Genocide in Rwanda: Draft Case Study for Teaching Ethics and International Affairs
This case aims to use the genocide of 1994 in Rwanda to help students appreciate what may be the roots and common causes of genocides. It is written in the suspicion that there may be some sort of “recipe” that can be followed by political elites bent on the extermination of a group. This article was originally published on http://www.ciaonet.org/isa/wrs01/
The end of war and the promise of peacebuilding
Bob Baskin, president of the peace alliance, comments on Obama’s recent speech calling for an end to the US’ current state of “perpetual war” against terrorism in favour of limited and specific military campaigns. Baskin welcomes the change in tone from the US administration, and argues that it should go further by stregthening institutional mechanisms for peacebuilding within the US and addressing the root causes of terrorism through positive engagement in the international community.
Afghanistan after the US withdrawl
This paper analyses the role of Afghanistan’s regional neighbours in securing it’s recovery and stability, as well as the wider implications of America’s strategic policies in the region. Will things fall apart or hold together in Afghanistan after December 2014?
A Reminder of the Costs of the Iraq War and the War on Terror
As tensions escalate again in Iraq and the United States considers further involvement, Andrew Syrios recommends that the American people take a moment to acknowledge the significant costs that the “War on Terror” has already incurred.
How South Korean Agents Used Social Media to Manipulate Public Opinion and Subvert Democracy, and How the Public is Reacting
Elements of ROK’s security and intelligence services have been implicated in a controversial campaign to sway public opinion through the use of social media during last year’s presidential campaign. Chan Woo reports on the techniques used to manipulate the outcome of the election, and the international grassroots democracy movement that it has provoked.
Grassroots Movements Shedding Light on Gun Violence in Colorado
This work is my personal journey of finding hope in grassroots movements working to address gun violence in Colorado. I present a review of academic literature and question how academic research connects to people on the ground. I advocate for the potential of utilizing human emotion in academic writing to link academics to the people experiencing what academics merely research. It is my aim to amplify a few glimmers of light, within people on the grassroots level, amongst the darkness that surrounds gun violence in the United States of America. I hope that ultimately, this will begin to open up the stalled conversation of gun control by escaping the dichotomy of pro-gun and anti-gun control politics and in turn creating a space for the many other paths forward to surface.
Playing God with pipettes: The ethics and implications of sex-selection technology in the United States
How does sex-selection technology challenge our understandings of personal agency, gender relations, and family structures? And how do the ethical implications of this technology fit with the intersecting dynamic of class and gender in the United States? Christen Kramer asks these questions and more in a provocative consideration of “family balancing”.
Europe’s second conquest of Latin America
With a view to promoting public discussion and debate about these agreements, we present here an analysis of the implications and scope of some of those that have already been signed. We also analyse the implications of some European Union documents, published over the last two years, that set out the EU’s strategy and intentions in the negotiations.
The United States Supremacy and her place in Global Politics and the Geopolitics of the International System
Following the demise of the cold war in 1990s, the United States emerged as the world’s leading power in the international system. This supremacy is partly supported by the global recognition of United States’ position as the most powerful nation on earth. America’s global supremacy is also anchored on the centrality of its role in global politics and its tremendous influence on the geopolitics of the international system. By referring to the U.S. as the world’s super power, there is an implied relational reference and positioning of the United States as the center piece of the international system. It is perceived as the grandmaster of international affairs. This paper examines the supremacy of the United States in the new world order. It argues that as a post-cold war super power, the U.S. has significant influence on global political and developmental relations that characterize the ideologically unstable and anarchic international system. The paper explores the contradictions that arise from the efforts of the U.S. to pursue common good using its military power in the attempts to restore sanity in the international system. It concludes that by climbing to the apex of the world’s top power seat, the U.S. earned itself the image of an empire builder that is assumed to have imperialistic tendencies rather than a respected overseer of the international system.
Progress Can Prevail in El Salvador
Last month, Paula LeRoy’s article “Violence and Poverty Entangled in El Salvador” described the many interlocking challenges to peace and prosperity in the country. This article offers an inspiring range of potential solutions and practical ideas for how those challenges an be overcome.