1,720,980 research outputs found
Is the Barcelona Process working? EU policy in the Mediterranean. ZEI Discussion Paper: 2000, C 75
Get PDF[Introduction.] Developments around the Mediterranean since the launching of the Euro-Mediterranean Process (EMP) in November 1995 have underlined the fundamental fact that this geo-strategic area continues to be dominated by a mosaic of distinct sub-regional constellations, each evolving according to their own indigenous pattern of relations: Given such a heterogeneous cluster of regional dynamics, is the EMP the correct mechanism to contend with the plethora of security challenges largely emanating along Europe’s southern periphery? What can be done to make this process more effective and sustainable than it has been to date? What are the issues at stake in this process and what relevance is this multilateral initiative having on the daily lives of the Euro-Mediterranean citizens essentially seeking to address
The Impact of Cyber Espionage: Changing Perceptions with the US vis-a-vis the Transatlantic
Get PDFThis thesis describes an international impact of cyber espionage with an emphasis on the United States of America and its National Security Agency's clandestine tactics among its Western allies in the Transatlantic region. The National Security Agency's covert operations had came to world attention, through the media, when various tactics of mass surveillance had become public in June 2013. Which was consequentially followed by other revelations on later dates. The US had acknowledged there is much more information still in the hands of a former agent, which could lead to more international difficulties. In the process of researching and writing this thesis, the author conducted a literature search and reviews internal documents, literature reviews, news articles etc. This thesis is in fulfillment for a graduate course on conflict analysis and resolution/conflict resolution and Mediterranean security
Opportunities and Threats in the Euro-Mediterranean Region: Security and Migration. Case Study: Malta and Frontex
Get PDF“The ambition of Europe in the Mediterranean is to turn its formed power into positive influence, to help build trust among all countries, to share our experience of consolidating peace through economic cooperation. These are the same instruments that shaped the European continent. So we are confident these instruments will also serve to gradually achieve stability and prosperity in the Euro-Mediterranean relations, while bringing our societies closer.” George A. Papandreou and Chris Patten The author was highly impressed by the above quote due to the strong political importance given to the region of the Mediterranean. Its positivism projects a sense of motivation to the region and acts as an inspiration for hope in order to achieve peace, security and stability in the region. The European Union Agency for the Management of Operation Cooperation at the External Borders of the European Union’s Member States (Frontex) has become a core instrument for border management and control, also bound by the requirements of international law: including human rights desires and democratic concerns. The purpose of this dissertation is to answer the following research question: “How do peace and security, in relation to the European Union agency Frontex, affect Malta as a member of the Euro-Med region?” This dissertation intends to address the issues which pertain to Frontex in the Euro-Med region and analyse how successful these are. The problem of irregular migration in the Maltese islands has been on the increase since 2002, while Frontex has only been operating in the Maltese territorial waters (through joint operations) since 2006. Chapter 1 gives a clear introduction to the topic of discussion and provides a brief background on the Mediterranean, the Euro-Med region and Frontex. Chapter 2 is a detailed literature review which gives a description of the literature relevant to a particular field. Throughout Chapter 3, 4 and 5, the author provides discussions through research on the issues which pertain to the dissertation project, in particular to diplomacy concerns about security, the Mediterranean, illegal migration, Malta and Frontex, among others. Chapter 6 is a build-up on the previous chapter and hence delves into the case study of Malta, while Chapter 7 is a conclusion which highlights the findings, lessons learnt, track record and experiences of the region. It also provides a summary of the dissertation and gives a clear answer as to whether Malta can ultimately be a promoter of Frontex
The Kurdish Quest for Autonomy in South-eastern Turkey: A Case Study on the Nationalistic and Economic Developments for Kurds in Turkey under the AKP Government (2002-2015)
Get PDFThis thesis describes the developments in Turkey with regards to its Kurdish Question. A case study is built using the greed or grievance approach in order to present the differences between the Kurdish minority living in South-Eastern Turkey and the Turks living in the rest of the country in terms of their economic situation and their nationalistic sentiment. This research analyses the extent to which such variables have contributed to the violence occurring between the two parties under the umbrella of the PKK, a designated terrorist group by the US, EU and Turkey, as well as the developments of the Kurdish Question in relation to these variables under the controversial AKP government. This study was conducted by means of analyzing data produced by other researchers and synthesized using various theoretical approaches in order to obtain a tangible final outcome in terms of the greed or grievance approach as presented by Paul Collier
Linguistic Issues, Language Rights and Plurilinguistic Education: How Have the Finnish Educational Policy Reforms Affected the Swedish-speaking Finns?
Get PDFLinguistic issues are likely to occur in countries with more than one official language. This is also the case in Finland, a country with two national languages (Finnish and Swedish). Even though Finland is a proponent of language rights and multilingualism, it experiences linguistic issues as its language climate has been deteriorating over the past decades. Hence, this study conducts a policy analysis of how the Finnish educational policy reforms of 1968, 2004, and 2012, have affected the Swedish-speaking Finns, to shed light on how Finland is doing when it comes to respecting and enforcing the language rights of its Swedish-speaking minority. The educational policies under study are all connected to the linguistic issue in Finland as they regulate the compulsory Swedish-language subject in Finnish-speaking schools. This thesis argues that education is key to mastering a language and Finland should promote educational policies that enforce a plurilinguistic education in the comprehensive school, in order to remain a bilingual country. In addition, these types of educational policies create the possibility of a healthy language climate that allows for socio-cultural diversity in a multilingual society
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
De-marginalisation in the Wake of the 2011 Arab Uprisings: Democratic and Islamist Narratives in Tunisia and the Prospects for Euro-Mediterranean Relations
Get PDFThe 2011 “Arab Spring” which started in Tunisia and spread to the rest of North Africa and the Arab Middle East has opened a potentially democratic space, triggering what this work calls the process of ‘de-marginalisation’. In the wake of the historic uprisings formerly marginalised groups – unemployed youths, women, students, workers and Islamists – find themselves negotiating their fate in the new space which has opened up. Embarking on a fieldwork research in Tunisia, this thesis employs a nuanced theory of culture to unpack emerging narratives. It does so by decoding four salient symbols and metaphors which strike a chord in Tunisians: Habib Bourguiba, the Constitution, the ‘Sixth Caliphate’ and the Personal Status Code. Through a textual analysis, this work uncovers how solidarity, exclusion, humanisation, dehumanisation, tolerance and justice function in Tunisian society. The conflicts surrounding these symbols articulate citizens’ demands for a profound democratic sharing of the civil space amid fresh fears about a looming radicalisation of society. By examining how the 2011 events have challenged analytical assumptions on a “backward” culture in the region this thesis identifies the articulation of such ideas in European Union policy towards its southern neighbourhood, namely the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the European Neighbourhood Policy. Denouncing the EU’s tacit support to the fallen regimes, the ethos of demarginalisation calls for EU policy which supports political reform through solidarity and rapprochement. In practice, the democratisation process in Tunisia needs buttressing through financial aid coupled with conditionality so that Tunisia may sustain its democratising momentum
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