Pluralism, democracy, and citizenship
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
‘Most people think that democratic decisions have special moral force - which we have good reasons to obey laws that are democratically chosen. If this is true, why is it true? If it's not true, why is it not?' Democracy is commonly regarded as the best, or the least bad, political...
Issues in and around Liberal Theory: What is Liberalism?
Essay - 7 pages - Philosophy
“In this essay I shall propose a theory about what liberalism is”. Dworkin's project is here clearly exposed. And, as most political thinkers when they try to define a coherent theory at the fundaments of actual political movements, “I face an immediate problem. My project supposes...
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...
Citizenship & Democracy: Civil Society and the Democratization of Kosovo
Case study - 5 pages - Political science
The emergence of Kosovo as a modern nation-state is a recent development, tracing its immediate roots to the 1990s. At this time Kosovo was still a province of Serbia and under the authority of Serbia's leader, Slobodan Milosevic. Milosevic went to extreme measures to put down the insurgency...
Democracy and totalitarism
Thesis - 6 pages - Philosophy
Nowadays the term ‘democracy ‘has become a widespread reality which is practically accepted everywhere. Even China's leaders argue that their country is on the path to democracy but “it needs time” (Wen Jiabao, China's Prime Minister). Nevertheless many...
The paradox of American democracy (Chap. 1), by John B. Judis
Thesis - 3 pages - Journalism
John B. Judis is a senior editor at The New Republic, where he is working since 1982. He graduated at the University of California at Berkeley in 1965 and taught philosophy there later on. He was an active leftist activist during the 60es and founded the leftwing journal The Socialist Revolution...
Archon Fung and Deliberative Democracy: How Educated Voters can Determine Their Own Best Interests
Thesis - 5 pages - Political science
A government led by representatives of the people has seemingly become the accepted method of representing the wants and needs of the masses. Yet it is easy to see how these people in power may have more ability to influence the desire of the voters rather than allowing the voters' interest...
Former Soviet Republics of Central Asia and democracy
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
Nowadays, Central Asia can be considered as the “Heartland”, that is to say the center of geopolitical positioning, given the abundance of natural resources in the region. Indeed this area, particularly Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, benefits from oil and natural gas reserves among the...
Liberalism: What are the main concepts of liberalism?
Essay - 4 pages - Philosophy
Liberalism is a philosophy, or political movement that has, for an aim, the development of individual freedom. Since the concept of freedom evolved over time, liberalism evolved as well. However, some core assumptions never changed. First, let us consider how all the core concepts of liberalism...
How effective is the communitarian critique of liberalism? Use Rawls, Sendel and McIntyre to organise your arguments
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
Communitarianism is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes the importance of community in the functioning of political life, in the analysis and evaluation of political institutions, and in understanding human identity and well-being. It was developed in the 1980s and '90s in...
A critical review of Downs, A. (1957) 'An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy', Journal of Political Economy, 65(2): 135-150
Case study - 3 pages - Political science
In his seminal work “An economic Theory of Political Action in Democracy” Anthony Downs suggests that traditional economic theory is united in its exclusion of the impact of government as an economic agent. He sets out to address this issue by creating a model that sets key...
The United States and the World: A New World Order?
Course material - 7 pages - Political science
We remember George Bush's optimism in 1990: he had announced "A New World Order", resting on the promotion of liberal democracy and free enterprise everywhere, resting on the UN (at last again effective due to the end of the Cold War) and on American benevolent hegemony. One...
Assess why the era of embedded liberalism (1945-1974) came to an end
Essay - 6 pages - Philosophy
One of the most important events of the 1970s was the end of the era of embedded liberalism; it brought about a change in the world order. Embedded liberalism was weakened, if not undermined, not by neo-protectionism, but by neo-liberalism (Adrian Jones 2005). Neo-liberalism entails heightened...
The liberal and neo-liberal theories applied to the Kosovo crisis in 1998-1999
Essay - 4 pages - International relations
Kosovo is mostly known as a region in the former Yugoslavia where, in 1998 and 1999, there was growing violence between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which sought independence from Serbia, and the Serbian army and police, which were randomly attacking the province of the indigenous Albanian...
Contemporary Spanish history
Course material - 19 pages - Modern history
Valencia Decree (May 1814): Abolished the Cadiz Constitution, reinstated absolutism, and nullified prior reforms. It's the return of the Inquisition, the restoration of feudal systems, and harsh measures against liberals and afrancesados, leading to imprisonment, exile, and executions....
The United States and the World: The Sources and Tools of American Foreign Policy
Course material - 8 pages - Modern history
There is undoubtedly an American exceptionalism: the US considers itself since the 18th century to be different from Europe. It has seen itself from the beginning as a universal model: the “American way of life” (linking most strongly liberal democracy and free enterprise,...
