The Challenge of AIDS in African Society
African societies are already suffering from poverty, inequality and weak social cohesion. Since its emergence, HIV/AIDS has added a multifaceted layer of new dimensions to the former. It impacts on the economy, education and the food security of the household, creating a paradigm in which poverty is a challenge in stopping the HIV/AIDS epidemic and HIV/AIDS is a challenge in stopping poverty.
The Relevance of Political Theory to International Relations
Politicians rarely talk about progress as if they had been infected by the postmodern critique of Enlightenment but they do talk about “moving forward” without any indication of the meaning of forward or backward. Political theory attempts to clarify the reasons conservatives wish to conserve some practice or institution and radicals wish to reform some practices and “move forward.”
Accounting for the Resilience of the Taliban
Despite a considerable advantage in terms of manpower, weaponry, funding and logistics, the international military presence in Afghanistan has been unable to defeat the Taliban insurgency. In fact, it could perhaps be argued that the presence of foreign troops on Afghan soil has been the instrumental factor in allowing the Taliban to not only survive, but to expand and prosper.
The Responsibility to Protect: Libya and Beyond
Whilst Libya is no doubt important, it is but the tip of the iceberg. In the long run, timely and decisive action such as the international action in Libya will continue to be a recurrent but painful necessity. Yet, we will make most progress towards a world without mass atrocities by reducing the number of cases that become so acute and preventing crises from escalating to the point of imminent catastrophe.
Human Rights In The Middle East: Questions Of Compatibility And Conflict
The fact that the debate over whether Islam and human rights discourse are compatible is an example of how states in the Middle East continue to go through a transitional phase in regard to reforming laws and policies which infringe upon peoples rights. Post election violence in Iran and Iraq suggests that there is still a long way to go in terms of securing peace in security in the region.
The Enduring Relevance of Dag Hammarskjöld’s Characterization of Peacekeeping
Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary General of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961, steered the organisation through a period which saw it develop as a peacekeeper in a mould that would set the agenda for decades to come, particularly via the publication of the “Summary Study” in 1958, which established the foundations of classical peacekeeping.
Is Clausewitz or Sun Tzu more relevant to understanding contemporary war?
There is no strategic theory that can, yet, fully replace the classical strategists Sun Tzu and Clausewitz. The information age and modern technology have not altered the fundamental nature of war. As long as the nature of war remains unchanged, it is the same phenomenon that Sun Tzu contemplated millennia ago and that Clausewitz studied in the nineteenth century.
Does the European Union have a strategic culture?
The European Union does not currently have a strategic culture, but it is in a process of creating one and putting it into practice. But the real question is whether the European Union has the capacity to transition from a civilian to a strategic actor, by developing a concrete strategic culture and a higher level of autonomy for the EU regarding security and defence issues
Can the West build states in countries like Afghanistan?
The War in Afghanistan is now in its tenth year. The conflict has diversified as it has developed, evolving from a purely military confrontation against the Taliban to a multi-faceted state building and humanitarian operation in an attempt to defeat the resurgent insurgency and stabilise the Afghan state on a sufficiently pro-Western model.
To what extent has globalization aided the spread of democracy?
Globalization has entrenched and encouraged liberal democracy where it resides but in isolation can take little credit for spreading democracy globally. Moreover, globalization has been found to have a more pivotal and detrimental role in undermining democracy by providing networks and resources for anti-democratic forces.
