Suchergebnisse

The left/right semantic is used widely to describe the patterns of party competition in democratic countries. This article examines the patterns of party policy in Anglo-American and Western European countries on three dimensions of left/right disagreement: wealth redistribution, social morality and immigration. The central questions are whether, and why, parties with left-wing or right-wing positions on the economy systematically adopt left-wing or right-wing positions on immigration and social morality. The central argument is that left/right disagreement is asymmetrical: leftists and rightists derive from different sources, and thus structure in different ways, their opinions about policy. Drawing on evidence from Benoit and Laver's (2006) survey of experts about the policy positions of political parties, the results of the empirical analysis indicate that party policy on the economic, social and immigration dimensions are bound together by parties on the left, but not by parties on the right. The article concludes with an outline of the potential implications of left/right asymmetry for unified theories of party competition. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright holder.]

The left/right semantic is used widely to describe the patterns of party competition in democratic countries. This article examines the patterns of party policy in Anglo-American and Western European countries on three dimensions of left/right disagreement: wealth redistribution, social morality and immigration. The central questions are whether, and why, parties with left-wing or right-wing positions on the economy systematically adopt left-wing or right-wing positions on immigration and social morality. The central argument is that left/right disagreement is asymmetrical: leftists and rightists derive from different sources, and thus structure in different ways, their opinions about policy. Drawing on evidence from Benoit and Laver's (2006) survey of experts about the policy positions of political parties, the results of the empirical analysis indicate that party policy on the economic, social and immigration dimensions are bound together by parties on the left, but not by parties on the right. The article concludes with an outline of the potential implications of left/right asymmetry for unified theories of party competition.

An exploration of the relationship between intellectual political extremists (small, educated groups usually from middle & upper classes) & indigenous terrorism in the West. Arguing that counter- & antiterrorist tactics are only a first step, the personal & psychological problems of intellectuals that motivate them toward terrorism are examined as a step toward a long-term solution. The history of political extremism among intellectual groups is described throughout various administrations, focusing on the relative rationality of the extremists' political beliefs, & their predominant presence on the Left of the political spectrum. Those intellectuals who are not on the Left are called on to devote more attention to opposing the extreme Left (chiefly Marxist-Leninist ideologies) for the good of the entire Western world. C. Grindle

"Left-Right Orientations and Voting Behavior" published on by Oxford University Press.

The author analyses the key features of left-wing terrorism through the Red
Brigades, a terrorist organization formed in Italy in the late 1960s. The
complex situation in the country after World War II and the changes in
international relations had caused the formation of this terrorist
organization. The Red Brigades sought a complete transformation of the
Italian society in line with the ideology of Marxism-Leninism. This terrorist
organization was engaged in many terrorist activities and the most common
targets were big capital owners and political officials. After World War II,
West Germany had had the same problem as Italy, which prompted the formation
of another terrorist organization - the Red Army Faction based in this
country. The Red Army Faction acted in line with the same ideological
principles and pursued the same goals as the Red Brigades, which resulted in
close cooperation between the two. Both organizations established cooperation
with other terrorist organizations around the world. After the Cold War, the
activities of these organizations weakened and progressively disappeared.
Meanwhile, radical Islamic terrorist organizations emerged basing their
actions on religious grounds. However, there are some similarities and
differences between Islamic and left wing terrorist organizations.