Dissertations

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    A Clash of Grand Strategies between Russia, United States of America and Turkey for Greater Power and Influence in the Middle East
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2018-06) Tupua Kalou, Setaita
    The thesis explores the changing dynamics in the Middle East where the region is witnessing a metamorphosis in its power structure as major regional powers actively pursue their grand strategies to unseat U.S. hegemony. The analysis focuses in particular on the foreign policies of the revisionist powers of Russia and Turkey collaborating in all spheres of statecraft against the resoluteness of the U.S. to maintain the status quo. It recognises that the Syrian civil war has disrupted the equilibrium of the prevailing power structure which, by extension, has provided the enabling environment for the major players in the region to capitalise on the opportunities to pursue their own strategic interests and objectives in the Middle East. The thesis concludes that Turkey’s unique geopolitical profile positions it at the fulcrum of the power struggle between Russia and the U.S., elevating its status as the key player in determining the future of the region. Turkey’s unique attributes include, inter alia, its strategic geography nestled between Europe, Russia, Asia and the Middle East, coupled with its significance as a NATO ally of the U.S. hosting its military assets on its Incirlik air base. As the U.S. and Russia vie for Turkey’s support in a typical zero-sum fashion, Turkey asserts its own authority to maximise its gains by throwing its own grand strategy into the geopolitical calculus. As it stands, Russia’s calculated strategies to build up its rapport with Turkey through, inter alia, a major gas pipeline project, TurkStream, and other important economic, military and diplomatic forms of cooperation, are leveraging Turkey to become a major regional power in the Middle East. Turkey’s close collaboration with Russia has put the U.S. on notice with the recognition that a major shift in Turkey’s allegiance towards Russia poses a real threat to U.S. hegemony in the Middle East.
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    A critical appraisal of the OPCW’s media and public affairs policy in the context of multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation regimes
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2010-06-03) Romà Mora, Pere
    Multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation treaties such as the CWC, BWC, CTBT and NPT come with verification regimes that must balance confidentiality against transparency. While the CWC regime has achieved a great degree of intergovernmental transparency, civil and private stakeholders, in addition to the news media and the general public, do not enjoy the same level of access to information. The public profile of the OPCW is not commensurate with a membership of 188 States and 13 years of effective implementation of the CWC, including over 5,000 chemical demilitarisation and industry inspections. Nearly 60% of the world's declared stockpiles of approximately 70,000 metric tonnes of chemical weapons agent have been verified by the OPCW, yet the CWC is significantly less visible than nuclear treaties such as the NPT, by a factor of one to five, and the CTBT, which has yet to enter into force. In addition to confidentiality requirements, OPCW’s low profile is due to issues related to the implementation of the media and public affairs policy, such as overly rigid clearance procedures, unclear guidelines for the public availability of official documents, and lack of web governance, including inadequate IT infrastructure and support for OPCW’s public information requirements.
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    A Framework of Best Practices for Caribbean Small States to meet the Challenges of Climate Change
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2010-02-15) Garnette, Nnke
    Caribbean Small States are considered vulnerable by virtue of their geographical peculiarities, economic exigencies, delicate ecosystems and rate of social development among other characteristics. Their ability to meet challenges such as climate change is therefore deficient. This research assesses the challenges faced by Caribbean Small States in view of climate change, in terms of the causes and effects, potential damages and current policies which exist to treat these issues. It emphasizes the interdependence between the alleviation of climate change, social and economic development and government policies. It is intended to be a guide for public and private sector policy makers throughout these Caribbean Small States and provide alternatives from which even developed states may be able to benefit. It is the researcher‟s hope that once the long term benefits are recognized, this devised framework will strengthen cooperation among states for development at national, regional and global levels.
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    A New Wave for the Reform of the Security Council of the United Nations: Great Expectations but Little Results
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2010-01-31) Rodriguez, Roberto M.
    The reform of the Security Council of the United Nations (UNSC) has been an elusive issue at the United Nations (UN). While practically all Member States agree on the need to change the structure of the most powerful body of the world organization, so far there has been no agreement about what elements of that reform or about the substance of the reform itself. In 2008, after more than 15 years of discussions in the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) with little progress, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) requested the OEWG to start intergovernmental negotiations on February 19, 2009. The general idea was that it should be easier for the Member States to agree on those issues where agreement existed, and to leave the most difficult issues for later. This approach termed interim, intermediary or transitional included the proviso of a mandatory review in the future at a time to be decided by the UN membership. This dissertation discusses and analyzes the attempts at UNSC reform, with emphasis on the intergovernmental negotiations launched in 2009. It argues that little substantial agreement so far has come from such intergovernmental negotiations. Research findings indicate that insurmountable obstacles still lie ahead and that it is unlikely that the august body will be reformed any time soon. None of the proposals so far has obtained the necessary support for approval by the UNGA and serious disagreements continue to exist. All UN members recognize the need to make the UNSC more representative of the realities of the modern world, and that this means to expand the Council to offer participation to more members, but continue to disagree on how to do it.
