Parallels between the Bush Doctrine and Obama Administration Policy
The election of Barack Obama as president in 2009 was thought to be the symbolic end of the Bush doctrine and its associated neoconservative underpinnings. This essay however seeks to challenge this notion by examining the parallels between the Bush doctrine and the policies of the Obama administration.
North Korea in the Kim Jung-un Era, Where to Go?
The North Korean ‘Dear Leader’ Kim Jong-il unexpectedly passed away on 17th December. Now, Kim Jong-un comes under the political spotlight. The new North Korean leader is in his late 20s and has been so unknown to the outside world that a torrent of predictions on the future of North Korea is being suggested.
Does a positive definition of liberty inevitably lead to an excuse for tyranny and totalitarianism?
As an essay regarding political theory may seem a little out of place on e-International Relations. However, what world leaders, individuals and administrations as a whole, regard ‘freedom’, ‘equality’, ‘justice’ (and the like) to mean, has vast effects to both domestic and international affairs.
Sri Lanka: A Nation Moves On
As Sri Lanka emerges from the throes of a three-decade conflict, the opportunities and hope for a new tomorrow spring in the hearts and minds of all its peoples. The kaleidoscope of aspects to be addressed in order to bring the nation back on its feet is far from few.
Do IGOs Decrease the Possibility of Conflict?
Whether international institutions can promote and achieve a more peaceful world is a question that is being examined more and more in the study of international relations. Literature about this issue has further developed over the last 50 years, as the world has seen the rise of new international organizations and the integration of old ones.
Review – In My Time
Dick Cheney served as Vice President during one of the most controversial U.S. administrations in history. Those hoping for a greater insight into this divisive period, or wanting to better understand Cheney, will be disappointed by a memoir that offers little more than was already known.
Universals in a World of Difference: Human Rights in Sri Lanka
The international community is fixated on the protection of human rights, and sees only one route to do this: the expansion of liberal democracy. The interest in propagating these models produced the conditions for conflict to break out in Sri Lanka.
Is the Growing Criticism of the International Monetary Fund Justified?
The IMF is an international organisation that causes much debate. The neo-liberal ideological agenda, the control of the policy agenda by wealthy countries, and the conditionality attached to the loans it provides, all form the basis of worthy criticism.
The Role of the Economic Elite in Mexico’s Democratic Development
A widely held middle class critique of Mexico’s governing institutions is that politicians are accountable only to the private elites and do not respond to middle and lower class needs. Indeed, with a history of oligarchic-type rule and pervasive government corruption, private sector elites have consistently been major players in Mexican politics.
On the ‘War on War’ in Modern Geopolitics
The unilateral projection of peace could become a potent political lever and a game changer in international relations, yet ‘peacefare’ and a ‘peace arsenal’, including confidence-building measures and a conflict-quelling capability, have seldom been looked into.
