On September 16, 2007, the issue of private military firms exploded out of the dry confines of academic debate and into the public consciousness as bright, bloody pictures blanketed the newspapers and television networks that had long ignored the subject. Seventeen Iraqis had been violently killed and more than twenty others wounded while they went about their business in Nisour Square, in the heart of Baghdad’s once fashionable Mansour District.
In the aftermath of the banking crisis, many commentators are calling for new global regulation regimes. This essay argues that prudent banking supervision on the national level can be considered more effective than global alternatives, and is able to prevent national banks from establishing risky business practices. International regulation efforts, by contrast, have proved damaging.
An analysis of Thomas Hobbes’ the ‘Leviathan’ will focus on introducing the importance of the state of nature as an image of life without government. By using contemporary examples, the aim is to illustrate how states behave in the international paradigm in terms of ensuring self-preservation.
Francisco de Vitoria, a theologian of the 16th century and core writer of the Renaissance, questions our understanding of international affairs and, thus, International Relations as an academic discipline. He leads us to think about the ambiguity of the norms of the contemporary international system, and of international law.
This essays discusses the ways in which four prevalent different definitions or spheres of sovereignty, have challenged the traditional notions of sovereignty since the early 1990s. These are; domestic sovereignty, interdependence sovereignty, international legal sovereignty and Westphalia sovereignty.
Fundamental problems, both structural and political, continue to characterise the EU-NATO relationship as one of ‘contending coalitions’. Yet, recent shifts in the attitudes of major actors coupled with success in simultaneous operations suggest there is potential for a ‘strategic partnership’ to emerge.
HIV/AIDS a poses serious threat to public health around the globe. Africa in particular has suffered from the ravages of HIV/AIDS for decades and attempts at containing and eradicating the disease have missed important groups within African society.
Whilst disciples and collaborators such as Hedley Bull, Robert Jackson and Brian Porter speak of Marin Wight as a seminal thinker and erudite scholar, others such as Alan James claim that his influence on the discipline is limited. This paper proposes to assess Wight’s impact on the study of International Relations.
This paper will show that the implementation of ballistic missile defence systems is a threat to international peace and security. It will examine of the concept of ballistic missile defence, the cases for and against its implementation and the current realities that are of consideration and its role in international peace and security.
This essay argues that the early Kant largely followed the domestic analogy when describing the state of nature between individuals and states – directly affecting his views on coercion. The mature Kant however incorporated all the level of analysis into his writings and transcended but did not entirely abandon the domestic analogy.
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