Unfortunately, the events of the Libyan conflict have thus far only reinforced the lesson that there is no such thing as a “cheap” military solution to a political problem. To continue to operate under this seductive myth will only compound the error. By breaking the Libyan regime, the international community has bought its problems.
In debates over intellectual property, as in debates over freedom of expression, healthcare, global trade, even democracy itself, political theory can be of help, because it draws our attention to the differences, as well as the similarities, between people’s interests, and reminds us that conflict, as well as cooperation, can be morally justified.
Much was made of the changes in Egypt’s foreign policy in April when the Egyptian foreign ministry announced it would begin the process of normalizing relations with Iran and Hamas. For the moment, Egypt’s foreign policy is trying to toe a middle line and become something new for a major Arab state in the region’s cold war: a non-aligned state.
There is no single normative Islam, Christianity, or Judaism. All world religions encompass diverse components and we might as well come to grips with the internal diversity of religions. After generations of theological harmonization, we recognize the obvious and admit that there is no single Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, but only Judaisms, Christianities, Islams.
Humanitarian assistance is supposed to be provided impartially, on the basis of need and without concern for the politics of who is right. Civilians should not be punished for the sake of making political points or achieving a military victory. What is needed now is a singular focus in getting the access and supplies needed to prevent mass starvation. Politics can wait.
The so called “Arab Spring” has been a popular notion in American media. US academics, journalists and politicians speak of the most recent Middle Eastern revolutionary movements as a single and similar wave of reform that they deem as one that could be defined along racial lines. Not only is this approach methodically flawed, but it also overrides a sense of remarkable national pride for individual nations.
The UN Security Council recently met to debate the risks of climate change to global peace and security. Yet, practical measures to address these goals remain superficial, off-target & isolated. Now is the time to shift our focus from direct environmental impacts to broader threats at a local level.
The People’s Republic of China, from its very inception, has placed a high premium on intelligence gathering and covert operations. The focus of Chinese intelligence activity has taken on a new shape. There has been a shift away from a sole concentration on militarily technology related espionage and the advent of a more broadly commercial focus.
Seniors and the elderly are going to pay for this new “American Austerity”, those who can least afford it. Lets face facts: if there are no revenue increases, there will have to be cuts in pretty much every part of the US budget. If there is no cut in military spending, it will be you and me, the average American taxpayer who will feel the cuts. Sadly, nothing good will come out of any of this.
In the 1970s the world faced a very important paradigm shift of an economic and administrative nature, when the previously dominant Fordist system of production organization faced serious a crisis, and was replaced by a new mode of production which has been primarily based on flexible relationships among local actors, knowledge-oriented economies, endogenous innovation, networks of local industries, and social capital.
Before you download your free e-book, please consider donating to support open access publishing.
E-IR is an independent non-profit publisher run by an all volunteer team. Your donations allow us to invest in new open access titles and pay our bandwidth bills to ensure we keep our existing titles free to view. Any amount, in any currency, is appreciated. Many thanks!
Donations are voluntary and not required to download the e-book - your link to download is below.