S/P/375. 'Democracies are created not by causes but by causers' Discuss

The paper examines the driving forces behind democracy reviewing theories of democratization and discussing the components of democracy, the structures of power during the 1960s -1970s, etc. The pressures of liberal democracies on other countries' regimes are considered using the examples of Spain and Poland.

C/P/59. Political representation and party systems

This essay considers the concept of political representation and the different forms of political party system. It looks specifically at the four examples of Russia, Spain, the USA and Egypt. It considers the different party systems in these countries and the issues of political representation associated with them.

E/P/37. Pressure groups benefit the powerful and the expense of the rest of society

The paper examines the role of pressure groups (interest groups) in the country's policy defining types of pressure groups, discussing their power, and evaluating their contribution to the electoral democracy in the UK.

S/P/158. LITERATURE REVIEW – what is politics?

The paper presents a study of academic views on the concepts of politics, power, the role of the state, the role of people, etc.

C/P/57. Pressure groups and Democracy

This essay considers the issue of Pressure groups in the UK. Do they contribute to or harm the democratic process? It looks at various points from both sides, some of which indicate the Pressure groups play an important part in broaden political participation; others that they uphold sectional interests that actually damage democracy.

S/P/159. What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of Representative (indirect) forms of Democracy?

The paper examines the concept of democracy reviewing the history of democracy, definitions of democracy, types of democracy, the Greek idea of democracy, etc. The strengths and weaknesses of representative democracy are identified.

E/P/26. 'Democracy has the impossible task of accommodating intractable differences'. Discuss

The paper examines the concept of democracy providing a review of academic approaches to the historical models and mechanisms of democracy, the concept of the neutral citizen, group identity, etc. The ability of democracy to accommodating differences is critically assessed.

E/P/25. 'There exists an over-riding design for democratic transitions which all countries must follow'. Use the examples of two of the countries covered in the module to examine this statement

The paper examines the patterns of democratic transition of European and Latin American states offering political and socioeconomic analysis of the world history in the 20th century, describing the forms of democratic transition in Spain and Brazil, and highlighting the key drivers of democratisation in replacing authoritarian regimes.

E/P/20. To what extent can it be argued that a Separation of Powers exists within the British Political system?

The paper examines the separation of powers in the British political system offering an overview of the evolution of executive, legislative and judicial branches of power. The current state of the political system is described arguing whether there should be proportional representation for general elections across the UK.

E/P/19. POLITICAL PARTIES AND PRESSURE GROUPS: An Aid or a Hindrance to Democracy?

The paper examines the role of political parties and pressure groups in shaping the policy of the government. Academic approaches to democracy, political power, ideology, etc. are reviewed and discussed.

E/P/15. Theoretical approaches to equal opportunity

The paper discusses the social and philosophical underpinnings of equal opportunity examining the factors enforcing the equality of opportunity and reviewing opinions about the role of the family, women’s position in contemporary society, Marxist and feminist ideas about the distribution of power, etc.

P/P/342. Theoretical approaches to separation of power and its applications in UK political system

The paper examines the theory and practice of power branches separation into legislative, executive and judiciary. The approaches of Aristotle and by Monstequie are reviewed; the significance of the separation of power for the UK constitutional conventions is highlighted; its applications in the British political system are discussed.

P/P/336. Role of democracy in country’s development

The paper examines the role of democracy in the country’s development reviewing opinions of political theorists about different forms of development and offering cross-national comparisons of economic, political and cultural implications of democracy, the state’s co-ordination ability, etc.

P/P/334. Models of democracy: theory and examples

The paper examines the concept of democracy reviewing opinions of political scientists about the relationship between democracy and liberalism, identifying the models of democracy, and providing examples of various forms of democracy in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Russia.

S/P/96. How convincing are the Fascists’ arguments against democracy?

This paper considers the validity of fascist political philosophy against liberal democracy. It considers the ideological roots of fascist thought from the Enlightenment and explores the works and speeches of Hitler, Mussolini and Gentile. The paper exposes the contradictions of fascist philosophy and concludes that though far from perfect (particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) the safeguards inherent within liberal democracy make it preferable to the authoritarianism of fascism

E/P/13. ÑIt is impossible to impose simple analytical categories or classificatory schemes on the wide range of African crises and conflicts. They are as diverse in terms of their causes and origins, as in their dynamics, consequences and mechanisms of resolutionÒ. Discuss

Postcolonial Africa has witnessed the escalation of intra-state violence and conflicts on a larger scale. The scope of conflicts cannot be underestimated, as it has bred disturbing conditions, which range from uncontrolled migration to refugee crises, the flourishing of illegal economies and unconstitutional attainments of power. Political scientists have been puzzled by the nature of conflicts and its causes. In analysing African conflicts one cause cannot be attributed, as this would succumb to a monocausal fallacy. The origins and causes of war in postcolonial Africa remain complex although they may appear to be similar in context and have similar players, both external and internal. Hence the purpose of this essay is to critically analyse the causes of war in the Horn of Africa, with particular reference to Somalia. Most theorists attribute ethnicity as a plausible causal explanation to the conflict in Somalia. Indeed every conflict has an ethnic call, as this manifests itself when the conflict escalates. Somalia on the other hand presents a different picture, where a homogenous culture is present and clan differences remain the central locus of politics. However the emergency of the civil war is not based on ideological differences, whilst simultaneously there are elements of ideological mobilizations. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the ethnicity argument per se deviates from theoretical conception. This paper will argue that while there are intra and inter clan conflicts, which constitute an ethnic call, the conflict is embedded in the struggle for power, emanating from bad leadership and the interplay of powerful clan leaders and warlords to mobilise resources to meet their own ends. This is not an attempt to downplay the role of ethnicity and hence the possible origins of the conflict itself, however to acknowledge that there are other causes. In as much as clan differences have been politicised to meet different goals, one ought to go beyond that and ask what about clans that makes them fight. In essence, this can only be addressed when events are historicised and a critical examination of the conduct of the war itself. Hence two aspects will ostensibly appear; how bad leadership eroded the notion of the Somali state; and how this culminated into the perpetuation of large-scale violence and the emergency of warlords as predators of a stateless state, existing as destroyers of the `state' and further manipulating identities to promote their own interests. This essay will fall into four main categories; the first chapter seeks to draw a theoretical conception on the unstable nature of African politics, attributes to conflict and ethnicity with an application to Somalia; the second chapter will focus on the modern history of Somalia, and its encounter with the tyrant rule of Mohamed Siad Barre; the third chapter illustrates how bad leadership perpetuated clan differences leading to the emergency of warlord politics, and understanding clan warfare itself; and finally how the Somali case deviates from major theoretical conception.

P/P/321. Morality of warfare: theories of Jihad and Just war

The paper reviews the Western theory of Just War comparing it to the Islamic concept of Jihad war and examining the roots and development of both doctrines. The debate surrounding the theory of jihad is discussed arguing the morality of warfare and the ambiguity of the just cause approach to armed conflicts.

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