Archive for 2012

How Civilization Became a Course

Kimberly Weir • Jun 18 2012 • Articles

At the start of the course, I warn students that I am not responsible if they end up addicted to the game Civilization. One more turn is always necessary before shutting down for the day.

China and the Legacy of Post-Mao Reforms

Ross Morrison • Jun 18 2012 • Essays

The reform-era policies of the 1980s and ’90s are undermining China’s development. The desire to maintain political stability and solidify party rule stifled efforts to fund long term investments.

Responses to Intercommunal Violence in Jonglei State

Diana Felix da Costa • Jun 18 2012 • Articles

There is a need for greater in-depth research into local perceptions and understandings of violence, which must underpin any external support to short and long-term reconciliation.

How Convincing is the CNN Effect in Explaining Contemporary US Foreign Policy?

Andrew Clarke • Jun 18 2012 • Essays

The CNN Effect is ultimately an outdated thesis, and should be viewed as only one aspect in the conduct of foreign policy.

Are Wars Lost by Politicians or Generals?

Lars Backstrom • Jun 17 2012 • Essays

Politicians lose wars either by setting goals that are not achievable by the means available, or by interfering with the military chain of decision-making.

Strategic Culture and Divergent Security Policies of European States

Frank Komrij • Jun 17 2012 • Essays

The concept of strategic culture is highly useful for explaining the diverging security policies and practices of European states, as it provides a reason why strategic behavior is resistant to change.

Analysing the Depiction and Control of Women’s Participation in Violence

Grace Burton • Jun 17 2012 • Essays

Until gender considerations are taken into account when discussing violence, recognition of women as being capable of rationally undertaking violent action cannot be achieved.

Syria: Prospects for Transition from Minority to Majority Rule

Mark N. Katz • Jun 16 2012 • Articles

Absent the circumstances that facilitated the transition to majority rule in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Iraq, the prospects in Syria appear to be extremely poor.

Global Economic Governance 2.0: From G20 to a Global Economic Council

Jakob Vestergaard and Robert H. Wade • Jun 16 2012 • Articles

The G7 states themselves are no more likely to push for a Global Economic Council than turkeys are to vote for Christmas, but that should not stop others from advocating along these lines.

Did Revolution or Regime Implosion End the Soviet Union?

Timothy Frayne • Jun 15 2012 • Essays

The collapse of the USSR was almost entirely based on the ‘regime implosion’ within the CPSU which was ill-prepared for newly introduced reforms and their consequences.

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