Abstract Individual citizens can often wield considerable influence in international affairs. In 1955, prominent American journalist Norman Cousins launched an initiative to bring 25 Japanese victims of the atomic bomb to the United States to receive treatment. The U.S. State Department made...

Purpose – To review a past column to see whether some “heads‐ups” contained in it were on target or off. Design/methodology/approach – The paper take the for of an opinion column. Findings – In the words of Sam Goldwyn, “Prediction is difficult, especially about the future.”...

General interstate warfare, that characterized so many twentieth century conflicts is increasingly becoming obsolete, except for some rare cases. Indeed, the nature of warfare has greatly shifted into something new, and perhaps into something even more dangerous for international security with...

The Nuclear Non‐Proliferation Treaty (NPT), signed in 1968, is a treaty of three main agreements concerning both nuclear weapons states and non‐nuclear weapons states, with the ultimate goal of nuclear disarmament. A number of safeguards and inspections conducted by the IAEA have been set up...

Purpose – This paper aims to recall, with specific developments in international relations, how the major powers failed to avoid prolonged political conflict that teetered for a half‐century on the brink of war. Design/methodology/approach – Evocation of developments tending to confirm...

Purpose – To explore the evolution and function of the wristwatch as a contemporary cultural icon. Design/methodology/approach – To apply the concepts of iconography and of postmodern cultural theory to the general history of watches and to examine the meaning watches in contemporary...

Purpose – This study is interested in the tourist satisfaction of Kenting Wind Chime Festival, as well as in tourist's characteristic and their revisiting commitment. The purpose is to survey customer satisfaction, which has significant implications for the economic performance of the firm,...

Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to introduce six audio‐visual and written pieces that communicate research findings about contemporary popular culture. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a summary overview of the papers in the special issue, highlighting...

Purpose – This paper is a companion piece to the short documentary Breakin' Away . The paper aims to touch on Texas b‐boy culture and tourism, the hip‐hop industry at large, book publishing, intra‐industry media‐synergy, the Hollywood film industry and related aspects of pop culture....