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Utopian studies, and the word Utopia it self, have always been controversial. In common language utopia often connects to something negative, something impossible. Diverse academic disciplines have their own definition of the word and concept. These heterogeneous views of utopia complicate the discussion in the scientific community. The starting point of this study is to reach at better and more e
This thesis is investigating the conflict between the state and pirates in an actor perspective. It shows that the conflict contains both an indirect- and a direct conflict. The first is a military and juridical struggle where the state tries to defeat pirates. The latter is a competition on controlling the large values transported via sea. I conclude that the state has not defeated pirates becaus
This study examines if there is a hidden normative Swedish nationalism in the Swedish language school for immigrants (Sfi) and if so, how it has been portrayed historically and how it is depicted now. With the help of Umut Özkirimlis theory; dimensions of nationalism and the social constructivist theory, I have analyzed the literature used in Sfi. The methodology used in this study has been a qual
File sharing is causing an enormous debate over the issue of copyright law and freedom of information on the internet. Just recently, the Swedish file sharing network The Pirate Bay was sentenced to pay 30 million kronor to the media entertainment industry, who prosecuted the owners for illegal piracy of copyrighted material. This essay examines weather or not free file sharing, unbound by legal c
This thesis departs from a neorealist theoretical perspective but adds a rational actor perspective based on game theory. It shares Waltz' assumption of deep anarchy and the need for states to ensure their security but also maintains that actor prospects may be able to cope with the structural incentives in a flexible manner. Two cases of international politics are studied; 1890-1911 and 2001-
The thesis that this essay rests upon implies that economic values are much higher prioritized then democratic values in the Swedish administration. This assumption applies throughout the entire public administration. A lot of research points on the danger with the decreasing focus on democratic values and increasing focus on economic values. The two different kinds of values are often seen as inc
This thesis attempts to answer the question why there was a breakdown in talks between India and the USA over the issue Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva in July 2008. This is done through Robert Putnams’ two-level game framework, which is applied to the interplay between India’s diplomacy and domestic politics. The thesis concludes that the underd
The purpose of humanitarian aid is to save lives, relieve suffering and maintain human dignity for people affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters or other crisis situations. Since crises and conflicts today are diverse and complex to manage, humanitarian aid, as well as international politics in general, are faced with new challenges. On a global level humanitarian aid has increased in volu
The thesis is a study of female guerrilla soldiers, guerrilleras, in two Colombian guerrilla groups: the rural FARC-EP and the urban M-19. Firstly, the roles female guerrilleras play and the treatment of guerrilleras are described. Secondly, poststructural gender theory is used to understand the gender structures that underlie the division of labor within the groups. The study focuses on certain m
The aim of this thesis is to explore the complex role of the Rapporteur in the Committee of the Regions. The Rapporteur is a member of the Committee who is appointed by its Commission to prepare opinions. Hence, the Rapporteur can be an extremely influential actor. In an environment of multiple interests, which characterise the Committee, the question arises: how does it affect the role of the Rap
This thesis is a discourse analysis of the policy report, “Sweden in the world” produced by the Swedish globalization committee. With a social constructionist foundation, the aim of the study was to uncover any potentially existing tensions or ambiguities in their statements and representations. By examining how the committee characterize and constitute the globalization and the social reality I c
This study attempts to answer the question as to what extent a political party that sustains a minority government in office, without forming a coalition government, can fulfil its electoral pledges. The study focuses on two minor Swedish parties, namely Vänsterpartiet (the Left party) and Miljöpartiet (Green Party) during the term of 1998-2002 when these parties supported and sustained the Social
This thesis sets out to answer (1) why the Swedish municipalities of Malmö and Lund choose to become certified as Fairtrade Cities, that is; to adopt and promote Fair Trade regulations as stipulated by the Fairtrade Labelling Organization International, and (2) whether or not municipalities are morally entitled to strive to promote such regulations. In two case studies, interviews with representat
Who influences our notion of the European Union? This paper examines the Swedish discourse of the European Union. The study shows how the Swedish parties in the Riksdag (Parliament) build up the picture of the European Union, including and excluding aspects and issues after their interests. The discursive theory of Laclau and Mouffe is used in order to conceptualize and analyze the discursive con
The state of the Russian Armed Forces during the 1990’s was so critical that experts warned for a collapse. This thesis examines the relationship between rhetoric and measures taken concerning the capacity of the Armed Forces during Putin’s presidency. Studying the Russian Armed Forces is of interest since they influence and affect both the regional and global order. The theoretical foundation of
There is a war raging in our world, our country, our streets and our homes, fought in arenas sizing from courthouses down to the currently smallest electronic devices capable of upholding an internet connection. It is a battle of ideas fought by representatives of the notions that said ideas, respectively, are or are not priceless, a battle in the midst of which the state is held hostage by commer
Jordan is the only Arabic country that has granted full citizenship to all its Palestinian residents, who now constitute half the population and dominate the private sector. Although a reasonable expectation would be that Palestinian-Jordanians hold half of all governmental positions, a 1997 survey reported much lower representation. This thesis attempts to investigate current (early 2009) Palesti
This thesis examines the continuity, change and adaptation of blat – as a Soviet time, informal economic transaction network, that existed as a response to a non-functional economy. The analysis is based on 33 in-depth interviews conducted in 2009 during a field study in Ukraine and Belarus. The main focus is on individuals’ descriptions, justifications and explanations of their ongoing informal p
Unpacking and reconstituting different aspects of the Japanese narrative on China within the context of the Yasukuni controversy between 2001 and 2006, this thesis concludes that the constitution of China is an inherent part of the negotiating processes of the “Japanese we”. With a methodological framework comprised of grounded theory and narrative analysis; in its merged form referred to as groun
This paper takes its starting point with the enormous public attention that blogs got in 2008 regarding the “FRA” debate. In the media there is a consensus that the blogs influenced the parliamentary debate concerning the new law proposal. This essay intends to investigate the bearing of this consensus by comparing the debate in the blog sphere and the debate in the parliament and searching for si
