The Agora: Political Science Undergraduate Journal
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“Battle of the Extremes”: Party Polarization in the 2010 Pennsylvanian Senatorial Election
No full textThis paper provides an in-depth analysis of the senatorial election held in Pennsylvania in November of 2010. The paper outlines the state\u27s primary election campaigns and the eventual campaign between two ideologically-opposed candidates, Sestak and Toomey. By referencing extensive primary source documents (interviews, campaign videos, and speeches), supported by scholarly secondary sources, this paper argues that Pennsylvania\u27s senatorial election is emblematic of greater party polarization across the United States. The candidates\u27 unwillingness to provide moderate solutions to appeal to voters in this swing state is noteworthy and is reflective of the decline of centrist politics in the country. Though narrow in scope, the argument put forth in this paper has broader implications for polarization and political engagement in contemporary American politics
Steps Towards Uruguay’s Next Political and Economic Insertion into the World
No full textThis paper examines the democratic stability, political role of the current president, economic growth and social programs that are a part and puzzle of the country, Uruguay. This paper presents an overview of how Uruguay today is ready to take the next step in economic and social development, and to insert itself as a stable democratic country in both the Latin American region and the world
The Liberal Party of Canada: Still Canada’s “Natural Governing Party?”
No full textCanada´s evolving party system has shifted the discursive, institutional, and legal frameworks for how party politics are performed in Canada. As a result, the dominant track record of the Liberal Party of Canada now faces several new challenges to its historical status as Canada´s natural governing party. The inability to successfully fundraise to set election issues within the guidelines of new legal regulations has weakened the Liberal Party´s ability to compete with the Conservatives. The current leader-driven model of cadre party politics has also put more emphasis on attracting peripheral voters, such as flexible partisans and dealigned voters, which makes one-party domination less likely. Furthermore, the Liberal Party has also faced recent loses to their core support, due to shifts in historical regional support, religious support, and the support of ethnic minorities
American Media
No full textThis paper discusses the state of the American media in the decade following 9/11. A framework is crafted from the work of previous media theorists and the writing of the Supreme Court of the United States to understand the specific role of the fourth estate in American society. Once this is accomplished, this paper re-evaluates the success of the media in fulfilling its constitutional role, arguing that the media was, in fact, less deferential to the government line than many critics suggest, particularly following the abuses at Abu Ghraib. Finally, the case is made that institutionalised media is necessary to provide a check on government power, and the expansion of democratized news can only fulfil this mandate to a certain extent
The EU-China’s Strategic Partnership: A Case Study of the EU’s Arms Embargo against China
No full textIn 2003, the EU and China established a strategic partnership intended to deepen their bilateral relationship not only economically, but also strategically. However, the EU-China relations are still challenged by several ideological and strategic issues. This paper will evaluate the EU-China’s strategic partnership by presenting a case study of the EU’s arms embargo against China since the 1989 Tiananmen Incident. This paper will argue that although the EU-China’s strategic partnership has a strong foundation of bilateral economic and strategic cooperation, the relationship between the EU and China is still very weak: (1) ideologically, the EU is still unsatisfied with China’s human rights record and political reform process; and (2) strategically, the United States (U.S.) still plays an influential role the EU’s external decision-making process.