This dissertation examines the interplay of history, Pan-Africanism and soft power and its impact on how hegemony should be understood on the African continent. These dynamics were demonstrated through an examination of scholarship related to South Africa’s contested status as a regional hegemon. Using the theoretical framework of the Hegemonic Stability Theory, it argues that much of the current contestation is attributed to the limitations of transposing a global theory to the regional level without taking into account the dynamics and complexities of that particular region. The study adopts a qualitative design and is grounded in an interpretivist paradigm to allow a more nuanced and richer analysis of the regional system. The study is a literature-based study that relies on secondary sources. The dissertation found that the examined contextual factors rooted in the history and ideology of the continent combine to create powerful structural forces that impede the operation of hegemony in the manner envisioned by Hegemonic Stability Theory. Any application of hegemonic discourse to South Africa therefore requires a deeper understanding of the continent’s history, its Pan-Africanist ideology, and accompanying norms and values, as they actively constrain hegemonic ambition. Domestic complexities; contested space; increased competition; waning soft power and lack of secondary state followership also impede South Africa’s hegemony in Africa. / Mini Dissertation (MDIPs)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Political Sciences / MDIPS / Unrestricted

This thesis examines the role of the hegemon in the international response to genocide. The study looks specifically at the role of the United States and the post Cold War cases of genocide to determine how the United States encouraged or discouraged a response to genocide. By using the plausibility probe method, this study finds that the role of the hegemon is an important one that should be studied further to understand the impact of the hegemon on the international response to genocide.

As the world's largest energy consumer and producer, China is the leading player of the international energy arena. Among other important achievements, China has become the world's largest wind power market as well as largest producer of hydroelectricity and solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity. In recent years China has been at the centre of almost every work stream within the International Energy Agency (IEA), and many other international energy organizations. This thesis aims to understand what role China can and will play in global energy governance by examining how its domestic energy context shapes the country's attitudes toward the multilateral, market and climate change aspects of global energy governance. China's recent re-emergence has resulted in a significant increase in the global demand of commodities and is already having major impacts on the dynamics of global commodity markets. In the case of the global uranium market, we are at the very beginning of a new era in the global energy system. However, we can already observe interesting trends. My research question will be," How China's search for supplies changes and influences its role in the global energy governance? "

When debt crisis fully started in the Eurozone, the attention was concentrated not only on states of southern Europe in debt, but also on Germany. If we consider that Germany is the biggest economy in Europe and its policy is tightly connected with EU, the decisions of the German government are important in the process of European integration. The thesis talks about actual role of Germany in today's crisis of the Eurozone. Because of the size of the problem the thesis is concentrated on last three years and it is focused on key events, whit caused the biggest discussion. The goal of the research is to find out which role Germany plays within EU and if it becomes or has already become a regional hegemony. In the analysis was partly used the role theory and also neomramscianism, that works with the hegemony concept. Results of the research shows that Germany becomes more self confident player. Player which today leaves the strategy of restraint and takes the role of a regional leader. The question of hegemony stays open, even though Germany refuses to identify itself with this role.

