Ghana's foreign policy and transnational security challenges in West Africa

This article focuses on Ghana's security culture as reflected in its foreign policy, and how it has influenced the way the country addresses transnational security challenges in the Economic Community of West African State subregion. In this sense, the article explores some of the linkages between national and subregional security cultures in West Africa and how effectively they have complemented each other in providing a holistic response to the transnational security challenges facing Ghana. The article argues that despite the existence of different subregional conventions and protocols made possible by an emerging subregional security culture, Ghana's strategies for addressing transnational security threats have not gone much beyond the rhetoric of addressing the problems. In reality, transnational criminal activities have not only intensified but have become more challenging. Several factors contribute to this including corrupt leadership and institutional practices, security lapses and lack of interagency coordination, and inadequate resources for addressing the problem. The article calls for adequately equipping the law enforcement agencies and the implementation of relevant laws to facilitate effective responses to transnational security challenges for Ghana and other countries in West Africa.     

Security culture,transnational challenges and the Economic Community of West African States

This special issue explores how one particular regional organisation, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has defined certain transnational issues as security threats and how it has addressed them. In this introductory article, we begin by providing an overview and analysis of some of the most important transnational security challenges facing West Africa. Specifically, we discuss some of the problems raised by cross-border insurgencies, health challenges, organised criminal activities, terrorism and environmental degradation. We then examine the different levels at which actors have responded to these challenges. The section ‘Security culture: shaping the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) response?’ sets out our approach to thinking about the concept of security culture and asks whether it might be relevant to understanding how and why ECOWAS has focused on responding to certain transnational security challenges and not to others. The final section provides an overview of the other articles in this issue.     

Scents of identity: Fragrance as heritage in Zanzibar

In 2000, UNESCO declared Zanzibar Stone Town a World Heritage Site. Since this time the Tanzanian government and international NGOs (based in Zanzibar) have participated in the rehabilitation of the town's buildings and other physical infrastructure. However, little attention has been paid to the rich intangible heritage of the islands and the fusion of cultural expressions in this part of the world. This paper considers the important role of fragrances in the identity construction processes of Zanzibar islanders. The author offers a brief history, theoretical discussion and detailed ethnography of fragrance in Zanzibar. She discusses its role in the varied constitution of identity, belief and in life cycle rituals. The author further argues that fragrance and other seemingly ‘mundane’ heritages attract little attention in the preservation process and yet these indicate important cultural continuities in the Indian Ocean region and form a vital part of heritage and the harmonisation of cultures on the islands.     

Deconstructing the myth of the Tatar Yoke

Analysing and comparing the various conventional and revisionist narratives on what is known as the ‘Tatar Yoke’, this article aims to show that Western historiography has long been critical of the dominant negative view on the Tatar–Mongol rule over Russian principalities and that in Russia we find similar revisions in history – with some exceptions – only in post-Soviet times. This article aims to demonstrate how the revisionist views on the Tatar–Mongol rule contributed to the political and cultural transformation of contemporary Russia. In the part which analyses the revisionist discourse in Russia the emphasis lies on the new Tatar narrative. For Tatars the new interpretation of the Tatar–Mongol rule is of outstanding importance because it functions as a means to enhance Tatar national pride, and it contributes to Tatarstan's sovereignty project.     

深刻领会中国特色社会主义理论体系的基本内涵

党的十七大创造性地提出并系统地阐述了中国特色社会主义理论体系。坚持和发展中国特色社会主义理论体系的基本要求就是要充分认识其历史地位，全面掌握其科学内涵，深入学习贯彻落实好科学发展观，充分发挥其指导作用。     

晋商传统文化的法律理念探析

法律文化是支配人类法律实践活动的价值基础。晋商传统文化是直接在传统法律文化的框架下形成和运作的。晋商形成和发展过程中，逐渐形成了诚实信用、严格管理、任人唯贤、官商结合等体现中国传统法律文化特征的原则。从晋商传统法律文化的特点中，我们可以总结出其所体现的法律文化精神和法律理念，对于我国当前法治社会的构建有着重要的学习和借鉴意义。     

民族文化创新是文化全球化的必然诉求

文化全球化的现状以及未来发展趋势要求民族文化创新。民族文化创新是历史发展差异性的供给源，是文化全球化历史发展的动力。民族文化创新既符合辩证法的内在要求，又体现了各民族对历史发展的高度责任感。因此，要实现文化全球化进程中的民族文化创新，应正确处理好趋利与避害的关系、借鉴与独创的关系、民族化和全球化的关系、主导性和多样性的关系。     

陕甘宁边区生产力发展成就的生成机理

中国共产党在陕甘宁边区成功地发展了生产力，保证了边区军民的丰衣足食和工业品基本自给，取得了举世公认的成就。陕甘宁边区生产力发展成就的取得，是中国共产党以革命的激进方式扫除了束缚生产力发展的一切障碍，解放和发展了这一时期生产力的胜利；是中国共产党以新民主主义理论为指导，使边区生产力发展适应了中国革命实际的胜利；是边区生产采取有效的组织形式的结果。     

深层生态经济理念的精髓及其对科技发展的调制

深层生态经济问题肇始的关键因素在于人类处理人与自然生态的关系时采取的“人类中心主义”认识态度．导致了工具理性的日益张扬和价值理性的丧失殆尽。深层生态经济理念的内质表现为有机整体论、万物生命论和内禀价值论；完善与深化深层生态经济理念，应当积极地从中国古代智慧中汲取“天人合一”生态伦理思想的有益精髓即宇宙统一论、法则统一论和发展协调论。至关重要的是．在于采取有效措施促进科技发展的生态化旨趣。     

转变职能 服务“三农”

乡镇政府作为我国的基层政府,直接面对农村广大人民群众,如何围绕服务“三农”去实现乡镇政府职能的转变,这关系到党在农村各项方针政策的贯彻落实和农村基层政权的巩固。随着农业税的取消以及“以工哺农”发展新时期的到来,农业与农村工作形势发生了巨大的变化,乡镇政府职能必须由侧重经济建设,向强化社会管理和公共服务转变。