Religion in the EU : How Many Divisions ?
Sociologists present Europe as “an exceptional case” to the extent that religious beliefs and practices have declined there more than in any other part of the world. It does not mean that religion is disappearing. On the contrary, it is becoming more visible in the political and public arenas, in new, individualised and pluralised forms that are less linked to traditional churches.
The Korea Crisis and China’s Policy
China’s mild response to the March 2010 sinking of South Korean navy warship Cheonan has frustrated many people. It has not joined the United States, Japan, and South Korea in openly condemning Pyongyang and threatening punitive measures. What explains China’s fence-sitting on this issue? What is China interest on the Korean peninsula?
The pursuit of research at the expense of teaching
A university can sometimes make very questionable choices. If its raison d’être is to provide high quality education, then surely having first-rate teachers is a precondition for the execution of its function. Universities need to keep in mind that they are schools first and research institutions second. This hunger for prestige through research output puts at risk not only the careers of passionate and inspirational teachers, but also the education of students.s
ICH BIN EIN ARIZONIAN
The state of Arizona recently enacted a statute which allowes police officers to inquire about the immigration status of individuals they stop for other infractions of the law such as speeding or failure to yield for a pedestrian.
Russia-NATO Missile Defense
The idea of joint Russia-NATO ballistic missile defenses remains controversial and far-fetched. But how big are the obstacles to a genuine Russia-NATO missile defense cooperation and is overcoming them worth the trouble? The most obvious issue with bringing the idea into reality is the incompatibility of NATO and Russian radar and interceptor components, which complicates intelligence sharing and requires a considerable number of technical adjustments on both sides
Women and the British General Election 2010: The Ongoing Under-representation of Women
A historically unprecedented 142 women MPs were elected in the UK on May 6th. The election also saw the first Muslim women MPs; the first Black and first ‘out’ lesbian Conservative women MPs; and the first Green party MP was a woman too. But women continue to be under represented.
When the Towers Fell: Mourning and Nostalgia after 9/11 in HBO’s The Wire
To the extent that The Wire has had anything to say about the events of 9/11, which it implicitly comments upon during its five seasons, it is the message of continuity that stands out. Too much has been made about how the world changed on 9/11. And while it would be altogether fraught to claim that nothing has changed, it is also true that the world which existed before 9/11 continues to exist today.
The ideological basis of a Liberal – Conservative pact
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats share a deep-rooted ideological background. This vision is founded on the promotion of civil liberties over government expansion. Both are committed to making individuals responsible for their own lives, be this by a non-judgemental conception of individual morality or a smaller, less intrusive government. There is no reason to doubt the compatibility of the two parties.
Postcolonial Theories as Critique and Challenge to ‘First World-ism’
The critiques of postcolonial feminists and critical feminisms have contributed epistemic, knowledge frameworks, and material insights into hegemonic power relations, and in particular global violence. Such theorizations have raised questions about the ‘geopolitical’ in order to transform IR’s contentious emphasis on geographical and territorial realms of power
The World(s) of IR: continental perspectives
The case of continental Europe is special in several ways and contains several intriguing paradoxes. It is a continent that has produced some of the most prominent contemporary social theorists – e.g. Jürgen Habermas, Pierre Bourdieu and Niklas Luhmann – but the insights of their social theory has not really been ‘translated’ into IR theory in any comprehensive or structured fashion.