Esta dissertação realiza uma análise prospectiva das possibilidades de estabilização do Afeganistão a partir dos projetos regionais de Estados Unidos, China e Rússia, através das teorias da mudança política internacional e da estabilidade hegemônica, do realismo neoclássico, do realismo ofensivo e do neofuncionalismo. Após o anúncio de 2009 de retirada das tropas dos Estados Unidos do Afeganistão para 2014, a região vem apresentando modificações nos padrões de relações de poder. Há evidências de uma competição em curso pelo controle das rotas de escoamento, linhas de transmissão de energia, recursos e mercados afegãos entre os atores citados, sendo também demonstrada pelos diferentes projetos de reconstrução que esses três países propõem ao Afeganistão. O objetivo é melhor entender como a competição pela liderança política regional ocorre entre esses atores através dos diferentes projetos de reconstrução e integração do Afeganistão na região e qual é a importância deste país no jogo de poder regional. Para isso, a análise realiza inferências descritivas. Em primeiro lugar, a medida de presença militar desses três países no Afeganistão. Num segundo momento, a dimensão técnica dos projetos, especialmente de infraestrutura (implicações para a segurança, permeabilidade social e política; e os aspectos técnicos e estratégicos). E em terceiro, a importância das elites e a fragmentação étnica no Afeganistão são consideradas como fatores essenciais para entender a aceitação e a viabilidade política dos projetos. Nesse aspecto, a pesquisa também avalia como a criação de agências para atender esses projetos favorece o conjunto de burocracias e influência institucional de cada um dos três concorrentes regionais. Por fim, nessas variáveis são consideradas as decisões de política externa de Estados Unidos, China e Rússia para o Afeganistão, assim como o modo com que países vizinhos (Irã, Paquistão e Índia) servem como fatores de influência na política doméstica afegã. A pesquisa tem caráter qualitativo, é de tipo exploratório-descritivo e se utiliza do método hipotético-dedutivo e do rastreamento de processo para expor ao máximo o estudo de caso escolhido. Como resultado, é oferecida uma melhor contextualização da atual competição regional; e as relações de poder manifestas no caso afegão sugerem a proeminência da liderança regional dos Estados Unidos a partir do Afeganistão, devido à presença militar norte-americana no país, inibindo as tentativas de China e Rússia de aumentar sua influência na região. / This thesis undertakes a prospective analysis of the possibilities for stabilization of Afghanistan from the regional projects of the United States, China and Russia through the lens of the theories of international political change, hegemonic stability, neoclassical realism, offensive realism and neofunctionalism. After the 2009 announcement of withdrawal of the United States troops from Afghanistan by 2014, the region has been showing modifications in its patterns of power relations. There are evidences of an ongoing competition for control of Afghan flow routes, energy transmission lines, resources and markets between the aforementioned actors, also demonstrated by the different reconstruction projects that these three countries offer to Afghanistan. The aim is to better understand how the competition for regional political leadership occurs among these actors through their different projects for reconstruction and integration of Afghanistan in the region, and what is the importance of the country in the regional power competition. For that, the analysis conducts descriptive inferences. First, it studies the measure of military presence of these three countries in Afghanistan. Second, it analyzes the technical dimensions of the projects, especially of infrastructure (and its implications towards security, social and political permeability, and the technical and strategic aspects). And third, the importance of elites and ethnic fragmentation within Afghanistan are considered as essential factors to understand the acceptance and political feasibility of the projects. In this respect, the research assesses how the creation of agencies to attend these projects favors the set of bureaucracies and institutional leverage for each of the three regional contenders. Finally, in these variables are considered the foreign policy decisions of the United States, China and Russia to Afghanistan, as well as the manner in which neighboring countries (India, Pakistan and Iran) serve as factors of influence in the Afghan domestic politics. So this is a qualitative and also exploratory and descriptive research that uses the hypothetical-deductive method and process tracing technique to expose the most of the selected case study. As a result, it is offered a better contextualization of the current regional competition; and the power relations expressed in the Afghan case suggest the prominence of the regional leadership of the United States from Afghanistan, due to the U.S. military presence in the country, inhibiting attempts from China and Russia to increase their influence in the region.

