Through this thesis, I aim to research about the obstacles that the current peace process in Afghanistan is facing. I also want to find out what sort of roles do the states such as USA, Russia, Pakistan and Iran have in the Afghan peace process. As Afghanistan has been a victim of war for the past three decades, this research might provide the opportunity for understanding the reasons behind the never-ending turmoil in the country. In order to conduct this research, I have used qualitative methods which consist of interviews and qualitative analysis. Besides these methods, the use of the international relations’ theories such as structural realism and interdependence liberalism have contributed tremendously in the understanding of the obstacles in the Afghan peace process including the roles of USA, Russia, Pakistan and Iran in the Afghan peace process. The conclusion of this research entails that the Afghan peace process is facing dire obstacles. These obstacles are divided into two categories; internal and external. This research’s conclusion also shows that the functions of the above-mentioned states in the Afghan peace process are solely based on their self-interests which by itself is another obstacle for the peace process. To conclude, if the obstacles, which are discussed in this study, continue to exist in the peace process it is impossible for the peace to prevail in Afghanistan.

Esta dissertação se propõe a analisar e redefinir as práticas dos chamados teatros do real, tais como foram nomeados por Maryvonne Saison, no final da década de 90. Negando, em parte, o comum argumento que insiste numa aproximação entre arte e vida, numa fricção incessante entre elementos reais e ficcionais, busca-se aqui uma análise teórica na qual se cruzem eixos estéticos, políticos e sociais, com base em um entendimento inteiramente histó-rico do tempo presente, compreendido como resultado de todo o processo de transformações orquestradas desde o advento da modernidade. Para isso, aqui se toma como base principal de trabalho os experimentos e interven-ções urbanas executados pelo Grupo OPOVOEMPÉ, coletivo atuante dentro e fora da cida-de de São Paulo há exatos treze anos, e pouco pesquisado e registrado minuciosamente em âmbito acadêmico até agora. Levando em consideração todo seu contínuo histórico de pes-quisas e apresentações, a análise aqui empreendida busca na imanência de tais criações os sintomas de um tempo histórico e de um estado geral da arte, a fim de possibilitar a compre-ensão de um inevitável trajeto, historicamente delimitado, potencialmente capaz de reinter-pretar e reavaliar os ensejos políticos da cena contemporânea. Dessa maneira, num movimento constante de análise do particular para o geral, da apropriação prática de formulações teóricas e do reconhecimento e elaboração de uma teoria contundente a partir de elementos reveladores da práxis cênica, mediada pelo exercício da crítica, sem reiterar ou corroborar qualquer traço da profunda dissociação que atualmente abate as três esferas, encontra-se aqui o desejo de aprofundar dois materiais que ainda per-manecem carentes de desdobramentos específicos a seu respeito, desviando dos estabelecidos lugares da performatividade e pós-dramaticidade, de modo a possibilitar um novo salto analí-tico em sua abordagem, bem como o aprofundamento de algumas de suas ideias e premissas, a partir do contato com outras áreas de conhecimento. / This dissertation intends to analyze and redefine the practices of the so called theatres of the real, such as they were coined by Maryvonne Saison, in the end of 90\'s decade. Deny-ing, partly, the common argument that insists on an approach between art and life, in an unremitting friction between real and fictional elements, we seek here a theoretical analysis in which the aesthetic, political and social axes are interrelated, based on a fully historical understanding of the current time, understood as a result of all the processes of transfor-mation arranged since the advent of modernity. For this, here it is taken as central base of work the experiments and urban interven-tions created by OPOVOEMPÉ Group, a collective active inside and out of São Paulo City thirteen years ago, and not much researched and registered thoroughly in academic scope until now. Taking into account its continuous repertoire of research and presentations, the analysis announced here seeks in the immanence of such creations the symptons of a histori-cal time and a state of art, in order to enable the understanding of an inevitable path, histori-cally delimited, potencially able to reinterpret and reanalyse the political call of the contem-porary scene. This way, in a constant movement of analysis from the particular to the general, of the practical appropriation of theoretical formulations and of the recognition and elaboration of a steady theory starting from significant elements of the scenic praxis, mediated by the critic\'s exercise, without reiterating or corroborating any trace of the deep dissociation that currently decreases these three spheres, what can be found here is a desire to deepen two materials that still lach of specific unfoldings about them, avoiding the settled jargons of performativity and post-dramaticity, in way to make possible a new analytical leap in their approach, as well as a deepening of some of their ideas, starting from the contact with other investigative surfaces.

