Browsing by Author "Nazari, Saman"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

CHANGES IN JAPAN'S STRATEGIC CULTURE – THE SEVEN SINS TO PACIFISM: Japan’s Move Away From Pacifism Explained With Strategic Culture.
(2018-02-13) Nazari, Saman; University of Gothenburg/School of Global Studies; Göteborgs universitet/Institutionen för globala studier
The purpose of this thesis is to explore the changes within Japan’s Strategic Culture that have led Japan to move away from their previous pacifist mindset and become more militarily active in, for example, the South China Sea. I have first done a thematic analysis to get access to Japan’s strategic culture and then used Greathouse (2010) Strategic Culture method and theory to explore and explain the changes that have happened to Japan’s Strategic Culture. I have come to the conclusion that Japan is moving away from its pacifism to what Prime Minister Abe is calling proactive pacifism. Japan will probably only keep taking defensive military actions, as they have done this century, but the nature of the defensive actions has changed to be more offensive and provoking. The change to Japan’s Strategic Culture is mainly rooted in the change of the interpretation of their Constitution, but six other aspects have also affected this change. Some of them are connected to the shift in the Constitution while some are not. The six other reasons are: China and North Korea increased threat, Japan aiming to take their proper place within the international community, Japan’s alliance with the U.S., religious groups and conservative politicians gaining more power, trade and Japan’s dedication to the Freedom of navigation, and Japan’s change in peace identity.
Understanding the Impact of the Normative Power of the European Union on the Belt and Road Initiative: The Case of Italy, Serbia, and Latvia
(2020-10-22) Nazari, Saman; Göteborgs universitet/Statsvetenskapliga institutionen; University of Gothenburg/Department of Political Science
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced in 2013 and has attracted much attention from many countries. Promising significant investments all over the world, including in Europe, the BRI has prompted vibrant discussion regarding how it will shape international politics. While many studies have been published on how the BRI is influencing trends in different countries and regions, there has not been any research on how those countries try to socialize the BRI during their interaction with China. This dissertation aims to contribute to the by looking at if the level of a country’s affiliation with the EU, which is usually considered as being a normative power, equals the level of EU norms present in China’s BRI interactions with that country. The dissertation used a qualitative content analysis of official agreements and other documents related to China’s BRI interactions with our three case countries (Italy, Latvia, Serbia) to study the topic. The dissertation also studied what norms were present in the BRI when the BRI was first defined in 2015 to be better able to see what norms originate from the EU. To complement our data and give our data more context, we have also conducted expert interviews with country experts as well as EU-China experts while also utilizing second hand or tertiary sources if it is needed. The dissertation concludes that the EU’s internal norms are affecting the BRI and the level of affiliation to the EU matters. The more a country is affiliated 4 with the EU, the more EU norms are present in China’s BRI interactions with said country. Affiliation levels and EU norms present in China’s interactions can change over time and be affected by the case country's attitude towards, and dependency of, the EU.