Discuss the view that globalization is increasingly rendering the state meaningless
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
Most of the theories pertaining to International Relations highlight the centrality of the state on the international scene. The Nation-state has been characterized by the principle of sovereignty since the Westphalia Treaty in 1648. A good definition of sovereignty can be found in the book on...
The evolution of EU-American relationships: From obedience to independence? - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 6 pages - International relations
The EU-US relations were the basis upon which global institutions were built at the end of World War II, they permitted the creation of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization. They were responsible for forging the framework still used to...
What are the main milestones in the emergence of the Palestinian problem and the Arab-Israeli conflict?
Essay - 8 pages - International relations
In January 2006, the Islamic militant group Hamas won the Palestinian Parliamentary elections, with 42,2% of the votes. The election in Palestine of a group that remains committed to an armed struggle, the destruction of Israel and retaliatory attacks on Israeli civilians shows that nearly sixty...
Britain is widely regarded as the 'awkward partner' in europe: how accurate is this assessment? - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
“We have our own dreams and our own tasks. We are in Europe, but not part of it. We are linked, but not combined. We are interested and associated, but not integrated.” Winston Churchill's famous quote aptly describes Britain's approach to European integration since the inception of...
The United States and international religious freedom - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
In 1998, the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) created both the International Religious Freedom Office in the Department of State and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Since then, a report has been produced every year within the United States, "reviewing...
What impact might Canberra and Washington's close relationship have on Australia's future?
Essay - 16 pages - International relations
The world has witnessed rampant changes at a faster pace ever since the end of the Cold War. The beginning of the 21st century illustrates and highlights this idea of quick changes. Thus, changes in terms of increased terrorism, the new American foreign policy and the rise of China are few...
What is the role of the state in international Politics? - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
International Politics is based upon two main theories, Realism and Liberalism. These theories are conventionally opposed, and therefore give two different interpretations of world politics. This essay will focus on the stances of these theories upon the role of the state. However, before...
Can states achieve cooperation in the international system?
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
“International cooperation is a subject of manifesting importance for anyone concerned about the prospects for world peace and order” because today cooperation is everywhere: in economics with the WTO, in politics with the UN and even in security issues with the NATO. International...
Can Clausewitz's concepts of genius, friction and the centre of gravity be applied to the war on terror?
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
Ever since evolution, man-kind has been moving hand in hand with war. Just like people, war has evolved too and never stayed the same over a period of time. Wars, such as the ones fought by the Vikings or Barbarians, and the wars of the Roman Empire already revealed elaborate tactics (infamous...
Why has the UN Charter remained a central plank of international order, even though it was formulated in wartime by only a few of the victorious powers? - published: 29/09/2010
Essay - 6 pages - International relations
If we had had this Charter a few years ago-and above all, the will to use it- millions, now dead, would be alive. If we should falter in the future in our will to use it, millions, now living, will surely die.' (Truman) This statement delivered by Truman reveals the ambitions of the Charter...
Operation "Althea" in Bosnia and Herzegovine: the European security and Defence policy (ESDP) coming of age?
Essay - 14 pages - International relations
The European Union (EU) is a newcomer in the business of peace support operations. Of course, its members have long been involved in almost any sort of non-Article 5 (NATO/WEU) mission in the past, and they still are today. But they have usually done so under other flags than the EU one. Even if...
The UN reform and the definition of terrorism
Essay - 10 pages - International relations
This paper has three aims. The first is to introduce the semantic and political implications of defining terrorism within the United Nations: what would a definition of terrorism in such an international organization mean? Is it even acceptable? What would such an agreement imply? The second aim...
Describe the major differences in interests and perspectives of the member states of the European Union on Iraq and the US policy
Essay - 15 pages - International relations
The Iraq conflict uncovers difficulties for the member states of the European Union to find a common position in the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy. This essay describes the major differences in the interest and perspectives of the member governments on Iraq, and the US policy....
A research proposal for the Masters Thesis; Environment and Trade in the Word Trade Organization
Essay - 9 pages - International relations
The global environmental issues include climate change, ozone depletion, marine dumping, deforestation, and biodiversity. However the objective of my thesis is not to provide detailed scientific treatment of the nature of the major environmental challenges facing the world , but rather to explore...
The State, War, and the State of War by Kalevi J. Holsti (1996)
Book review - 7 pages - International relations
The State, War and the State of War has been published in 1996. Its author, Kalevi J. Holsti is a professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. This book is based on his previous study: Peace and War: armed conflicts and International Order 1648-1989. The work was...
