Archival research in the age of Wikileaks
In an age when IR is governed by theoretical and political science approaches, the validity of engaging with historical and diplomatic archives is more relevant than ever.
Famine in Somalia: Who is to blame?
Whilst the existence of an effective central government does not ensure the avoidance of famine, the regions of Somaliland and Puntland both have more pervasive governance structures than the rest of Somalia, and have avoided ‘Famine/Catastrophe’ status through distribution of reserves and enabling a secure environment for international agencies.
Darfur and South Sudan: United in Struggle, Divided by Future?
There is an urge now, on a social as well as political level, to settle the Darfur question lest it eventually goes down the same route as the South. But the question here is whether Darfur can actually be compared at all with the South; is separation even an option for ending the conflict?
R2P, Libya and International Politics as the Struggle for Competing Normative Architectures
The UN was neither designed nor expected to be a pacifist organisation. Its origins lie in the anti-Nazi wartime military alliance amongst Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union. The all-powerful UN Security Council is the world’s duly, and only, sworn in sheriff for enforcing international law and order.
Israel’s New-Found Friends
Many of Israel’s supporters and friends are groups that advocate hatred and intolerance. Israelis need to took a good look at themselves and decide whether they want to be associated with these racist parties. Whether Israel embraces or rejects these new-found friends will say much about the character and nature of its society and the direction it decides to take with regards to its future.
9/11 + 10 Years
In a blast from e-IR’s blogs past, Harvey M. Sapolsky considers ten results from the war that the 9/11 attacks against the United States provoked over a decade ago.
The Hidden Media Powers That Undermine Democracy
We could say that all popularly elected governments are today proactively engaged in clever, cunning struggles to kidnap their clients and citizens mentally through the manipulation of appearances, with the help of accredited journalists and other public relations curators. The age of organised political contrivance is upon us. How and why has this happened?
The Responsibility to Rebuild and Libya
The responsibilities to prevent and react have been addressed in Libya, but the third stage of the R2P, “the responsibility to rebuild”, remains an ongoing issue. The extent to which the R2P can be seen as a “success” in Libya rests largely how this part of the R2P is implemented. In many respects, the “responsibility to rebuild” is the one of the most important parts of the R2P because requires intervening actors to establish a clear and effective post-intervention strategy.
Libya’s Draft Constitutional Charter for the Transitional Stage: Promise and Drawbacks
The draft constitution creates an enormous and unprecedented opportunity for Libyans to shape their future in ways that will mark a clean and decisive break with the past. Yet, truly democratic state-building after conflict is not without perils, and democracy is not a foregone conclusion at the end of any authoritarian regime.
Dutch Tolerance: Something to Learn from?
In the age of intensified globalization and migration, societies are increasingly confronted with problems of integration and peaceful coexistence of religiously or otherwise ethnically different groups, particularly of groups identifying themselves with Western traditions on the one hand and the world of Islam on the other. Tolerance is an important element to meet these requirements.
