Opinion – Responsible Business Conduct in Times of War
EU Member States should ensure that mandatory due diligence legislation is effective in those areas of the world where the risks of human rights violations are most severe.
European Crises and Right-Wing Populism: The Case of Lega Nord
In the post-truth age, right-wing populist parties such as Lega Nord offered an array of unrestrained ‘truths’ and managed to purposely distort problems and solutions in order to gain popularity and power.
Beyond Post-Truth: I-War and the Desire to be an Ethical All-American
The truth is divided and incomplete because the subject is barred from knowing the complete truth of their own subjectivity. By understanding this, we can begin to build a different democracy.
Ukraine and the Failure of the Responsibility to Protect Norm
The United Nations has lost its legitimacy to prevent wars of aggression that underlie the very foundation of its existence.
Mongolian Independence and the British: Twentieth-Century Geopolitical Notes
The border that passes between autonomy and independence is repeated today in the space of confrontation between the Central Tibetan Administration and the Government of China.
Review – Constructing the Responsibility to Protect
This excellent volume provides a coherent package of the debates on R2P in theory and practice, highlighting its continually contested nature.
Opinion – Supply Chains and War: The Importance of Baku’s Port
As the war in Ukraine continues, Azerbaijan’s Port of Baku stands out as a critical transportation node that unites Central Asia with the Caucasus, Turkey and Europe.
Review – The Wretched Atom
Jacob Hamblin’s empirically rich and engaging book delves into the hidden American and Soviet agendas behind the promotion of nuclear technologies in the 20th century.
The Cause of Positivism’s Dominance
This essay will critically analyse the notion that there is a fundamental difference between the tasks of ‘explaining’ (comprehending ‘causes’) and ‘understanding’ (comprehending ‘reasons’). First, the essay will examine the emergence of the sharp division, which has come to be accepted as existent between ‘explaining’ (which is advocated by positivists) and ‘understanding’ (which is advocated by post-positivists). Second, one important consequence of the division will be demonstrated by showing how the intellectual battles between positivists and post-positivists, as well as the occasional attempts at reconciliation between them, have been instrumental in positivism’s dominance. Finally, the work of Milja Kurki will be drawn upon to argue that the concept of causation should be broadened, thereby exposing the interrelated nature of ‘explaining’ and ‘understanding’ without reducing one to the other. This will allow for positivism’s dominance to be effectively challenged.
The politics of Roxana Saberi’s imprisonment
The controversial imprisonment by Iranian authorities of Roxana Saveri, an American citizen, has occurred just as there was an expectation of a thaw in Iranian-US relations. In March, president Obama used the occasion of the Iranian New Year to send a promising message to Tehran. Although, he did not impress every faction of the Iranian political elite, his commitment to a “new approach” was seen as a potential breakthrough for Iranian-US relations.
