<p>Central Asia is a region strategically located at the crossroads of the two continents: Asia and Europe. The region is represented by five states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) with different level of economic development and with the population amounting to over 60 million people. The region is rich in energy resources represented by oil, gas, coal and water resources.</p><p>The thesis analyses, assesses and scrutinises one of the topical issues of the contemporary international relations - cooperation between the European Union and Central Asian states before and after adoption in June 2007 of the ‘European Union and Central Asia: Strategy for a New Partnership’,  an important political document in the history of relations between the two parties.</p><p>The new stage of cooperation is analysed more comprehensively accentuating priorities set in the Strategy. Analysis of the current state of affairs is conducted concerning some important issues of the Strategy related to regional cooperation between Central Asian states, such as integrated water management and development of hydro-energy system, issues of diversification of hydrocarbons supply routes from the region to Europe and provision of energy security, etc.</p><p>Issues of cooperation between the European Union and Tajikistan are analysed as a case study. State of affairs between the Central Asian states and the European Union Member States actively cooperating with these countries is characterised.</p><p>The thesis also scrutinises other regional/international actors engaged in cooperation with Central Asia (such as China, Russia, the US, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, etc.) and their potential for interaction with the European Union for more effective joint solution of the problems existing in the region is assessed.</p><p>In the conclusion, development of cooperation between the European Union and Central Asian states is scrutinised, the problems and their possible solutions in this regard are analysed, and the recommendations for increasing effectiveness of cooperation between the two parties are presented.</p><p>The European Union’s policy in Central Asia is interpreted from perspective of the theories of international relations namely neorealism, neoliberalism and constructivism in the research.</p>

<p>The Thesis analyzes the effecvtiveness of international environmental regimes. A case study of four of the most important river regimes in Germany - the Commissions for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR), Elbe (ICPE), Oder (ICPO) and Lake Constance (IGKB)- was conducted. The first part of the thesis explains the theoretical foundation the thesis rests upon. Neoliberal Institutionalism was the chosen theory, accompanied by aspects of regime and game theory. A definition of effectiveness was generated, taking into account a legal, a historical and a political perspective. The Thesis is a qualitative case study, which uses mainly sources from books, essays, newspapers and few in-depth interviews with people inside the Commissions. In the second part the International Commissions are analyzed. In the end the findings are compared to find out what constitutes an effective regime. All four regimes have made an significant impact though. An effective regime is - according to the findings of this thesis - characterized by different factors: a small number of actors, a strong legal basis for the daily work routines, similar background of the member states, favorable national conditions.</p>

In the course of this master thesis I will argue the following: a) ESDP project is an interesting initiative and concern issues that stand at the core of the EU integration processes. It relates to the most significant and updated development of the EU institutional, conceptual and strategic design, but is yet relatively unexplored and underdeveloped. b) The aim of this study is to evaluate the efforts to enhance cooperation among European countries in the provision and use of military force. To set the scene and illustrate constrains and complications that bear upon activities in this field. Indeed, the author intends to recommend a theoretical framework, as a fundamental prerequisite for the proper study of EU Defense and Security Policy. c) Constructivism and neo- Realism and their theoretical tenets offer an unexplored avenue to investigate and account for the development of the European Security and Defense Policy. d) The efficiency of such an account depends on a meticulous evaluation of proposed theoretical approaches versus the emerging security complex. This theoretical choice allows for a construction beyond that of the unit or system levels of analysis and may therefore grant a causal role to perceived interests in terms of non- traditional approach to research in social science. Also it may thereby provoke an interest in terms of security and threat. e) The originality and validity of a combination between Realism and Constructivism as a starting point for inquiries in IR may not only be relevant to an understanding of how such a development can unfold, but mostly how a real social phenomena can be unfolded by such a non-traditional theoretical approach.

