Defying the Modus Operandi: Anna Hazare, Corruption and Politics in India
Evoking the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, Anna Hazare’s anti-graft campaign has personified a core national concern in India against endemic corruption and its consequences. However, the potency of the anti-corruption movement, although widely acknowledged and supported, has far from clear ramifications.
Para-diplomatic theory and Welsh external relations
Sub-national politics is playing an ever more significant role in the way international policy is developed. Para-diplomatic theory provides a compelling thesis in describing the National Assembly for Wales on the international stage. The development of the Welsh Assembly since devolution in forwarding Welsh culture, language, and economic prosperity can be seen as a significant example of sub-state growth.
Review – John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon
As the product of a noted political scientist and longtime space policy specialist at George Washington University, John Logsdon’s John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon has been long awaited. It brings new insight into the history of the most spectacular U.S. and human space commitment ever accomplished.
On Multiculturalism, Islam, and the Far Right
The July 2011 attacks in Norway have once again brought the issues surrounding success of far right parties and movements to the fore in Europe, as well as governmental responses to immigration and immigrant integration. Although Anders Breivik attacked members of the Norwegian governing party, his “manifesto” focused on support for multiculturalism and the spread of Islam.
All That Works Is Obsolete: The Shortcomings of US COIN That Must Be Addressed
The western way of war, in which conflict is politics/policy by other means, need not be the only lens through which the military understands problems, even if it remains the only lens through which it operates. Insurgencies are not fought simply for political reasons but also for intractable social and cultural reasons, and this lesson must be further examined and understood.
British Diplomacy and Iranian Angst: British Iranian Relations, 1973 -1979
The Iranian pre-disposition to distrust the British has been referred to widely in both primary and secondary sources, yet has not been rigorously analysed in either its manifestations of effects. This essay will examine the effect of this cultural trait on the last six years of the reign of Mohammed Reza Shah, and on the conduct of British foreign policy during that period.
How can the media be successfully used for peacebuilding?
Access to information is a vital building block for lasting peace, yet media interventions are not a ‘quick fix’. While they may not be able to solve conflicts, there is certainly an important role for them in spurring debate, reconciling communities and changing behaviour towards peacebuilding.
Bluffing its way into power: Liberal-lite interventionism
I recently read an insightful blog entry by a doctoral candidate at LSE, John Collins. The entry neatly outlines how liberal intervention in Iraq impacted the foreign policies of Iran and North Korea, as well as discusses how NATO’s engagement in Libya relates to liberal interventionism.
Outsourcing the War on Terror? The Use of Private Military and Security Companies after 9/11
In the wake of 9/11, private actors have played an increasingly crucial role at both sides of the conflict. Not only is the war on terror a response to the unprecedented threat posed by non-state actors such as terrorist networks; it is also a conflict characterized by a growing role of commercial actors supporting bureaucracies and military organizations.
Somaliland: a modern state minus international recognition?
Does Somaliland exhibit modern state qualities? Are we witnessing the development of a ‘beacon of light’ in an otherwise war-torn area of Africa? Or is this an overly positive analysis, resulting in an idealistic, rather than realistic, approach to the problematic of statehood in the region?
