Bøger af Anna Scheithauer

Seminar paper from the year 2024 in the subject Politics - Topic: International development, grade: A, University of Vienna (International Development), course: The History and Politics of Humanitarianism, language: English, abstract: Today, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - unlike other humanitarian organizations - follows a principled application of the human rights based approach (HRBA). To gain insights into why the organization follows a HRBA at all and why it does so in a principled manner, I propose that this necessitates going back in history. I, thus, set out to explore the following research question in this paper: How have the concept and agenda of human rights "infiltrated" the ICRC with regards to its stance on and practices of humanitarian aid in the aftermath of the Second World War? I will, thereby, argue that examining the relationship between international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) by diving into their drafting history in the aftermath of the Second World War will provide us with some valuable answers. Structurally, I will first discuss the HRBA and potential dilemmas raised for humanitarian actors. Secondly, I will provide an overview of the historical roots of humanitarianism and human rights as well as of the theoretical approaches on their legal relationship before diving into the drafting history of IHL and IHR to possibly evidence a mutually reinforcing relationship. I will illustrate this by showing how the experiences made by the ICRC during the Second World War and the Nigerian civil war shaped international legal development and with it also the practices and convictions of the organization.

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Gender Studies, grade: A, University of Vienna (Development Studies), course: Gender Module, language: English, abstract: This paper sets out to provide a nuanced perspective on ISIL women (women in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) by analyzing their prescribed roles and positions in the Islamic State in light of particular norms that many feminists adhere to in order to transcend the debate between global and Islamic feminism. The author lays a particular focus on the political dimension that is interwoven with the role of ISIL women in the establishment of a global caliphate and identifies some of the intricacies thereof.More specifically, the construction of differences between women and men as well as among different types of women served as a main instrument for ISIL¿s gender ideology in this larger state-building project. The author, thus, aims to address and answer the following question in this paper: How did the construction of differences inherent to ISIL¿s gender ideology shape the discursive construction of the role and position of women in the Islamic State and the Levante?Women joining and serving terrorist groups is not a new phenomenon. However, the large number of female recruits also from Western parts of the world together with ISIL¿s gender-targeted propaganda strategy, its specific policy on women and its strict gender apparatus made it rather unique. The global dimension with women having joined from all over the world to support the establishment of a global caliphate adds yet another level to the complexities and historical relevance of this phenomenon.A lot has been written about ISIL¿s gender-specific recruitment practices, the motivations of women to join ISIL as well as the particular functions of and conditions for women from a security perspective, particularly with view to counter-terrorism aspirations and the broader ¿Women, Peace and Security¿ (WPS) agenda addressing also women¿s right¿s concerns including Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). ISIL women are thus mostly portrayed as either committed jihadists or victims of a brutal regime.Less has been written though on ISIL¿s gender ideology from a feminist perspective, although various sources list ¿liberation from the West¿ as one of the main motivators for women to join ISIL. The literature also neglects somewhat the political dimension of ISIL¿s gender apparatus. Considering women¿s contributions to a larger state-building project it is rather surprising that the literature has not taken these perspectives up in depth.

Case Study from the year 2015 in the subject Politics - Topic: Public International Law and Human Rights, grade: 71 (Distinction) UK Sytem, University College London (School of Public Policy), language: English, abstract: In this essay I have argued that the added-value of the HRCSP lies in the special rapporteurs¿ (SR) role as facilitators for norm compliance. Doing so, I have focusd on the post-9/11 debate on the use of armed drones for targeted killings in military and counter-terrorism operations. Its main point of contention surrounds the achievement of consistency in legal standards, as well as of coherent policy responses with view to the ¿war on terror¿, which has led some states to prioritize security concerns over human rights (HR) and humanitarian standards. In presenting my argument I have made reference to actor behavior theory to show the nexus between HRCSP and strategic agency. Thereby, I have concentrated on mechanisms of social influence such as coercion, persuasion, incentives, and capacity building as identified by Risse and Popp (R&P). (2013, 12-22) Also, I have addressd the element of acculturation, found as a major force for compliance by Goodmann and Jinks (G&J) (2004), and touch on domestic mechanisms, such as executive power, litigation, and group demands (Simmons, 2009), and the power of domestic constituencies (Dai, 2004). During the analysis, I have been mindful of a possible crowding-out effect as suggested by G&J, where one social mechanism could negatively affect the operation of another. (2013, 105) In this sense I have elaborated on the opportunities and challenges of the HRCSP regarding compliance with the right to life in human rights law (HRL) and humanitarian law (IHL) with view to targeted killings. I have focused on the HRCSP because they embody the permanent tools of the Human Rights Council (HRC) composed of independent experts, compared to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which, due to its politicized nature, is rather silent on the subject matter. The analysis has shown how the Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions (SRESAE) and the Special Rapporteur on Terrorism and Human Rights (SRTHR), in concerted action and by application of various elements of socialization, facilitate the compliance process. I have concluded that the SR are not an end but a means for achieving compliance. There is also no one solution regarding the socialization process, which seems to strongly depend on the right sequencing of elements sensitive to certain scope conditions and the level, or ¿continuum of commitment¿ (Dai, 2013, 86-87), states prescribe themselves to depending often on domestic mechanisms of influence