Democracy Beyond Secrecy: Assessing the Promises and Pitfalls of Collective Voting

This paper assesses collective voting as a specific mode of democratic decision‐making and compares it to secret voting. Under collective voting, voters gather in one place and decide by the show of hands. We theorise two potential advantages and two disadvantages of collective voting so defined. We then draw on original survey data from one of the largest polities practising collective voting, the citizen assembly of the Swiss canton of Glarus. We find that both the promises and pitfalls of non‐secret voting are exaggerated. Non‐secret voting’s suspected pitfalls – social pressure and abstention – do not generally materialise in our sample, although for women they do appear to be relevant to some extent. However, the promises of collective voting – enabling cue‐taking and discursive bridging and bonding – are equally realised to a limited extent only.     

The boundaries of acceptability: France’s positioning and rhetorical strategies during the Arab uprisings

Why did French leaders adopt vastly different positions during the Arab uprisings? Building on recent studies that emphasize the importance of rhetoric to understand states’ behaviour, this article argues that France’s inconsistent positioning results from decision-makers trying to remain within political boundaries that are acceptable both to their domestic audiences and to foreign partners. Through a chronological content analysis of France’s top decision-makers’ responses to the crises in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain, the article provides evidence that acceptability-enhancing rhetorical strategies contribute to explaining foreign policy positioning.     

Who gains from contract farming? Dependencies,power relations,and institutional change

ABSTRACT

The paper highlights the mechanisms through which outgrower contract farming creates dependencies at the local level. Using sugarcane case study in Malawi, we show that dependencies are created through redefinition of use rights to customary land and through the redefinition of cash flows into outgrower communities. Through this two-dimensional process, corporations can secure access to land, exert control over local communities and transform the local social relations of reciprocity serving as the pillars of resistance. Our results indicate that contract farming changes rural agrarian relations, transforms local family institutions by carefully selecting a few household members with influence into the scheme and selectively dispossessing the poor community members.     

From Victimization to Criminalization: General Strain Theory and the Relationship Between Poly-victimization and Delinquency

Although it is well established that victimization and delinquency are related, it is not clear how this relationship works, and victims and offenders are still often studied and treated as two distinct groups. General strain theory views victimization as a form of injustice, which can give rise to anger and eventually lead to delinquency. The authors examine victimization, in particular polyvictimization, as a criminogenic factor. Based on a sample of 1,400 youths 12–17 years old in Quebec (Canada), they examine polyvictimization in relation to delinquency as well as negative emotions that can result from victimization namely anger, depression, and posttraumatic stress. The findings show support for general strain theory and highlight the importance of anger for the relationship between victimization and juvenile delinquency.     

Religious revival,nationalism and the ‘invention of tradition’: political Tengrism in Central Asia and Tatarstan

This article aims to analyse the birth of a new ideological movement called ‘Tengrism’. According to its theoreticians, Tengrism represents a key element in the identity renewal of Turkic–Mongol peoples and should be adopted as the official religion by the new states of the region. This paper enquires into the ways in which Tengrism is being politically deployed in the service of post-Soviet nationalisms in Kyrgyzstan and Tatarstan and to a lesser extent, in Kazakhstan, Bashkortostan and Buryatia. Although the ideologues of Tengrism may be marginal to the political mainstream, it is nonetheless important to analyse the role of ‘ethnicized’ forms of religious expression and their relationship with the search for post-Soviet national identities.     

Fingermark detection based on the in situ growth of luminescent nanoparticles--towards a new generation of multimetal deposition

The in situ deposition of zinc oxide on gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution has been here successfully applied in the field of fingermark detection on various non-porous surfaces. In this article, we present the improvement of the multimetal deposition, an existing technique limited up to now to non-luminescent results, by obtaining luminescent fingermarks with very good contrast and details. This is seen as a major improvement in the field in terms of selectivity and sensitivity of detection, especially on black surfaces.     

Preparation of a Ytterbium‐tagged Gunshot Residue Standard for Quality Control in the Forensic Analysis of GSR

Preparation of a ytterbium‐tagged gunshot residue (GSR) reference standard for scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopic (SEM‐EDS) microanalysis is reported. Two different chemical markers, ytterbium and neodymium, were evaluated by spiking the primers of 38 Special ammunition cartridges (no propellant, no projectile) and discharging them onto 12.7 mm diameter aluminum SEM pin stubs. Following SEM‐EDS microanalysis, the majority of tri‐component particles containing lead, barium, and antimony (PbBaSb) were successfully tagged with the chemical marker. Results demonstrate a primer spiked with 0.75% weight percent of ytterbium nitrate affords PbBaSb particles characteristic of GSR with a ytterbium inclusion efficiency of between 77% and 100%. Reproducibility of the method was verified, and durability of the ytterbium‐tagged tri‐component particles under repeated SEM‐EDS analysis was also tested. The ytterbium‐tagged PbBaSb particles impart synthetic traceability to a GSR reference standard and are suitable for analysis alongside case work samples, as a positive control for quality assurance purposes.     

