As security threats have altered from regional instability caused by ‘rogue states’, to overarching security concerns which can come from non-state actors and state-actors alike, actors in the international arena have been urged to shift their attention towards the causes of these menaces; dysfunctional societies.
Historical lessons and analogies are commonly referred to in political discourse and the global media. I propose that whilst a knowledge of the past is beneficial, references to particular lessons are undermined by the near-infinite nature of history. Policy makers can learn almost any lesson they choose from our past because it is ambivalent in nature and its interpretation is subjective. Historical references are chosen according to personal viewpoints or bias and superficial or irrelevant similarities can be used to tie past events to modern day occurrences. Furthermore, the past is often not used genuinely to find lessons, but rather merely to justify pre-decided policies.
Thousands of people risk their lives daily by crossing borders in search of a better life. During 2015, over one million of these people arrived in Europe.
While it is less clear what the exact causal mechanisms are that have led to the reduction in pollution, it is evident that policy-makers have been effective at improving Beijing’s air quality.
The ever growing problems and the struggle to fight terrorism comes from many factors; the lack of understanding radical Islam as opposed to moderate Islam, the alienation of the vast Muslim populations, continued unpopular foreign policies and the War on Terror with its death and destruction imposed in many Islamic states.
Within his work on Operation Barbarossa, Koch states that ‘the origins of the German invasion of Russia’ remain importantly ‘at the centre of historical debate’. A potential reason for this is the highly contentious roots of the decision to invade Russia in 1941; what exactly motivated Hitler to initiate an invasion that would inevitably result in Germany having to fight a war on two unsustainable fronts?
Notwithstanding conflicting geopolitical calculations, the relationship between Russia and Turkey is deeply embedded in an energy-based solid economic foundation.
The white, Western model of feminism complies and converges with the development-industrial complex such that the concerns of women in the Global South are distorted.
Prof. Tsang discusses the creation of Xi Jinping Thought, changes to the CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee, and the evolution of cross-strait relations since 2016.
Has China’s cultural and material export led recipients to desire what it does? Focused on South Asia, this essay evaluates China’s notion of and struggle for soft power.
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