World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

The nation-state is a poor agent to address the issue of climate change.  It is so deeply rooted in the concept of territoriality that it is more likely to impede attempts to solve the problem than it is to contribute to a solution.  In order to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change, the whole concept of sovereignty needs to be re-imagined.

Ever since the contested election of President Pierre Nkurunziza in Burundi a few months ago, there has been a steady level of violence in the country.  The election was contested because Nkurunziza sought a third term in office, something prohibited by the constitution.  Nkurunziza is a Hutu and the violence between that ethnic group and the minority Tutsi in central Africa has been endemic for many years, the most explosive episode being the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.  The rising tension is causing concern that the violence may once again explode.

Globalization and free trade are the underlying issues in this year’s presidential campaign in the US.  The critiques of how trade policies have affected the American middle class have been launched from both the right and the left.  What was once a given issue in the American hegemony is now being contested within the hegemon.  Whatever the outcome in the US election, the debate will resonate strongly for many years to come.