Last year I criticized some of the hawk-like voices, including that of David Brooks of the NYT, which were calling for Barack Obama to increase the fear factor in dealing with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. I should point out that I am decidedly not a fan of Putin, whose actions in Crimea and Ukraine have been reprehensible. However, we need […]
Archive | World
Russia and the West: How the Empathy Was Lost
Posted on February 20, 2015.
Posted in Conflict, Europe, Russia, Security Issues, Ukraine Conflict, Uncategorized, US, World
China’s Expanding African Military Footprint
Posted on February 17, 2015.
Sun Tzu, in his seminal book The Art of War, argued that all warfare is fundamentally based on deception. “When able to attack, we must seem unable; When using our forces, we must seem inactive; When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; When far away, we must make […]
Posted in Africa, Asia, China, Economic Security, Global Economy, Security Issues, World
Focus on Greece Ignores Need for German Economic Reform
Posted on February 16, 2015.
With Greek debt negotiations reaching a critical point, it may be time for a reminder that there are more problems within the eurozone than just southern European debt. Austerity rightly remains firmly in the headlines, but looking beyond the struggles in Athens reveals that economic changes may be needed further north. Indeed, while the new […]
Posted in Economic Security, Economics, Europe, Germany, Global Economy, World
Where is Portugal’s Radical Left?
Posted on February 11, 2015.
It has been a tumultuous month in European politics. As Greek debt negotiations dominate the headlines, the resurgent left-wing in many European countries waits with baited breath in the realisation that the popularity of their movements may rest on what happens in Athens. It is interesting, however, that while the radical left has enjoyed a […]
Posted in Economics, Europe, Global Economy, World
Corruption and Conflicts of Interest in Mexico
Posted on February 10, 2015.
Since Enrique Peña Nieto became President of Mexico in 2012, the government has tried to change the narrative of a narco-stained nation existing under the siege of organised crime. During his first two years in office, an ambitious package of reforms in education, telecommunications and the energy sectors, to mention just a few, was sent to the Congress. After some successful […]
Interesting Developments in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Posted on February 6, 2015.
There is a convenient falsehood every time a ceasefire agreement occurs and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict temporarily vanishes from the media. It is the assumption that the conflict has come to a halt and a diplomatic solution brokered by the United States is soon to follow. The truth is that the conflict does not stop, because the status […]
Posted in Conflict, Middle East, Security Issues, World
Abbott’s Princely Blunder Puts Monarchy in a Fix
Posted on February 6, 2015.
It seems Tony Abbott cannot help but put himself in awkward positions. It has in a way been the story of his political career. From political blunders to public gaffes he is impressively error prone. But in the case of Prince Philip’s knighthood, does he deserve it? Or has the Australian mainstream media with its strong republican and often populist […]
Nigeria Now
Posted on February 4, 2015.
‘173 million Nigerians and 68 million voting’ These figures may come as a surprise to some. Whilst it is true that this election cannot compare to the one in India last year, it is still much larger than most realize. The Nigerian electorate is larger than the entire French population. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s reputation precedes it. Despite officially […]
Posted in Africa, Islam, Security Issues, World
Colombia’s Rebel Reintegration Quagmire
Posted on February 1, 2015.
Colombia has endured more than five decades of civil discord. Peace negotiations between FARC representatives and the Colombian State have, though, been ongoing since 2012 as the country attempts to realise a future of security and peace. Yet it is the massive human toll that is perhaps the most potent issue to arise from this […]
Posted in Conflict, Drugs, Security Issues, World
Responsibility To Protect at Ten
Posted on January 27, 2015.
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine was agreed by UN member states in the 2005 World Outcome document. As we near the tenth anniversary of its adoption, how successful has it been? R2P replaces humanitarian intervention as a way in which the UN has justified state intervention. Implementation of R2P has come in 3 forms: i) […]
Posted in Conflict, Humanitarian Intervention, Iraq, Middle East, Security Issues, UN, World
Why Are Humanitarian Workers Targeted?
Posted on January 25, 2015.
Why are humanitarian workers targeted? On World Humanitarian Day this year the United Nations reported that in various conflict zones in 2013, 155 aid workers were killed, 171 were injured and 134 were taken as captives. We have to ask, what is the justification for such acts? Let us begin with the illegal occupation of […]
Posted in Humanitarian Intervention, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, Religion, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, UN, World
Living Ordinary Lives? European Muslims After Charlie Hebdo
Posted on January 24, 2015.
