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Religion Overt and Covert in Post-secular International Relations
Pur, Matěj ; Parízek, Michal (advisor) ; Karlas, Jan (referee)
Inspired by the idea of the return of religion, this thesis explores the impact of religion on international relations. The theoretical basis was post-secular theory, first outlined by Jürgen Habermas. This theory suggests that spirituality grows outside traditional institutions even as organized religion loses members. The major turning point that led to the resurgence of religion in international politics was the end of the Cold War and the subsequent process of globalization. This shift opened the door for the analysis of the influence of religion in international relations, especially after 9/11 and during the Arab Spring. This thesis focused on three main areas: the use of religious language in the UN General Assembly, voting patterns in the UN, and the survival of international alliances. An innovative methodology was used for the content analysis of the General Assembly speeches, which expanded the lexical set of religious terms. The results showed that despite the theory of secularism, representatives of states use religious language. Analysis of voting patterns revealed a statistically significant influence of religion, particularly in the context of the Palestinian conflict and human rights resolutions. Finally, analysis of alliance survival revealed that religious diversity may lead to...
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Representation in International Organizations: Size and Composition of National Delegations
Vlček, Václav ; Parízek, Michal (advisor) ; Karlas, Jan (referee) ; Sommerer, Thomas (referee)
In general, states and their governments make decisions in international politics and international organizations. However, the states are, in fact, represented by people. How many and who are they? This dissertation thesis deals with state representation in international organizations. In particular, it studies the size and composition of national delegations to plenary meetings of international organizations. From the theoretical perspective, the thesis builds on rationalist assumptions and tests established theories in the field. As for the causes of the various delegation sizes, the thesis hypothesizes 1) various institutional power, 2) different economic resources, 3) various intensity of national interests, 4) different levels of government effectiveness, and 5) different domestic political regimes. Next, the theoretical framework explains the various delegation composition by 1) different intensity of the national preferences, 2) different levels of government effectiveness, and 3) different domestic political regimes. From the methodological perspective, the thesis builds on an extensive statistical analysis using a unique quantitative dataset across seventeen international organizations and the UN General Assembly sessions from 1993 to 2016. The delegation composition is operationalized in...
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The Role of the Secretary General in the United Nations
Ouzká, Tereza ; Bílková, Veronika (advisor) ; Faix, Martin (referee)
The goal of this Thesis entitled The Role of the Secretary General in the United Nations is to respond to the following questions: What is the role of the Secretary-General in the United Nations and how did the position change due to historical circumstances. The Thesis opens with a chapter dealing with the evolution from the League of Nations to the United Nations focusing on the role of the Secretary General. The next Chapter concentrates on the competences of the Secretary-General in relation to the other UN bodies. The third Chapter analyzes reforms proposed by several of the Secretaries General. The essay also discusses the diplomatic role of the Secretary General in the international environment and his/her relationship with non-governmental parties and the private sector. The text proposes examples illustrating successes and failures of the Secretaries General in specific situations. The Thesis also focuses on expanding of competences of the Secretary General achieved by individual representatives of this function. The text demonstrates that the Secretary General plays an important role in today's globalized society despite the fact that this position is often marginalized by the other UN bodies.
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Discussion on US sanctions against Cuba at the U.N. General Assembly
Šplíchalová, Eva ; Trávníčková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Machoň, Miloslav (referee)
The United States imposed the longest lasting sanction regime on Cuba in 1960 as a result of strained relations in recent years. Each US administration modified form of the sanctions regime, depending on the attitude toward the Cuban issue. General Assembly, the highest authority of the UN, adopts not legally binding but politically significant resolutions. Resolution condemning US sanctions regime has been adopted annually since 1992. Discussion on changes of the sanction regime in the General Assembly is a sign of reflection on current events and unrigid process of resolutions adoption. The main purpose is to determine whether the changes of the sanction regime were mentioned in the discussions on the adoption of the resolutions. The result of the analysis shows the reflection of the events in the speeches of ambassadors. The amount of mentioned events in speeches depends whether they were positive or negative step toward easing the embargo, and also how important the event was.
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