Esta dissertação realiza uma análise prospectiva das possibilidades de estabilização do Afeganistão a partir dos projetos regionais de Estados Unidos, China e Rússia, através das teorias da mudança política internacional e da estabilidade hegemônica, do realismo neoclássico, do realismo ofensivo e do neofuncionalismo. Após o anúncio de 2009 de retirada das tropas dos Estados Unidos do Afeganistão para 2014, a região vem apresentando modificações nos padrões de relações de poder. Há evidências de uma competição em curso pelo controle das rotas de escoamento, linhas de transmissão de energia, recursos e mercados afegãos entre os atores citados, sendo também demonstrada pelos diferentes projetos de reconstrução que esses três países propõem ao Afeganistão. O objetivo é melhor entender como a competição pela liderança política regional ocorre entre esses atores através dos diferentes projetos de reconstrução e integração do Afeganistão na região e qual é a importância deste país no jogo de poder regional. Para isso, a análise realiza inferências descritivas. Em primeiro lugar, a medida de presença militar desses três países no Afeganistão. Num segundo momento, a dimensão técnica dos projetos, especialmente de infraestrutura (implicações para a segurança, permeabilidade social e política; e os aspectos técnicos e estratégicos). E em terceiro, a importância das elites e a fragmentação étnica no Afeganistão são consideradas como fatores essenciais para entender a aceitação e a viabilidade política dos projetos. Nesse aspecto, a pesquisa também avalia como a criação de agências para atender esses projetos favorece o conjunto de burocracias e influência institucional de cada um dos três concorrentes regionais. Por fim, nessas variáveis são consideradas as decisões de política externa de Estados Unidos, China e Rússia para o Afeganistão, assim como o modo com que países vizinhos (Irã, Paquistão e Índia) servem como fatores de influência na política doméstica afegã. A pesquisa tem caráter qualitativo, é de tipo exploratório-descritivo e se utiliza do método hipotético-dedutivo e do rastreamento de processo para expor ao máximo o estudo de caso escolhido. Como resultado, é oferecida uma melhor contextualização da atual competição regional; e as relações de poder manifestas no caso afegão sugerem a proeminência da liderança regional dos Estados Unidos a partir do Afeganistão, devido à presença militar norte-americana no país, inibindo as tentativas de China e Rússia de aumentar sua influência na região. / This thesis undertakes a prospective analysis of the possibilities for stabilization of Afghanistan from the regional projects of the United States, China and Russia through the lens of the theories of international political change, hegemonic stability, neoclassical realism, offensive realism and neofunctionalism. After the 2009 announcement of withdrawal of the United States troops from Afghanistan by 2014, the region has been showing modifications in its patterns of power relations. There are evidences of an ongoing competition for control of Afghan flow routes, energy transmission lines, resources and markets between the aforementioned actors, also demonstrated by the different reconstruction projects that these three countries offer to Afghanistan. The aim is to better understand how the competition for regional political leadership occurs among these actors through their different projects for reconstruction and integration of Afghanistan in the region, and what is the importance of the country in the regional power competition. For that, the analysis conducts descriptive inferences. First, it studies the measure of military presence of these three countries in Afghanistan. Second, it analyzes the technical dimensions of the projects, especially of infrastructure (and its implications towards security, social and political permeability, and the technical and strategic aspects). And third, the importance of elites and ethnic fragmentation within Afghanistan are considered as essential factors to understand the acceptance and political feasibility of the projects. In this respect, the research assesses how the creation of agencies to attend these projects favors the set of bureaucracies and institutional leverage for each of the three regional contenders. Finally, in these variables are considered the foreign policy decisions of the United States, China and Russia to Afghanistan, as well as the manner in which neighboring countries (India, Pakistan and Iran) serve as factors of influence in the Afghan domestic politics. So this is a qualitative and also exploratory and descriptive research that uses the hypothetical-deductive method and process tracing technique to expose the most of the selected case study. As a result, it is offered a better contextualization of the current regional competition; and the power relations expressed in the Afghan case suggest the prominence of the regional leadership of the United States from Afghanistan, due to the U.S. military presence in the country, inhibiting attempts from China and Russia to increase their influence in the region.

