Post-war European Integration: How We Got Here
The principal factors driving European integration were the desire for internal stability, the need to project a significant voice on an international stage, and the external security concern of Communism perched on Europe’s eastern doorstep.
Why Do New Democracies Not Choose First Past the Post?
New democracies can achieve their primary objectives of inclusiveness and compromise much more effectively with proportional representation or mixed systems.
The Enigma of Iranian-Israeli Relations
The recent intensification of enmity between Iran and Israel has been the focus of political analysts, pundits, practitioners, and critics alike.
1946: A Year of Ideological Preconceptions
The view that the Truman administration took in the lead up to, and during, the critical year of 1946 consequently affected the government’s actions when dealing with the Soviet Union.
The Transition to Majority Rule in Southern Africa and the Exceptional Case of Botswana
Botswana is an exceptional example of a Southern African country which appears to have successfully negotiated the pitfalls inherent in the perilous journey to democratic, majority rule.
On the ‘War on War’ in Modern Geopolitics
The unilateral projection of peace could become a potent political lever and a game changer in international relations, yet ‘peacefare’ and a ‘peace arsenal’, including confidence-building measures and a conflict-quelling capability, have seldom been looked into.
Child Reconciliation in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone
The systematic inclusion of children in the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission process was unprecedented in the history of truth and reconciliation initiatives. Given the country’s history of child involvement in the war as both victims and perpetrators, it was especially important to include children in the post-conflict peacebuilding processes.
Does Technological Progress Make War More Humane?
It would be a mistake to deny that technological progress has been, and still is, a characteristic of our history. Men have gone from fighting with their gladios in ancient Rome to using gunpowder in cannons and rifles, and from deploying machine guns to applying the threat of nuclear war.
Ethnic Conflict and R2P
We may all agree that there is a moral imperative to halt mass atrocities. The problem is the reconciliation of such an obligation and our entrenched system of anarchy at the international level. Those states that are part of the United Nations should have a responsibility to respect the adoption of R2P principles, notably the moral imperative to halt mass atrocities and punish the perpetrators through the ICC.
More of the Same? Russian Intelligence during the Post-Soviet Era
Despite the euphoria that accompanied the toppling of Felix Dzerzhinsky’s statue in Lubyanka Square in August 1991, the power of the KGB, now the FSB and the SVR, has not declined. True reform of Russia’s security services, despite some early intent, has not happened.
