The system changed after the Cold War and the bipolar structure ended and left the USA as the only superpower. The question of the 21st century what is the current structure and how the emerging powers are becoming more important and how it can change the structure and rise their dominance in the multipolar world. The analyzed actors Brazil, China and Russia through their strategies are offering the possible system changes and configurations for the near future from the realist/neorealist perspective.

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.

China and USA in UN Peace Operations in 1989-2010 Mgr. Jitka Evanová Summary The thesis discusses the growing role of China and decreasing role of USA in UN peace operations since 1989 with the aim to find the reasons behind their behavior. First, two chosen theories of international relations - neorealism and its modified version and English school - are described, independent variables determined and consequent hypotheses formulated. Second, the increasing Chinese and decreasing American activities in UN peace operations is shown by describing their gradually changing behavior in three areas: voting in the Security Council, personnel contributions to peacekeeping operations and financial contributions to the UN peacekeeping budget. Third, the hypotheses are tested using the congruence method that examines the explanatory power of the theories. If a reality is consistent with the hypotheses' prediction, there is a possiblity of a causal relationship between independent variable and the dependent one. I conclude that modified neorealim has the highest explanatory power as its predictions are consistent with the outcome in both cases. English school can to a certain degree explain Chinese behavior but is weak in the American case. Neorealist predictions are weak in both cases. In the end, I suggest possible...

This study deals with attitude of three states - Brazil, India, and South Africa, towards the issue of humanitarian interventions and the principle of the Responsibility to Protect. The aim of this study is to assess what is the real motivation of selected states in the process of creation of their attitudes. Based on three main theoretical approaches - neorealism, liberalism, and constructivism, particular hypotheses are created in order to help determine explanation value of selected theories. All three selected theoretical approaches deal with different sets of variables with different importance. The main focus of the first half of the study is on introduction of humanitarian intervention, the principle of Responsibility to Protect, and selected theoretical approaches. In this part individual hypotheses are defined, and the methodological framework is also introduced. Second part of the study deals with actual analysis of attitudes of selected states and their consequential categorization. The individual variables are assessed, and conclusions are established. Based on analysis Brazil and South Africa seem to be two cases with different understanding of security than India. These two states also have different perception of own state identity and thus their attitude toward intervention/R2P is...

The submitted dissertation tries to introduce neoclassical geopolitics as a viable approach to the study of international politics from geographical perspective. The dissertation is a compact of six already published articles and a common introduction highlighting main points of the articles and further discussing some issues which were (i) eliminated due to space constrains, or (ii) their significance is rather contextual, in the sense that they set the articles into broader discussions. The first part of the thesis (supported by two articles) deals with a current stage of political geography and geopolitics. The main result is that geopolitics is today a divided (sub)discipline, as geographers are mainly engaged in critical geopolitics and scholars of the International Relations continue in classical geopolitical reasoning (namely those who subscribe themselves under the label of neorealism). The main difference is that geographers consider space as an inter-subjective entity - socially constructed, whereas IR scholars tend to see space as an objective factor. In the combination with other epistemological differences, this different consideration of space has produced an exorbitant barrier between these two fields. One factor dividing the two approaches looms especially large - it is an arduous...

After the Eastern enlargement in the year 2004 and 2007 the European Union is on the threshold of another expansion. Turkey and Croatia are the first countries that received the official candidate status. Turkey is the longest waiting contender for the adoption into the European Union structures; Croatia is the most anticipated candidate to receive the membership. The thesis "Comparison of preparedness of economies of Turkey and Croatia to join the European Union. " aims to compare the economic preparedness of these two countries for European Union full membership and also detects the cons and pros of possible integration. The goal of this thesis is to answer the question whether it is the theory of neo-realism or the theory of neo-functionalism that explains the current accession process of Turkey and Croatia to the European Union. In the past the European integration has overcome many obstacles, has achieved many substantial results and due to its effectiveness has managed to extend the territory of peace, stability and prosperity across the continent. The coming sixth wave of enlargement has a difficult goal but it is also a great challenge that can change again the map of European Union and extend its operation and influence into Asia Minor and the western Balkans.

