Bøger af Matthew Bugeja

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: 85/100, University of Malta, course: International Relations, language: English, abstract: The purpose of this research is to analyze and assess the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent insurgency that followed. The latter was a direct result of the Coalition¿s inability to come to terms with the various complexities of the country. This paper will look into the Iraq war¿s transformation from a conventional invasion, into an anti-occupation insurgency, as well as the Coalition¿s progress with dealing with the insurgency from its outbreak in 2003 to the most recent developments in early 2008.I had chosen this particular topic because being a Maltese-American, anything that either country does in its foreign policy is of direct interest to me ¿ not only as a student of International Relations, but also as a citizen. The issue of Iraq has long been on the front pages of newspapers, and the top stories on the news on television. No matter what medium of the media you access, news about the situation Iraq is everywhere. I do not believe that one should simply sit back and watch the issues unfold with just as a means to pass the time, or worse, criticize without an ample knowledge of the facts. Rather, we should analyze and interpret the events that have occurred in Iraq and try to remedy the situation by evaluating every possible option to achieve stability in the country.The term ¿fighting the fleä derives from a book written by Robert Taber, an investigative journalist, after witnessing first-hand Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries wage a successful insurgency against the Batista government in the mid-1950¿s and effectively take over the country.

Master's Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict, Security, grade: 70/100, University of Malta, course: International Relations, language: English, abstract: This dissertation explore the threats posed by al Qaeda in Afghanistan and whether it is first necessary to stabilize this country in order to eliminate the group. It will be argued that al Qaeda's ideology has now become stronger than its ability to threaten international security; that its aim to become an agent of change within the Muslim world has come to outweigh the threat attributed to it as a conventional, kinetic, terrorist entity. The current instability within Afghanistan is not due to al Qaeda's physical presence there but rather an amalgamation of factors. It will be argued that the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 has contributed to al Qaeda's weakening there but it has not contributed to stabilize Afghanistan itself. The instability in Afghanistan will require a strong, long-term commitment by the international community, while the fight against al Qaeda will require more focus on combating its ideology, and less on military action. Whilst al Qaeda remains an elusive enemy for the West due to its ability to constantly adapt, the international community has failed to adapt adequately to not only combat al Qaeda's ideology, but also to implement the necessary long term strategy that is required to achieve stability in Afghanistan.