Foreign Policy Blogs

Constitutional Developments

Legacies of General MacArthur’s ‘Peace Constitution’ still Matter in East Asia

Legacies of General MacArthur’s ‘Peace Constitution’ still Matter in East Asia

Post-war Japan’s constitution was an avant-garde collage of high-edge liberal democratic universal norms that revolutionized an outmoded governance system.

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Any New Year’s resolutions Mr. Orbán?

Any New Year’s resolutions Mr. Orbán?

Old tricks die hard in the European Union’s “rogue state,” but the West must acknowledge its hand in fueling the political culture in Hungary.

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SCAF’s Constitutional Declaration – Uncertainty and Hope for Egypt’s Bicameral Legislature

SCAF’s Constitutional Declaration – Uncertainty and Hope for Egypt’s Bicameral Legislature

February 11 marked the one year anniversary of the official fall of Hosni Mubarak from power.  What started with street demonstrations and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) overthrowing the President and dissolving the Parliament, was followed by a referendum to amend the existing constitution and fresh Parliamentary election.  On February 22, the […]

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America : A Constitutional Midwife for the Arab World!

America : A Constitutional Midwife for the Arab World!

A recent article by Nathan Brown in the FP (Americans, put away your quills), eloquently argues against the advocacy and promotion of “American constitutional ideas” (and ideals) in Arab countries currently in transition due to the Arab Spring.  Although the history of U.S. constitutional transplantation is mixed at best (failed in Latin America in the […]

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A League of Nations in Transition – Regional Integration for the Arab Spring!

A League of Nations in Transition – Regional Integration for the Arab Spring!

As the Arab Spring is turning to its second (and harder) phase of conducting elections and forming legitimate transitional government, the need for an economic strategy is becoming painfully apparent.  The people, who marched on the streets demanding political freedom, were also demonstrating for economic freedom and the general improvement of their future economic prospects.  […]

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Why the Arab Spring should not Fear Tribalism and Factionalism – Institutionalizing Diversity.

Why the Arab Spring should not Fear Tribalism and Factionalism – Institutionalizing Diversity.

Ever since the people of the Arab world, from Iran to Morocco, started rising up against their authoritarian and dictatorial regimes demanding accountability and representation, a lot has been said about the perils and obstacles of their undertaking.  From historical and cultural legacies, to economic and political shortcomings, nothing looms as a larger obstacle than […]

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The Benefits of a Constituent Assembly for Tunisia and the Arab Spring.

The Benefits of a Constituent Assembly for Tunisia and the Arab Spring.

Next month (October 23rd) the people of Tunisia will vote to elect a Constituent Assembly, with the primary task of drafting a new constitution!  The National Constituent Assembly (NCA) will be composed of 218 members, and will have to draft a new constitution for Tunisia within a year.  Furthermore, the NCS will also elect from […]

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Western Intervention and the Lessons from Libya.

Western Intervention and the Lessons from Libya.

As we observe the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and we contemplate what went wrong with the past decade, we should look at Libya for lessons on western intervention!  In the aftermath of 9/11, American neoconservatives tried to ‘liberate’ the Arab world, and bring ‘democracy’ in the Middle East.  It was argued that failed states like […]

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Constitutional Reforms in Morocco and Jordan!

Constitutional Reforms in Morocco and Jordan!

Reports coming out of Morocco and Jordan are both encouraging and frustrating.  Both Morocco and Jordan have been beset for months by growing popular demands for political, economic and social reform, after Arab uprisings overthrew leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and shook other regional states. However, unlike other Arab states witnessing popular uprisings, demonstrations […]

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A Governance Vision for the Nations of the Arab Spring.

Recent events in North Africa and the Middle East have brought to the forefront the fragility of government institutions and have questioned the legitimacy of authoritarian regimes in a number of developing nations.  The right form of governance for the right society has never been easy to identify.  A lot of times, societies have adopted […]

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We the People… Constitutional Developments around the World!

During the last couple of years we have seen some very significant developments around the world.  First, a housing bubble in the U.S. caused a global financial crisis, then a sovereign debt crisis in Europe threatened the very viability of the EU, and now a string of people revolutions in North Africa and the Middle […]

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New Blog Coming Soon

Welcome to the Foreignpolicyblogs.com blog, the latest addition to the Foreign Policy Blogs network.

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