Review – Getting to Yes in Korea
Although this book appeared before the November 2010 bombing of Yeonpyeong island by North Korean forces, its insights and are no less relevant to the question of reversing a dangerous trend of military provocations, brinkmanship and near-war collisions between the Koreas. As Dr. Clemens forcefully argues, a long-lasting, peaceful solution to the inter-Korean division is neither impossible, nor idealistic.
American Ascendance, British Retreat, and the Rise of Iran in the Persian Gulf
Three recent publications provide a fresh perspective of the developments which resulted in the decline of British influence in the Gulf, and the subsequent rise of the US.
Review – History of International Political Theory: Ontologies of the International
Hartmut Behr’s recent book is a fascinating critical reconsideration of how generations of political thinkers have appraised the interplay between universal and particular interests among the relations of states in their understandings of “the world” from Western antiquity through the present-day
Review – The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
The Israel lobby thesis, despite some flaws such as a dismissal of the power of other lobby groups. it is a valid attempt to understand a unique facet in how American policy is forged.
Review: Henry Kissinger and the Shaping of American Foreign Policy
Mario Del Pero’s chief task in his recent monograph is to break up the traditional image of Kissinger to paint a more nuanced picture of his politics and scholarship.
Review – The Role of France in the Rwandan Genocide
Kroslak contests that France was not only involved in events through passivity, but actually enabled the genocide through its support for the Hutu regime before, during and after the killing. Overall, this study represents an estimable and rigorously researched contribution to the subject, though, as this essay will unearth, there are some problematic elements to the book.
Review – A Second Look at Huntington’s Third Wave Thesis
It is worth taking a second look at Huntington’s thesis considering the controversial democratisation attempts pursued by the US in the early years of the 21st Century.
Review – Geopolitics of the World System
Cohen’s Geopolitics of the World System examines the dramatic changes wrought by ideological and economic forces unleashed by the end of the Cold War. Cohen considers these forces in the context of their human and physical settings and explores their geographical influence on foreign policy and international relations.
