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Should Britain’s Railways Be Nationalised?

By Roland Bensted

The UK’s privatised railways are less efficient, and a bigger drain on public resources than the former British Rail. Nationalisation should be considered. Yet mainstream politicians of all parties have been unwilling to make a clear case for nationalised ownership. This was exemplified recently by the Office of Rail Regulation’s (ORR) April 2013 report, GB Rail Industry Financial Information 2011-12. According to the ORR report, the state-run East Coast rail franchise was the least reliant of all British rail franchises on government money. 

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The International Criminal Court and Kenyan 2013 Elections

By Njoki Wamai

The 4 March 2013 election was a defining moment in Kenya’s post-independence history. This election was significant for several reasons. 

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When Democracies Make Wrong Decisions

By Shilpa Rao

Recent events in India and the US have threatened the very ethos of those torch-bearer democracies. 

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Royal Charter on Press Regulation: A False Dichotomy

By Joe Attwood

The authors of the Royal Charter on the Self-Regulation of the Press have come under a great deal of criticism in recent weeks, but if there is one thing that can be said of them it is that they have certainly read the Leveson Report.

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Life After Chávez: The Apple Can Fall Far From the Tree

By Santiago Fontiveros

The day Steve Jobs died, after a much publicised  battle with cancer, Apple’s shares rose in the stock market - analysts called it “a tribute”. The next year Apple’s stock continued its steady rise, becoming the most valued company ever as measured by market capitalisation. 

Environment

The Environment as a Potential Threat to National Security

By Andrea Kellum

The environment as a potential threat to national security is a recent issue in the political science debates. Nevertheless, there is no unanimity about the core of the argument.

Syria

When the Rubber Meets the Road

By Eugenio Lilli

Military intervention in Syria “would benefit the US the most”. This is the conclusion drawn by two respected authors, Michael Doran and Max Boot, about the current situation in Syria and the way the US and the West should respond to it.