Regions

US Missile Defence and Space Security: a Security Dilemma for China?

Charles R. Lister • Mar 18 2011 • Essays

The Chinese reaction to U.S. BMD and space security policy has emphasized the crucial importance of dialogue and economic engagement. Conscious of history’s rising powers being profoundly threatening and violent, China has been keen to stress its ‘peaceful rise’ as a ‘responsible great power.’

How far has the Palestinian ‘right of return’ been the main obstacle to the peace process since 1993?

anon • Mar 14 2011 • Essays

Drenched in controversy, very few topics inspire such heated historical debate as to why the Palestinian people find themselves displaced and in a state of constant limbo. A failure to address the right of return has provided some groups with a motive to derail the peace plan at all costs.

What role does religion play in Hamas’ political behaviour?

Maciej Osowski • Mar 14 2011 • Essays

This essay argues that religion plays a crucial role in Hamas’ political behaviour. Hamas established its identity around Islam when the organisation was being created and today it places Islam in the centre of its political actions. Yet Hamas remains a political organisation at a relatively high level of development, and it uses selected religious elements depending on what it deems profitable in any given political situation.

Cultural awareness and counterinsurgency in Afghanistan

Charles R. Lister • Mar 11 2011 • Essays

The current campaign in Afghanistan has lasted for over nine years and the Taliban has grown into a formidable insurgency. This paper explains why a lack of cultural awareness condemns counterinsurgency operations to almost certain defeat, and explores the implications for the campaign in Afghanistan.

New Labour and post-war immigration policy

Andrei Dumitrache • Mar 11 2011 • Essays

After winning the 1997 elections, New Labour promised to deliver innovative outputs through its political programme that no government has managed before. But the immigration policies under the New Labour Government can be characterised as fairly mixed.

Between Europe and America: Polish choices for the 21st Century

Jeremy Wysakowski-Walters • Mar 9 2011 • Essays

This paper aims at understanding Polish foreign policy over the last decade with a view to predicting future policy. It analyses Polish foreign policy with reference to three rationalist paradigms: defensive realism, offensive realism, and neo-liberal institutionalism.

Why was so much at stake in Cuba in 1962?

Nicola-Ann Hardwick • Mar 9 2011 • Essays

The Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 constituted a classic foreign policy dilemma between the United States and the Soviet Union and was one of the most dangerous confrontations of the Cold War. This essay gives an overview of the complexity of the thirteen-day crisis. It shows that the balance of power, the credibility of the two superpowers and the future of Berlin were at stake, and makes clear how close it actually came to a nuclear showdown.

EU-US intelligence sharing post 9/11: predictions for the future

Maciej Osowski • Mar 8 2011 • Essays

This research seeks to explore whether, and to what extent the intelligence sharing has increased between the US and the EU member states post 9/11, and to offer predictions on future trends. Different potential scenarios in future intelligence cooperation are presented, based on the threat of Islamic terrorism to the US and EU.

EU-Russia Energy Relations: Lack of Unity in the Union

Silvia Caneva • Mar 7 2011 • Essays

Since the 1990s, the European Union has achieved various successes. A key example is the enlargement to include a large number of Central and Eastern European countries. During this time, the EU has also experienced some failures, such as in the case of energy relations with Russia.

Islamic Fundamentalism in Central Asia: Evaluating Uzbekistan’s Response

Agnieszka Pikulicka • Mar 6 2011 • Essays

Ever since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Islam has undergone a revival among Central Asian societies. The hitherto communist and atheist states with arbitrarily imposed constraints on the freedom of worship, started referring to their religious roots as a step in national identity formation.

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