The Thesis analyzes the effecvtiveness of international environmental regimes. A case study of four of the most important river regimes in Germany - the Commissions for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR), Elbe (ICPE), Oder (ICPO) and Lake Constance (IGKB)- was conducted. The first part of the thesis explains the theoretical foundation the thesis rests upon. Neoliberal Institutionalism was the chosen theory, accompanied by aspects of regime and game theory. A definition of effectiveness was generated, taking into account a legal, a historical and a political perspective. The Thesis is a qualitative case study, which uses mainly sources from books, essays, newspapers and few in-depth interviews with people inside the Commissions. In the second part the International Commissions are analyzed. In the end the findings are compared to find out what constitutes an effective regime. All four regimes have made an significant impact though. An effective regime is - according to the findings of this thesis - characterized by different factors: a small number of actors, a strong legal basis for the daily work routines, similar background of the member states, favorable national conditions.

Denna uppsats kretsar kring att pröva hur en av de främsta företrädarna för den realistiska skolan, förklarar de amerikanska anfallen mot Afghanistan (2001) och Irak (2003). Hans namn är Robert Kagan och uppsatsen syftar till ge en realists tolkning till varför USA handlade som man gjorde. Man måste därför försöka uppfatta världen utifrån USA:s horisont och försöka tolka samt sätta sig in i den amerikanska positionen på den internationella arenan. Problemformuleringarna kretsar kring att få insikt i grundstenarna i Kagans teori, samt hur Kagans grundsyn skiljer sig gentemot den idealistiska. Vidare hur USA:s militära styrka, enligt Kagan, påverkar dess beteende på den internationella arenan, men även hur Kagan ser på USA:s kommande globala engagemang. Robert Kagans bok Om paradiset och makten USA och Europa i den nya världsordningen kommer att utgöra fundamentet i studien. I boken kretsar bl.a. Kagans resonemang kring att USA och Europa distanserar från varandra, men även kring militär styrka. Därför ger boken oss en väldigt bra bild av USA:s position på den internationella arenan. Kagans resonemang vävs sedan ihop med kritik, realism, idealism och geopolitik. Slutsatsen blir att grundstenarna i Kagans resonemang återfinns i den s.k. realismteorin, men även till viss del i geopolitiken. Han sätter stor vikt vid militära medel och ser staterna som de mest betydelsefulla aktörerna, samt ser världen som allmänt hotfull. Han realistiska resonemang grundas på amerikanska spelregler och ledarskap på den internationella arenan. Skillnaden mellan Kagans grundsyn och den idealistiska bottnar främst i idealisternas fokusering på integration mellan stater. Vidare att de sätter tilltro till internationell rätt, samt har ett mer multilateralt förhållningssätt till omvärlden. Kagan menar vidare att starka stater är mer villiga att använda tvång och hot i internationella relationer. De bedömer dessutom hot och risker annorlunda jämfört med svagare stater. Enligt Kagan beter sig USA som en internationell sheriff på den globala arenan och beteendet bottnar i militär styrka. Vidare anser Kagan att USA har haft samma kurs i flera århundraden. USA har expanderat in i Europa och Asien och aldrig dragit sig tillbaka. Man hade redan före den 11 september 2001 fokuserat på Kina som motspelare. Dessutom, menar Kagan, att USA varit villiga att satsa på ny militär teknik, vilken kan förändra krigföringen. Han skriver även att både Clinton och Bushadministrationen varit grundade på att USA är en nödvändig nation, samt att amerikaner vill beskydda och sprida det liberala systemet i världen.

Iranian film has in recent decades comprised an increasingly important and influential cinema. The Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 paved the way for freedom of artistic and literary expression, communicating a new generation of unheard voices in Iranian society. More specifically Iranian cinema has progressed in maintaining an identity that reflects both a contemporary nation and auteuristic cinematics. Abbas Kiarostami is one of the more recent and leading film directors rewarded with critical and filmmaking acclaim out of Iran, producing contemporary snapshots of society and culture. His filmmaking methods and ideals are very much reflective of the style of post Second World War Italian Neorealism. In context and filmmaking principles Kiarostami adapts the conventions of Neorealism in exploring contemporary Iranian socio-cultural problems in a similar manner. This project aims to explore the relationship between the style and context of his filmmaking in terms of mise-en-scène, themes and socio-cultural concerns. It shows how Kiarostami creates a distinctive form of Neorealist filmmaking to get at the ‘truths’ of contemporary Iranian life in a particular way. In doing so an emergent strand of a modern-Neorealism becomes apparent.

