Are multi-national federations viable?
Through a normative-theoretical exploration into the raison d’être of multinational federations and their modus operandi under various circumstances, this is essay will advance the thesis that viability of any federal model is ultimately conditional upon an explicit recognition and stimulation of a civic federal identity[
The Journey of Cultural Globalization in Korean Pop Music
Changes in the production and consumption of pop music have shown the Globalization of Culture in its most effective form. Changes in the Korean pop industry illustrate a process whereby ‘foreign’ pop music is internalized, adapted and then pushed back into the wider world as a new style of pop which has been culturally filtered.
Algeria: The Obstacles to Democracy
The past is present in Algeria. Although the country is an authoritarian state, it technically exhibits a civilian-run government led by an independent politician. Is there a chance for democracy? Not if Algeria can return to an effective authoritarian state as it was in the 1960s and 1970s because it will then be able to appease its population with education, jobs, houses, and rising living standards.
Can Terror work? The Case of the Palestine Liberation Organisation
Despite its initial success, the Palestine Liberation Organisation was never able to achieve its ultimate political objective by using terrorist tactics. The PLO’s turn to global terror tactics, and the immense amount of media exposure that move generated, only magnified their inability to move away from their formerly violent agenda.
State Construction and the Use of National Narratives
National narratives have been and continue to be used and manipulated by political elites in different ways and for different ends, but nationalism remains inherently linked to migration and the migration policy of nation-states. Migration is also part of nation-building, and the exclusion and inclusion of certain groups by the nation-state seems unavoidable and natural because of the manipulation of national narratives.
National identity reaffirmation in the post-Soviet era: The case of Belarus and Ukraine
Independence from the Soviet Union has led to both similarities and differences in the reinvention of national identities in Belarus and Ukraine. Belarusian identity is still within its infancy due to the strong Russian influences and the active role of the Belarusian government to prevent the rise of civil society organizations. In contrast, Ukrainian identity has developed sufficiently enough to separate itself from Russia.
Global Human Rights Norms and the Retention of Capital Punishment
In the past 25 years 67 states have abolished capital punishment for all crimes, 5 have abolished it for ordinary crimes, and a further 35 states have become de facto abolitionists. This trend is curious because abolition has met with significant domestic resistance in a number of abolitionist states; in many the majority were against abolition. What explains the emergence of the abolitionist norm?
Gender Equality in Australia
Historically, Australia’s social structure contributed to significant differences in opportunity and outcome between the genders, resulting in prejudice and discrimination against more women than men over time. Whilst there are far fewer examples of overt gender-based discrimination in Australia, the progress towards true substantive gender equality has clearly stalled.
Limitations of the Green Movement and Barriers to Reform in Iran
A number of social, political, and economic barriers to regime change exist in Iran, and each has contributed to the perceived failures of the Green Movement since June 2009. This essay is a discussion of these barriers—impediments to the Green Movement’s success—and the opposition’s attempts to overcome them.
Islam and foreign policy making in Turkey
This essay argues that the AKP’s foreign policy is based upon pragmatism. This has resulted in the emergence of Turkey as an important global actor. Recent claims and traditional understandings of the Justice and Development Party’s foreign policy as Islamized are simplistic and derive from misleading theories and political propaganda.
