In a round-table discussion held at the U of Pavia on 22 April 2002, in collaboration with the Foreign Affairs Ministry & the university's political science department, the following participants offered their opinions on the effort to reconstruct Afghanistan & Italy's place in it: Enrico De Maio (special envoy to Afghanistan), Anna Dell Croce (embassy adviser), Sergio Romano (Corriere della Sera), Giovanni Porzio (Panomrama), & Giampaolo Calchi Novati (U of Pavia). They offered overviews of Afghanistan's history & the colonial experience in Central & South Asia, US foreign policy, & the war on terror. A. Siegel
In this paper, the author deals with the problem of misfortune from the point of view of a normative theory of justice. In particular, it is claimed that an unlucky event engenders an entitlement to assistance for its victims. The author first takes into account the view that the demand for security addressed to institutions is linked to the idea of causality; this, in terms of political justice, entails the necessity of identifying a liability. On this view, a boundary should be traced between injustice & misfortune; while events caused by human behavior can be judged as either just or unjust, merely fortuitous ones cannot. This implies that victims are entitled to compensation for damages due to unjust events, not for damages due to unlucky events. The author argues that, despite the distinction between unjust & unlucky events, the entitlement to compensation arises in both cases. In the case of merely unlucky events, rather than following the logic of liability, the administration of justice follows a different principle: the author proposes calling this the "principle of assistance." According to this principle, every unlucky event worsening the living conditions of someone must be followed by a redistributive reallocation of resources. Unlike solidarity, the principle of assistance is a (meta )rule of justice, that can be outlined starting from a rereading of Rawls's second principle. The author argues, then, that the victims of misfortune are entitled to a "right to assistance" that has a normative grounding. Adapted from the source document.
The article begins with a discussion on the definition of fundamentalist Islam & the movement to integrate Islam into political agendas in Jordan. The article continues by elaborating on how the religion is integrated into the political system & socially accepted, in contrast with other Arab nations. The author then makes a particular focus on the movement in the last 10 years. The political ranking & organization of the Islam Brotherhood is explained & its role in society is highlighted. The author considers what lessons can be learned from the Jordanian model. E. Miller
The author offers personal insight on Italian philosopher, Norberto Bobbio. He narrates his personal relationship with Bobbio, trying to describe the professor from a different perspective than those already offered by popular bibliographies & mainstream publications. The main focus is the important contribution that Bobbio offered in the political science arena. Tracing his biography & work from his contributions to juridical positivism, all the way to his public commitment as senator, the author offers an intimate relation of Bobbio's ideals & accomplishments as he shaped Italian political science, integrating it with philosophical elements. M. Williamson
This article examines the increasing importance of the policies in international relations of Vatican City. The recent attention given to the Pope's role in achieving peaceful negotiations around the world is discussed. The ability to achieve peace through the intervention of the church, its influence on the members of the community especially young people is highlighted. The author also discusses several books that study the church's involvement in international relations in various countries & geographical locations, such as Latin America, Asia, & Africa, & with other religious groups. The author draws conclusions based on what the rest of the world can learn about diplomacy from the Vatican. E. Miller
Is the referendum phenomenon a manifestation of direct democracy & hence rooted in ancient democracy, or is it the result of political conflict within the democracy of today? Are referendums in democracies the first step down the slippery slope to a plebiscitary hell, or are they the humus that can foster a wide-ranging diversification of experience while staying within the bounds of modern-day, representative democracies? The author takes the stance that the referendum phenomenon stems from modern-day, representative democracies & does not necessarily jeopardize their stability or legitimacy. As a perfect example of popular sovereignty in action, are referendums to be perceived as more favorable toward society's democratic component rather than its liberal one? The author holds that referendum voting enables both liberal & democratic issues to be faced. He discusses Sartori's analysis according to which the referendum is a manifestation of ancient democracy incompatible with the requirements of modern-day democracy, especially concerning matters of a liberal nature. In the area of referendum experiences, the author critiques Sartori's analysis & argues in favor of the compatibility between liberal democracies & referendums. 3 Tables, 58 References. Adapted from the source document.
