Who wanted to go to war over Korea in 1950?
‘To want’ is a strong word. This essay argues that an unqualified desire for war can hardly be attributed to Stalin, Truman or Mao, albeit with differences in the way and degree to which this is true for them individually. A concise historiography of the Korean War is followed by a tripartite analysis of the motivations the characterized the three leaders’ decision-making in the crucial years and months leading to the Korean War.
Premature Adulation in Sudan
On July 9th diplomats celebrated the birth of Africa’s newest country, South Sudan, like over-stimulated toddlers at a party. The media followed suit, with trivial and sometimes patronising stories about the new national anthem and flag, and the admittedly strange plan to create cities in the shapes of African animals. Sadly, those involved should have focused on the agenda items they failed to address before sending out the independence day invitations.
The Foreign Policy Impact of Privatized Intelligence
America is the only industrialized power that does not use its state intelligence apparatus to steal commercially valuable information on behalf of its domestic companies. What is happening today is that many US based firms are awakening to the advantages that their overseas rivals have gained from intelligence and adopting these practices themselves to fight back.
Mexico City’s Water Crisis and Community Activism
Mexico City’s urban water crisis is the result of a long history of poor resource management and negligible citizen activism on water governance. Viewing water as a human right, rather than an economic good, could form the basis for community involvement and improve access and affordability.
Review – America’s Allies and War
The most outstanding aspect of ‘America’s Allies and War’ is the systematic and even-handed manner in which it demolishes popular notions of alliance politics, such as the depiction of European NATO allies as free-riding pacifists, whilst making an important theoretical contribution to the burden-sharing literature and International Relations scholarship in general.
Has Palestine Had Enough Of Fayyad?
Salam Fayyad, the western-educated economist/Prime Minister of the West Bank, has been the point man for western backed development efforts throughout Palestine. With the controversial vote on Palestinian statehood approaching and the reconciliation of Fatah and Hamas nearly complete, Fayyad may soon find himself a victim of the inconsistencies and contradictions in his national strategy.
Follow the Money: DPRK Style
After a stalemate of slightly over three years, diplomats are resuscitating the Six Party Talks, negotiations started in 2008 between the United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia, and China in an effort to denuclearize North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and mitigate the brinkmanship of the Kim Jong Il regime.
The Linked Challenges of Global Climate Change and Local Peace
The UN Security Council recently met to debate the risks of climate change to global peace and security. Yet, practical measures to address these goals remain superficial, off-target & isolated. Now is the time to shift our focus from direct environmental impacts to broader threats at a local level.
Is Patriotism Just Obedience? Hong Kong Under the National Security Law
Historical precedents, symbolic instruments and contemporary strategies converge to shape Hongkongers’ understanding of sovereignty, identity, and patriotism.
Assad’s Syria and the Second Partitionist Age That Never Was
People can move across continents quicker and cheaper than ever, so seeking entirely new borders based on snapshot demographic pictures has become more futile.