A close study of neorealist theory, indicates that revolutionary movements can produce some effects, that can have severe power political repercussions. Yet there is very little written in the neorealist corpus, about revolutions and revolutionary movements. The aim of this research was to investigate if these effects could contribute to our explanation, of the power political strategies employed by revolutionary movements. In order to fulfill the aim, a theory consuming case study was conducted. The method employed was a qualitative textual analysis, of a strategic text from Al-Qaeda. The result of the study showed that anticipated power political effects of a social revolution, were discounted for in the strategy. And the expected effects of a conflict between a revolutionary movement and a stable State, did appear in strategy. However the strategists calculations about revolutionary contagnation and the vulnerabilities of fragile States, did not match the theoretical expectations. Perceived foreign domination and perceived fragile State structures, effected the calculations in an unexpected way. Thus the results indicate that the employed analytic framework need further refinement.

La modernité cinématographique désigne une remise en cause de la représentation classique au moment de la Seconde Guerre mondiale qui se manifeste par un retour au documentaire. Celui-ci se traduit de deux manières : au sein du cinéma hollywoodien, comme en témoignent la fin du Dictateur de Charlie Chaplin et le début de Citizen Kane d’Orson Welles; et dans l’Europe de l’après-guerre avec le néo-réalisme italien. Dans ce contexte, la critique cinématographique définit l’essai comme une des finalités du cinéma moderne alliant ontologie et langage comme en témoignent les textes d’Alexandre Astruc, André Bazin ou Jacques Rivette. Au milieu des années 1950, le cinéma moderne propose une épure de ces formes cinématographiques avec, d’une part, Nuit et Brouillard d’Alain Resnais, film emblématique de « l’école française du court métrage » et, d’autre part, Voyage en Italie de Roberto Rossellini, affirmation d’un « néo-réalisme plus pur », selon les termes de son auteur. En 1963, deux films français sont à la fois les héritiers du cinéma classique américain et le point de départ d’une réflexion plus approfondie sur l’essai cinématographique, il s’agit de La Jetée de Chris Marker et du Mépris de Jean-Luc Godard. C’est à travers l’étude comparée du parcours de ces deux cinéastes que nous nous proposons de définir l’essai cinématographique comme une forme liée à l’histoire d’un art à un moment particulier. C’est ainsi que l’essai qui connaît ses premières grandes réussites dans les années 1960 se développera dans les années 1990 autour du centenaire du cinéma. De nouveaux enjeux associés à la modernité cinématographique se dessinent alors entre le Nord et le Sud, l’Est et l’Ouest, dans ce passage d’un siècle à l’autre du cinéma. / In the field of cinematic studies, modernity refers to the attempts to challenge classical modes of representations at the time of the Second World War, which take the form of a return to the documentary. This process takes two expressions: one runs through Hollywood productions, for instance the opening scene of Chaplin’s Great Dictator and the conclusion of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane; the other is apparent in post-war Europe with Italian neorealism. In this context, film criticism defines the essay as one of the objects of modern cinema, joining ontology to language, as described in the works of Alexandre Astruc, André Bazin or Jacques Rivette. In the middle of the 1950s, modern cinema offers striking examples of these cinematographic forms with, on the one hand Alain Resnais’ Night and Fog, a film which is typical of “the French school of short films”, and on the other hand Roberto Rossellini’s Journey to Italy, which its author has described as the expression of “a refine form of neorealism”. In 1963, two French films are at once heirs to the tradition of classic American cinema and the start of a deeper reflection on the cinematographic essay, Chris Marker’s The Jetty and Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt. By comparing the evolution of both these directors we will attempt to define the cinematographic essay as form closely linked to a certain moment in the history of cinema. Thus the essay, after producing its first major works in the 1960s will develop during the 1990s around the time of the hundredth anniversary of cinema. New stakes arise at that time to define cinematographic modernity between North and South, East and West, as cinema enters a new century.

