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Are sanctions an appropriate tool for coercion in International Politics? Why?
This study will first attempt to provide a brief overview of the motivations behind the use of sanctions by states in international politics. This will be followed in the first section by an analysis of the major criticisms of sanctions; namely that they are ineffective, as argued by authors such as Pape[4], and that they are unethical, as argued by authors such as Joy Gordon[5]. As part of the second section, I shall present the counter-argument to those against the use of sanctions by examining the coercive alternatives open to state actors, suggesting that while sanctions may not be a perfect tool of coercion, they can be potentially useful. This argument will contain the works of authors such as Baldwin, along with those of Lopez and HSE. Finally, I shall conclude this study by suggesting that smart sanctions, as opposed to broad economic sanctions, presents a potential future for the use of this form of coercion in international politics, but that this option also is potentially problematic.
To what extent, if at all, does Islamism’s moral agenda render it undemocratic?
In recent years the compatibility of political Islam and democracy has been a high-profile issue for academics, Islamic thinkers and politicians alike. The importance of this theoretical debate has been amplified by the United States’ apparent policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East, using force if necessary.
Is it possible to ethically evaluate terrorism by employing Just War principles?
The Just War tradition has been seen as a leading perspective on the ethics of war since the writings of St Augustine were rearticulated by Thomas Aquinas. It attempts to provide a framework which validates just conflicts, whilst at the same time applying limits so as to prevent unrestrained warfare. Today, its core principles can be divided into two broad categories: ‘jus ad bellum’ (just resort to war) and ‘jus in bello’ (just conduct in war). For a war to be just, numerous criteria must be satisfied within these categories.
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