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.
“There is no alternative”? The election without memory
This election is not principally a social mobilisation, but rather, a media event. Today, we see a plethora of contentless neoliberal television polls determining who will succeed and fail in the characterological eyes of the audience of reality TV and talent-show audience. Is the UK general election much more than these televotes? There seems to be a lack of enthusiasm in the public mood for any candidate.
Is the West “diverse”?
Is the “West” more diverse than the “rest”? In particular, are the traditionally Western Christian countries in Europe, and the United States, more religiously diverse than the rest of the world? When we compare the U.S. to countries that are somewhat comparable to it in terms of their population, the results are interesting. I suggest that the European and American scholars and publicists should at the very least refrain from calling their countries “religiously diverse,” when in fact they really are not.
Development and Communities: A View from Cambodia’s Buddhist Temples
It would be hard to imagine a more complex array of development challenges than those facing Cambodia. During the brutal civil war and genocide of the 1970s, the lives and institutions of Cambodia were shattered and perhaps two million people died at the hands of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime.
THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP IS STILL SPECIAL
A House of Commons committee recently claimed that the UK had lost its “Special Relationship” with the US. The committee argued that the UK had few of the benefits attributed to the Special Relationship, especially the ability to influence US policy, and therefore Britain should to say no to the relations’ obligations.
Collateral Damages of Smart Sanctions on Iran
The prospects for democracy, socio-economic development and conflict resolution will be suffering if the West continues to rely on punitive measures. Despite all frivolous claims, the diplomatic route has not been exhausted. Indeed, we are far from it. Since the core problem remains the “security dilemma” in the region, it would be wise for the West to call upon Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Politics of UN Human Rights Council and Iran’s Candidacy
The candidacy of Iran for the UN Human Rights Council is comparable to electing apartheid South Africa to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination or to awarding the US for humane treatment of detainee’s right after the world was shocked with pictures revealing sexual torture and humiliation of naked prisoners.
