http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/2881/benjamin-walton Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sun, 17 May 2026 03:06:12 -0400 Sun, 17 May 2026 03:06:12 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1084/creating-europe-the-discourse-of-civilisation By Benjamin Walton - Today political philosophy is generally conducted in the light of the perceived triumph of liberalism. That is, it typically proceeds from the assumption that it is unreasonable, if not irrational or pathological, to resist liberalism whether as a mode of thought or as a social order. Despite critics' repeated attempts to demonstrate the incoherence of liberal values, they appear to have stood the test of time - so much so, that the solutions to the world's pressing social problems are largely being conceived of within the parameters of a liberal world order .2 However , E. P. Thompson asks rhetorically... Wed, 01 Jan 2014 07:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1084/creating-europe-the-discourse-of-civilisation http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1075/european-enlargement-a-normative-perspective By Benjamin Walton - It was commonplace among academics of the 1970s to share an understanding of the frozen nature of international relations during the Cold War period, and to hold similar assumptions about the fixed character of the nation-state and the importance of direct military power in strengthening the international society.1 However, the Cold War, which structured many of these assumptions, ended with the collapse of norms across Central Europe rather than through the employment of force.2 Therefore, a better understanding of the European Union’s (EU) role today might be attained by reflecting on... Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1075/european-enlargement-a-normative-perspective