The events of the 11th of September in 2001 significantly changed how the United States and the Western world perceived the threat posed by non-state terrorist organisations. The 9/11 attacks undermined the illusion of America’s invulnerability in the post-Cold War era. It was the first time they had been attacked since Pearl Harbor and the…
The long-held notions of ‘civilisation’ and ‘barbarism’ heavily influenced the post-First World War international order. Prior to the outbreak of the First World War, it was commonly held that North and Western Europe was ‘civilised,’ while the colonial world in particular was ‘barbaric’ or ‘uncivilised.’ This notion is clearly stated in Argentinian writer Domingo Faustino…
‘Inside the Third Reich: memoirs’ is a semi-autographic text of the memoirs of Albert Speer, Adolf Hitler’s chief architect and the Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich from 1942 to 1945. Published in 1970, it was considered to be a reliable and useful guide into the inner workings of the Nazi…
Please note that this essay was written in 2014, prior to the capabilities of Islamic State were fully realised. Since the conclusion of the Cold War in 1991, there has been an increase in terrorist activity motivated by religion. This also came with a relative decline in secular terrorism. With the rise of nationalism during…
The global environment crisis posits a major challenge into the fundamental principles concerning modern development. The relevance of certain development strategies has been questioned due to gradual environment changes in recent history. The recognition of the detrimental impact that modern development has had on the global environment has also assisted in the debate. The pursuit…
American anthropologist Marshal Sahlins in his work Stone Age Economics, published in 1974, acknowledged a paradox in development today. This paradox is essentially the progression of modern development mutually ensures the relative increase in global hunger and poverty. Sahlins’ theory is illustrated vividly in the understanding of development. He largely achieves this through his comparisons…
Throughout the second half of the twentieth and beginning of the twenty-first centuries there has been constant debate concerning the desirability and the possibility of eliminating nuclear weapons globally. The two sides of this debate essentially state that either, complete nuclear disarmament is wholly desirable and possible, or that it is neither possible nor desirable.…
The Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War was a monumentally significant moment in the histories of the belligerents involved. Since 1916, Australians and New Zealanders have commemorated this occasion on the 25th of April, the date of the Gallipoli landings. Called Anzac Day, it is regarded as the most significant commemoration of military sacrifice…
Throughout the history of the African American pursuit for civil rights there has been active resistance displayed predominantly by the American white community. During the African American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s in particular, resistance towards the movement was well organised and widespread within white society. This was especially evident within the…
Within the nations of sub-Saharan Africa exists an epidemic of failed or failing states and widespread international terrorism. Until recent years, these issues remained relegated to Northern Africa, the sub-Sahara and the Horn of Africa. However, with the escalation of terrorist activity in many African nations, like recent bombings in Kenya and Somalia, and the…
It is often stated that the United Nations Security Council requires reform due to its lack of effectiveness and relevance in the modern geopolitical climate. This in turn has resulted in other nations of the United Nations General Assembly to pursue agendas with minimal consultation or even without the Security Council. This waning effectiveness and…
Jack Johnston 