Former Soviet Republics of Central Asia and democracy - publié le 13/01/2009
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
Nowadays, Central Asia can be considered as the “Heartland”, that is to say the center of geopolitical positioning, given the abundance of natural resources in the region. Indeed this area, particularly Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, benefits from oil and natural gas reserves among the...
Africa: a cold war proxy field? - publié le 13/01/2009
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
In most discourses about International Relations, Africa is described as a ‘victim' of external powers - namely its former colonisers, the United States and, as far as the Cold War period is concerned, the Soviet Union. For instance, it is said that African wars in the post-colonial era were...
Pluralism, democracy, and citizenship - publié le 13/01/2009
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
‘Most people think that democratic decisions have special moral force - which we have good reasons to obey laws that are democratically chosen. If this is true, why is it true? If it's not true, why is it not?' Democracy is commonly regarded as the best, or the least bad, political system...
Power of pre-colonial Southeast Asian state and peasantry with respect to colonialism
Essay - 3 pages - Political science
Southeast Asia is not an homogeneous region. That is why it can hardly been analysed as a whole and therefore must be divided into several groups. Concerning the issues related to the relations between the state and the peasantry, South East Asia countries belong mainly to two groups. According...
Conservative and Labour Economic Policies
Essay - 17 pages - Political science
After World War II, a new economic philosophy called “Keynesianism” - different from the “laissez-faire” of old - became prevalent; to his main proponent, John Maynard Keynes (1883-1945), free operation of the market was a good thing but it might prove insufficient to ensure...
How adequate is the question of sovereignty in the political disputes within Britain about the desirability of joining the European communities? (1945-1973) - publié le 13/01/2009
Essay - 7 pages - Political science
Britain was one of the first countries to imagine a European grouping after the Second World War. In Zurich, on 19 September 1946, Churchill called for a 'United States of Europe', which would be based on cooperation between France and Germany. Yet he saw no place for Britain in this...
Is Russian political culture a serious obstacle to democratization? - publié le 13/01/2009
Essay - 7 pages - Political science
From the end of the Cold War to nowadays, Russia has endeavored to reform itself so as to exit from a situation of crises. Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to give a new start to the economy of the Soviet Union, to reform its plethoric administration and take steps towards a more democratic,...
Parties and party systems in contemporary democracies - publié le 13/01/2009
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
Laver and Schofield wonder what makes length of a government's life through the examples of Italy and Germany, but also of other countries. Firstly, is the number of parties of the political system related to cabinet stability? This is right in Italy, Belgium and Finland. They have a higher...
The political role of the judges in law and politics - publié le 13/01/2009
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
My presentation is concerned with the relationship between law/the judiciary and politics. The laws relating to civil and criminal wrongs are indeed made either by Parliament in the form of Acts of Parliament (also called statutes) or by the judges themselves (then called the common law). The...
Cultural relativism or universalism ? An essay in political ethics - publié le 13/01/2009
Essay - 10 pages - Political science
This is an essay on cultural relativism in the field of political ethics. Yesterday confined to anthropological studies, the idea infiltrated the domain of international morality after the Second World War. It developed from its original virtues of tolerance and understanding to more defensive...
What is the function of representation in Hobbes conception of political power as presented in the Leviathan? - publié le 12/01/2009
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
The notion of Representation is a key feature in democratic regimes. More stable than the direct participation of the people into political life, it supposes that the institutions of the State reflect the composition and the wishes of the people. A simple look at the title of the book-the...
Account for the failure of Clinton's health care reforms - publié le 09/01/2009
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
In the United States in the early 1990s, both public opinion and political actors agreed that healthcare system did not work properly anymore. The American system is based on employment, i.e. those who work can benefit from a healthcare insurance, but unemployed people and half-time workers...
How can the "crisis" of the Welfare States affect the policy of fight against poverty? - publié le 09/01/2009
Essay - 3 pages - Political science
Since the end of the XVIIIth century, the disastrous consequences due to the Industrial Revolution and to “savage capitalism” on working conditions has been underlined through the rising resentment of the working class. That is why, in order to avoid social implosion and to control...
What role does the media play in the political process? - publié le 09/01/2009
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
Since its beginning, about five decades ago, the mass media have been intertwined with political processes of every type, ranging from coverage of major political events and institutions to effects on campaigns and elections. In our liberal democracies, the media are central for the public:...
Domestic Politics and American Foreign Policy: American & European political culture, an unsolvable misunderstanding? - published: 09/01/2009
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
The end of the cold war with the collapse of the Soviet Union enabled the emergence of the United States as a hegemonic power. At this time Realist Theories in International Relations predicted that a counterbalancing coalition should soon be organized. The European Union appeared as the most...
