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<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The actions of Sweden during the second world war has been richly discussed over the years. Sweden declared itself neutral in the war between the great powers but did not manage to maintain its neutrality. The nature of neutrality has often been discussed; whether it is of a idealistic or more pragmatic nature. Realism, a theory of international relations, would argue that it is of a more pragmatic nature, hence these two are in opposition. Realism also takes credit in claiming to explain how and why a state chooses to act in a situation.</p><p> </p><p>The aim of this essay was to, by examining specific decisions made by the swedish government during the Second World War, come to a conclusion whether or not Sweden’s proclaimed neutrality was of idealistic or pragmatic nature, and thereby possibly coming to a conclusion about neutrality in large.</p><p>It was also to examine the worth of realism as an explanatory theory by applying it to this specific case; to examine its validity.</p><p>The study was conducted using a qualitative method; presenting empiric facts and then by using a decision model interpreting the actions and results from a realist perspective.</p><p> </p><p>The study concludes that realism has explanatory power, although not a complete one. The evidence, concerning the neutrality matter, points to that neutrality should be considered as being of a more pragmatic nature.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Second world war, international relations, realism, neutrality</p>

Abstract       The actions of Sweden during the second world war has been richly discussed over the years. Sweden declared itself neutral in the war between the great powers but did not manage to maintain its neutrality. The nature of neutrality has often been discussed; whether it is of a idealistic or more pragmatic nature. Realism, a theory of international relations, would argue that it is of a more pragmatic nature, hence these two are in opposition. Realism also takes credit in claiming to explain how and why a state chooses to act in a situation.   The aim of this essay was to, by examining specific decisions made by the swedish government during the Second World War, come to a conclusion whether or not Sweden’s proclaimed neutrality was of idealistic or pragmatic nature, and thereby possibly coming to a conclusion about neutrality in large. It was also to examine the worth of realism as an explanatory theory by applying it to this specific case; to examine its validity. The study was conducted using a qualitative method; presenting empiric facts and then by using a decision model interpreting the actions and results from a realist perspective.   The study concludes that realism has explanatory power, although not a complete one. The evidence, concerning the neutrality matter, points to that neutrality should be considered as being of a more pragmatic nature.   Keywords: Second world war, international relations, realism, neutrality

The collapse of the USSR has caused the vacuum of power and ideology in the Middle Asian region; therefore, such situation has resulted in the coveat from the world power and terrorism.The discovery of natural resource (petroleum in particular) assures the strategic value of this region, which is a crucial factor of causing pivotal change if this region.The region of sovereignty is always interrelated to the geological location.In other words, the shift of sovereignty also restructures the relationship between the power and geological location.The establishment of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was jointly organized by China and Russia on the basis of such political and geological background.However, after the tragedy of 911, globalwide anti-terrorism has reached to its peak, which provides an opportunity to the US taking a position in this region. Due to this dramatic change, Middle Asian area has become a region of competition for the USA, Russia and China. This paper starts with the discussion of the development of Realism, followed by the comparison of Realism and the correction of Neo-Realism. The basis of analysis on the historical background of Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO)is from the Neo-Realism perspective.SCO is not a military alliance but an organization to maintain regional safety and economic development, which also exclude the possibility of sole power in one region and result to certain type of power balance in one region.Since its establishment, SCO has played an influential role; however, China and Russia are the two leading countries that may change the current balanced situation. Many countries in Middle Asian area would like to use SCO as a diplomatic leverage and both Russia and China also try to make SCO as a tool to expand its power, which change the features of international order in 21th century. This kind of change is vital to Taiwan. If the relationship among China and Russia or other countries in this area is stable, China will not have to worry about the threats from the north and be able to concentrate on the problems in Taiwan Strait and South Sea.For this reason,it is worthy for us to pay close attention to this issue.

Analysis of the America¡¦s Export Controls toward China is based on theoretical framework that will explore the process of decision-making, transformation, strategy, and challenge of the America¡¦s export controls toward China. Since the Cold War, America adjusts her export controls towards China with two theoretical approaches: Neo-realism focuses on national security and Neo-liberalism focuses on economical benefits, while its export control towards China has been dictated by the transformation of her international and domestic political economic environments. Following the Cold War, instead of abolishing it¡¦s unilateral and multilateral export controls, and motivated by the 911 incident and its anti-terrorism policy, America further strengthens its export controls and appropriately adapts the rising China to become one of its major export control countries so to reach global governance. The flexible and waiting-for-opportunity characters of America¡¦s export controls bring about some vital implications to Taiwan¡¦s policy-making in issue-areas including cross-strait relations, defense policy, and foreign relations.

