Carolyn C. James

Religion as a Factor in Ethnic Conflict: Kashmir and Indian Foreign Policy

ABSTRACT Ethnic conflicts with a strong religious component do not have merely domestic or foreign causes and consequences. As a result, internationalization of ethnic conflict has become an important subject of inquiry both in terms of pure research and policy-oriented studies. This article presents a case study of Indian-Pakistani relations over Kashmir, used to evaluate the role of religion and the explanatory power of the approach presented here. The aim of the study is to apply a foreign policy approach that simultaneously incorporates domestic and external factors in an analysis of how and in what ways religious elements of the Kashmir question affect Indias foreign policy. The approach, an application of “systemism,” contributes to current developments in the realist school of international relations through its emphasis on the need to look at both international and state levels in combination. Earlier applications of realism, as both neotraditional and structural realism clearly demonstrate, tend to remain restricted to one level or the other. In this approach, a religious dynamic can have a domestic source yet be effectively examined in terms of international ramifications.

Canada, the United States and Arctic Sovereignty: Architecture Without Building?

While a study of Canada/United States (Can/Am) relations in the Arctic might hold intrinsic interest, why should it be a priority? What follows is the first attempt to appraise the evolution of Can/Am relations in the far north within the context of combined analytical frameworks from International Relations (IR). This investigation of Canada, the US and Arctic sovereignty proceeds in the following stages. The first task is to introduce outlooks on security policy derived from IR—realism, liberalism, constructivism and domestic politics—that will be used to account for development of Can/Am relations in the Arctic. This stage is followed by a necessarily brief review of Arctic history, with greater attention to the period from Confederation onward. Assessment of those events in the context of the outlooks derived from IR is carried out in the next stage. The final stage of this study is a conclusion that reviews accomplishments and suggests directions for further research.

Systemism and Foreign Policy Analysis: A New Approach to the Study of International Conflict

This work expands on the concept of “systemism,” which is a basic framework that can help in thinking more broadly about world affairs. Rather than theorizing strictly at the level of the system or its components, systemism (not to be confused with David Easton’s [1953. The Political System: An Inquiry into the State of Political Science. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf] “systems theory”) allows for linkages operating at multiple levels of analysis—at the macro- and micro-levels.

Review of IR

The field of International Relations (IR) has seen a plethora of approaches to undergraduate education, as evidenced in the number and variety of textbooks written in recent years. One of the most recent contributions, with the straightforward title IR, provides the standard requirements required for an introductory course yet also stands out from the others in providing fresh and unique approaches to the subject. The text is organized into primary five parts: Theory and Practice, International Security, Economic Security, Human Security, and Looking Ahead. IR has a particularly effective introductory chapter. In the introduction, students are guided through the book’s structure, placing emphasis on ‘‘the pursuit of security’’ and the ‘‘fundamental challenges of world politics’’ (p. 9). Security is divided into three areas: security from violence (international security), security from material want (economic security), and security in pursuit of a higher quality of life (human security). Challenges to understanding international relations are presented in three areas as well: anarchy (absence of world government); diversity (variations in factors such as values and identities); and complexity (the multidimensional character of international issues, actors, and connections). These themes are maintained throughout the book, providing students with a clear rationale for the material they will be covering during the course. The text uses basic levels of analysis for purposes of comparative inquiry. IR also comes with a multitude of teaching supplements, including complete PowerPoint slides plus separate files of figures and photographs from the book to enable a personalized PowerPoint presentation. The test bank is easy to use and comes with a broad of range of assessment tools that can fit into any instructor’s evaluation style and emphases. Other teaching tools include instructor prep cards for each chapter that contain learning objectives, chapter outlines, potential classroom approaches, key terms, and CourseMate assignments. CourseMate has resources for students and teachers, including stimulating ways to learn the material (crossword puzzles and simulations) and innovative ways to teach the material (NewsWatch and Engagement Tracker). IR covers all the basics while offering unique and fresh elements. The theory section is beautifully written and presented for the undergraduate students, who often are attempting to ‘‘think theoretically’’ for the first time in an academic setting. The variants of Realism and Liberalism are explained very effectively. Competing alternatives are put forth, with perhaps too much emphasis on Marxism, a paradigm that is becoming increasingly obsolete in practice. Rather than just presenting IR