The EU Foreign Policy - Myth or Reality?
Essay - 21 pages - International relations
European Union (EU) critics are a very heterogenic group. Amongst them, there are people who think that this organization has too many responsibilities. Sometimes this disapproval is summarized in only one word: ‘Brussels', the city where several institutions of the EU and especially the...
In spite of its record of failure the EU continues to try to develop a common foreign policy. Why?
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
The European Union is often described as an “economical giant but political pigmy” . The Union is indeed the first commercial power in the world, but its political representation on the global stage is weak. From many points of view, the former attempts to develop a common foreign...
The Trans-Afghan pipeline project: History, stakes and perspectives
Thesis - 8 pages - International relations
World competition around the natural resources of Central Asia and the Caspian is not new, but the collapse of the Soviet empire has revived it. This region, believed to possess huge oil and gas reserves, is also a point of contact of different civilizations and an arena for several competing...
Are there 'just wars'?
Thesis - 5 pages - International relations
The notion of 'just war' can be considered as a moral philosophy of the War debating the legitimacy of wars and the way wars are made. The existence of just wars thus supposes that violence can be ethical. However, it has to be underlined that even for the just wars theoreticians, war is...
Why has there been no reform of the UN?
Thesis - 4 pages - International relations
“Reform is the purposeful act of modifying the structure, composition, decision-making procedures, working methods, funding or staffing of an institution in order to enhance its efficiency and/or effectiveness in advancing its core goals and principles.” Considering this definition, and...
Decision Making: Will the US Attack Iran?
Essay - 3 pages - International relations
Iran has always been a major concern in United States foreign policy. With almost seventy million inhabitants, three times the population of Iraq, the former Persia is a key actor in the Middle East. The diplomatic relations between America and Iran have fluctuated according to regime changes....
Morality study: Iraqi refugees under American policies
Essay - 9 pages - International relations
Political theorists have debated for centuries the responsibility of countries to protect the victims of humanitarian crises. Sine the earliest days of international law, Grotius, Kant and Vattel have attempted to strike a balance between realist interests and the duty to help those most in...
Russia in the 20th century: The Geneva Conference and peaceful coexistence
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
A study of the Soviet press' portrayal of the Geneva conference and the Western powers provides an insight into the role of the press in shaping public opinion for the state and against the West. Furthermore, the image of Soviet-American relations in the press undercuts the tense reality of...
The United States and Latin America in the 21st century: Recommendations for a sound and sustainable foreign policy
Essay - 7 pages - International relations
Traditionally, the relationship between the United States and Latin America has been marked by periods of ups and downs, and often indifference. Over the past decade, the latter has largely settled in. However, in view of the region's increased global profile and reach, devising a healthy...
Delusions of Soviet power and the American military-industrial complex
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
The Cold War period for the United States and indeed, the world was one of turbulence and uncertainty. The conclusion of World War II saw the clash of two major world powers, each replete with the awesome capability of nuclear weapons. For the first time in history the human race intentionally...
The Baghdad crucible
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
What is going on in Iraq since the 2003 invasion and, by extension, since long before during Operation Desert Storm is in many ways a paradigm—an ever-evolving view into a society that has, for internal and external reasons, become one of the most turbulent areas in the Middle East and in...
The effect of USSR on Cuba
Essay - 6 pages - International relations
The second half of the 20th century saw a great deal of USSR involvement in Cuba economically, politically, and militarily. The USSR contributed large amounts of money, weapons, subsidized goods, and other aid to the Cuban government lead by Fidel Castro. Cuba underwent a great many changes...
Were Bulgaria & Romania ready to join the EU? A discussion on the EU membership of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007
Essay - 11 pages - International relations
In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union. Bearing completely different economic and socio-political features than most of the older EU members, particularly their Western partners, Bulgaria and Romania are the poorest among the EU-27 member states. Since they started altering their...
Critically analyse the decision in the House of Lords' decision in the American Accord
Essay - 9 pages - International relations
The globalisation of trade brings with it greater risks than internal trade, with the differences in business practices, application of local law, combined with external political factors . The four main risks applicable when dealing with global trade are foreign law and the ambiguity of what...
The U.S. intelligence system post 9/11
Essay - 7 pages - International relations
September 11, 2001 marked a turning point in American history. The terrorist attacks which transpired that day brought the country into a struggle against a foreign enemy that had no boundaries or limits. The U.S. population was outraged and felt vulnerable. At the time, the government saw it...
