Since the turn of the century, Iran has emerged as an increasingly powerful actor in the Middle East. However, Tehran’s Islamist regime is seen to pose a number of political and security challenges to both neighbouring and ‘western’ states. The question of how to respond to the assertive and confrontational policies of the hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has therefore proved to be a hot topic for the media, academics and politicians alike. This essay will consider what strategy western states should pursue with regards to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, an issue of central importance for regional and global stability. Whilst this is merely one of many Iranian policies that needs ‘dealing with’ from a western perspective, it is widely considered to be the most significant threat and, thus, is a useful case study through which to consider relations between the West and Iran more generally.
Even if international politics granted a political union between the two Koreas, the domestic conditions in South Korea cannot sustain the successful implementation of a reunification.
Due to unique geo-political circumstances surrounding its emergence, the Taliban’s brand of Islam is unique, combining conservative aspects of the Deobandi and Wahhabi schools.
Mexico City’s urban water crisis is the result of a long history of poor resource management and negligible citizen activism on water governance. Viewing water as a human right, rather than an economic good, could form the basis for community involvement and improve access and affordability.
This paper will analyse how the concepts in Ulrich Beck’s Risk Society are influencing the War on Terror. Moreover, it will examine their practical enforcement, the way in which they pose serious threats to the international law system and how this contributes to the shaping a new domestic order in those states where they have being applied.
Forced migration and refugee flows from Burma to Bangladesh are becoming increasingly difficult for the international community and the region to deal with. Failure at state, regional and international level to deal with the problems facing the Rohingya refugees reflects a wider need to re-evaluate international protection regimes when it comes to dealing with forced migration and minority groups in Southeast Asia.
Since 2004, in an attempt to broaden its appeal domestically and internationally, Hamas’ charged Islamist rhetoric and values have made way for more a secular, balanced discussion.
The United States is unique among wealthy nations in its vast private inventory of firearms, consisting of nearly 300 million guns, used for hunting, recreation and murder.
Though not without limitations, social constructivism remains one of the most useful theories in examining the Arab Spring as a response to social forces and a globalization of norms.
The ICC’s response to the Darfur crisis was insufficient due to limitations set by the UNSC, but efficiency can be increased by either reforming the framework in which the ICC and the UNSC cooperate, or by the US if it accepts the legitimacy of the ICC.
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