Mexico and China established official diplomatic relations in 1972. Since then, their mutual economic, political and social links have been developed in an unprecedented way. However, from the perspective of International Relations, the analytical richness of the relationship is obscured by hegemonic conceptualisations of global power, materiality or teleological truths. The literature dealing with the relation in itself has not prioritised a theoretical or holistic approach. Through an analysis of the discursive production of a series of diplomatic, media and academic sources, this thesis demonstrates that, embedded in the great technological and political transformations of the contemporary world, Mexico‐China relations have embodied a complex process of knowledge formation out of the confrontation of their socially constructed conceptions of time, space and otherness: a cultural encounter. During the period from 1972‐2012, not only did Mexico‐China relations involve state and trade interactions, but also a complex intellectual construction of the world and of themselves ranging from the formation of a common anti‐Western identity and the erection of binary oppositions between them, to the formulation of rich proposals for self-criticism and cultural learning. Mexico-China cultural encounter, therefore, provides a fundamental case for understanding world politics and human interaction from a truly global perspective beyond reductionist views of materiality.

The aim of this study is to give an in-depth understanding of the representations of a depressed woman who killed her baby. The representations under study is based on “The motherhood constellation” by Stern (1995) and focus on the woman’s representation of her mother as mother-of-herself-as-child, herself-as-mother and her representations of her children. Pregnancy is an important phase in a woman’s life. Parent-infant psychotherapies are a rapidly growing field of infant mental health as many psychological problems have their roots in infancy. Neglect, trauma and abuse and prolonged maternal depression can cause a child to develop a range of problems. The work of Winnicott (1965a) and Bion (1988) put the mother’s fantasy life about her infant as one of the major building blocks of the infant’s construction of a sense of identity (Stern, 1995). Fraiberg (Fraiberg, Adelson&Shapiro, 1980) with her “ghosts in the nursery” revolutionised this perception by placing the maternal representation at the core of the parent-infant clinical situation (Stern, 1995). The way the research developed and the nature of the research problem necessitated a pure qualitative mode of enquiry. A single case study was done about the representations (of self-as-mother, mother-as –mother–of–self-as-child- and of the children) in an extreme case where the mother’s depression led to her murdering her baby. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews and documents from the psychiatric hospitals she attended. Data was also obtained from field notes, before and after the interviews and also while transcribing the audio-taped interviews. Data analysis was done by the procedures of data reduction and organising it into categories on the basis of themes as described by Neuman (2000). Coding and analytic memo writing were done. The relationships between concepts were examined and linked to each other and interweaved into theoretical statements. The researcher argues that not enough is done to enhance the relationship between a mother and her foetus, and later her baby. The concept of maternal representations is the only approach that opens the possibility to start working at the earliest point of prevention, because intervention can start during pregnancy. Intervention during pregnancy is ideal because defence mechanisms are less rigid during pregnancy and women are more in touch with their entire life cycle and the whole system is more open for change. The ghosts can be chased out of the nursery by helping the mother to see the repetition of the past in the present. The affective link, recognising and remembering the feelings help a parent not to repeat the past in the present - “…it is the parent who cannot remember his childhood feelings of pain and anxiety who will need to inflict his pain upon his child” (Fraiberg, Adelson&Shapiro, 1980, p. 182). / Thesis (PhD (Psychotherapy))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

