While the modes and actors of war have evolved in a post-Cold War world, the critical military objectives of war Hans Speier first identified have remained the same.
Pakistan came into being out of a nationalist cause; the ethnic Muslim minority felt that its rights would be better preserved and served under a separate democratic setup, rather than among an overwhelming majority of Hindus. Great Britain also wanted a buffer state between the Muslim belt and India to save the Sub-Continent (which contained a quarter of the world’s population) from the effects of ‘Islamization’ and to ensure that it never emerged as a challenging power to British ambitions in the East (the Middle East, Hong Kong, Burma and Japan to name a few).
In his essay, “Understanding a Primitive Society” Peter Winch claims that cultures are enclosed in language games which are both mutually unintelligible and equally valid. In doing so he is trying to prevent anthropologists from concluding that a culture is ‘wrong’ about reality (i.e. their belief system and how that informs their daily life) (Winch 79). Winch sees such judgement as an open door to cultural imperialism; if a culture is wrong than it stands to be corrected by the culture which judges it as such. He has every reason for such a noble pursuit. Writing in the time of African decolonization, he had born witness to the colonialists’ domination of innumerable cultures. Justified out of a ‘need’ to civilize the inferior savages and support the superior Europeans (through slaves and natural resources) this unequal cultural relationship allowed for utter destruction on the continent.
If we insist that Israel is occupying Gaza, then the inherent right of the Israeli government to remove the Hamas administration should be recognised.
Despite its ability to capture the public’s attention, FFT’s well-intentioned campaign inadvertently harmed rather than helped its clients.
The launch of missiles and public provocation against Israel give Hizbollah, Iran and Syria much prestige without risking any significant retaliation due to the current election season.
The differences between China and the US with regards to Responsibility to Protect are based on their understandings of sovereignty and legitimate authority.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening due to aid restrictions, counter-terrorism legislation and the imposition of a no-contact policy with Hamas.
The current outbreak of Zika virus disease, centred in Brazil, highlights the population-level fears that can arise in response to infectious disease pandemics.
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.
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