ETA and the role of the Spanish government in the war on terrorism
Essay - 13 pages - International relations
Basque nationalists claim that there has always been Basque speaking people (speaking Euskera- the name of the Basque language) in the territory that extends from Bordeaux in the north to Zaragoza and Burgos in the South and to Santander in the West. Such claims are not believed to be true by...
Economic and commercial consideration in the American foreign policy
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
The American imperialism began about 100 years ago, in 1890, with the end of the Frontier, an imaginary line that separated civilization from wilderness and that was constantly moving towards west. When the whole territory was conquered, it was like a shock in American mentality and it actually...
The Grand Chessboard by Zbigniew Brzezinski
Essay - 6 pages - International relations
Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter's Security Adviser between 1977 and 1981, is currently a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a Professor at Johns Hopkins University and used to teach at Harvard and Columbia. ‘The Grand Chessboard - American...
Why is the Middle East so important for the United States?
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
The Middle East is politically as complex as its position on a map suggests: an addition of states with imprecise and moving borders, situated at the strategic crossing between Europe, Africa and Asia; this juxtaposition of small- and middle-range powers with no big powers is a real threat to...
The political involvement in the context of war: A moral dilemma for NGOS
Essay - 7 pages - International relations
Nowadays, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are subject to ethical dilemmas when it comes to accomplishing their goals. When helping people, irrespective of the approach used, it is important to consider both the environment, to adapt oneself to it and the consequences of the aid provided....
The drug trade
Essay - 6 pages - International relations
In the shuffle of the post Cold War geopolitics of transnational threats, drug trafficking suddenly appeared as one of the new major threats to the world order. Yet the drug trade has undergone a long time-span evolution over several centuries. This challenge to regional security is all the more...
How to prevent another desert war?
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
My purpose here is not to draw the historical background of the Western Sahara conflict (as it has already been done) but to give some insights on how to prevent another war in the unstable area of Maghreb. The Western Sahara is known to be the last colony of the world that has existed in spite...
Jihad Vs. McWorld by Benjamin Barber. Two opposite tendencies that threaten democracy
Essay - 5 pages - International relations
Benjamin R. Barber is a professor of political science and director of the Whitman Center at Rutgers University. His popular books are Strong Democracy (1984), An aristocracy of Everyone (1992), and Jihad Vs. McWorld (Times Books, 1995). Jihad Vs. McWorld, his last book was published in the...
China-Middle East relations and how the natural resources affect their relations
Thesis - 6 pages - International relations
It remains without a doubt that the economic boom that China has witnessed in the last few decades had many implications for other regions of the world, including the Middle East. To fuel its ever increasing production and consumption patterns, and its ultimate search for economic profit, China...
Genocide prevention and the UN convention
Tutorials/exercises - 5 pages - International relations
The term genocide comes from the Greek word genos, which means race or tribe and the Latin word cide, which means killing . The word genocide only appeared in the indictment for Nuremberg trail, neither in its Charter nor its judgment. For this trial, the crime of genocide has actually been...
US/Chinese foreign relations, from Sino-Soviet split to Nixon's visit to Beijing
Tutorials/exercises - 11 pages - International relations
China, the world's most populous nation, came under communist rule in 1949. In the previous decades, the Chinese Empire had been racked by political turmoil. In 1911, the collapse of the imperial Manchu dynasty instigated the rise of regional warlords and of revolutionary and reformist...
The economic impact of terrorism and the global security structure
Thesis - 5 pages - International relations
The beginning of the 21st century was highlighted by the 9/11 incident and it marked the apogee of the era of international terrorism. Since 9/11, terrorism threats are more and more in the center of national and international political decisions. This strong interaction with domestic and foreign...
Conflict in China, Tibet and Taiwan
Thesis - 2 pages - International relations
The conflicts between China, Tibet, and Taiwan have a long history, though the most recent issues between the areas stem from the effects of the Cultural Revolution and the expulsion of the nationalists from the country. When the communists came to power under the leadership of Mao, the...
Power equations in South East Asia
Thesis - 5 pages - International relations
This article deals with the major power equations that have a strong bearing on Southeast Asia's international relations. Although the interactions between the major powers have a significant impact on the region, it must not be assumed that the region is merely a passive onlooker. The South East...
Conflicts between India and Pakistan: Nuclear weapon possession- a major cause of conflict in the region
Thesis - 7 pages - International relations
The two nuclear powers of the Indian subcontinent, India and Pakistan have a serious dispute which dates back to the time of their independence from the British Empire in 1947. A difference of opinion at the time of independence led to the partition of the subcontinent and the creation of the...
