This chapter concerns itself with the way in which China uses mainly non-kinetic means to broaden its power and influence in the South China Sea. The old writings of Sun Tzu and the modern writings of Liang and Xiangsui, together with the analysis of the tensions in the South China Sea, demonstrate that …

In today’s world of globalisation, national borders have faded away, which poses new challenges and risks for national and international security. The ambition of the Netherlands Ministry of Defence is to share responsibility for the safety and stability of the international community. The three main …

Citizen participation is booming, especially the number of urban bottom-up initiatives where information and communication technologies (ICT) are deployed is increasing rapidly. This growth is good news for society as recent historical research shows that the more citizens actively and persistently interfere …

Along with one part of the world becoming richer and another part of the world staying behind in their growth, development aid has become more important than ever. The main purpose of this report was to examine the effects of the implementation of the Paris Declaration in Ethiopia. This main question …

The consumer has the choice to either purchase clothing in brick-and-mortar stores, offline, or in webstores, online. Yet, this was not the case 15 years ago, when online shopping began to rise. The term was not yet well known, and not all the wanted products were available online. Now, the consumer …

Research on student success has been highly influenced by Tinto’s integration theory in Europe and America. As part of my PhD research, I investigate the possible influence of the use of social media by first year students in higher education. Based on Tinto’s theory, the amount of variables is diminished …

Het Nederlandse onderwijssysteem kan beschouwd worden als ‘the hidden secret in education’ (Alma Harris). Weinig landen zijn in staat om hoge onderwijs kwaliteit te combineren met een grote mate van gelijke kansen. Daarmee kan Nederland naast gidslanden zoals Finland, Canada/Ontario en Singapore een …

This dissertation focuses on the re-interpretation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which has forbidden Japan from participating in war since 1946. However, it has now been re-interpreted to allow Japan minimum involvement in international conflicts and peacekeeping operations. It analyses …

Urban flooding has become a key issue for many cities around the world. With the continuing effects of climate change, this will become more acute and will add to the serious problems already experienced in dense urban areas. Therefore several international stakeholders are in the need of tools that …