另一种形式的罗马回归--读库普乾《美国时代的终结》

冷战结束以来,美国成为世界上惟一超级大国,其经济规模和军事实力都达到了史无前例、无可匹敌的程度。“9·11”事件也未能削弱美国的实力,反而使其全球霸主地位更加稳固。①因此,流行的观点认为,美国已经由“单极时刻”进入“单极时代”②,美国霸权造就的单极世界不仅无法撼动③,而且美国时代正在回归鼎盛时期的罗马帝国。④然而,与传统思维相反,美国乔治城大学国际关系教授、美国对外关系委员会高级研究员查尔斯·库普乾在新著《美国时代的终结:美国外交政策与2 1世纪的地缘政治》⑤中指出,冷战丧钟宣告的并非美国的最终胜利,而是其全球主…     

从一国社会主义到中国改革开放

马克思主义创始人考察了人类社会发展的历史,论证了资本主义发达的高度将是社会主义的基础,因而设想,社会主义将会在英、法、德、美等先进资本主义国家最先建立。历史的发展和革命运动的实际却是尚未完成民主主义革命任务、相对落后的俄国,率先建立了社会主义国家。这样,第一次世界大战催生的俄国社会发展顺序的颠倒,就把世界社会主义运动聚焦到怎样建设社会主义国家。斯大林体制的一国社会主义,是特定时代条件下,斯大林将马克思主义应用于俄国实际所建立的社会主义。斯大林宣布苏联已建成完全的社会主义社会,其实只是完成了民主主义革命遗留的历史任务。完成这一历史任务成为斯大林体制的历史负荷。第二次世界大战后建立的社会主义国家,基本上也是民主主义革命任务尚未完成的相对落后的国家。历史的共性是斯大林体制被当作社会主义共同模式的时代条件。世界各社会主义国家共有的、越"左"越革命的幼稚病,是小生产占优势国家背负的、改革斯大林体制的沉重历史包袱。中国改革开放,建设中国特色社会主义,终于为相对落后国家在完成民主主义革命遗留历史任务之后,搞清楚什么是社会主义,从而开创了建设社会主义国家的新时代。     

Gorbachev's Leadership: Another View

A leading British political scientist argues that Gorbachev's responsiveness to different opinions and institutional interests has been a necessary part of the Soviet transition. He stresses the importance of Gorbachev's combination of tactical flexibility and movement in a basically liberal direction. One step back has often been followed by two steps forward. The author maintains that Gorbachev's political acumen and international prestige remain significant assets, suggesting that it would be an illusion to imagine that the task of transforming the Soviet system would proceed more smoothly without him. The essay covers developments through the first week of December 1990. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 124, 822.     

Bolivia: Another Uncompleted Revolution

Since 1999, growing citizen dissatisfaction in Bolivia has been manifest in a cycle of often violent protests. Citizens believe that they have no means of expressing themselves except demonstrations. The public has grown weary of neoliberalism, which is perceived as benefiting only the elite. A recent economic downturn provided the catalyst for the unrest. Underlying these economic concerns, however, are fundamental problems with representation. The second Bolivian "revolution" involved not only the shift from state-led economic development to neoliberalism but also a shift from corporatism to pluralism. Representative institutions have not fully responded to the new pluralistic landscape, despite a range of political reforms. Many Bolivians find that their voice in government has weakened even as their needs have grown. The Bolivian case thereby highlights the obstacles young democracies face in winning over decreasingly tolerant citizens.     

How Citizens’ Education,Occupation, Personal Economic Expectations and National Identity Interact with One Another to Sway Public Opinion on the EU

Abstract: This article examines the pattern of interactions between education, occupation, personal economic expectations and feelings of national identity and how these interactions affect public support for the EU. Using Eurobarometer data from 1993 to 2006, the results in this paper demonstrate that occupation mediates the relationship between EU support and education. It is also found that the sway of citizens’ personal financial expectations on EU support is not conditioned by education and occupation. Finally citizens’ personal economic expectations are not found to condition the relationship between EU support and feelings of national identity. In the light of these findings the paper draws implications.     

俄罗斯加速推进新一轮行政改革

俄罗斯经济转型初见成效,政治转型远未结束,行政转型任重道远。普京针对叶利钦时代遗留的有始无终的行政改革,逐步采取措施重建中央和地方关系,推进执行权力机构职能转变,开始推行新的公务员制度,俄罗斯新一轮行政改革加速进行。但由于种种因素制约,俄此轮行政改革困难重重。     

One winter's evening

Abstract

Ever since they got off the bus at four that afternoon the two of them had been wandering around the neighborhood looking for a certain lane.     

Another Textual Frontier: Contemporary Fiction on the Northern Mexican Border

This article approaches fiction writing from the northern Mexican frontier from the perspective of the border. It perceives the border between Mexico and the United States as a multispace that permeates fictional texts from the area. In clear contrast with most Chicano and Border Studies perspectives, the border is viewed here as a physical rather that metaphorical space whose dynamics formulates textual discourses and aesthetics. The fiction works of Luis Humberto Crosthwaite and Jesús Gardea are analysed from this perspective.