My thesis on contemporary animated documentaries links new media aesthetics with the documentary turn in contemporary visual culture. Drawing from the fields of Contemporary Art, Animation, Film Studies and Gaming Theory, my aim has been to explore the development of animated documentaries in the context of animation's intersection with other visual fields in a very specific technological moment of the past two decades in order to broaden the scope within which animation is analysed and understood. The starting point of my research was the widely accepted divide assumed to exist between animation and documentary. I, however, claim that the supposedly contradictory nature of animated documentaries can no longer be considered a given. Despite the potentially challenging reception of animated documentaries, it is important to identify what it is that the animated image contributes to documentary, which is the visualisation of what is otherwise un-representable. My thesis investigates a new area of the intangible, focusing on the virtualisation of culture rather than on subjective or imaginary aspects of documentary works and visual interpretations. This cultural shift consequently requires new aesthetics of documentation that exceed the capacities of the photographic. My main argument is that due to contemporary technological changes, animation has permeated real contexts of daily life to the extent that it has become disassociated from the realm of fiction. Rather, in altering the way viewers are becoming accustomed to observing, learning about and connecting with reality, animation has brought about a constitutive change in ways of seeing one's world. This change can be described as animation’s impact on the relation between visual signification and believability. It is this which necessitates a reconsideration of what shapes a sense of realism in documentaries today. My research therefore culminates with new conceptualisations concerning the cultural role of animation, introducing what I argue is the formation of the "animated document" and "documentary animation". In these contexts, animation is no longer an interpretive visualisation substituting for photography but a direct capturing of animated realities. Animation thus expands what is considered to constitute reality and, as a result, also destabilises assumptions about the perceived conflict between animation and documentary, widening the sphere of documentary aesthetics.

The main aim of this thesis is to introduce a new way of thinking about security within International Relations by developing a model that can be used to explain the relationship between terrorism and organised crime. Referred to as the crime-terror continuum (CTC), the model identifies six major points of convergence between the terrorist and criminal worlds. The crime-terror continuum seeks to move away from the traditional confines of International Relations as encapsulated within realist thought. After providing an overview of the limitations of traditional theories, and a working definition of terrorism and organised crime, this thesis applies an alternative conceptual framework - based on a combination of applicable assumptions about security presented by the Copenhagen School, Ken Booth and Mohammed Ayoob - to an understanding of the threats posed by terrorism and organised crime. It also incorporates the understanding of the contemporary security environment provided by the globalisation and netwar proto-paradigms as a way to go beyond debates about concepts by seeking to understand the operational and organisational dynamics of contemporary security threats. Paying special attention to the argument that non-state actors can be equal to state actors in the security domain, this thesis highlights that competition over state functions and territory continues to play an integral role. The alternative view of security and the CTC are subsequently applied to two case studies: Russian Organised Crime and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Despite illustrating different aspects of the CTC, these case studies highlight the ability of the conceptual framework and the CTC to explain and understand the post-Cold War security environment.

No description available.

This thesis explores Chaucer's devices for securing verisimilitude by various methods in the Canterbury Tales.

Från liberalism till realism i svensk migrationspolitik efter flyktningskrisen 2015

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-03-30T12:40:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabel Victoria Galleguillos Jungk.pdf: 2753271 bytes, checksum: f62f3df48a834ff1fac0b59c49adc016 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-30T12:40:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Isabel Victoria Galleguillos Jungk.pdf: 2753271 bytes, checksum: f62f3df48a834ff1fac0b59c49adc016 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / By the emergence of the Internet of Things as a physical extension of the network, characterized by the interconnection of intelligent, autonomous and sentient objects, man has lost the position of absolute master in those interrelations to be another actor in the theater of the intricate transformations that take place, evincing the need to rethink the ontological status of both human and technical beings. In the scope of Speculative Realism, the proposal of an Object Oriented Ontology by Graham Harman arose, claiming an ontology which does not depart from pre-established hierarchies between different types of beings. However, despite the undeniable value of the contributions that this movement has made, such as the intense questioning of the subject-object relationship, the importance given to the relation and the disregard of representational issues stricto sensu, such contributions do not seem to suffice for building a philosophy on a truly realistic ground. In this context, it is raised the question about the possibility of the existence of a common denominator between human beings and technical entities, which would be capable of grounding a realistic ontology devoid of pre-established hierarchies. In the present study, it is hypothesized that this gap can be fulfilled by the ontologies elaborated in the works of Gilbert Simondon and Charles Sanders Peirce, authors whose philosophies stand out for metaphysics of an eminently logic and scientific nature, but which do not yet appear in the theoretical framework of contemporary realism in a significant manner, pointing to the relevance of this research. The results of this hypothetical-deductive research are expected to lead to the scientificmetaphysical foundation of a renewed ontological perspective, capable of addressing the consequences of the coexistence between humans and technical beings, as a result of the emerging intelligence technologies, on a realistic and non-hierarchical basis / Pela eclosão de Internet das Coisas como extensão física da rede, caracterizada pela interconexão de objetos inteligentes, sencientes e autônomos, o homem perdeu a posição de senhor absoluto nessas interrelações para ser mais um ator no teatro das intrincadas transformações que se processam, evidenciando-se a necessidade de repensar o estatuto ontológico tanto de seres humanos como de seres técnicos. No âmbito do Realismo Especulativo, surgiu a proposta de Graham Harman de uma Ontologia Orientada a Objetos que não parta de hierarquias preestabelecidas entre os diferentes tipos de seres. Contudo, não obstante o valor inegável das contribuições que esse movimento tem aportado, tais como o questionamento intenso da relação sujeito-objeto, a importância dada à relação e a desconsideração das questões representacionais stricto sensu, tais contribuições não parecem dar conta de construir uma filosofia sobre bases verdadeiramente realistas. Nesse contexto, destaca-se a questão sobre a possibilidade de existência de um denominador comum entre seres humanos e entes técnicos capaz de fundamentar uma ontologia realista desprovida de hierarquias preestabelecidas. Neste estudo, parte-se da hipótese de que essa lacuna pode ser preenchida pelas ontologias elaboradas nas obras de Gilbert Simondon e Charles Sanders Peirce, autores cujas filosofias se destacam por metafísicas de cunho eminentemente lógico-científico, mas que ainda não comparecem no quadro teórico do realismo contemporâneo de maneira significativa, apontando para a relevância desta pesquisa. Espera-se que os resultados desta pesquisa, de natureza hipotético-dedutiva, levem à fundamentação científico-metafísica de uma perspectiva renovada da ontologia, capaz de abordar as consequências da coexistência entre seres humanos e seres técnicos, em função das tecnologias da inteligência emergentes, sobre bases realistas e não hierarquizadas

