Women’s Bodies Are Battlefields
The targeting of women’s bodies in times of conflict has come to light as a systematic strategy which has been used by different actors in many different contexts worldwide. The current situation in Guatemala provides a pertinent case study.
The Decline of British Identity
The current British government aims to create a British identity from liberal-democratic values. However, values that assert a particular world view cannot unify diverse populations.
Islam and Immigration in French Society
Despite the rising attention from politicians and the media, Islam is not a threat to French society. Rather, Islam is but one of several prominent religions in France and one that is contributing to the ever-changing French culture.
Non-Intervention, or Responsibility to Protect?
In recent decades, the realities of globalization and growing interdependency make it impossible to turn our backs on large-scale Human Rights violations and Crimes against Humanity committed in foreign countries.
Islam and Political Power
Following 9/11 and more recently the Arab Spring, the relationship between Islam and politics has faced renewed attention. In contemporary Islamic states, religion theoretically guides the exercise of political power but in practice it is used and employed as a tool of realpolitik.
Is there an Emerging Muslim Constituency for Islamic Feminists in the West?
On the basis of Euro-American Feminist and popular discourse on Muslim women in the west, Islamic Feminism seems to be somewhat of an oxymoron. Likewise for many Muslims the label Feminism is often construed as a Western project, carrying with it historical and ideological baggage.
The causal relationship between culture and foreign policy making in Muslim countries
Pragmatism rules the roost in Muslim states, yet the role of Islam must not be underestimated. The faith inspires, promotes and legitimises the actions of Muslim states and whilst it has little causal role in foreign policy, it nonetheless has an integral part in advancing it.
Typologies of Islamic Thought
Islamic thought defies straight forward typological organisation. Nevertheless, efforts to do so have become an important part of Islamic studies and serve as a key point of reference for any student wishing to understand how writers organise the faith, culture and identity of Islam.
Global Human Rights Norms and the Retention of Capital Punishment
In the past 25 years 67 states have abolished capital punishment for all crimes, 5 have abolished it for ordinary crimes, and a further 35 states have become de facto abolitionists. This trend is curious because abolition has met with significant domestic resistance in a number of abolitionist states; in many the majority were against abolition. What explains the emergence of the abolitionist norm?
Radical Islam: both a product of globalisation and a serious challenge to it?
Radical Islam has come to play a very significant position within the international realm. It has taken terrorism, which was always a weapon of the weak, though usually with little perceived effect, and created what can be seen as a quite considerable challenge to globalisation and the international community.