U.S. immigration policy: Cuba vs. Haiti
Case study - 10 pages - International relations
United States immigration policy towards Haitian and Cuban immigrants is often discussed for its discrepancies. Historically, both countries have experienced political and economic instability that have inevitably led to massive out migration, a large portion of which headed towards the U.S....
The clash of civilizations or the clash of ignorance?
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
The end of the Cold War marked a turning point in international politics and in the way in which political scientists defined world conflicts. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States became the sole hegemonic power. Academics rushed to demarcate future sources of conflict and fault...
The Melting Pot
Essay - 6 pages - International relations
America is country proud to call itself a melting pot of different people, cultures, and languages. With the exception of Native Americans, who lived off the land for thousands of years before the discovery of “the new world,” every one in the U.S. is an immigrant or came from...
Caucas-o-vision: White portrayal of African Americans in television
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
With the rising number of television sets in American households post World War II, came hope that this unprecedented tool of mass media would bridge the socioeconomic, racial, and cultural divides splintering the county. However, since television's conception in the late 1930's, it has further...
Differences and commonalities between 'Realist' writers such as Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes and Morgenthau
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
Although realism, as a discipline in International Relations has only been around since the Second World War, it has a tradition that can be traced back to the time of the ancient Greeks. The fact that realism still provides a viable, though frequently criticized theory in politics can be owed...
Does collapse of the state, genocide or ethnic cleansing justify intervention?
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
Although the dilemma of intervention is not new, it emerged as a main topic of debate after the Cold War. The dilemma is whether to intervene in countries where gross human rights violations occur or to respect the sovereignty of the states. Even though a state has a right to sovereignty, thus is...
The impact of nazism, if any, on German foreign policy in the period 1933-39
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
Although it is never only one country that is fully responsible for the outbreak of a war, it can be agreed that the pre-war expansionist foreign policy of Germany was the triggering act behind the start of the Second World War. Therefore it is important to understand what affected German foreign...
Does the origins of the Cold War lie in the politics of the Second World War?
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
Although the first half of the twentieth century had been more hectic because of the frequent battles of the opposing powers in the two world wars, the second half of the century, the decades of the Cold War can be characterised as more tense because of the lack of direct clashes between the two...
Amnesty International: An "Indie" Organization
Tutorials/exercises - 3 pages - International relations
“Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person,” states the third article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted this declaration in 1948. The members of the Non-Governmental organization, Amnesty...
Wars have their ultimate roots in the nature of human beings. Do you agree?
Essay - 3 pages - International relations
The continuing importance of wars in international relations poses the question, where wars actually originate. Are they the inventions of the states , mere accidents of history or as indicated, they are ultimately rooted in human nature. In this essay I will try to find an answer to this...
Are economic sanctions a moral alternative to force?
Case study - 5 pages - International relations
Having witnessed so many wars in history, it would seem an obvious answer that any other solution than force should be welcomed for resolving conflicts in international politics. Economic sanctions, as means of economic statecraft has frequently been used as an alternative. However, not only its...
Critical assessment of the relationships between sovereignty, the nation and the offshore world.
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
Although in the contemporary world of globalization, international organizations and institutions blur boundaries between nations and the existence of state sovereignty is frequently questioned, these concepts can still be regarded as points of departure in international politics. Moreover, in...
Examining issues of credible commitment from third parties in the Middle East and Aceh, Indonesia
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
There are universal aims for international intervention in conflict resolution that should be used as a guide by all third parties. Kimberly Maynard mentions some of these aims in her book, Healing Communities in Conflict: International Assistance in Complex Emergencies, addressing issues of...
Kosovo in the International Arena
Essay - 6 pages - International relations
Kosovo is located in the southern province of the Republic of Serbia in Western Balkans (see Appendix One). The administrative capital is Pristina and the province is separated into thirty municipalities. Kosovo's last official census in 1991 registered its approximately two million population to...
Nationalist movements that took place in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam in an effort to overthrow colonial rule
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
A little known history professor once argued that the colonization that took place in Southeast Asia during the nineteenth century occurred in fundamentally the same manner. Colonial powers entered the country, subjugated the local people and exploited valuable resources for economic and...
