Norms can act as touch stones to understanding reality; they could be both regulative and constitutive in nature. But the extent to which norms can actually influence decision making remains a true test to the relevance of constructivist arguments. My research is both qualitative and constructivist in nature. It examines the role played by civil society actors in the internalization of human right

Common phenomenons today are so called failed states. These states are characterised by among other factors civil war, insecurity and corruption. An important step towards escaping this precarious position is ending the violent conflict that reigns in the country. Bearing this in mind I have studied transition-period, the period between a peace agreement and national elections, in three states: Si

Bush administration´s main arguments to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003, raises many questions. The allegations that Iraq possessed illicit weapons of mass destruction (WMD) when the invasion took place has not been verified and forces have still not found any WMD in Iraq (today August 2009). In retrospect, it was recognized by the CIA that it had almost been completely wrong about intelligen

Uppsatsen avser att undersöka om demokrativärden glöms bort i den svenska EMU-debatten. Det görs med anledning av Lennart Lundquists farhåga om att demokrativärden tenderar att glömmas bort allt mer i den politiska debatten i och med nyliberala krafter. Då det är viktigt att både ekonomi- och demokrativärden finns med och verkar tillsammans, uppstår en fara för demokratin om något av dessa värden

The overall purpose with this thesis has been to consider whether cross-border cooperations funded by Interreg strengthen or undermine the nation-state. A case study has been carried out, where the South Baltic cross-border co-operation has constituted a case. The result is based on material of nineteen interviews with stakeholders from five different countries representing subnational level, nati

This study aims to present the relationships between the European Commission and a member state of the European Union during two different phases of the enforcement process of EU legislation and to explain how these relationships change. The relationships are studied and presented using a simple Principal-Agent model, in which the two main figures change sides between the different phases. The res

Med en internationalistisk teori i förgrunden handlar denna uppsats om internationalistisk idéspridning i försvarsberedningens rapporter inom ramen för hotet från olika former av terrorism. Den internationalistiska teoribildningen har sedan decennier tillbaka genomsyrat den svenska utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiken, vari man aktivt arbetat för en ökad internationalisering. Efter en vidgad definition

The aim of this thesis is to analyze how different phases of peace processes are related to the behaviour of spoiler groups, and to illustrate this with a case study of the peace process in Northern Ireland. The thesis divides the peace process in three different phases: the prenegotiations, the official negotiations and the implementation phase. In each phase three variables are analyzed: the com

Det finns två varianter av power-sharing; en som strikt belyser en politisk representation av etniciteter i pluralistiska samhällen; den andra är extensivare i sitt utförande då den inrymmer fler statliga dimensioner; politiska, territoriella, ekonomiska och militära. Med hjälp av dessa kontrasteras tre olika fredsavtal i Burundi som alla i varierande grad innehåller power-sharing. Utfallet i dess

Metaphors is a vital and fundamental part of our intellectual abilities. We invent metaphors, but they construct our conceptual thinking in means that they decide in what way we think of phenomenas of which we have no clear knowledge about. To analyze the source domains from which the metaphors are taken is a most fruitful way of gaining information about a metaphor. In comparison to the target do

The study analyses three major conflicts in Zimbabwe during the past forty years through a filter of theoretical models. The study relies on secondary material in the form of articles, books and research reports. The causes of the conflicts, the traumas developed through the conflicts and reconciliation efforts at the end of the conflicts are analyzed. It shows that Zimbabwe is a traumatized natio

We are at least moving forward! Aren´t we..? - A study of genderpedagogic litterature´s development over time. This study is aimed at comparing two different scripts from the genre of pedagogical gender to see how it has developed over time. The two books I have compared are “Godmorgon pojkar och flickor, om språk och kön i skolan”, in English: ”Good morning boys and girls, about language and sex

Title: “Are You a Female Drummer –a study about women within jazz and improvisation music” The purpose of this study is to reflect over the situation for women within the jazzscene. Manyfemale instrumentalist in the past have been forgotten. Why is that? What can be done to reach a more equal distribution between men and women who plays jazz? The basis of this study is the interviews of four prof

Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka om Mandriva Linux kan ses som ett alternativt operativsystem ur ett användbarhetsperspektiv. Inledningsvis genomförde vi en litteraturstudie där både historiken kring Mandriva Linux och användbarhetsteorier behandlades. En egen undersökningsmodell skapades vilken enkätfrågorna och arbetsuppgifterna baserades på. Datan införskaffades i form av en enkätunde

Since the beginning of the new millennium the Rights-Based Approach (RBA) to development has come to influence the international development agenda, challenging the traditional charity model and the Basic Needs Approach (BNA). A large theoretical literature can be found on RBA, as well as training material and handbooks for development practitioners. Little is to be found, however, on the implicat

Title: Proletarian polyphony - Western harmony in Chinese music from the first half of the 20th century The aim of this essay is to examine the use of harmony and polyphony in Chinese music from the first half of the 20th century. Traditional Chinese music contains no chords and no polyphony. At the turn of the 20th century China showed an increasing interest in European culture and music. Many C

Israel is often referred to as a fragmented state, with the situation between Palestinians and Jews in mind. In Israel however, there are far more fragmentations – even among the Jewish populations. Ethnical differences between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi, religious differences between ultra-orthodox, orthodox and secular, and ideological differences within the Zionist-framework. There is, however, an

The purpose of this essay is to examine the concept of the child perspective during the drafting process of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. I have analysed the travaux préparatoires of the articles 2,3,6 and 12, which constitutes the fundamental principles of the convention. The conclusion drawn from my study is that there was no child perspective in the sense of childrens view on thei

The protection of human rights within the European Union will, in two aspects, be affected by the Lisbon Treaty entering into force. Firstly, the Charter of Fundamental Rights will become an integrated part of the treaties and secondly, the Union will apply for accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. This study is about how these two instruments will affect the situation of human rig

The public debate on honor-related violence intensified in Sweden after the murder of Fadime Sahindal. A culture-based understanding and feminist understanding on honor-related violence has mainly characterized the public debate. The essay aims to analyze these arguments based on the concept of culture. Does the understanding of the honor-related violence need to be divided into either a culture u