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Balance of identity and balance of power: The case of conflict dynamics between Saudi Arabia and Iran
Kováčiková, Zuzana ; Aslan, Emil (advisor) ; Kučera, Tomáš (referee)
This thesis applies the concept of religious (national) identity to the cases of Saudi Arabia, Iran and their proxy allies - state and non-state actors - in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. The aim was to show that in the Middle East, Sunni and Shiite affiliations matter in the relationship between the regional powers and respective proxies, as opposing to realist statement that alliances, conflicts and political developments are only governed by pragmatic power interests. Additionally, the work examines whether religious national identities have impact on the dynamics of proxy conflicts. Overall, the objective was to establish comprehensive image of how ideational/constructivist and pragmatic/realist factors work in combination to influence alliances, enmities and conflicts in the Middle East. Using qualitative methods of research, religious (national) identities of Saudi Arabia, Iran and their allies in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen were constructed so as to create ideational and realist points of departure, and then interlinked to show how convergence of religious identities helps in creating durable alliances if used in targeted manner as a strategic tool which can help safeguard national interests. The work shows notable differences in the use of this tool between Saudi Arabia and Iran, suggesting that it...
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Interests of parties to the Sino-Vietnamese War 1979
Marhoul, Jan ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Soukup, Jaromír (referee)
Diploma thesis Interests of parties to the Sino-Vietnamese War 1979 deals with the lesser know topic of the semi-forgotten war which had been fought during the Cold War era. The most interesting in this conflict is, that it had been fought by former mutual allies. The thesis isn't focused on the course of war, with the beginning on the 17th of February 1979. The form of war so called "limited". It means, that the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, had its objectives, when they had been reached, the Chinese military units turned back to China. The last Chinese soldier crossed the border on the 16th of March 1979, after four week of harsh fighting's. But the aim of this work is to analyze the interests of the parties involved in the conflict and to prove the hypothesis, that the war was actually proxy war between PRC and USSR.
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