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This study examines the South Korea President Park Geun-hye and United States President Obama respective administration's policy vis-à-vis North Korea. The scope is narrowed down to the year 2013, during which the regime in Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test. How to perceive and engage the regime in Pyongyang have been debated in the post-cold war era, divided into progressive (doves) and hard liners (hawks). Periods of policy discrepancy have occurred between Washington and Seoul, that have been observed to bear effect on North Korean behavior vis-à-vis South Korea. This study ties on to the contemporary policy debate in Seoul and Washington on North Korean engagement strategies. Moreover, expanding the scope and examines the respective administration's policy through a analytical framework based on a content analysis from a system level perspective. Furthermore, how neo-realism, neo-liberalism and the concept of reciprocity can shed light upon respective policies and give a sense of notion of alignment or discrepancy between Seoul and Washington.

MASTERS School of English Student No: 9910994F / Literary criticism on the short fiction of Raymond Carver investigates frequently the narrative omissions whereby Carver renders the plight of middle and lower class America. Neither exclusively formal nor exclusively thematic critiques of Carver’s short stories explicate adequately the purposes and effects of these narrative omissions. This study, which is framed by Wolfgang Iser’s reader-response theories of ‘negation and ‘negativity’, and Michael Fried’s notion of aesthetic ‘absorption’, provides a formal and thematic reading of eight of Carver’s stories. This study argues that the reader’s investments in these omissions generate various indices of sympathetic identification. In tandem with such an inquiry, this study also examines the apparent antagonism between the realist and postmodernist strains discernible across Carver’s narratives. This antagonism is caused by Carver’s omissions, which simultaneously create the illusion of mimetic transparency and negate this transparency. The omissions that operate across Carver’s stories make the reader conscious not only of how he or she interprets the author’s words, but also how he or she interprets the world. Carver’s neo-realism, this study proposes, therefore has a far greater potential for social realism than traditional modes of realist representation.

A presente dissertação tem como objetivo ressaltar os caminhos dos fluxos literários estabelecidos dentro do macrossistema literário de língua portuguesa a partir dos romances São Bernardo, de Graciliano Ramos e Casa na Duna, de Carlos de Oliveira. A análise de ambos os romances é empreendida buscando destacar a codificação artística fruto de um rigoroso trabalho estilístico em correlação com a realidade social de ambos os escritores, evidenciamos assim a concepção (neo) realista da obra de arte como uma unidade sensível de forma e conteúdo que propicia um conhecimento do mundo dos homens sob a sociedade capitalista através dos destinos de Paulo Honório e Mariano Paulo. Buscamos também destacar elementos que evidenciam a apropriação que ambos os autores operam da tradição literária deste macrossistema, constituindo assim uma atualização do realismo como método de composição literária. / This paper aims to show the paths of literary flows established within the Portuguese literary macrossystem in the novels São Bernardo, by Graciliano Ramos and Casa na Duna, by Carlos de Oliveira. The analysis of both novels aims to highlight the artistic codification as a result of a close estilistic labor in relation to their social environment, emphasizing the (neo)realistic notion of the work of art as a sensitive unity of form and content which provides (self)consciousness of mens world in capitalism through Paulo Honório and Mariano Paulos destinies. We also try to highlight the aspects that show both writers appropriation of this macrossystem literary tradition, being an update of realism as a way of literary compostion.

Lebanese society involves the Western, i.e. liberal and democratic model, and the Islamic model of society as umma. This Lebanese model originated and has been maintained as a compromise between communities of different value paradigms where no significant shift can be expected as Lebanon is situated at the borders of their territorial expansion. According to my analysis on the basis of theoretical concepts of neo-realism and social constructivism the external players prevail over the internal players. External players have essential influence on the development of Lebanese society and state. It is also the regional status quo or regional and international order that influences the development in Lebanon and is responsible for almost every conflict, conflict initiation or struggle in Lebanon. Lebanese multiconfessional society has always made an effort to achieve and has achieved by itself a consensus for its coexistence. That is why the international community and organizations should promote and use their influence more to maintain the peaceful co-existence.