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Many of the key issues of our turbulent age are presented in this issue of IJWP. It contains hints of the outline of how a post-Westphalian, post-bipolar world is shaping [...]

A unified Bosnia is not possible, even with the Dayton accords. Only the Croatians, Bosnians, and all concerned Europeans can prevent another outbreak of wildly destructive war in this region.

Many liberal theorists misinterpret nationality and the demand for national self-determination. This paper asks what is the claim for national self-determination. Following this, it is asked which way of meeting the demand is the best one. While analysing the circumstances in which the demand is raised, it is argued that this claim is political rather than cultural, and that therefore some of the solutions which have been put forward in theory and in practice (especially autonomy) do not meet this claim. It is also argued that the failure of many Western politicians and political theorists to address the demand for national self-determination as a political demand derives from three reasons: methodological, moral and ideological.

A study shows the rise of sub-national aspirations to control the politics and economics in Russia. The rise of regionalism in Russia conflicts with the central government, and its structure and powers depend substantially on the outcome of this conflict. Post-Soviet Russia has granted more powers and responsibilities to the regional legislatures. This extension of power has positively influenced the regional aspirations of the individual. Russian regionalism demands more autonomy and it goes beyond the power aspirations of the regional leaders.

Secession and political self-determination have beneficial effects as they limit the state's monopoly on power and help promote mutual cooperation. A group could secede and merge with another more responsive state and need not suffer oppression. The threat of secession would ensure that minority groups are treated properly. Historical and contemporary case studies provide political legitimacy to secession and political self-determination. The right of self-determination presupposes a group's ability and willingness to perform the functions of a government.

There is not a civil war or separatist conflict in the former Soviet Union without them. They fight alongside Armenians against Azeris in Nagorno-Karabakh and fly bombing missions for Abkhaz [...]

Self-determination movements, a major historical force for more than 200 years, have largely exhausted their legitimacy as a means to create more strongly democratic states. While they long served to [...]

India's and Pakistan's rival demonstrations of their nuclear capabilities in May 1998 heightened the stakes over Kashmir, the most heated point of diplomatic friction between the two countries. The detonations [...]

After 13 violent years, an air of change surrounds Kashmir. In Pakistan, old truths are being reconsidered, even if Pakistan's commitment to Kashmir cannot be. In India, a newly acknowledged [...]

One feels an eerie vulnerability throughout the streets of Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, as Pakistan and India rattle their nuclear sabers. Life on the streets seems normal to [...]

This article discusses the political aspects of the Republic of Cyprus' membership in the European Union. Topics include relations with Turkey, sovereignty, and negotiation.

The Russian Federation Supreme Soviet sent an official message to the Ukraine Supreme Soviet to explain why the Russian Supreme Soviet is making a legal assessment of the transfer of the Crimea to Ukraine. Russia's intention is not to make any territorial claims against Ukraine, but rather to initiate talks about the situation in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), because some governments may not be following the desires of their constituents. In particular, an appeal is made to the president and Supreme Soviet of Ukraine to respect international norms and let the Crimean people decide their own fate.