History of international relations suggests that rising power brings challenges and creates unstable environment in the international system. This thesis deals with the rise of China and its implications to the East Asia region. China has experienced massive economic growth over the last few decades which is likely to influence the dynamics not only of the region, but also of the international system as a whole. There is an ongoing discussion in the academic literature regarding the rise of China. In this thesis, the offensive neorealism theory of John J, Mearsheimer is employed. This paper focuses on the region of East Asia, namely to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Since the region is heavily penetrated by the US power, its position is also discussed. The question is how China will behave when it gets more powerful and what strategies the neighbouring countries choose in order to deal with China's rising power. The theory assumes that rising great power strive to dominate its region in order to establish regional hegemony. The main aim of this thesis is to examine whether or not the aforementioned states act according to the prism of offensive neorealism.

Antonio Pietrangeli (1919-1968) est une figure incontournable du paysage cinématographique italien, en tant que critique tout au long des années 1940, puis comme réalisateur à partir de 1953. Formé par les débats critiques qui ont accompagné l’élaboration du néoréalisme, il place son premier film (Le Soleil dans les yeux, 1953) sous les auspices d’une saison néoréaliste finissante, ensuite réélaborée à travers un réalisme conçu sous les termes de la perte et de l’inachèvement, dont on trouve un écho dans son attention à la condition féminine. La présente étude propose une première monographie en langue française sur l’œuvre de Pietrangeli, conduite d’après l’ambition d’établir un dialogue entre son œuvre critique et filmique. L’hypothèse d’une pensée pietrangelienne du réalisme cinématographique, en mettant au jour des modalités de pensée spécifiques à la critique et la création, permet d’établir un dialogue dans lequel la question réaliste apparaît comme un outil conceptuel, qui éclaire la contribution de Pietrangeli à l’élaboration d’une modernité cinématographique. Les trois premiers chapitres retracent un « combat réaliste » qui s’inscrit pleinement dans l’historiographie du néoréalisme italien et se caractérise par sa spécificité morale. Elle annonce une transition épistémologique d’après laquelle la pensée du cinéma s’éloigne d’une tradition idéaliste au profit de perspectives existentielles, incarnées dans une filmographie où le réel, devenu objet de doute, dessine une phénoménologie sceptique que nous aborderons dans les quatrième et cinquième chapitres. / Antonio Pietrangeli (1919-1968) has been a prominent figure in Italian cinema, as a critic throughout the 1940’s and as a director from 1953. As an actor in the critical debates during the elaboration of neorealism, Pietrangeli places his first film (Empty Eyes, 1953) under the auspices of a neorealist ending season. This style will evolve afterwards towards a realism conceived under the concepts of loss and incompleteness, which is particularly visible in the light of his concern to the condition of women. The present study proposes the first french-language monography about the work of Pietrangeli, with the ambition to establish a dialogue between his critical and filmic work. The hypothesis of a Pietrangelian conception of cinematographic realism, by revealing specific relations between critics and creation, established a dialogue where the realistic question appears as a conceptual tool, which enlightens Pietrangeli's contribution to the elaboration of a cinematic modernism. The first three chapters trace back a "realistic struggle", which is fully part of Italian neorealism’s historiography, and is characterized by its moral specificity. It announces an epistemological transition, meaning that the conception of cinema moves away from an idealistic tradition in favor of existential perspectives, embodied in a filmography where reality, becoming questionable, indicates a skeptical phenomenology, which constitutes the core of the fourth and fifth chapters.