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    A small state’s engagement in discursive processes for international Internet-related public policy and implications for its domestic Internet agenda
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2015-01-18) Swift, Kevon
    The Internet means different things for different people. In Trinidad and Tobago, ICTs including the Internet have often been hailed as a critical enabler for development in addition to an issue in its own right. That being said, reference to the Internet in Trinidad and Tobago is often lost within ICT and Development (ICTD) rhetoric and resultantly, national interests in Internet Governance diplomacy can be characterised as seeking the broadest set of developmental needs in the face of knowledge divides, unfamiliar diplomatic rules and problematic coherence on the home front. This dissertation explores the nuanced role of the Trinidad and Tobago State in achieving domestic Internet agenda and participating in external discursive spaces for international Internet-related public policy, where on the one hand the correlation between diplomacy and domestic Internet development is put into perspective while on the other, the particularities of being a small developing country provide the frame for the aforementioned aspects. The dissertation reveals that although the correlation between the development of substantive policy on domestic and global levels are low, and there is certainly room for enhancing Internet Governance diplomacy, there are some developments that suggest that the status quo is on the cusp of change.
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    African Union’s capacity in providing African solutions for African problems - the case of African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM)
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2017-06-30) Hlatshwayo, Sandile L.
    Since gaining independence, many African countries have experienced various forms of insecurity with some plunging into violent conflict. This is still an on-going trend even since the beginning of the 21st Century. Such insecurities have manifested itself in the form of armed conflicts, both inter-state and intra-state, coups d’état and election-induced or related political crises among others. While many of these take place within the confines of individual states, others have clear regional ramifications. Following the transformation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union (AU), Africa witnessed a tide of change not only in the norms and institutions relating to peace and security, but also in the role of AU and African regional organisations in the maintenance of peace and security in Africa. Apart from analysing the developments of the past decade, it is the submission of this paper that the experience of AU’s engagement during the past decade in putting in place an operating, management and resolution mechanism for responding to various peace and security challenges that afflict on the continent. Among these developments are the establishment of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the implementation of key institutions and structures of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). All these are aimed at achieving various AU goals, including in particular silencing the guns by year 2020. In simple term, silencing the guns means stopping illegal inflow of weapons into Africa, stopping the illicit proliferation, and the use of weapons within the continent. These two factors contribute most to the persistence of violent conflicts in Africa.
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    An Assessment of Economic and Commercial Diplomacy in Micro-States: A Case Study of Namibia
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2014-12-31) Tlhabanello, Talietha
    Economic diplomacy can become an important tool for foreign policy of the government to promote economic interest of Namibia in relation to trade promotion, attracting investment through channels of diplomacy. Export market and foreign investment are to play the main role, because the domestic market and investment are too small to achieve the desired goal. The foreign economic relations for state policy aspired at more integration in the country in the world economy and to make sure of sustained economic growth that will focus on a priority on developing in the directions of promoting trade with the main concerned given to export promotion and the global competition to attract foreign investment as well as to promote the image of the country in terms of economic and investment. Namibia diplomatic missions abroad have also critical functions to play. One of the main duties of the missions abroad is to support the expansion of economy in Namibia by promoting and encouraging foreign investment into Namibia. They play an important role in the international area to develop a sustainable international business network to be able to attract more export, elicit inward investment and tourism activities. However effectiveness of the missions is hampered by endemic and structural problems. The research will investigate the problems faced by the missions.
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    An Essential and Creative Component in the Toolkit of Contemporary Diplomacy
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2008-07-31) Tevdovski, Ljuben
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    An Examination of Digital Diplomacy and Reputation Management at International Organisations
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2015-06-30) Powell, Keith
    Digital diplomacy is being used at many different international organisations to help communicate their messages to a wider public, opening up new audiences outside the governmental stakeholders they do their work with. This new way of communicating has created potential reputational issues that organisations need to be aware of when using social media. This research examines how social media is being used at international organisations in the context of the environment in which they work. It studies how reputation management principles apply to international organisations and how they are managed using the tools available for measuring the effectiveness of social media. It finds that the environment that organisations work in have much working against them structurally and politically to effectively communicate, and the tools that are available to measure social media do not help organisations manage their issues effectively, so many do not engage in this type of analysis.
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    An examination of the role of women in conflict management: Sierra Leone a case study
    (University of Malta; DiploFoundation, 2011-03-30) Bangalie, Florence N.
    This paper examines the role of women in conflict management, using Sierra Leone as a case study. It argues that despite the traditional challenges women faced they were able to contribute significantly to the conclusion of the 11-year civil war in Sierra Leone, and have since earned a position of respect in society that has given them a larger role to play in government, politics and the private sector. Major barriers remain, but a brighter future has been created. Furthermore, this paper recommends constructive actions that should be taken to assure that the productive involvement of women continues.