International Theory

‘Globalization’ and economic development: why Geography still matters

Ben Partridge • Jul 26 2011 • Essays

Interrogating the concept of globalization and examining the differentiated materialities which have both facilitated its development and continue to shape its future direction shows quite clearly that new and complex social relations have arisen which are not easily mappable onto existing territories.

Can nationalism be understood as a cause of ethnic conflict?

Anna Costa • Jul 25 2011 • Essays

What is it that makes divisions along ethnic lines salient to forms of opposition that can degenerate into levels of violence as extreme as genocide? What made the peaceful multi-ethnic neighborhoods of Sarajevo turn into battlefields? The short answer is the politicization of ethnicity and ethnic diversity.

Why are Nuclear Weapons So Appealing to Nation-States in the 21st Century?

James Chisem • Jul 20 2011 • Essays

In an anarchical system, for large states, indebted to a Cold War strategic culture, nuclear armaments offer the capacity to irrationalise major inter-state war, therefore creating the foundations for great-power peace and stability. Similarly it gives small states the ultimate life insurance, allowing them to defy the preponderance of more powerful nations.

Are Failing and Failed States a Post-Cold War Phenomenon?

Sebastiaan Debrouwere • Jul 16 2011 • Essays

As security threats have altered from regional instability caused by ‘rogue states’, to overarching security concerns which can come from non-state actors and state-actors alike, actors in the international arena have been urged to shift their attention towards the causes of these menaces; dysfunctional societies.

Why the Rise of China Will Not Lead to Global Hegemony

Luke M. Herrington • Jul 15 2011 • Essays

China’s problems demand too much attention, which as hegemonic stability theorists insist, will hinder its emergence.

Radical Islam: both a product of globalisation and a serious challenge to it?

Grace-Anne Marius • Jul 8 2011 • Essays

Radical Islam has come to play a very significant position within the international realm. It has taken terrorism, which was always a weapon of the weak, though usually with little perceived effect, and created what can be seen as a quite considerable challenge to globalisation and the international community.

Putting the Democratic Peace Theory to the Test

Wei He • Jul 6 2011 • Essays

Although democratic peace has gained various statistical and theoretical support, it can not escape from criticism. The theory should not be used as an excuse for adopting a foreign policy of forcibly conducting democratization, as the chances of success for this kind of action are highly questionable, as demonstrated in the cases of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Realism and Liberalism in International Relations

Bea Kylene Jumarang • Jul 2 2011 • Essays

The debate continues as to which school of International Relations remains the most relevant and timely with regards to the interpretation of the international system. Some will always say realism is politics as it is while liberalism is an example of politics idealized. Perhaps the true path lies in combination.

The Limits of Unlearning: Liberal Feminism from the Postcolonial Perspective

Hannah Butt • Jun 24 2011 • Essays

We are trapped in our experiences as colonisers and colonised, and in our resulting positions of power or powerlessness. Therefore, representation of ‘subaltern women’ by white western liberal feminists remains problematic, since tied up in the notion of representation are the complications of power, knowledge and language.

Security vs. Liberty? Is There a Trade off?

Miriam Dornan • Jun 23 2011 • Essays

It appears there is a trade-off between the security of some and the liberty of others. This perception of a trade-off between security and liberty is particularly convincing when evidence from the on-going war on terror is used to illustrate the argument. It is possible to argue that any trade-off between liberty and security is short-term and illusory.

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