The author offers reflections on his own experiences at Il Politico & with founder Bruno Leoni, as well as what he learned about writing from his career at the publication. E. Miller
The idea of self-ownership is often used by libertarians to deny that the state is morally authorized to modify free market transactions coercively by means of taxation &, more generally, redistributive policies. From this perspective, if I am the owner of myself, I also own, according to Lockean teaching, the outcomes of my labor. Thus, there is no room for distributive justice without violating self-ownership. In this essay, the author argues against this idea. The author demonstrates some problems with the Lockean theory of labor mixing. He criticizes the Lockean theory as it has been recently reformulated by Robert Nozick. He explains why the supposed conflict between self-ownership & distributive justice can be accommodated & why it is possible & necessary to continue to elaborate theories of justice compatible with the idea of self-ownership. Adapted from the source document.
In this essay the author chooses to develop the stimulating & intricate theme of liberal socialism from the perspective of cultural-political reviews. After a short reference to the forerunners, like John Stuart Mill & Leonard Hobhouse, the author illustrates the rebirth of a meeting proposal between liberalism & socialism in the middle of the twenties of the last century. With regard to this, beside Carlo Rosselli's notes, the contributions of Arturo Labriola & Guido De Ruggiero come out respectively in "Critica Sociale" & "La Rivoluzione Liberale." The author underlines the newness of these attitudes starting from Labriola's theories. Labriola thinks that the right time has come for the socialism to deliver its teaching from what he calls the "asiatic heritage," which exerted its influence on socialist doctrine by a choking & centralizing collectivism conditioning the individual to coercive institutions as "clan," "caste," "State," &, after 1917, the "one party system." The Italian scholar opposes to this heritage, belonging to the Eastern culture & society, the Western political tradition based on man's rights & freedom. Guido De Ruggiero's contribution -- though almost unknown to scholars -- originates from British political situation & develops in a meaning of liberty that trespasses on territory of equality creating the fundamental concept of his proposal: the "equality of opportunity." However the "equality of opportunity," needs a particular version of liberalism & socialism because it can be carried out only if liberalism is open to social action, a "new liberalism" as De Ruggiero calls it. By this way socialism cannot be Marxist & collectivist, because of freedom requirements. 20 References. Adapted from the source document.
A history of the sort of impact Bruno Leoni & his publication, Il Politico, had on the study of political science, economics, & other subjects due to Leoni's personality & beliefs. The author also discusses the changes under the leadership of the other chief editor, Scaramozzino, & why Leoni's contributions will not be forgotten. E. Miller
The author analyzes the form of government of premiership with reference to the parliamentary system taking GB as a model, being "mother" of both forms of government. However, the British premiership, as it is expressed in the English Constitution, is not applicable to other situations; this is true also if we tried to reproduce exactly all the characteristics of the British system, starting from a non-written constitution. The author proves that the premiership is the evolution of the parliamentary government, that is a specification of the latter, since it maintains the trust between the government & the parliament. The premiership is characterized by having the Prime Minister, indicated (not elected!) by the electoral body, as head together with its majority; in consequence, he has a double trust, electoral & parliamentary. The Prime Minister's role becomes stronger since he holds personal & particular powers, as the appointment & the reversal of his ministers & the early dissolution of the Chambers; in this way the Prime Minister can choose when to return to his electors. In this context it is necessary to emphasize the role of the Parliament, of the parliamentary opposition & of the political parties. Adapted from the source document.
This article assesses the legal status of the INCE by comparing its characteristics with determining factors set forth by other international agencies to see if it meets the proper requirements. The author then goes on to criticize these general requirements of all international organizations as being too ambiguous or difficult to apply. The article then describes the organization & decides if by its analysis, it should be subject to international rights & laws. E. Miller
The article begins with a discussion of the transition of Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall & how this affected the post of the President of the European Council. The author highlights 3 major accomplishments during the six-month term of the Italian President: the invitation of Yugoslav President Kostunica; approval of the declaration against the death penalty in Europe; & conditional acceptance of Armenia & Azerbaijan to the Council. Under the direction of the Italian president, the Council also sponsored several programs on racism & human rights around the world.
