About George Lawson
George Lawson is a lecturer in international relations at the London School of Economics (LSE) and a member of the LSE IDEAS Management Committee. LSE IDEAS has recently published the report to which he has contributed, After the Arab Spring: Power Shift in the Middle East? His books include Negotiated Revolutions: The Czech Republic, South Africa and Chile (Ashgate, 2004) and (as co-editor) The Global 1989: Continuity and Change in World Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2010)
Articles by George Lawson
George Lawson
The first half of the twenty-first century was marked by two major trends in international relations: first, a shift towards ‘globalism’ as a result of shared problems (e.g. environmental degradation), shared risks (e.g. nuclear proliferation), and shared domains of activity (e.g. the market); and second, a shift to ‘decentred’ authority as power diffused around the world both geographically and institutionally. The resulting synthesis, ‘decentred globalism’, made international affairs much messier, but also more pluralistic, more democratic and, in policy terms, more humble. The post-Western world proved to be one in which heterogeneity and hybridity flourished.
Truth or dare? Truth commissions between old and new nations
There was a time when we thought that by now we would be cutting necks and putting people on the firing line.
This week's guest editors
Our guest editors James Ron, Leslie Vinjamuri, Sophie Arie and Archana Pandya introduce this week's theme of:
Our guest editors James Ron, Leslie Vinjamuri, Sophie Arie and Archana Pandya introduce this week's theme of:
A Turkish Spring?






.jpg)































