NGOs: Representing civil society at the WTO?
Thesis - 7 pages - International relations
In 1994, the Marrakech Agreement established the World Trade Organization (WTO), one of many suprastate institutions that were created all along the 20th century. The purpose of this organization is to regulate all trade activities between its Member states, by providing “the common...
The "Memorial Laws"
Tutorials/exercises - 13 pages - Social, moral & civic education
In the first part of this paper, I give an account of a recent controversy that arose in France and in which historians played a significant role. This controversy involves a number of actors: the French government, which passed the so-called “memorial laws”; the interest groups that...
How to reform the UN security council and why?
Thesis - 3 pages - International relations
The Security Council is usually considered as the most important organ of the UNO. Primarily “responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security” , the Security Council has huge responsibilities and thus needs legitimacy to fulfill its mission. There has been a great...
The evolution of the closer relationship between the United States and India
Thesis - 14 pages - International relations
Since its independence and the end of the cold war, India has evolved considerably. Nowadays, India's power is rising like its influence on the international scene and the emergence of India as a major Asian power is a matter of fact. Indeed, thanks to diverse advantageous characteristics, India...
The role of the European Union in the democratisation of Central and Eastern Europe
Essay - 8 pages - International relations
In the concept of « consolidation of democracy », two aspects can lead to misunderstanding. Firstly, one can interrogate on the direction towards which such a consolidation is supposed to tend, as the word « consolidation » implies that democracy already exists, as something is bound to exist if...
Democracy in Nigeria at the dawn of the 21st century
Thesis - 6 pages - Political science
“« Democracy is good, » says Godwin Eweye, a video-store owner, « but Nigeria is not yet fully democratic. »” A few days only after Nigeria's 2003 parliamentary elections, this local comment illustrates the enduring difficulties that the country faces in its attempt to consolidate its...
What is the function of representation in Hobbes conception of political power as presented in the Leviathan?
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
The notion of Representation is a key feature in democratic regimes. More stable than the direct participation of the people into political life, it supposes that the institutions of the State reflect the composition and the wishes of the people. A simple look at the title of the book-the...
Why has the European Court of Justice been so central to the process of integration?
Thesis - 10 pages - European union
“Law is often still treated as if it were a separate field, clearly distinct from the economic or political spheres” . As the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has never been given a lot of media coverage, most of the time, its role in the integration process is either disregarded or...
The reasons for Britain's slow economic growth in the 1970s
Tutorials/exercises - 5 pages - Economy general
Britain already had experienced economic difficulties in the 1960s, but the concerns did not grow since the overall standard of living was keeping on rising. On the contrary, the 1970s proved to be much more worrying economically, as they presented a sluggish and lasting economic performance -the...
International organisations and sovereignty
Thesis - 3 pages - International relations
The French campaign for the referendum on the European Constitution has perfectly shown the fear of a loss of state sovereignty due to the European Union within the political elite as well as within the society. With the increase of international organisations, that can be defined as “a...
Social welfare system in transition: The reform of the pension system
Essay - 8 pages - Social, moral & civic education
The transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, from communism to democracy, and from unitary to a federal state had extreme consequences for the overall welfare of Russian population: including health services, social protection, and pension system. The Plan for Social and...
Is it conceivable that you might survive the death of your body?
Thesis - 4 pages - Social, moral & civic education
If somebody thinks thoroughly about life, he will naturally come across the thought of death. We see death as a natural consequence of life. Everyone is not agreeing on the meaning of death though. Some see it as the end of everything, a total annihilation; others see it as the start of a new...
Russian and French Economies
Thesis - 9 pages - Economy general
Russia is the biggest country in the world and is ranked 7th for its population with 143 million of inhabitants. The country is today one of the 10th most important economy in the world. In fact, Russia is situated at the 14th world rank concerning its total GDP for 2005 with approximately 763...