The tragedy of Charlie Hebdo has provoked an immense response from Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world. Almost all who have written about this issue have condemned the killings in Paris, equating them to other similar terrorist threats and attacks such as the Rushdie Affair and the 7/7 bombings in Britain, the 9/11 attacks, and […]
Posted in Europe, Islam, Religion, Security Issues, Terrorism, World
Will Corruption and Income Inequality Scupper India’s Economic Revival?
Posted on January 21, 2015.
As anyone who has spent any length of time travelling in India will attest, it is a country of stark contrasts. In few ways is this more obvious than the vast disparities in wealth between 500 million of India’s total 1.27 billion citizens living on less than $1.25 per day and a small but increasingly wealthy elite […]
Posted in Asia, Economic Security, Economics, Food Security, Global Economy, India, Uncategorized, World
Radicalism in the Modern World
Posted on January 14, 2015.
The main source of hostility in the modern world is the widening gap between the most and least developed segments of human civilization. While some societies are exploring potential life on other planets, life has not changed much for others over the past millennium. Unlike in previous centuries, the permeation of modern day technologies makes […]
Posted in Asia, China, Conflict, Europe, Security Issues, Terrorism, World
Reza Aslan Slams Bill Maher for Facile Arguments’ About Muslim Violence
Posted on January 14, 2015.
This isn’t a new video but in the aftermath of Charlie Hebdo and the standard rush to judgement on the nature of Islam, Reza Aslan is worth listening to.
Posted in Culture, Global Politics Videos, Islam, Middle East, Security Issues, Terrorism, World
Merkel’s Warning to the Germans a Lesson for UK Politicians
Posted on January 2, 2015.
I haven’t been wildly impressed by how Angela Merkel has handled the eurozone crisis, but this speech to the German people shows why (for my money) she’s easily the most impressive political leader in Europe, if not the world, right now. At a time when too many UK politicians have been pandering to extreme tendencies in a craven attempt […]
Posted in Economic Security, Europe, Germany, Global Economy, Refugees, World
Iraq in 2015: An Interview with Iraq Analyst Joel Wing
Posted on December 31, 2014.
Robert Tollast sits down with Joel Wing, author of the excellent Musings on Iraq blog, to discuss the coming year in Iraq. Joel has made his blog an expansive online resource for Iraq analysis and it is now one of the main on-line forums for academic discussion of Iraq, recently hosting a 24 expert review of the […]
Posted in Conflict, Interviews, Iraq, Middle East, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, World
Forget the SNP’s Rhetoric About the People. It’s All About the Party.
Posted on December 28, 2014.
After the brave new world rhetoric and the endless claims about social justice from the SNP, I’m unclear how any of the Party’s new membership intake can be encouraged by the treatment of prospective SNP parliamentary candidate and former UK ambassador, Craig Murray. Read here for Murray’s reasoned and eloquent account of his treatment by the SNP […]
Posted in Scottish Independence, World
Is the Aral Sea Disaster Reversible?
Posted on December 22, 2014.
Once the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea has shrunk by 90% over the past 50 years. Perhaps a paragon of unsustainable development and mismanagement, it has been described by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as ‘one of the planet’s worst environmental disasters’. Is there hope for the people and the environment affected […]
Posted in Economic Security, World
Berlin, 1989 by Michael Penhallow
Posted on December 10, 2014.
Ronald Reagan did not bring the Berlin Wall down, not even close. How do I know? Because I was there. I remember his speech at the wall, right in front of the Brandenburg Gate. It was June 12, 1987 and despite the media reports to the contrary there were relatively few in attendance. We stood alone in […]
-
Why Timor-Leste’s Choice of Portuguese Might be Right
-
“Today’s Morocco is Not That of the Past”
-
When Putsch Comes to Shove: A Historical Take on Trump’s Attack at the Capitol
-
The Significance of the Morocco-Israel-US Deal for Regional Peace
-
Undoing the GOP Manipulation of the Courts. What the US Can Learn From Germany
Global Politics Links
Global Politics on Linkedin
Global Politics Magazine, together with its group on Linked In, is intended to facilitate critical discussion and promote the exchange of ideas amongst international relations professionals, journalists and academics. 
Global Politics Facebook Group
Global Politics together with its Facebook group provides a forum in which journalists, academics, international relations professionals and the next generation of global policy makers can exchange insights, debate viewpoints, and develop new approaches.
© 2026 Global Politics. Powered by WordPress.
