Suchergebnisse

This article attempts to understand why ethnic-regional civil war has challenged the national unity of Côte d'Ivoire and not Ghana, two neighbouring countries with nearly identical ethnic, religious and regional divisions, by examining politics at the grassroots. Based on a carefully controlled comparison of two similar regions of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, the study investigates how participation in local voluntary associations reinforces the local experience of the state to shape the ongoing development of political values and affect the prospects for ethnic peace and democracy. The article finds that participation in ethnically heterogeneous voluntary associations does not necessarily promote democratic values and practice. In fact, in Côte d'Ivoire, participation in ethnically heterogeneous cocoa producer and mutual assistance organisations reinforces vertical patronage networks based on narrower ethnic identities. In contrast, in Ghana, participation in more ethnically homogeneous local church groups encourages the development of democratic values and practices at the local level that mediate the potential for ethnic conflict and support the consolidation of a democratic regime.

Thanks to supercharged economic growth, coupled with abundant physical and human capital, as well as political clout as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China is a rising great power on the world stage. Whereas the former China under its closed, mysterious, and communist ideology was characterized as a threat to Asian and world peace during the Cold War years, today, ironically, a more open and internationally engaged China again triggers the "China threat" rhetoric. Despite China's constant assurance of peaceable foreign policy intentions and claims that it will "never seek hegemony," skeptics rebuke these as a mere smokescreen that covers an enormous forward thrust, evidenced, for example, by the expansionist moves toward islets in the South China Sea. On the one hand, whether aggressive moves qualified China as a threat is still debated. On the other hand, whether provocative actions would escalate into large-scale militarized conflicts that jeopardize regional stability constitutes the immediate concern.

"Peace, according to journalist Christopher Hedges (2003), is about the recovery of a narrative, a common narrative.1 This paper is an iteration of that theme. It is a narrative recounting a month-long visit to La Güinera, a neighborhood on the southern outskirts of Havana, Cuba. It is the neighborhood where several of my Cuban relatives live, and where I stayed when I went to Cuba for the first time, in August of 2001. For the past 44 years, it has served the political interests of privileged groups in both Cuba and the United States to discursively divide the nation into two antagonistic sides: those in favor of the government that came to power in 1959, and those against it. But regardless of whether one answers to these tightly bound subject positions, the pain of absence bleeds profusely, arbitrarily, rhizomatically, into the lived experiences of those who left the island, and those who have stayed. This narrative is a tracing of one such course of history in the Cuban community."

In this chapter of the Strategic Survey 2004/5, the authors analyze issues & events impacting strategic developments of Asian regions in light of economic & defense strategies that indicate changes in the security relationship to the US & Europe. The most daunting security issue facing Asia is argued to be North Korea's efforts to build nuclear weapons since the nonprogress of the six-party talks, & a more flexible approach by the US is recommended. China's domestic & foreign policies are in flux, as well as the bilateral relationship to the US since China forgave errant states important to China's strategic interests. The fragile peace process between India & Pakistan is viewed as more positive since the bilateral security environment, but faces continuing challenges regarding Kashmir, water disputes, & increased military developments. Both Central & Southeast Asia face instability as key regional partners change the geopolitics through breaking & creating common ties with security partners & extra-regional relationships. Japan's Koizumi government continues to develop an attitude of defense & security policy activism towards the US & North Korea. J. Harwell

Life in Israel is very stressful. Since its establishment in 1948 Israel has gone through five major wars, and even during times of peace civilians live with the constant threat of terrorist activity. Despite this and other stresses, Israelis report consistently lower levels of burnout than Americans. This paper proposes an existential perspective in an attempt to explain this curious phenomenon. According to the existential perspective, the root cause of burnout lies in people's need to believe that their lives are meaningful. It is suggested that Israelis are less burned out, not despite, but because of the constant reminders to the threat to their existence. The low levels of Israeli burnout are demonstrated using a cross-cultural Israeli-American comparison in three occupational groups: teachers, nurses, and managers. In addition, interviews with a teacher a nurse, and a manager who worked in both countries are presented. These data provide tentative support for the existential perspective and point to the importance of a cross-cultural study of burnout.

A case study of Russia focuses on President Vladimir Putin's attempts to recentralize Russia & abolish Boris Yeltsin's legacy of "asymmetric federalism." An overview of Russian approaches to federalism since the breakup of the Soviet Union gives special attention to the impact of both Yeltsin's policies & the first war in Chechnya. Yeltsin's laissez-faire approach toward the regions encouraged their aspirations for further autonomy. Putin's project of regional reform is described, noting that his system of "super-region" is headed primarily by former KGB officers, police, & military officials, a situation that has led to a significant decline in the self-confidence of individual regions. It is argued that Putin's "neo-tsarist/military/KGB" plan for regional reform threatens individual rights & regional autonomy without offering any protection for the freedom & economic well-being of Russia's citizens. Consideration is given to the disastrous possibility of an authoritarian regime that fails to bring peace & order to the fractured Russian Federation. 15 References. J. Lindroth

In the arena of ethno-national conflict, the adoption of a ceasefire is regarded as a key trigger for allowing the development of subsequent political initiatives in peacemaking. Armed elements within Islamism, however, are often understood as ruling out ceasefire and promoting a counter-agenda of armed struggle without compromise. Thus, in Israel and in the international community, most regarded the Hamas and Islamic Jihad ceasefire ( hudna) of June 2003 with suspicion. Yet, in this respect, there was a failure to recognize that Islamists were waving, not drowning, with respect to signalling a new attitude towards the political process that animates Palestinian-Israeli encounters. This article seeks to analyse the contradiction inherent in current demands on contemporary Islamists and the part that they can play in reaching the strategic goal of peace and security. Principally, the concept of ceasefire and Islamist discourse on contemporary security issues will be examined in order to illustrate the relevance of these issues to wider dimensions of regional and global security debates.

A discussion of the nature & impact of the so-called European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), established by the Brussels European Council in Dec 2003, maintains that it is the European Union's (EU's) first attempt to develop a "framework for engaging in dialogue & cooperation with a set of widely different neighboring third countries." The focus is on the new policy's implications for both the EU & its Mediterranean partners. The ENP not only assumes a far greater degree of integration than that acknowledged in existing policies, but also offers a way to prevent further enlargements, & to manage the new external borders. Difficulties associated with the Middle East peace process & disappointing results of the Barcelona Process bilateral & regional cooperation initiatives are explored. There is hope that the ENP will infuse the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership with a new dynamic; however, it remains to be seen whether the EU will be able to establish a "ring of friends" in the Mediterranean, or whether the EU's emphasis on political reform will impede that effort. J. Lindroth