What Did Abdulhamid II Identify as the Principal Threats to his Caliphate?
The prestige that was vested in the seat of Caliph rested on the physical strength and success of the Empire. Unlike his ancestors, Abdulhamid was unable to guarantee either. War with Russia and the partition of the Empire at the Congress of Berlin had brought his main basis of authority into question.
Gates’ Parting Shot
What NATO has demonstrated in the past 20 years is its utility as facilitator of action by its members, deployed on the basis of what are seen as the compelling strategic and political judgements of the time. Despite this, US Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates, has recently warned of a dismal future for the transatlantic alliance. Yet we should not assume that the Alliance is condemned to possible irrelevance.
Negotiation: The Challenge of Achieving a Long-term Relationship
Tough economic times have presented negotiators globally with new challenges both in business deal-making and conflict resolution. Long-term relationships are becoming cost and time effective as they open the way for future multiple synergies, against short-termed visions or one-sided interests.
British and French Colonial Attitudes Towards the Arab World
Britain and France were influenced by their own special interests, which, for the British, was principally the maintenance of peace, trade and oil; whilst the French interest was one of maintaining a presence in the area. These would provide the framework towards the mandated territories both respectively administered.
Why Was India Partitioned at Independence?
India was partitioned at Independence on 15th August 1947 into two distinct nations: a newly-established and principally Muslim state of Pakistan, and a Hindu dominated India. The fact that such a division occurred on religious lines means that partition was the logical and inevitable outcome of the irreconcilable opposition between Hindus and Muslims.
An East Asian Development Fund for North Korea?
The United States is short of good ideas on dealing with Pyongyang. One policy that is sometimes advocated is a ‘wait and see’ approach. But those holding their breath waiting for North Korea’s government to collapse should try not to suffocate. Even the 1994 famine that killed an estimated 500,000 to 3 million people did not trigger regime collapse.
Radical Islam: both a product of globalisation and a serious challenge to it?
Radical Islam has come to play a very significant position within the international realm. It has taken terrorism, which was always a weapon of the weak, though usually with little perceived effect, and created what can be seen as a quite considerable challenge to globalisation and the international community.
Why is ‘historical memory’ still so significant in understanding German foreign and security policy?
From the Holocaust memorial, to the deliberately unrecovered foundations of Gestapo headquarters, to rare war-era buildings bearing the scars of Red Army gunfire, links to the Nazi-era and the associated ‘historical memory’ has maintained a grip on the German psyche.
What role does the AIDS pandemic play in accounting for poverty in sub-Saharan Africa?
This paper will highlight the significance of the AIDS pandemic in South Saharan Africa and assess the linkages between HIV/AIDS and poverty, both at a macro and micro level. It will argue that the dynamics of the epidemic are a cause as well as a symptom of poverty and underdevelopment in the region.
Making it Political: the Challenge to the Monarchy
The recent royal wedding was marketed as a charming British romance. Next year will be the diamond jubilee when citizens of the Commonwealth will be asked to ‘celebrate’ the fact that the Queen has been an unelected Head of State for 60 years. Republicans should seize this chance to challenge the dominant narrative of the monarchy.