Denna studie har för avsikt att finna optimala värden i reflektionsdjup och stråldjup genom att undersöka hur dess numeriska värde påverkar nivån av realism med avseende på reflektion och refraktion i en visuellt realistisk 3Dscen och hur det kan balanseras med en begränsad renderingstid. En ökad insikt i denna process kan ge 3D-artister en större förståelse för reflektionsdjup och stråldjupets påverkan i förhållanden till renderingstider. Genom ett experiment har deltagare utan erfarenhet av 3D-produktion fått bedöma realismen på 3D-producerade bilder. Deltagarna upplevde det som svårt att avgöra huruvida en bild upplevs som mer realistisk än andra. Detaljer som ljus, skuggor och reflektioner var avgörande vid bedömningarna. Studien visar att parametrarna reflektionsdjup och stråldjup är avgörande för att uppnå realism, dock finns en risk att ett för högt värde ger lägre nivå av realism. Det framkommer även att reflektionsdjup och stråldjup har en betydande inverkan på renderingstiden.

L'objet de cette thèse est de proposer une position originale dans le débat sur le réalisme scientifique, l'empirisme modal, et d'en démontrer la fructuosité quand il s'agit de tirer des enseignements du contenu cognitif des théories scientifiques. L'empirisme modal est une position empiriste, suivant laquelle le but de la science n'est pas de produire des théories vraies, mais des théories empiriquement adéquate. Cependant, il propose d'adopter un cadre plus large que les versions traditionnelles d'empirisme pour penser l'expérience, en incorporant un engagement envers les modalités naturelles, ou l'idée qu'il y a du possible dans la nature, et des contraintes sur les possibles. Nos théories sont empiriquement adéquates si elles délimitent correctement l'étendue des expériences possibles. Cette position s'appuie sur une conception située et pragmatique des modalités naturelles et de la confrontation empirique. Nous prétendons qu'elle est à même de rendre justice au succès empirique des sciences, sans pour autant faire face au problème du changement théorique qui mine le réalisme scientifique. Nous expliquons comment les contraintes de nécessité sur les phénomènes peuvent être connues à l'issue d'une induction, et en quoi cette façon de voir s'accorde avec la pratique scientifique. Enfin, nous affirmons qu'un engagement envers les modalités naturelles offre une richesse interprétative à même de renouveler, dans un cadre pragmatiste, plus ouvert que le réalisme, certaines questions métaphysiques tout en les ramenant à l'expérience. / The aim of this thesis dissertation is to propose a novel position in the debate on scientific realism, modal empiricism, and to show its fruitfulness when it comes to interpreting the cognitive content of scientific theories. Modal empiricism is an empiricist position, according to which the aim of science is to produce empirically adequate theories rather than true theories. However, it suggests adopting a broader comprehension of experience than traditional versions of empiricism, through a commitment to natural modalities. Following modal empiricism, there are possibilities in nature, and constraints on what is possible, and a theory is empirically adequate if it correctly delimits the range of possible experiences. The position rests on a situated and pragmatic conception of natural modalities and of empirical confrontation. We claim that it can do justice to the empirical success of science, while not falling prey to the problem of theory change that undermines scientific realism. We explain how constraints of necessity on phenomena can be known by induction, and how this modal epistemology fits with scientific practice. Finally, we claim that a commitment to natural modalities allows for a rich interpretation of the cognitive content of theories. Modal empiricism could renew some metaphysical debates within a pragmatist framework, by tying them to experience and not being constrained by realist prejudices.