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?
Keynesianism or New Interventionism? Economic discourses in post-crisis Britain
This paper examines the discourses within the British media following the 2008 financial crisis. The renewed interest in the writings of John Maynard Keynes had been heralded by some commentators as a paradigm shift in economic thought. The paper argues that rather than a Keynesian revolution, British thinking was dominated by ‘New Interventionism’; this conceived of the crisis as temporary contractions in consumer demand and credit lines.
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.
Factors of Persistent Poverty in Sierra Leone
Release from colonial rule has not benefited Sierra Leone. Ironically, it is the government’s responsibility to provide its citizens with good living conditions; in Sierra Leone, it is this same government that plays a key factor in pushing them into deeper poverty.
Popular Representations of Female Terrorists
Female terrorists are viewed using one frame and so terrorist acts are not analysed honestly. Despite the fact that these narratives are supportive of patriarchy and gender subordination, perhaps the most important issue with the way female terrorists are represented is that it presents an unfinished picture of terrorism and international politics.
Towards a New Paradigm for Transitional Justice?
This dissertation will focus on a critical comparison of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Guatemalan Commission for Historical Clarification and the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This study will look at several key aspects of these commissions in order to attempt to establish whether the adoption of certain elements over others enabled these truth commissions to have a greater impact with regards to their titular mandate.
To what extent can the 1990 sanctions placed on Iraq be judged according to Humanitarian Law?
This essay will briefly explain the importance of sanctions, along with their uses and failings. These will be evaluated in regard to the particular case study of the economic sanctions on Iraq during the 1990s, to illustrate the real problems of applying humanitarian law to sanctions.
Why has it often proved more difficult to reintegrate than to demobilise soldiers following civil wars?
This essay will address the challenges faced during reintegration based on the levels presented above – individual, community, and national. In the latter of these, it will seek to address the impact of complications arising in the early stages of national DDR programmes, particularly during demobilisation.
Bush and Blair: the impact of a special relationship on national interests
This dissertation argues that the ‘special’ relationship shared between Tony Blair and George W Bush while they presided over their respective countries’ had a greater effect on their own individual pursuit of national interests than conventionally acknowledged.
Assessing China and India’s New Role in Africa
This dissertation seeks to explore the rise of China and India in Africa, arguing that the two countries represent a second generation of donors that are able to free-ride on the previous reforms imposed by Western donors, and are then re-interpreting this to announce a new way of providing assistance, centred around ‘non-interference’ and respect for state sovereignty.