Esta dissertação realiza uma análise prospectiva das possibilidades de estabilização do Afeganistão a partir dos projetos regionais de Estados Unidos, China e Rússia, através das teorias da mudança política internacional e da estabilidade hegemônica, do realismo neoclássico, do realismo ofensivo e do neofuncionalismo. Após o anúncio de 2009 de retirada das tropas dos Estados Unidos do Afeganistão para 2014, a região vem apresentando modificações nos padrões de relações de poder. Há evidências de uma competição em curso pelo controle das rotas de escoamento, linhas de transmissão de energia, recursos e mercados afegãos entre os atores citados, sendo também demonstrada pelos diferentes projetos de reconstrução que esses três países propõem ao Afeganistão. O objetivo é melhor entender como a competição pela liderança política regional ocorre entre esses atores através dos diferentes projetos de reconstrução e integração do Afeganistão na região e qual é a importância deste país no jogo de poder regional. Para isso, a análise realiza inferências descritivas. Em primeiro lugar, a medida de presença militar desses três países no Afeganistão. Num segundo momento, a dimensão técnica dos projetos, especialmente de infraestrutura (implicações para a segurança, permeabilidade social e política; e os aspectos técnicos e estratégicos). E em terceiro, a importância das elites e a fragmentação étnica no Afeganistão são consideradas como fatores essenciais para entender a aceitação e a viabilidade política dos projetos. Nesse aspecto, a pesquisa também avalia como a criação de agências para atender esses projetos favorece o conjunto de burocracias e influência institucional de cada um dos três concorrentes regionais. Por fim, nessas variáveis são consideradas as decisões de política externa de Estados Unidos, China e Rússia para o Afeganistão, assim como o modo com que países vizinhos (Irã, Paquistão e Índia) servem como fatores de influência na política doméstica afegã. A pesquisa tem caráter qualitativo, é de tipo exploratório-descritivo e se utiliza do método hipotético-dedutivo e do rastreamento de processo para expor ao máximo o estudo de caso escolhido. Como resultado, é oferecida uma melhor contextualização da atual competição regional; e as relações de poder manifestas no caso afegão sugerem a proeminência da liderança regional dos Estados Unidos a partir do Afeganistão, devido à presença militar norte-americana no país, inibindo as tentativas de China e Rússia de aumentar sua influência na região. / This thesis undertakes a prospective analysis of the possibilities for stabilization of Afghanistan from the regional projects of the United States, China and Russia through the lens of the theories of international political change, hegemonic stability, neoclassical realism, offensive realism and neofunctionalism. After the 2009 announcement of withdrawal of the United States troops from Afghanistan by 2014, the region has been showing modifications in its patterns of power relations. There are evidences of an ongoing competition for control of Afghan flow routes, energy transmission lines, resources and markets between the aforementioned actors, also demonstrated by the different reconstruction projects that these three countries offer to Afghanistan. The aim is to better understand how the competition for regional political leadership occurs among these actors through their different projects for reconstruction and integration of Afghanistan in the region, and what is the importance of the country in the regional power competition. For that, the analysis conducts descriptive inferences. First, it studies the measure of military presence of these three countries in Afghanistan. Second, it analyzes the technical dimensions of the projects, especially of infrastructure (and its implications towards security, social and political permeability, and the technical and strategic aspects). And third, the importance of elites and ethnic fragmentation within Afghanistan are considered as essential factors to understand the acceptance and political feasibility of the projects. In this respect, the research assesses how the creation of agencies to attend these projects favors the set of bureaucracies and institutional leverage for each of the three regional contenders. Finally, in these variables are considered the foreign policy decisions of the United States, China and Russia to Afghanistan, as well as the manner in which neighboring countries (India, Pakistan and Iran) serve as factors of influence in the Afghan domestic politics. So this is a qualitative and also exploratory and descriptive research that uses the hypothetical-deductive method and process tracing technique to expose the most of the selected case study. As a result, it is offered a better contextualization of the current regional competition; and the power relations expressed in the Afghan case suggest the prominence of the regional leadership of the United States from Afghanistan, due to the U.S. military presence in the country, inhibiting attempts from China and Russia to increase their influence in the region.

