The Failure of Secular Parties in Pakistan
The Pakistan People Party (PPP) and the Pashtun nationalist Awami National Party (ANP) both sustained significant losses in last month’s general elections. These results can be at least partly explained by the former coalition government’s hasty devolution of federal powers to unprepared provincial authorities, as well as their hesitance to fully engage with civil society groups. Both parties should now focus on tranparent, democratic party reforms, and the clarification of a coherent secular policy agenda so as to become politically revelant again through the 2018 elections.
Sudan: Another resource war?
The world’s attention was recently attracted to the Darfur region in the west of Sudan, where the conflict has escalated in recent weeks, fearing a second Rwanda might take place. An estimated 1,000 people per week are dying in the region.
Strategies for building awareness for the potential of peace education in Cameroon
Peace education is yet to become a reality in Cameroon. This it seems because many persons do not know about it or better still because many persons are not aware of its benefits. Though unaware or ignorant about peace education, there are lots and lots of conditions that warrant the teaching of peace education in Cameroon. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the strategies for building awareness about peace education and to show that there are conditions that necessitate the teaching of peace education in Cameroon.
Keywords: Strategies, Building awareness, potentials, Peace, Education, Pedagogy.
Permanent Emergency Powers in France: The ‘Law to Strengthen Internal Security and the Fight Against Terrorism’ and the Protection of Human Rights
On November 1, 2017, France introduced a new Counter-Terrorism Law ending a two-year state of emergency and making many of the exceptional measures taken under the state of emergency permanent law. Taking into account past practices of ethnic profiling displayed by the French police, the passing of the law constitutes a worrisome development and raises a number of concerns about France’s compliance with its human rights obligations. The paper discussed these implications of the new law in the wider context of counter-terrorism trends.
Keywords: counter-terrorism, ethnic profiling, human rights, state of emergency
Lack of empathy as a threat to peace
Key words: empathy, violence, international relations, cosmopolitanism, peace
Ecuador: Protest and Power
An additional tally for the Left. Correa, a young economist endorsed by Venezuela’s Chavez, won the run-off elections in Ecuador 26 November 2006. Although he’ll will swear-in with little or no dispute over the election results, Ecuador’s presidency can appropriately be compared to the unkept roads that clamber through the Andes. Guy Hedgecoe analyzes the bumpy boulevard and shift to the left ahead.
Human Security and the Problem of Jungle (Mob) Justice in Cameroon
Cameroon is renowned for its relative stability and is often referred to as an island of peace in a continent characterised by a multiplicity of violent conflicts. Of course, one normally would expect such a country to be Africa’s success story in matters of human security. Unfortunately, jungle (mob) justice, which has taken unprecedented heights within the past decade or more, constitutes one of the greatest threats to human security and the rule of law in Cameroon. How then can a country that seems to enjoy such stability have such a dismal human security record? This paper examines the phenomenon and argues that the weakness and failure of the state in ensuring the citizens’ security is largely to blame.
Cuban-European NGO Collaboration: The ‘Special Period’
The purpose of this article is to achieve an understanding of the nature of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in Cuba and to highlight aspects of the collaboration that has occurred between Cuban and European NGOs. The motivation for undertaking this study is to begin the process of filling the gap in information with respect to Cuba’s NGO community and to get a sense of the circumstances under which international cooperation is carried out on the island. This article constitutes the preliminary findings of an interdisciplinary study of the role of NGOs operating within the context of a revolutionary socialist society. The article begins with essential background to understanding the reasons European NGOs entered Cuba in the 1990s
Palestinian Suicide Bombers Revisited: A critique of current wisdom
A fundamental question has dominated the study of terrorism and suicide attacks. After the September 11 attacks, scholars have primarily relied on themes from neoclassical economics to develop theoretical and empirical models of terrorism. Suicide attackers and terrorist were seen as optimizing agents. But this innovative approach failed to deliver and obscured more than it illuminated. It failed to yield meaningful predictions and practical policy implications. This paper considers the merits of this approach and surveys evidence gathered from the biographical sketches of 50 Palestinian suicide attackers.
Universal relativism (or vice versa?)
The current discussion on the definition of human rights splits into two basic camps: the universalist, whose approach is to punish violators legally according to a predetermined set of principles; and the relativist, whose approach shies away from judgment and tries to work from within cultures to stop violations before they can happen. Both extremes, however, are “intrinsically flawed” – common ground exists, and a middle way should be sought.