Palestine: Myths and realities

Dispossessed: the ordeal of the Palestinians 1917–80 David Gilmour, London: Sidgwick and Jackson. 1980. 237 pp. £12.50

The Soviet Union and the Palestine Liberation Movement: an uneasy alliance Galia Golan, New York and London: Praeger. 1980. 275 pp. £12.25     

CONTROL OF ILLICIT TRAFFICKING OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL USED FOR TERRORIST PURPOSES

Illegal movements of nuclear and political or illegal profit, within and radioactive materials, for terrorist, between States continue to occur, presenting health and safety threats to the personnel involved as well as to the general public. To guarantee conducting these movements in a safe and secure manner, they should be subject to extraordinary regulatory, administrative, safety and engineering standards and procedures. This paper intended as an outline of the response mechanisms required to deal with illicit trafficking of radioactive materials. The framework outlined in this paper provides an elementary scientific facts, and basis for operational and tactical response measures, considering the nature of incidents, which will vary greatly in both scale and the types of response required.     

Racial inequality in employment in Canada: Empirical analysis and emerging trends

Abstract: This article examines racial discrimination in employment in Canada using data from a sample of legal cases that were published in the Canadian Human Rights Reporter between 1980 and 1999. The authors discuss some theoretical perspectives on racial discrimination, briefly review empirical studies on the topic, examine the nature of and trends in such employment discrimination cases over the two decades, and provide an in‐depth discussion and analysis of selected legal cases on racial discrimination in Canada. After some concluding remarks, policy recommendations to combat racial discrimination in the workplace are suggested. Sommaire: Le présent article examine la discrimination raciale en matière d'emploi au Canada à l'aide de données d'un échantillon de causes judiciaires qui ont été publiées dans le Canadian Human Rights Reporter de 1980 à 1999. Les auteurs discutent de certaines perspectives théoriques sur la discrimination raciale, passent brièvement en revue les études empiriques sur le sujet, examinent la nature et les tendances de tels cas de discrimination en matière d'emploi au cours des deux décennies, et fournissent une discussion et analyse approfondie de causes judiciaires sélectionnées portant sur la discrimination raciale au Canada. En conclusion, ils proposent des recommandations de politiques pour combattre la discrimination raciale dans le lieu de travail     

Is foreign direct investment good for the poor? New evidence from African countries

This paper conducts an empirical investigation of the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and poverty in selected African economies. Using system generalised method of moments, our findings showed that FDI inflows have significantly contributed to poverty reduction in African countries. Our results also showed that better institutional quality and human capital development are associated with reducing poverty. Furthermore, interacting FDI with financial development was found to significantly reduce poverty, thus providing support to the hypothesis that better functioning financial systems enhance the efficiency of FDI in reducing poverty.     

Rationality,Culture, and Structure in the Making of Suicide Bombers: A Preliminary Theoretical Synthesis and Illustrative Case Study

Suicidal violence involves three levels of analysis: individual motivations, organizational strategies, and societal conflicts. Using rationalist, culturalist, and structuralist approaches to contentious politics, this article explores the intersection of rationality, norms, and conflict in the making of extreme violence. The case of Palestinian suicide bombers demonstrates the interdependence of the three approaches to explaining suicidal violence. For individuals, self-sacrifice is conceived as an act of personal redemption rooted in religious morality and national salvation. For organizations, human bombs provide strategic advantages in the context of asymmetrical warfare. For collectivities, martyrs are venerated when three conditions converge: (1) cultural norms encompass symbolic narratives that honor martyrdom; (2) legitimate authorities acquiesce to extreme violence; and (3) conflicts generate feelings of victimization and threat by external enemies.     

Neoliberal economic reforms,the rich and the poor in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been implementing neoliberal structural adjustment policies since the early 1980s. This article analyzes the economic and social outcomes the reform policies have created in the past two decades. It argues that the reform policies, instead of distributing benefits among different societal groups, have brought an economic windfall mainly for the business and industrial class in Bangladesh. Compared to the 24 families of erstwhile United Pakistan, there is now a small group of 40 to 50 families who effectively control the total industrial and financial assets of this poor nation. The vast majority of other societal groups and classes- the industrial and agricultural labor, small businesses, marginal and small farmers, and urban and rural poor — are left out by the reform agenda. The lack of policies of distributional justice has resulted in widening disparities in income and wealth between the low and high strata of the society and deterioration in the overall poverty situation of the country.