Suchergebnisse

Examines the relationship between the establishment of peace zones & the growth of a civil society. Peace zones are described as community initiatives that provide safety & security; they reflect the people's will & are often more effective than efforts by national elites. How peace zones are constructed & run is described & illustrated with the 1994 formation of a Neighborhood Watch in the Liberian capital of Monrovia. Drawing on Christopher Moore's dispute resolution model (1986), the ultimate goal of a peace zone is described as resolving conflicts & meeting the structural, substantive, procedural, & psychological needs of the community. The presence of peace zones in the US, eg, in neighborhoods plagued by gang violence, is described & compared to those in nations engaged in civil war, & distinction is made between security zones, eg, gated communities, & peace zones. Collaborative, autonomous action at the local level is seen as key to democracy & civil society; by studying how they nurture civil society, scholars can become more proactive & productive. T. Arnold

CIVIL SOCIETY HAS BECOME VERY IMPORTANT--A PREQUISITE FOR DEVELOPING A HEALTHY POLITY AND VIBRANT ECONOMY. THIS ARTICLE CAUTIONS THAT TOO MUCH OF THE WRONG KIND CAN ACTUALLY WEAKEN DEMOCRACY AND PRODUCE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC GRIDLOCK. IT QUESTIONS THE USEFULNESS OF NGOS AND ARGUES THAT CIVIL SOCIETY REALISM SHOULD NOT BE A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS.

Our pol'al instit's are based on certain moral principles. Some are stated in the Constitution; others, unmentioned, are necessary to give 'breathing space' to those enumerated. The freedoms expressly stated may be interpreted as expressions of even more fundamental values. The Constitution also protects the traditions & collective conscience of our people. However, it is not enough for a nation to profess to be a democracy. Totalitarian states have made the same profession. A nation must look at the facts to estimate the degree to which it lives by its ideals. We have, on the one hand, our values, &, on the other, a considerable amount of data which show how inadequately the values are fulfilled. There is an unconscionable lag of time between proof of malfunction & its cure. The problem is, then, to get the guardians of our goals to read the indicators. There are enough instances of honest gov'al reporting to warrant the calculated risks of relying on it. We also have private watchdog org's interested in civil liberties, & their efficiency is shown in their record. Watchdogs-like the presidential vetoare built into our pol'al system, & independent observers of our nat'l scene also contribute to raising our sights. However, there still remains a need for a privately financed org for res into civil liberties. HA.