India’s Approach to Sanctions on Iran
Although India has publically chastised Western sanctions against Iran’s oil exports, it is quietly beginning to comply with them. This apparent contradiction stems from Indian policymakers desire to balance its diverging interest in the U.S. and Iran.
Security Challenges and Opportunities in a Changing Arctic Environment
As the polar ice cap melts, the US and the international community are underprepared to address the growing economic dynamics of the Arctic.
Terror in the Maghreb
Terrorism in the Islamic Maghreb (lit. “the West”) has been given relatively little attention in the post-9/11 era, in spite of a new journalistic and academic obsession with terrorism spanning nearly a decade. Terrorism in North Africa has been relegated to secondary importance, overshadowed by terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Occupied Territories. Terror in the Maghreb is nonetheless on the rise, and has been shown to have intimate links with violence in other regions of the Islamic world such as Iraq.
Cartoons and International Relations
Perhaps the energetic young folk running this interesting website might run more IR cartoons and, who knows, the ISA or BISA might invite cartoonists to talk on their takes on our world.
Women’s Rights as Human Rights: Problems and Paradoxes
We have no option other than to work within the prevailing discourse of human rights, but should be aware of the limits of this course of action.
Is Torture ever Morally Acceptable? If so, Under what Circumstances? If not, why not?
Torture can be defined as, ‘the officially sanctioned infliction of intense suffering, aimed at forcing someone to do or say something against his or her will.’ (Rodley, 2000: 7) Under international law it is illegal to use torture in any situation whatsoever. Although torture undoubtedly continues throughout the world, the moral argument prohibiting it was won during the enlightenment and the debate was closed by twentieth century international legal prohibitions. However, the question of torture has resurfaced in the context of the “War on Terror” as people face up to the possibility of WMD terrorism. The dilemma is most commonly expressed in the problem of the ‘ticking bomb terrorist.’
Review – God’s Century
God’s Century is not the first book to make a case for the importance of religion in global affairs. Yet, Toft, Philpott, and Shah’s book is a valuable addition to the literature.
Has the Study of Gender been Conceptually too Focused on the Category of ‘women’? What is at Stake in the Analytical Categories we use in Gender Theory?
Gender categorisations are an inherent part of our culture; we accept them as an essential part of our identity and use them continually. To challenge the ‘truth’ or desirableness of concepts such as ‘woman’ or ‘man’ is a radical proposal but one which is increasingly put forward by post-structuralist feminists and queer theorists.
How Important was the So-called ‘domino theory’ in Forming US Policy Towards Indochina During the Cold War? Were Other Factors More Important?
Indochina was a central battleground of the Cold War for more than two decades in which poorly-armed Vietnamese guerrillas fought successfully against the USA. Some saw it as an ideological struggle between capitalism and communism, and others, as a misinformed US attack on anti-colonial nationalism. The reasons for American involvement are unclear and have led to fierce debate among academics.
Argentinia’s 2001 Economic Crisis and the Success of New Social Movements
Several new social movements found their expression in the Argentinian political and economic crisis of 2001, termed the ‘Argentinazo’. The event consisted of a popular revolt in which people took to the streets armed with pots and pans to express their dismay of the establishment. However, just a few years later their legacy was being questioned.