International relations, theory and practice: the Second Kashmir war
Thesis - 5 pages - International relations
I will deal in this essay with the Second Kashmir War, which was a war between India and Pakistan in 1965. We will see how we can interpret the causes and the origins of the war, and the way it was ended and solved. I chose to use two different theories to interpret the Indo-Pakistani war of...
Poverty in Russia
Essay - 12 pages - Economy general
Russia is the biggest country in the world and is also today one of the 10th most important economy in the world. In fact, Russia is situated at the 14th world rank concerning its total GDP for 2005 with approximately 763 000 million $, and at the 10th world rank concerning its PPP GDP for 2005...
How do the Federal Republic of Germany, Fifth Republic France and post-war Italy fulfil the criteria of Lijphart's 'majoritarian' and 'consensus' models of democracies?
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
This essay will attempt to analyse the Federal Republic of Germany, Fifth Republic France and post-war Italy thanks to Lijphart's work Democracy (1984). Lijphart classifies the ‘majoritarian' model (or ‘Westminster model') and the ‘consensual model', in function of specific...
Politics is just show-business for ugly people
Essay - 5 pages - Social, moral & civic education
On October 7, 2003, the 2003 California recall resulted in Governor Gray Davis being recalled with 55.4% of the Yes vote. Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California under the second question on the ballot. On this day, a large majority of the world population discovered,...
The budgetary implication of the European Union's May 2004 enlargement
Essay - 5 pages - European union
On 1 May 2004 Europe celebrates the entrance of ten new members in the European Union but behind the fireworks and the celebrations, Brussels has to adapt itself to this new generation of the European project. One of the most important points is the budgetary issue. History has shown that the...
The EU and the disintegration of Yugoslavia
Essay - 5 pages - European union
In order to better understand the disintegration of Yugoslavia at the beginning of the 1990s, it is interesting to recall that Yugoslavia was first created in 1918, and was dismembered firstly during World War Second. Then, it has been dismembered once more with the collapse of the USSR at the...
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...
To what extent is the British newspaper market is a pluralist market?
Essay - 5 pages - Social, moral & civic education
According to former MP William Hague, Britain 'has a great and vibrant tradition of a free and pluralist press and media, rich in its diversity and opinions.'(Hague; 2000). It is true that in the past decades, the British newspaper market has always been referred to as being effervescent...
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...
Should illegal immigrants be legalised in the USA?
Thesis - 3 pages - Political science
While the Spanish government legalised 600,000 undocumented workers in May 2005 and the French Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy is currently trying to get his bill reinforcing control over illegal immigrants passed through the French National Assembly, the United States, traditionally...
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...
Positive-Normative distinction
Thesis - 3 pages - Economy general
The methodology in economics is important because it gives us a better understanding of the economic analysis. The purpose of economic theory is to provide a comprehensive framework for the study of human behaviour declares Gary Becker (1976). As the aim of the economy for governments is to...
'Prime ministers are already 'presidential', and are becoming more presidential': examples of United Kingdom, Italy and France
Thesis - 4 pages - Political science
In most European countries, Prime ministers are the major figure of the political game. They have a wide interface, with the media (both at a national and international level), and with their population, even if they are never called the “head of states”. Many political scientists have...
Why has the development experience of sub-Saharan Africa diverged markedly from that of other developing regions?
Essay - 6 pages - Economy general
The recent images of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa dying on the border of the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla reminded the Northern opinion of the reality of life in the poorest region in the world . Migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa flee such horrible conditions of life, and such a...
Communication & youth
Thesis - 6 pages - Social, moral & civic education
The media view of youth is hardly encouraging. We read about hoodies, ‘happy slapping', teenage pregnancy, drugs, STDs. And these days too, we find part of the world's youth actively turning themselves into would-be suicide bombers. So, why do we get so obsessed about marketing to them?...
Children and conflict: Afghan children and post conflict processes
Essay - 5 pages - Social, moral & civic education
Historically, the processes of securing peace, reconciliation and reconstructing a country have neglected the specific needs and rights of children. However, the approach to the role of children in post conflict societies is slowly changing. To ensure the long-term peace, security and development...
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...