The United States and the end of the Cold War (1989-1990)
Course material - 4 pages - Modern history
President George H. Bush was elected in November 1988. He had to steer the end of the Cold War, 1989-1990. His team was different from Reagan's, although he had been his vice-president: there were no neo-conservatives; the new Administration was more adept of Kissinger's prudent line....
From left to right: The most liberal conservative, feminist and socialist group in the U.S
Thesis - 6 pages - Political science
The wide spectrum of political groups in the United States has expanded as society and technology progress, creating groups that are can be very liberal, very conservative, very socialist, very feminist or any degree of moderate. The most extreme groups offer a foundation for individuals...
What are the common classical liberal assumptions about human rights and how are they criticized by Proudhon, Marx, Engels, and Bebel?
Essay - 3 pages - Economy general
The United States declaration of rights proclaims three main rights: right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. They are perceived as intrinsic to human beings. These principles were built in opposition to the monarchy and were supposed to ensure the people their rights, in the sense of...
Populism: a new challenge for the European democracies?
Dissertation - 19 pages - Political science
While Europe seemed affected by a sudden rise of populist leaders (Berlusconi in Italy, UKIP in Britain, Switzerland with Brocher, France with Le Pen and De Villiers), they were alarmed by this development. Should it be considered as an epiphenomenon of populism? The question is central to the...
The development and failure of the European system (1815-1945)
Course material - 7 pages - Modern history
There was a European system before the current European Union. Its roots went back to the 17th century and the Westphalian peace of 1648. It reached its maturity during the 19th century, after the Vienna Congress, and under the impression of 25 years of revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It was...
The woman suffrage movement in Canada and liberation deferred? The ideas of the English-Canadian Suffragists, 1877-1918: A comparative book review
Book review - 6 pages - Social, moral & civic education
In her work entitled The Woman Suffrage Movement in Canada, Catherine Lyle Cleverdon artfully constructs narrative analysis of a social movement that gained little notoriety outside of Canada. This particular study is extremely helpful because of its ability to use existing information about the...
The United States and the World - Russia and China
Course material - 7 pages - Modern history
At the beginning of his first term, President Bush neglected Russia and considered China as the next major geopolitical adversary. At the same time, American analysts were quite confident that Washington would be able to manage the "Geostrategic Triad" between Washington, Moscow and Beijing to...
The Wilsonian tradition and its limits (1914-1945)
Course material - 6 pages - Modern history
President Wilson (1913-1920) renounced isolationism, which was the American tradition since Monroe: in agreement with his progressive agenda, he believed the US had to act abroad. He promoted a new internationalist doctrine. But he failed to convince either the foreign partners of the US, or, at...
History, Culture and Society: Spain From the Ancient Age to 2023
Course material - 31 pages - Culture, religion & civilization
The document covers, in the form of revision sheets, key events in History from the Ancient Age to the year 2023. Excerpt: "Under the reign of Philip II (1556-1598), Spain was the first world power. When the king of Portugal died without descendants, Philip defeated the other candidates and was...
Islam and democracy
Thesis - 6 pages - Social, moral & civic education
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, political scientists and researchers in international relations have abandoned the bipolar pattern between the USSR and the United States. Following the implosion of the Soviet bloc in 1991, issues concerning the East-West conflict have disappeared,...
U.S.-India Relations: An Evolving Foreign Policy Landscape
Case study - 5 pages - International relations
The United States and India have developed a complex and dynamic relationship that has significantly evolved over the past century, establishing itself as a central element of U.S. foreign policy in Asia. India's importance to the United States is greatly reflected in the National Security...
The United States and the World: Bush's Second Term and Current Trends in the US Foreign Policy Establishment
Course material - 9 pages - Political life and election
After Bush's re-election in November 2004, there were some doubts about the kind of policy he would now follow, after the occupation of Iraq had revealed itself as a much more difficult undertaking than what the Administration had contemplated. Many felt at the time the President would vastly...
Was Arendt's pessimism about modern liberal society justified?
Thesis - 7 pages - Philosophy
Hannah Arendt was born in 1906 in Germany, being the only child of middle-class Jewish parents of Russian descent. As a university student, she was one of the most brilliant and studied with the finest scholars of the time. Arendt in 1933 left Germany for France, and was even interned there for a...
Political Parties and Elections - Politics of the Middle East and North Africa
Summary - 2 pages - Political science
This text is based on "After the Arab Spring: Do Muslims vote Islamic now?" by Charles Kurzman and Didem Türkoglu, "Elections in the Arab world: Why do citizens turn out?" by Carolina de Miguel, Amaney A. Jamel and Mark Tessler, "The Middle East" by Ellen Lust and "Bricks and Mortar Clientelism:...
