Category Archives: Opinion/Debate

Realist Disobedience: Protest, coercion and the limits of an appeal to justice

by Dr Guy Aitchison, School of Politics and International Relations, UCD. This paper addresses a very specific question regarding the ethics of civil disobedience and political resistance in liberal states: When (if ever) is it legitimate for political actors to … Continue reading

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Solidarity in the (un-)making? Insights from media discourses in the Eurozone crisis

By Stefan Wallaschek My current research interest starts with a basic question: What does solidarity mean? This concept is used quite often – but in regard to different topics: the welfare state is attributed as a solidarity mechanism, trade unions … Continue reading

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What happens to North Koreans who flee their country – and what can they tell us?

Alexander Dukalskis, University College Dublin There is no shortage of commentary on what should be done about North Korean weapons programmes. Op-eds in major news outlets variously advocate for talks, a strategy of deterrence combined with progress on humanitarian and … Continue reading

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SPIRe Irish Times articles

No better time than Summer Term to look back and reflect on the events of the past year.  Below is a selection of articles with a middle-eastern focus written by SPIRe’s Dr. Vincent Durac, and published in the Irish Times  between December 2014 and … Continue reading

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Devo-max or Agreement-Max? Northern Ireland after the Scottish Referendum

It has become common political wisdom first in Britain, and latterly in the Irish state, to say that devolution in Northern Ireland means that politicians there must sort out their own conflicts without input from the two states. This is … Continue reading

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Our gender-blind party leadership needs to wake up and smell the coffee

The leaders of all the political parties claim that they place high priority on growing the numbers of women in politics. Following the local elections and cabinet reshuffle how are they faring? This table shows the situation (as of today) … Continue reading

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