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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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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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Between Defence and Resistance: Destinies of Eighteenth Century Protestant Communities in Eastern Bohemia and Haut-Languedoc
Kalivodová, Eva ; Klusáková, Luďa (advisor) ; Křížová, Markéta (referee) ; Durand, Stéphane (referee)
Between Defence and Resistance: Destinies of Eighteenth-Century Protestant Communities in Eastern Bohemia and Haut-Languedoc Abstract Based on archive research and literature the thesis compares the religious life of illegal Protestant communities in the 18th century Eastern Bohemia and Haut-Languedoc. From macroanalytical perspective it assesses the strategies of protestant minorities used to resist the disciplining efforts of the absolutist state. The confessional homogeneity, economic background and social stratification of Protestants in Eastern Bohemia and Haut-Languedoc differed. Yet, the contrasting comparison opens up the way to analyse the divergent resistance strategies. Further, the thesis examines the existence and nature of attempts to simplify the religious doctrine and to modify the liturgy undertaken by the lay and ordained priests and the worshippers. The structure combines the thematic and chronological approach, while keeping a broad perspective that encompasses also the economic and cultural context. First tree chapters outline and conceptualize the problem of prohibited Protestantism in both regions during the 17th and most of the 18th centuries. While in Languedoc the Presbyterian-synodic structure was revived (albeit illegally), in Eastern Bohemia and in whole Bohemia and Moravia...
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Political development in post-Saddam Iraq. The Shia between sectarianism and nationalism.
Klasová, Pamela Markéta ; Gombár, Eduard (advisor) ; Ženka, Josef (referee)
This thesis examines the Iraqi Shia community's evolving approach towards and their position in the Iraqi state, especially after the American-led invasion in 2003. The focus is on concepts of nationalism, sectarianism, and identity within the Iraqi state and the Shia community. This thesis is subdivided into two main parts, the first of which considers the time period before 2003. Contemporary Shia identity and standing in Iraq was forged in the crucible of pre-2003 Iraq, so a thorough background in this time period is essential for understanding events after the invasion. Since the founding of the modern Iraqi state, and even during Ottoman times, Shias have traditionally been excluded from positions of power. This political division reflected the socioeconomic divide between the wealthier Sunni and poorer Shia communities. This situation resulted in sharp barriers between Sunnis and Shias. Although the Sunni-dominated monarchy was not actively trying to incorporate the Shias, economic and educational progress eventually reached some in the Shia community beginning in the 1930s and 1940s, and several of these sectarian barriers faded. Partly due to a secularizing trend, the 1950s and 1960s (the "intermezzo" republican period) witnessed the greatest amount of intermingling between these sects in...
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Islamic Fundamentalism in Psychological Perspective
HOUSKOVÁ, Martina
This thesis describes the basic psychological elements of Christian fundamentalism, which are at the same time related to the psychology of the Islamic fundamentalism. The second chapter of this thesis deals with the historical consequences of the Islamic fundamentalism, which is vital for the comprehension of the psychological aspect of the problem. We come to the conclusion that the main source of this phenomena is - thanks to the worldwide globalization - the enculturating influence of the West. The final chapter deals with the psychological analysis of the conversion of the individuals to the fundamentalist groups, the role of the leader and the influence these groups have on the individual. We can see the interesting analogy of the fundamentalist movements with the function of the sectarianism.
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