Britain and the Eurozone: What Next?
There has been much sound and fury but little progress in Euroland in the days following David Cameron’s veto at the meeting of the EU heads of government in Brussels on 11 December. Far from them saving the Euro, they agreed to differ on some things, and agreed to delay on others.
The Merkel Gambit
Merkel’s actions over the EU fiscal pact have been likened to a game of chicken. They are more akin to tightrope walking while composing an opera. Lurking in the background is the threat that the markets will lose faith and tear the whole edifice down. Either way, this pact will not be the last word.
American Exceptionalism, U.S. Foreign Policy, and the 2012 Presidential Campaign
The debate over American exceptionalism has only just begun. It appears to be at its apex during times of anxiety and crisis within the American polity. Hence, the current state of affairs in America makes the 2012 election season such a juncture.
The European Union’s South Ossetia Dilemma
Not supporting the people of South Ossetia in their determination to make their voices heard and their votes count undermines the credibility of EU efforts to promote and support democracy and sends a message that it may yet be possible to get away with stealing elections.
Tea with Madam Secretary, Part I
My most recent interview was with Madeleine Albright, the US foreign policy practitioner and policy-maker, the women’s rights implementer in foreign policy during her time as a US Ambassador to the UN and as Secretary of State, the daughter of a Czechoslovak dissident who was a recipient of US support during WWII and the Cold War, and finally as the academic examining foreign policy.
Police and Critical Security Studies
Gaining an understanding of how security operates compels the researcher to question concepts of subjective and objective and replace them with the fact of inter-subjectivity.
Religion and Human Rights: A Dialectical Relationship
The real challenge is one of how to get global faith in a dignified and well-protected existence for everyone, rooted in all hearts and minds. This tends to entail periods of sharp confrontation with the powers that be, as the recent Arab Spring has markedly illustrated.
What should we expect from the Afghanistan Conference in Bonn?
The 2011 Conference needs to make clear that the Afghan government and people, and their international partners, are united in their efforts to make tangible and sustainable progress towards a more stable Afghanistan in a more stable region.
Memogate Reveals Pakistan’s Hand
Memogate reveals that Pakistan’s politics is as dysfunctional as ever. American policymakers and pundits have become so vehement about Pakistan’s failure to cooperate on counterterrorism that more pressing problems in the country have been overlooked.
Three lessons from the Arab Spring
Local leaders, activists, and regional and international organisations have a responsibility to make sure that these revolutions do not just result in a different brand of self-serving rulers.
