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China in the Arctic: Assessing Positions of Arctic States towards increasing Chinese Presence
Ochranová, Štěpánka ; Hornát, Jan (advisor) ; Sehnálková, Jana (referee)
The bachelor's thesis China in the Arctic: Assessing Positions of Arctic States towards increasing Chinese Presence deals with the issue of Chinese presence in the Arctic region. The thesis examines and compares the positions of individual Arctic states on this presence and its effects. Content analysis and a comparative method were used it the thesis, while the parameters of the comparison were the statements of the Arctic states on the Chinese factor in the Arctic (statements of representatives of these states and written statements), participation in summits organized by the People's Republic of China on the Arctic region, joint projects in areas and extent of mutual trade. The aim of the thesis is to divide the attitudes of the seven Arctic states into positive, negative or neutral. The conducted research according to all mentioned parameters defined the key points for this evaluation, which confirmed the hypothesis of the thesis. It is indeed possible to consider Russia as China's partner in the Arctic region, especially with regard to Russian proclamations and its cooperation in the region. The United States and Canada have taken a negative stance, both through their statements and by rejecting joint projects and not participating in Chinese summits. European countries, i.e. Finland, Sweden,...
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Map of the conquest of the North Pole
Šuhajda, Adam ; Čábelka, Miroslav (advisor) ; Bayer, Tomáš (referee)
The main goal of the thesis is the creation of a wall map dedicated to the conquest of the North Pole. Using cartographic means, the map shows routes of the polar expeditions, the latitudes reached by the expeditions and additional thematic elements. The initial literature search is focused on the development of Arctic exploration and the procedures of individual expeditions. This is further used to define the used expeditions in the final map. A partial aim of the thesis is to analyze selected maps of the Arctic from the Map Collection of the Faculty of Science of Charles University. The last part of the thesis includes the creation of the map itself based on the analysed series. The purpose of the map is to transfer the findings from the research and analysis part to the map sheet and to bring the reader closer to the progress of the conquest of the North Pole. Keywords: North Pole, thematic map, map analysis, Arctic, ArcGIS, polar expedition
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The German Arctic Policy
Nguyenová, Thi Khanh Ly ; Handl, Vladimír (advisor) ; Hornát, Jan (referee)
The thesis deals with Germany's Arctic policy in the last decade and focuses on its security dimension. The Arctic region has undergone many changes in recent years due to climate change and the new geopolitical situation, including a change in the security situation. Based on the concepts of civilian power and securitization, the thesis examines whether Germany approaches the Arctic as a multilateral actor or whether the Arctic has gained importance in German foreign and security policy and become a recognized security issue for Germany. The introductory part of the thesis is devoted to a general introduction of the Arctic region, its definition and a presentation of the global security, environmental and economic aspects and challenges associated with it. The thesis then briefly outlines the history of German involvement in the Arctic, its activities and Germany's relevance to the region. The main research part of the thesis is divided into the bilateral and multilateral dimensions of German Arctic policy, thus reflecting the nature of German multilateralism. The results of the examination of German Arctic policy have shown that Germany is aware of the various aspects of Arctic security and its global dimension, however, the focus is on the climate and economic security issues of the region. Even...
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The legal regime of the Arctic (international legal aspects of the Arctic Ocean), compared to the legal regime of Antarctica
Huk Kloučková, Eliška ; Ondřej, Jan (advisor) ; Šturma, Pavel (referee)
The main objective of this thesis is to analyse the legal regimes of the Arctic and Antarctica and to compare them. The research question is whether and in what specific ways the legal regimes of these polar regions differ. The thesis mainly uses the descriptive method, which describes the basic background and the applicable legal framework, and then the comparative method when comparing the two regimes. In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the thesis is divided into a total of seven chapters. The thesis thus first defines the Arctic and Antarctic, introduces their history and outlines their geopolitical significance. The main parts of the thesis are devoted to the legal regime. In the case of the Arctic, which is mainly a frozen sea around the North Pole, the law of the sea relevant to this territory is discussed. Attention is given to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and its application to the Arctic Ocean. The thesis also describes the pending disputes in this area and the challenges that this legal regime poses not only for Arctic states. In the case of Antarctica, which is a continent, the complex treaty regime that was treaty-anchored in 1954 is discussed. Attention is also paid to the European Union's interest in these areas, as well as the Czech Republic's...