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It is the responsibility of the employer to keep all workers safe and to promote a healthy work environment. Though there still remain work safety concerns, the construction industry has made a lot of progress addressing these issues over the last few decades. Safety research has and will continue to be a crucial part of this improvement.  The focus of this study is to chart the structure for on-site dispersal of safety information amongst construction workers. The aim is to identify the known factors affecting information flow that are present at the construction site. Using Safety Climate theory as a framework enables the combining of Interorganizational Relations theory and Network theory, creating a tool for data analysis. Chosen method for data collection is semi-structured interviews followed by a study of the digital platforms mentioned by the respondents. The stock take of the information structure shows that the supervisor, and to a lesser degree the site manager, enables the information flow between actors within the construction site. The Safety Climate theory suggests that frequent communication between participants across all levels of the organization tend to facilitate ongoing discussions regarding safety. The results of the study confirm this conclusion. These discussions can, according to Safety Climate theory, lead to fewer accidents. The data indicate that well communicated safety information structure regarding both content and proceedings resulted in transparent information exchange. Language is a factor connected to difficulties with information exchange. Translations were found to be performed satisfactory, although the responsibility to perform said translations was not as well communicated. Overall the safety climate was regarded as satisfactory by the respondents at the construction site. The findings of this study have practical implications for construction safety efforts, due to the identified factors which can improve safety communication. / Arbetsgivaren ansvarar för en sund och hälsosam arbetsmiljö, där medarbetarna kan känna sig trygga. Byggarbetsbranschen, med sin diversitet gällande såväl arbetsuppgifter, arbetsgivare och nationaliteter, har trots bestående problem kommit långt i säkerhetsarbetet de senaste decennierna. Forskning gällande säkerhet har varit, och kommer att fortsätta vara, en viktig hörnsten gällande detta förbättringsarbete. Förevarande studie fokuserar på kartläggning av säkerhetsinformationens struktur vid en byggarbetsplats. Syftet är, utöver kartläggningen, att identifiera kända faktorer med påverkan på informationsflödet. Med säkerhetsklimatteorin som grund kombineras interorganisationell relationsteori med nätverksteori. Resultatet analyseras enligt den sammantagna förklaringsmodellen. Datainsamling genomförs i första hand genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Därefter utförs undersökning av digitala dem plattformar som respondenterna nämner. Kartläggningen visar att arbetsledaren, och i viss mån platschefen, fungerar som möjliggörare för kommunikation mellan olika aktörer. En faktor som påvisats i säkerhetsklimatteorin är att frekvent kommunikation mellan personer på olika befattningsnivåer i organisationen kan leda till diskussioner gällande säkerhet, detta samband påvisas även i resultatet. Dessa diskussioner kan enligt säkerhetsklimatteorin leda till minskat antal olyckor. När strukturen för säkerhetsinformation var väl kommunicerad gällande såväl informationsväg som innehåll visade resultatet att informationsutbytet fungerade bäst. En potentiell problemfaktor är språket. Analysen visar att översättningar fungerade väl, men ansvarsfördelningen för översättningarna var mindre tydlig. Respondenterna lyfter överlag säkerhetsarbetet och informationsdelningen som välfungerande. Studien har praktisk nytta då påverkansfaktorer identifierats vilket möjliggör systematiskt förbättringsarbete med säkerhetskommunikation.

This study explored the lived experience of traumatisation manifesting as enduring undiagnosed post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the overall psychological functioning of members currently serving in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) from an object-relations perspective. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological study design using semi-structured interviews and self- report questionnaires to gather data was employed. Prominent themes formed the content for interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) from an object-relations perspective on pathology in relation to untreated trauma of the psyche. The findings indicated that servicemen and women in the SANDF lived in a chronic state of psychic, occupational and relational disintegration. Recurrence of reactivated past unresolved traumas experienced in dreams, troubled sleep and internal conflict were characterised by annihilation anxiety, psychic numbing and repression. Further, there was a chronic sense of loss of the self through loss of good internal and external self-objects as well as in meaning of life and work as a soldier. The findings further revealed overall functional paralysis as evidenced in these SANDF members’continued psychological deterioration, which manifested in irreversible damage to character and cognitive deficits linked to chronic trauma in the form of undiagnosed PTSD. / Thesis (PhD (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Psychology / PhD (Psychology) / Unrestricted

The intent for this thesis is to explain and inform the process of the Iranian Nuclear Program throughout the last decades. The stand of the Islamic Republic of Iran has brought very delicate issues and confrontations to the international community. This thesis discusses the history of key countries that play an important part into developing the Iranian nuclear program. These countries being the United States, Israel, Russia and other countries part of the UN Security Council. This thesis also attempts to analyze and focuses on the domestic policies the government of Iran and its people have interacted with the nuclear deal. The nuclear deal between the UN Security Council members and the Islamic Republic of Iran have shown an array of acceptance and rejection within, specially, the United States, Arab countries in the region and Israel. The implementations of the solution to future confrontation are probably the main ideal to a healthy international community who can adapt to new measures and policies to a safer world. Using classical realist theory, based on Hans J. Morgenthau realist theory, the Iranian nuclear program could be explained with a different perspective. There are other international relations theories that could help explaining Iran’s government behavior and how it interacts with the international community. Iran’s move in the past years has shown progress towards the international community and has lowered the potential military action against Iran. Some countries like Israel continue on the dissatisfaction against the nuclear deal signed by Iran and the UN Security Council member countries. This thesis will show the behavior the country of Iran has had towards other countries based on their domestic policy.

