By Stefanos Michelakakis In a world where globalization has established a strong connection between nations, international law stands as a hope for global order and justice. However, the world lies in a complex web of cultural, historical, and geopolitical influences that raise the question: Is international law truly international? The Principle of Universality: The principle of universality asserts that certain fundamental rights and norms transcend cultural, national, and religious boundaries. It forms the cornerstone of international human rights law, proclaiming that all individuals, rega ..read more

By Mr. Maverick, Our daily lives constitute an ever-ending decision making process. I made a calculated decision to invest some time and communicate my thoughts through this article – and you, dear reader, made another (well-?)calculated decision to take some time out of your busy schedule and read this article which you probably found intriguing. From deciding what to wear and buying that extra candy bar at the grocery store, to making a life-changing investment like buying a house, we are constantly facing dilemmas that demand decisions, either swift or measured. Deciding about anything know ..read more

By George Monopatis There is a scene from the famous movie “Blood Diamond” that has always stayed with me. The co-star of the movie, Jennifer Connelly, after seeing some news on TV, comments that “the world is falling apart“. Then, the main protagonist, Leonardo Di Caprio, answers with absolute candor: “When was the last time the world wasn’t falling apart, huh?” This statement, however extravagant, remains strangely accurate. There is a general feeling in the world now and arguably during every time period that things are unbearable and that things cannot get any worse, in other words an over ..read more

By Nickolaos Angelis In the wake of the end of the Cold War, when the international system entered a process of reconfiguration and new issues like the growth of ethnonationalism arose, it became obvious that human beings, acting individually or in collectivities, are the source of much behavior and most change in international politics. The paradigm of classical realism with its ‘rational actor’ model possesses a great explanatory value in focusing on the “bigger picture” of international relations, which is not to be missed. Nevertheless, historical practice indicates that assumptions that p ..read more

By Mr. Maverick From the 1881 assassination of the Russian Tsar Alexander II by dynamite to the Hamas’s horrific attack on October 7, it is clear that the capabilities of terrorist actors have grown exponentially. In his lecture “Politics as a Vocation” (1918), the German sociologist Max Weber defines the state as a “human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.” However, in 2024, that seems to be far from being the case. The large proliferation of technology and power has enhanced significantly the capacity of any no ..read more

…and so do you By Alexandros Sainidis  Self-help largely relies on marginal (small) changes you implement in your lifestyle. There is little benefit in eating healthy for a day. Doing so for months, however, has an immense effect on increasing positive effects and decreasing negative effects at the same time. At first this logic seems as a purely personal journey. In reality, this incremental logic applies on a global scale and has the power to turn the tides in every domain.  Staying within this topic, health is highly responsive to small changes, which explains why it is a core obj ..read more

By Mr. Maverick An African proverb says, “When roots are deep, there is no need to fear the wind.” Evidently, the “wind” of military coups has swept the continent’s nascent democratic foundations. In particular, 13 successful coups took place in Africa during the first two decades of this century and the risk of broader diffusion is solid. The interesting fact in this juncture, however, is the level of popular support that these military takeovers enjoy, especially in the Sahel region, where in Mali, for instance, around eight in ten citizens back their country’s military junta. This tolerance ..read more

By George Monopatis On his way to Thebes Oedipus met the Sphinx. Τhe monster presented Oedipus with a riddle to let him pass; otherwise, it would kill him. “What has four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?”  The answer to the monster’s riddle was “man“. This single world tore the Sphinx apart. In this article, we have a different riddle for you.  “Who rules in democracy, oligarchy and tyranny alike?”   Just as in the case of Oedipus, the answer actually remains the same.  In spite of anarchy in the international system, ruling has been an essen ..read more

By Alexandros Sainidis Wealth, fame, power. This is what small English farmers and tradesmen sought when they were pushed away by land owners and large businesses. With no other hope, many viewed piracy and its lucrative prospects as a solution. Today – meaning for the last two decades – pirates sound funny whenever they hit the headlines. The image of a parrot on the shoulder of a pirate is no match to an Artificial Intelligence system that can repeat far more words and identify military targets. And if parrots cannot win against AI, what can a buccaneer do against a soldier in an exoskeleton ..read more

By Alexandros Sainidis There can be found simplicity in nuclear weapons – because total annihilation is quite straightforward and ultimate. Foolishly, we transfer the same view to nuclear deterrence – we don’t shoot ’cause they will shoot back and the damage will be too much to bear. The Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty is one evidence of deterrence complexity. Signed by the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, on May 26, 1972, as part of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I), the ABM Treaty sought to decrease the development and deployment of missile defence system ..read more