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The Nature of Conflict in the Arctic: A Rationalist Approach to the Conflict Triggers
Benda, Lukáš ; Solovyeva, Anzhelika (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
Lukáš Benda Master's thesis 2023 The Nature of Conflict in the Arctic: A Rationalist Approach to the Conflict Triggers Abstract This Master's thesis explores the triggers of the conflict in the Arctic between the littoral states. Its goal is to identify key conflict drivers, based on the existing literature, then assess their intensity, based on the existing framework and supplemented by this thesis' own definition of conflict. By using the theory of rational choice and the bargaining model of war, it is studied why and how has the Arctic issues not escalated into armed confrontation, a topic which has been prominent in the literature at one time. By applying the aforementioned theories, this thesis links the conflict triggers to an intensity level, while applying the bargaining model of war on a non-violent conflict. The conclusions should determine the intensity of each conflict trigger, while explaining the changes in the conflict, including the external influencing factors. Developing its own definition of conflict and an intensity scale, this thesis aims to fill the gap in the existing literature, which usually focuses on the conflict as a singular topic, while introducing and exploring different layers of the conflict derived from identification of the conflict triggers.
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France in the Arctic
Domkář, Michal ; Romancov, Michael (advisor) ; Perottino, Michel (referee)
This bachelor's thesis deals with the modern French Arctic policy and its gradual evolution. A crucial prerequisite is the transformation of the Arctic narrative, that is how the region is generally seen. While it had been previously understood as a place for international cooperation, global warming has dramatically changed the region. Thus, both the key points of the Arctic debate and its participants and the overall narrative have changed. The goal of this thesis is to find out whether France reflects this change of the narrative and if so, how. France has shown interest in the region for a long time and its long-lasting presence makes it an important actor. The research has been done through the analysis of relevant government documents and proclamations which demonstrate the official country's approach the best. The resulting findings confirmed the transformation of Arctic policy, which changes its main proclaimed interest over time. The emphasis is no longer on scientific activity as it once was. Although it is increasingly incorporating security and the strategic importance of the region into its approach, given the recency of the phenomenon, it cannot yet be said with certainty that this will become the central focus of future policy, although the trend described suggests that it will.
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Nest defence and predator recognition by Arctic tern \kur{(Sterna paradisaea)}
ŠPIČKA, Jan
In the presented work, I describe the behaviour of Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) toward predator species that differ in the threat they represent to them and to their nests. I presented textile dummies of great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), common raven (Corvus corax) and common eider (Somateria mollissima), piece of wood as a harmless stimulus, and human intruder in sitting position near the tern nests. Experiments were conducted on the Varanger peninsula in Norway. The tern behaviour was recorded and analysed to see any dummy species related differences.
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The GIUK's gap Geopolitical Importance
Prášil, Matěj ; Riegl, Martin (advisor)
The following thesis is focusing on the geopolitical as well as geostrategic significance of the GIUK Gap. In addition to an overview of the realist theories of international relations used in the analysis as such, the thesis includes a section devoted to the historical development of the geopolitical and geostrategic significance of the GIUK Gap, but above all an analysis of the current geopolitical and geostrategic significance of the once mentioned specific North Atlantic region. The analysis of the current geopolitical situation is written with an emphasis on the increasing importance of the area for NATO and the Russian Federation, whose interests have increasingly clashed in recent years, not only in this region. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate a causal relationship between the generally deteriorating relations between NATO and the Russian Federation following the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the growing importance of the GIUK Gap.
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Geostrategic Importance of Greenland
Uchytilová, Gabriela ; Doboš, Bohumil (advisor) ; Romancov, Michael (referee)
The diploma thesis entitled "Geostrategic Importance of Greenland" deals with the current geopolitical position of the island in the context of advancing climate change. This brings Greenland many opportunities, but also threats that could affect its further development. The main aim of the work is therefore to examine how the geographical location of the island in combination with the advancing climate change affects its development, especially towards the future full independence from the Kingdom of Denmark. The work maps the current situation of Greenland in terms of newly emerging opportunities as well as the threats it also faces. Furthermore, the work focuses on the relationship between Greenland and Denmark and tries to describe the strategic importance of the island for Denmark. Although the Arctic is an area where states have cooperated in the past decades, in recent years tensions have been growing in the region between the Russian Federation, which is increasing its military presence there, and Western states represented by the North Atlantic Alliance. In addition, China is trying to penetrate the region, which is not indifferent to the strategic importance of the region, and other non-Arctic actors, led by the European Union, are also turning their attention to the region. The...
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