https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/120076 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:41:13 GMT 2026-07-14T10:41:13Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121566 Title: Russian aggression against Ukraine and world football : an analysis of the impact of the war in Ukraine on Russia’s foreign policy strategies regarding world football Abstract: This thesis delves into the interplay between Russia's foreign policy strategies, namely soft power and public diplomacy, and world football. It aims to unravel the links between Russia's foreign policy since the Soviet Union's dissolution and its engagement in world football. The central hypothesis posits that Russia's strategies relying on football encountered significant disruptions following its aggressive actions against Ukraine. Drawing on Joseph Nye's concept of soft power and Edmund Gullion's public diplomacy, the research traces Russia's ascendancy as a wielder of soft power globally, particularly before the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict. However, Russia's credibility and trust, crucial for soft power, eroded as military interventions in its neighbouring countries unfolded. Analyzing football's role in Russia's strategy, the study elucidates how the sport provided a platform for political engagement, economic ties, and diplomatic relations, contributing to Russia's soft power. Yet, the invasion of Ukraine disrupted this alignment, given that Russian soft power is an extension of the Russian State, and will be surpassed by hard power strategies. This led to irremediable repercussions to Russian football diplomacy, such as club selloffs, contract cancellations, and suspension of Russian teams by FIFA and UEFA. Employing qualitative analysis, the research examines texts, speeches, official documents, press releases, and scholarly works, to shed a light on Russia's sports diplomacy endeavours and foreign policy strategies. This research holds significance in bridging the gap between political science and sports studies, offering insights into the dynamics of how sports can both fuel and hinder foreign policy efforts. It aims at increase the understanding of the complexity of using sports as a diplomatic tool and reveals the need for integration between sports studies, political science, and international relations in academia. Description: M.A. (Dip. St.)(Melit.) Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121566 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121564 Title: An analysis of Malta's geopolitical strategy 1964-1979 Abstract: This dissertation focuses on Malta’s experience in the years from 1964 to 1979. In 1964, Malta achieved its independence and now, from a British Colony, Malta had to make its first steps into the world as a newly independent state. In 1979 the British left the island. Until the 1950s, the economy of the Maltese islands relied heavily on British military expenditure. However, changes in the British defence policies meant that a massive rundown was imminent. Furthermore, Malta was to prepare itself to be an independent state. There was an urgent need for a plan to make the Maltese Islands economically viable. A number of Development Plans were set in motion. These Development Plans were dependent on the visions, ideologies, and policies of the different governments of the time. Though these differed, they all utilised a nascent Foreign Policy to exploit Malta’s unique geographical position and advanced a strategy aimed at developing Maltese industry. This was a turbulent time as the world was going through the Cold War, thus a geopolitical approach was essential if Malta was to be successful as an independent state. This dissertation explores how this strategy was employed to attract the attention of other players at the time and gain investment, aid and grants, and develop its industry in time before 1979. This was the year when the last of the British Forces left the Maltese islands and Malta had to achieve financial independence. What were the strategies used by the different governments for Malta in its quest for financial viability and not be any longer dependent on external powers? Did it manage to build its industry in time to offer its population enough workplaces and a good standard of living? Was it successful in emerging from a colony to an independent state? Description: M.A. (Dip. St.)(Melit.) Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121564 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121560 Title: Towards a liberal Leviathan : strategizing the European Union’s energy diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean Abstract: Facing an energy security crisis prompted by the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict, in June 2022 the EU, Egypt, and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation related to trade, transport, and export of natural gas to the EU. The research uses critical theory from the Copenhagen school to evaluate the most prominent influences on the EU’s energy diplomacy strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean. A Hobbesian energy trap following Russia’s use of the ‘energy weapon’ is the most immediate and commonly cited external factor, especially in shifting the commodity focus from pipeline to LNG gas. But Moscow is far from being the deepest motivation for Europe’s changing energy diplomacy strategy. Benign at first glance, a closer examination of the MOU’s provisions and intentions found significant implications for the region’s emerging balance of power. Europe’s typical global energy governance approach is explicit in the strategy, notably in basing the energy network off the East Mediterranean Gas Forum. However, global energy governance is overlayed by realist geopolitical and geoeconomic approaches outside of the MOU – most often deployed by superpowers, which the EU is not. Thus, a contrast exists between geopolitical operations ensuring the EastMed energy network will not be developed by ‘unfriendly’ states, and neoliberal economic and institutional policies which perpetuate the Union’s asymmetric North-South relationships. Copenhagen school identifies the hybridity of neoliberal ‘means’ and a neorealist ‘core’ as the ‘Liberal Leviathan’ – the American model of unipolar hegemony that emerged out of the Cold War, and under which the EU takes a subordinate role. Ultimately, the research finds that downward pressure on Brussels by the Liberal Leviathan is the most significant motivating factor in the EU’s EastMed energy diplomacy strategy. Description: M.A. (Dip. St.)(Melit.) Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121560 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121556 Title: The militia game : case of Libya Abstract: The Fall of Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi created hope and optimism for peace in Libya that was short-lived. The 2011 revolution had brought a cataclysm to the Libyan political arena. The ideals of a new democracy were overturned by a degrading security sector and a huge power vacuum. The revolutionary militias that toppled the Qaddafi regime were now the rulers themselves. Violent non-state actors saw the withering authority in Libya as a grand opportunity to empower and enrich themselves. The reputation of the security sector was damaged by the militias yet the people also depended on the militias for security against lawlessness. The integration of militias into state and civil institutions had blurred the lines between state and non-state actors. On the other hand, terrorist cells expanded into Libya, creating their own power bases and using Libya to catapult them to their objectives in the Middle East and Europe. The warring government factions depend on the militia’s for their coalitions and military campaigns while the militias continue to grow richer and more powerful. This thesis will uncover the blurry lines and I will seek to form a clearer picture of the influence of violent non-state actors in the Libyan Crisis. Description: M.A. (Dip. St.)(Melit.) Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/121556 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z