the state which is able to change aims into results has the power. Herein, it should be mentioned that the Congo conflict is not just one war; it is a complex of interrelated wars and disputes. Nevertheless, the analysis is centred at the state level of the conflict. The aspects of civil and local wars are neglected here; however, they cannot be totally ignored. At first, theoretical and historical backgrounds to the conflict are described. Here, the clientelism is central to very African system of power. Then, the politico-military, economic and diplomatic/intemational aspects of the second Congo war are analysed. The findings are that Angola due to its military strength and pragmatic aims is the main power in Central Africa. The second most powerful country in the region is Rwanda, whose military aims and strategies were, however, unfitted to its potential resources. These two states are able to control the African clientelism most accurately. On the other side, Uganda and Zimbabwe were not. In terms of other states, no one was able to influence the course of the second Congo war....
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Security Complex of African Great Lakes
Pfeifer, Tomáš ; Werkman, Kateřina (advisor) ; Záhořík, Jan (referee)
The thesis focuses on analysis of causes of armed conflicts within security complex of the African Great Lakes region. Explored period is situated between 1990 and present. The major part of text is devoted concrete analysis of causes of conflicts according to sector approach. The thesis attempts to describe main causal frameworks of conflicts within researched area eventually to find some their common features.
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Africa: clash of two hegemons?
Dunajová, Alžběta ; Werkman, Kateřina (advisor) ; Oklešťková, Ivana (referee)
On the base of the theoretical concept of hegemony, the work tries to discover whether the United States and China can be considered a leaving, respectively rising hegemonic power in Africa. The theoretical part is based on the conception of hegemony by Immanuel Wallerstein and Robert Gilpin and sets an analytic framework for the identification of four groups of indicators - political, economic, military and cultural ones. The results of the research confirmed China as a rising hegemon and United States as an actual hegemonic power in Africa.
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Effectiveness of Danish development aid to Ghana
Kotová, Dagmar ; Kučerová, Irah (advisor) ; Werkman, Kateřina (referee)
Diploma thesis "Effectiveness of Danish development aid to Ghana" deals with effectiveness of Danish development aid which is defined in close relation to the concept of sustainable development. The chosen approach for analysis is empirical-analytical methodology. The thesis starts with analysing Danish development concepts in order to point out the size of influence of the main actors of Danish development aid during procedure of their creation. Forementioned analysis is followed by comparison of the main principles of the concept of sustainable development and important objectives of analysed Danish concepts. This part is important for giving reader the main links between chosen concept of sustainable development and Danish development strategies. Final part of the thesis measures the aid effectiveness of Danish strategies for Ghana, based on Joint Evaluation findings with particular interest in health sector. The effectiveness is measured on the basis of sustainable criterion, which is related to seven factors of the sustainable development.
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