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Recent AI advancements have prompted calls for regulatory measures, which have faced opposition due to foreign policy concerns about China. This study researches the origins and implications of these concerns by analyzing U.S. public opinion toward China in the context of AI and foreign policy. It examines how these attitudes correlate with social and political factors and uses the ‘Micro-Foundation of International Relations Theory’ to assess potential impact on U.S. policies. The research employs a quantitative analysis of 2018 survey data from the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University. Using game theory models, the study operationalizes foreign policy attitudes through survey responses. Responses are analyzed utilizing cluster analysis, logistic regression, and multinomial logistic regression. The results indicate that 21% of the U.S. population adopts more conflict-promoting views, likely individuals with high political capital and conservative leaning. Another 29% share the first group’s general opinions and characteristics but differentiate in prioritizing U.S.-led de-escalation and liberal-leaning. 29% support cooperation with China but also preemptive armament; they are younger, liberal-leaning, and have lower political capital. 20% abstained from expressing clear opinions due to lack of knowledge, indicating socio-economic disparities. Policy implications include a future high risk of an AI arms race.

[pt] A tese investiga as narrativas de crise e crítica na trajetória das teorias de relações internacionais, a fim de compreender como o atual debate acerca do fim ou crise da disciplina expõe os limites paradoxos da crítica neste campo. Para tanto, a tese está dividida em dois movimentos estruturantes. No primeiro movimento (Capítulos 2 a 4), questiona-se as atuais narrativas da crise teórica em sua trajetória histórica e conceitual, a fim de debater suas implicações políticas e axiológicas. No segundo movimento (Capítulos 5 a 7), explora-se o status teórico das narrativas críticas contemporâneas, a tendência para a análise crítica incorrer em dogmatismo, e a possibilidade de resistir o potencial dogmático das narrativas de crise nas relações internacionais. De maneira geral, a análise apresenta crise e crítica como diferentes possibilidades de articular a política moderna, apoiadas em pressupostos distintos sobre (i) temporalidade, (ii) soberania, e (iii) conhecimento. Consequentemente, a tese argumenta que os pontos mais vulneráveis das narrativas de crise na política internacional se dão em relação aos limites do sujeito do conhecimento e da política soberana de amigos e inimigos. Nesse contexto, uma abordagem mais efetivamente crítica da política deve oferecer um enquadramento distinto do problema, no qual o sujeito estético abra a possibilidade de buscar formas de universalidade que se baseiem em uma afirmação mais profunda da diferença e da pluralidade, bem como em um maior entendimento dos limites das narrativas - mesmo as mais progressistas - sobre o sujeito soberano do conhecimento. Esse argumento aponta para a necessidade de as teorias de relações internacionais irem além de si mesmas. / [en] The dissertation investigates the narratives of crisis and critique expressed at significant moments in the history of international relations theory in order to explain how recent debates on the end or crisis of international relations theory expose the paradoxical limits of critique in this field. The dissertation is structured by two organizing movements. The first movement, Chapters 2-4, examines the recent debates about a crisis of theorizing, placing them in their historical and conceptual context, and highlighting their axiological and political stakes. The second movement, Chapters 5-7, explores the contemporary theoretical status of claims to critique, the tendency for critical analysis to relapse into dogma, and the possibility of resisting the dogmatic potential of narratives of crisis in international relations. The overall analysis presents crisis and critique as two different possibilities of framing modern politics, predicated on diverging assumptions about (i) temporality, (ii) sovereignty, and (iii) knowledge. As a consequence, the dissertation argues that the points at which claims about crisis and international politics become most vulnerable to dogmatic tendencies occur in relation to the limits of the subject of knowledge and the sovereign politics of friends and enemies. A more effectively critical approach to politics in this context must work through a different framing in which the aesthetic subject may pursue claims to universality that rest on much stronger affirmations of difference and plurality and a much greater awareness of the limits of established and even progressive accounts of a sovereign subject of knowledge. Thus international relations theory must consider what it means to go beyond itself.