Social Movements, Development Projects and the Corporate Media
The media can be a highly useful tool for agencies and individuals involved in development projects. It can be used to raise awareness of the problems they are working to overcome, to apply political pressure, and to gain financial or material support. Unfortunately, at times the way that the media and the way that development projects function often come in to conflict, especially for corporate news outlets
Collective persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran
Many countries use national security as the pretext for violating human rights, but why should Iran single out the Baha’is for this kind of persecution? Since President Ahmadinejad came to power in 2006, the situation has worsened for the Baha’i community in Iran. Recently, more shocking news surfaced about the demolition of houses in the province of Mazandran in the north of Iran. But this was not an isolated event. In 2007, six Baha’i houses were set on fire and more recently, almost 50 houses have been demolished.
Geopolitics and Historical Materialism in International Relations
Marxism has not, since its original formulation, considered IR and its concepts worthy as an object of study in its own right. Therefore, over 150 years after the publication of his major treatises, there is a sense that Marx’s project needs to be revised to account for this world of states.
The Role of the Media in Peace Building, Conflict Management, and Prevention
Freedom of expression is the core of a healthy media, a fundamental human right, and vital for a democratic structure. Lack of information can, at any stage of a conflict, make people desperate, restless and easy to manipulate. The potential of the media in conflict and post-conflict situations remains a net positive, and has been sadly underutilized to this point in time
State Security v Human Rights: Finding a Proportionate Balance
The threat posed by extreme terrorism to the United Kingdom is both serious and ongoing, specifically since the catastrophic events 9/11 and 7/7. Security and liberty are both essential to modern democracy, but they do not hold equal value. Thus, security should be given greater weight than liberty in order to secure the state and prevent future terrorist attacks.
Thomas Hobbes and Niccolo Machiavelli: A Comparison
Hobbes’ work was designed to make the analysis of politics more scientific. Machiavelli was a man of action; he worked, primarily, as a civil servant of the Florentine Republic. It is this difference in methodology, which ultimately underlies the differences in political beliefs of these two people.
A Campaign Assessment of the US-led Coalition’s Psychological and Information Operations in Afghanistan
Despite increases in military and civilian personnel to Afghanistan, the United States is losing the battle of perceptions. But the Coalition’s information operations can be improved.
E.H Carr and The Failure of the League of Nations
The dose of reality that E.H. Carr dealt to interwar idealists was significant & timely. It was obvious to Carr that the League was failing and the march to war was underway.
A Green Dictator?
International relations scholars are self-described pessimists — at least the realists among us speak in this way. However, it would appear IR realists are not alone, at least on the question of international cooperation on climate change.
How Iran Adapts Itself to International Sanctions: Asianization of Trade and Economic Regionalism
The recent round of crippling and comprehensive sanctions on Iran will inevitably adversely affect the government’s economic manoeuvrability, but taking their toll first and foremost on the people, the sanctions are likely to fall short of curbing the country’s nuclear activities or changing its domestic and international behaviour
