Badgers, Bombs, and Backstreet Boys
Until summer 2012, the United States of America knew very little about the modern existence and popularity of British boy bands. Groups like One Direction and The Wanted exploded onto airwaves and the Beliebers were able to fanatically devour music created by five boys instead of just one. Little do they know that boy bands […]
The Future of NATO: Towards Where Will It Turn?
Originally founded as a deterrent to Soviet aggression in Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is now the most successful and effective alliance the world has ever seen. However, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Alliance has often become the focus of attack by those that see it as arcane. To the […]
Unintended Consequences: Why France’s Impossible Expectations Will Shake Its Future
On Sunday, May 6th, François Hollande of the French Socialist Party defeated his opponent, Nicholas Sarkozy, with 51.6% of the popular vote. Tough economic times and recent “terrorist” attacks in Toulouse were the foremost discussions during the 2012 electoral campaign. François Hollande, the first Socialist president in the nearly two decades since François Mitterrand, benefited […]
UK Energy Policy, Nuclear Optimism, and the Future
The prospect and pursuit of long-term sustainable energy security has caused progressive anxiety among fossil fuel dependent countries as they come to grips with dwindling supplies and an unstable Middle East. Increases in the cost of uranium and fossil fuels, expanding populations, finite energy supplies, and the globally swelling demand for energy factor into a […]
The Iron Lady: Lloyd’s Thatcher Shows the Strength Necessary to Lead
The Iron Lady is a film that has been engineered to win Academy awards, but behind the artsy appeal, the glitz and the glamour lies a solid critique on the modus operandi of western political systems, wherein the events of Margaret Thatcher’s life echo our current political situation. Phyllida Lloyd’s film portrays Margaret Thatcher through […]
Division in Northern Ireland: Protestants, Catholics and ‘Others’
It can be easy to belittle the progress made by the political and social systems in Northern Ireland (NI) since the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998, but let there be no mistake that the headway being made in NI is remarkable. Despite this growth, the society remains segregated. The two principal groups are […]
The Euro: Not Short on Friends, Yet Homeless
An old dog may not be taught new tricks, but the ailing European Union (EU) can be further economically and politically domesticated by enacting necessary reforms to address its sovereign debt crisis. Though many European governments and banks managed to emerge relatively unscathed after the 2008 financial crisis, largely by avoiding American credit markets,[i] the […]
Why the EU Needs Turkey: A Case for Accession
The Republic of Turkey stands at the crossroads of the Eastern and Western worlds. It is a land bridge between Europe and Asia, and through it flows the major water route between Russia and the Middle East. Its location has always put Turkey at the center of cultural origin and intercourse. For hundreds of years […]
Labour 2010: Not So Rosy
In May 1997, after a surprising election victory, a young, charismatic man named Tony Blair settled into his new office at 10 Downing Street in London as the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister. This signaled the beginning of the Labour Party’s hold on the Premiership. However, after nearly thirteen years in power, Labour’s grasp on Downing […]