Where would you place New Labour on the ideological spectrum? - published: 09/01/2009
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
Since its foundation in 1900, the British Labour Party has been in power eleven times, and has had five Prime Ministers. It was founded as a social-democratic party, close to the unions and advocating the rights of the working class. On June 2001, led by Tony Blair, it won its second General...
Transition of Croatia - publié le 09/01/2009
Essay - 20 pages - Political science
According to Linz and Stephan, five interacting areas need to be in place before a consolidated democracy can exist in a state. First, there must be a free and lively civil society. A civil society is the arena of the polity where self-organizing groups, movements and individuals can express and...
Is there a distinct American political culture? - publié le 09/01/2009
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
We often assess that some behaviours are “American” and some “European”. Doing this, we mean there is a distinct American culture. Does it match for political culture? Political culture could be defined as a set of behaviours and habits towards the political system of one's...
Evaluate Charles Taylor's arguments against neutralist liberalism - publié le 08/01/2009
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
Every society needs cohesion to survive. However, we are likely to have different views on how to implement and manage this cohesion. In this context, the state has a primary role regarding this task as it is often seen as the only alternative to anarchy. The question then arises as to the basis...
What are the principal models or theories of the British political system? Identify how, according to these models, political institutions in Britain provide for accountability and representation
Essay - 8 pages - Political science
The British political system, fully encompassed in the monarchical democracy, offers a unique and original view on domestic politics. The British political system found its roots on strong historical grounds, which may be called the "path dependency" model. Nevertheless, it has also evolved...
Can all the efforts devoted to capacity building in the sphere of civil society in new democracies be justified?
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
Civil society appears as a main actor of the implementation and the resilience of democracy. Indeed, it enables citizens to participate more actively in public current debate and symbolizes a well mean of integration. Civil society fosters the circulation of information in the society, standing...
The Colombian political regime
Essay - 7 pages - Political science
Colombia gained its independence from Spain in 1819. After different territorial modifications throughout the nineteenth century (including the separation of Ecuador and Venezuela in 1830), the Republic of Colombia was proclaimed in 1886. The Constitution enacted this year, lasted for more than a...
History of Russia: A look at the Russian political gravity
Essay - 8 pages - Political science
Autocratic rule in Russia initially evolved at odds with the interests of the landed gentry before finally undermining their power via the establishment of a service gentry, loyal to the state, and appeasing them with the slow institutionalization of serfdom. The primary ingredients of early...
The presidency: Where foreign policy and domestic politics collide
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
Political scientists have long sought to discover where the foreign and the domestic spheres of the presidency connect. Presidents, it is assumed, must balance military needs with political needs, whether those political needs entail gaining domestic support for the president's agenda or...
Appropriate and necessary: The U.S. Supreme Court's need to intervene in Bush v. Gore
Essay - 6 pages - Political science
The presidential election of the year 2000 will be the source of controversy for years to come. Since its conclusion on Dec.12, 2000, in the U.S. Supreme Court, volumes have been written criticizing the court's decision in Bush v. Gore - which stopped hand recounts of ballots in Florida and gave...
Japanese military independence
Essay - 7 pages - Political science
The Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) was developed as a provisionary force during the Cold War and is restricted under Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. The SDF has been under much scrutiny over the most recent decade. Debates regarding the amendment or abolition of Article 9 itself,...
International political sociology
Essay - 10 pages - Political science
Political sociology is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry developed by sociologists and political scientists to study the dynamic relationship between society (a complex web of social institutions and social behavior) and politics. Much of the impetus for the development of the field grew out...
The struggle for democracy: An analysis of false flag terrorism in post-war Italy and its contemporary relevance
Essay - 5 pages - Political science
To analyze politics is to attempt to understand the evolution and application of ideas in circumstances that are seldom clearly defined. These ideas are formulated into ideological structures that become the governing principles of specific political philosophies. Words such as morals, culture,...
To what extent may Sarkozy be considered a gaullist ?
Essay - 4 pages - Political science
Exactly 50 years after the birth of the 5th Republic, the influence of its founder is still omnipresent in the organization of French politics. De Gaulle was not only the leader of French resistance during WWII and the leader of the "la France libre", solution to the Algerian crisis; he was also...
Economic and political transition in Bahrain: Strong Rentier States and Strong Rentier Societies
Essay - 18 pages - Political science
Bahrain, often overlooked in both academic and media analyses of the Middle East, has a strategic importance hidden by its small size. As home of the American Fifth Fleet, Bahrain hosts a deterrent against Iran from blockading the Straits of Hormuz as it has recently threatened to do. As such...