Ink Dating Using Thermal Desorption and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry: Comparison of Results Obtained in Two Laboratories

An ink dating method based on solvent analysis was recently developed using thermal desorption followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and is currently implemented in several forensic laboratories. The main aims of this work were to implement this method in a new laboratory to evaluate whether results were comparable at three levels: (i) validation criteria, (ii) aging curves, and (iii) results interpretation. While the results were indeed comparable in terms of validation, the method proved to be very sensitive to maintenances. Moreover, the aging curves were influenced by ink composition, as well as storage conditions (particularly when the samples were not stored in “normal” room conditions). Finally, as current interpretation models showed limitations, an alternative model based on slope calculation was proposed. However, in the future, a probabilistic approach may represent a better solution to deal with ink sample inhomogeneity.     

The two faces of contemporary Eurasianism: an imperial version of Russian nationalism

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John E. Tedstrom (ed.), Socialism, Perestroika and the Dilemmas of Soviet Economic Reform. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, xix., 239 pp.

Hall Gardner, Surviving the Millennium: American global strategy, the collapse of the Soviet empire, and the question of peace. Westport, Conneticut, London: Praeger, 1994, xiv, 263 pp.

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Frederick Starr (ed.), The Legacy of History in Russia and the New States of Eurasia. The International Politics of Eurasia. Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, xiii, 313 pp.

Gail W. Lapidus (ed.), The New Russia: troubled transformation. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1995, 280 pp.

Donald D. Barry (ed.), Toward the “Rule of Law” in Russia? Political and Legal Reform in the Transition Period. Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1992, 402 pp.

Deborah Anne Palmieri (ed.), Russia and the NIS in the World Economy: East‐West investment, financing, and trade. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 1994, 180 pp. + chronology, selected bibliograph, and index.

Joseph Held, Dictionary of East European History Since 1945. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1995, 497 pp. + index.

Janusz Bugajski, Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe: a guide to nationality policies, organizations, and parties. Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, xxvi, 493 pp. + map.

Jaroslav Pelikan, Confessor Between East and West: a portrait of Ukrainian Cardinal Josyf Slipyj. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 1990, xiv, 249 pp. + illus.

Rudolf A. Mark, Galizien unter österreichischer Herrschaft. Verwaltung‐Kirche‐Bevölkerung. Marburg: Historische und landeskundliche Ostmitteleuropa‐Studien, Bd. 13, 1994, 132 Seiten, 7 Karten.

Barbara Dotts Paul, The Polish‐German Borderlands: an annotated bibliography. Westwood, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1994, vi, 201 pp. [Bibliographies and Indices in World History, Number 35].

Bela Borsi‐Kalman, Hungarian Exiles and the Romanian National Movement, 1849–1867. Trans. by Eva Palmai. Highland Lakes, New Jersey: Atlantic Research and Publications, 1991.

Stanley B. Winters (ed.), Robert A. Kann. Dynasty, Politics, and Culture. Selected Essays. Boulder, Colorado: Social Science Monographs; distributed by Columbia University Press, 1991, xvi, 444 pp.

Spira, Thomas, The German‐Hungarian‐Swabian Triangle: the road to discord. Boulder, Colorado: East European Monographs, No. CCLXXXV. East European Quarterly, Distributed by Columbia University Press, 1990, iii, 275 pp. + bibliography and index.

Hugh Poulton, The Balkans: minorities and states in conflict. London: Minority Rights Group, 1993, x, 262 pp. + illus. and maps.

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Mart Laar, War in the Woods, Estonia's Struggle for Survival. Translated from the Estonian by Tiina Ets, Washington, DC: The Compass Press, 1992, 272 pp. + illust.

Joan Serafin (ed.), East‐Central Europe in the 1990s, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1994, x, 256 pp.

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Shafiqul Islam and Michael Mandelbaum (eds), Making Markets, New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1993, ix, 238 pp. + illust.

Beatrice Manz (ed.), Central Asia in Historical Perspective, Boulder, Colorado: West‐view Press, 1994, 219 pp. + appendix, index.

H. B. Paksoy (ed.) Central Asia Reader: the rediscovery of history, Armonk, New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1994, ix, 200 pp. + index.

Ahmed Rashid, The Resurgence of Central Asia: Islam or nationalism?, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey: Zed Books, 1994, v‐x., 252 pp. + appendix, bibliography, index.