This graduate thesis analyzes the security policy of the United States during the previous administration of President George W. Bush and the current administration of President Obama. The first section is devoted to a detailed analysis of the security strategies of both administrations as well as to their practical applications, not only in the field of defense and military, but also in foreign trade and building of alliances and partnerships. Based on this analysis the first part concludes that, although the Obama's security policy is criticized for being just a "Bush lite", it differs clearly in almost all mentioned areas. The thesis identifies, as the most essential, the difference in the overall concept of the security policy, which is multilateral and less militarily engaged at the time of the Obama administration than during the Bush administration which is characterized by unilateral approach with pre-emptive use of force. The second part of this thesis thus builds on these major differences. Based on previous analysis of both policies then generates hypotheses which aim at finding a cause of this change. To test the hypotheses this study makes use of three classical theories of international relations, which include elements that have been previously identified as a possible driving force...

The book Postproduction: Culture as Screenplay, written by French aesthetician Nicolas Bourriaud is going to be initial text for my diploma thesis. Bourriaud claims, that contemporary art is mostly made by the principle of assemblage; art works are made by reinterpretation, reproducing or by new exhibiting of artefacts or forms of past. The assumption of the original concept in artworks of contemporary artists - semionauts (travelers in the worlds of signs) has been allready completely ineffective. Through the example of hyperrealistic paintings, which has lately reappeared in portfolios of international and czech artists, I will try to show whether its revilal is based on the emergence of new medias, that even more than in the seventies simulate reality or whether they deal with the concept of postpostprodution - the artists lend only formal, in this case, hyperrealistic, signs. This diploma thesis will be completed by the case study of paintings of czech hyperrealist painter Jan Mikulka.

The aim of the Geopolitics of Oil is to find a theoretical conceptualization of oil trade regime evolution and its changes during the period between the end of the World War II and 2011. This thesis builds on the two major theories of international relations: neorealism and interdependence theory. The theoretical part of the paper analyzes their main contributions and weaknesses. This enables to formulate the new approach to political economy of oil with a special emphasis on geo-economics. This thesis seeks to answer two main research questions: 1) "Under which conditions do oil exporters consolidate their energy sector?" and 1) "What is the reason for engagement of foreign powers in the oil regions?" This thesis examines relations between exporters from the Persian Gulf and the United States. Interdependence theory is tested by a calculation of symmetry or asymmetry in interdependent relationship between importers and exporters, which is done by a comparison of the market shares between the two during the period of changes in the oil trade regimes. Neorealist theory and political economy of oil approach are examined through detailed case studies that inquire how oil importers and exporters have tried to use oil to pursue their own power interests. This thesis concludes that the geopolitics of oil...

Reform of the UN Security Council and a stumbling block associated with it - abstract This thesis deals with matter of the Security Council reform, the most crucial body of the United Nations. It examines approaches of eleven specific countries which are divided into two groups. The first group is comprised by permanent members of the Security Council, the second one by states which, in case of their creation, could claim new permanent seats in this body. This thesis examines not only their real policies, but also their policies from theoretical - specifically neorealistic - point of view. Two different hypotheses were deduced from neorealism which were tested and subsequently evaluated as (in)valid. Hypothesis emerging from a standard neorealism put emphasis on policy whose goal is to maintain, alternatively to increase a state's autonomy (autonomy-seeking policy). International organizations are viewed as entity which limits, to some extent, this autonomy. On the other hand, hypothesis emerging from a modified neorealism put emphasis on policy whose goal is to gain, alternatively to increase influence on other actors (influence-seeking policy). On the contrary, within this policy international organizations are an useful entity because it is possible to achieve such an influence by means of them. In the...