南海爭端近幾年區域緊張情勢不斷升高。中國已將南海列為「核心利益」，而美國則將南海視為「國家利益」。基此，這顯現中美兩國在南海議題的積極作為，雙方在其處理南海議題的戰略架構下，兩國主要舉措均在外交與軍事層面上針鋒相對。外交上中國以「睦鄰外交」，穩定周邊局勢，美國則運用「前沿部署外交」拉攏東亞各國；兩國對於東協國家的態度將更為重視，亦是雙方外交戰略的重點所在，渠等均希望藉由東協國家的支持在南海議題上更有話語權。而軍事上中國以「反介入/區域拒止」的軍事作為防止域外國家介入其主權議題，而美國研擬「空海一體戰」除運用其強大的軍事科技實力外，欲結合各盟邦的力量，與其一同牽制中國的軍事行動。 綜上，在中美兩國相互的競逐作為下，佐以米爾斯海默之攻勢現實主義觀點，檢視中美兩國在南海之未來互動關係。潛在霸權國中國擁有眾多的人口與快速成長的經濟，並在南海整軍經武，試圖強化與東協甚或是東亞諸國的經貿互賴程度，且於處理亞洲事務中將美國排除在外，以取代美國擔任亞洲關鍵角色，尤其在南海的不妥協性，顯現出中國在此區域的主導性。另外，既存霸權國美國面對中國綜合國力崛起，則扮演「離岸平衡者」，融合「推諉卸責」、「均勢」之概念，拉攏東協及日本、印度等相關國家，共同制衡南海區域的權力失衡狀態，鞏固霸權地位。中美雙方皆將南海問題的層級提高，並且均欲爭取南海區域之領導地位，因此兩國在此區域未來將趨於競爭關係。 / The tension caused by the South China Sea dispute has been rising in recent years. China has listed the South China Sea as her “core interest”, while the U.S. considers the South China Sea as “national interest”. This, shows that both China and the U.S. have been acting aggressively on the South China Sea issue. Both sides, under their own strategic frames in dealing with the issues, square off over each other’s diplomatic and military acts. Diplomatically, China practices “Good Neighboring Diplomacy” to stabilize the relations with her surrounding neighbors, while the U.S. applies “Forward-Deployed Diplomacy” to bring together each country in East Asia to fight against China. The two countries value the attitude of the ASEAN members more than ever, and this is also the main focus of their diplomatic strategies; both desire to have more say on the South China Sea issue by gaining support from members of the ASEAN. In terms of military operation, China practices “Anti-Access/Area-Denial” to prevent other countries from intervening her sovereignty issues, while the U.S. crafts “Air-Sea Battle”, in which the U.S. applies her devastating military and technology power, and combines the force of each ally to rein China’s military operation. All in all, with the China-U.S. competition as the backdrop, and by referring to John Mearsheimer’s offensive realism, this study examines the future Sino-American relations in the South China Sea. China, as a potential hegemon, possesses a large population and a fast-growing economy; the state also conducts military operations in the South China Sea, with a view to consolidating the mutual economic and trade dependence of China and the ASEAN, even countries in East Asia. Moreover, China excludes the U.S. from dealing with tasks in Asia for the purpose of replacing the U.S. as the Asia’s key player. China’s intransigency in the South China Sea particularly reveals her dominance in the region. Besides, in facing China’s rise in all aspects, the U.S., as the current hegemon, plays the role of “The Off-shore Balancer”. By mixing "Buck-Passing" with "Balancing", the U.S. brings together countries involved in the issue such as the members of ASEAN, Japan, and India to collectively rein the power imbalance in the South China Sea, so as to consolidate her dominance. Both China and the U.S. have raised the level of the South China Sea issue, and have scrambled to gain the dominance in the South China Sea. Therefore, in the future, the two countries will become more of two competitors in this region.

Energy security is an important phenomenon of the contemporary world. A significant number of oil and gas reserves are located on the seabed. Expansion of oil and gas drilling to deeper and from shore more remote locations can again raise the question of ownership of these deposits. On one hand, there are regions of the world where these disputes over borders of maritime territories escalate into a series of clashes and incidents. On the other hand, there are other areas where states can settle their disputes and cooperate on drilling. The goal of this study is to determine which factors lead to the fact that particularly in the South China Sea disagreement about the boundaries of maritime territories results in the escalation of disputes in comparison with the regions of the North Sea and the Caribbean Sea, where disputes are solved or minimized. These factors are represented by six variables, which are based on three theories: a realist, idealist and constructivist theory of international relations. The first part of this study describes the historical development of current international maritime law with regard to the territorial division of the world's oceans. It is followed by a description of three case areas. The second part deals with the theoretical foundations of the examined factors. In...