遵约与国际制度的有效性:情投意合还是一厢情愿

20世纪90年代,国际关系学与国际法学开始走上了相互借鉴、学习的道路。国际关系学者和法学研究者在遵约研究方面具有共同的议程,遵约研究已经成为国际关系理论的重要方面。遵约被国际关系学界用来衡量制度的因果影响,具有一定的客观性。但是,遵约与国际制度有效性之间并不具有必然的联系,遵约是对制度因果关系的误读。此外,认识论、方法论上及分析层次、内生性问题上也对遵约研究提出了挑战。遵约研究对制度有效性的启示在于:应该慎重选择衡量结果的指标,从而准确评估制度对国家政策和行为的因果影响。     

Analysis of the Scope of ＂Protected Persons＂ in the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949

As the core of the International Humanitarian Law, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 have just celebrated their 61st anniversary. Here after a brief historic background introduction, the writer detailed analyzed the definition     

Latest Amendment to Criminal Law

On Feb. 25, 2011, the 19th Session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People 's Congress, the country's highest legislative body, approved the eighth     

Israeli snipers in the Al-Aqsa intifada: killing,humanity and lived experience

This article is an analysis of Israeli military snipers who served during the Al-Aqsa intifada. It takes issue with the scholarly consensus that, for such acts to take place, perpetrators have to somehow dehumanise their enemies. Based on interviews with 30 individuals, it shows that snipers do not always need to dehumanise their targets and that they experience killing in conflicting ways, both as pleasurable and as disturbing. The snipers simultaneously deploy distancing mechanisms aimed at dehumanising enemies and constantly recognise their basic humanity. The article ends on a cautionary note: violence should not be seen as only belonging to the realm of the pathological. Rather we must be aware of rules of legitimate violence, the culturally specific ideology of violence at work in specific cases. This kind of ideology may ‘humanse’ enemies but still classify them as opponents against which violence may be legitimately used.     

State rules: Oil companies and armed conflict in Sudan

The strategic behaviour of international oil companies in war-torn Sudan was overwhelmingly driven by political pressure from governments. After almost 20 years of operating in Sudan, the US giant Chevron was pushed to withdraw as a result of deteriorating relations between Washington and Khartoum. The Canadian flagship oil company, Talisman, which helped kick-start oil development after Chevron's exit also fell victim to Washington's ire. On the other hand, the European junior oil companies, Lundin and omv, protected by the European Union's political standpoint of ‘constructive engagement’ in Sudan, were free to profit. Finally, the eastern parastatals, led by a surging China, eager to capture international energy resources to fuel their budding economies and supported by the plural relationships fostered between their respective governments and the ruling, riverine elite in Khartoum, tactfully established a dominating presence. While fervent international human rights advocacy alone seemingly drove susceptible Western firms out of Sudan, the real power behind corporate movements came from the rules dictated by states.     

“What a Relief”: When the Press Prefers Celebration to Scandal

Performing the citizen's role in an enlightened manner requires information and interpretation that are not dependent on government sources. Therefore, the major role assigned to the press by democratic theory is to provide such alternative views of reality. This task becomes particularly difficult in what is defined as a security crisis, where journalists must decide on giving voice to the establishment in the national interest; satisfying the public, which may prefer not to know; or providing oppositional readings. Analysis of television and press coverage of a failed terrorist attack on an Israeli beach shows how evidence of chaos and sheer luck can be discerned in a narrative of ostensible planning and purposiveness. Five framing mechanisms are deconstructed: prioritizing the army's version of the event; moving the spotlight from the tactical to the strategic; ignoring the critical potential of naive witnesses, who authenticate hegemonic framing; resorting to the myth of existential danger to Israel; and turning a miracle for the army into a miracle for the lews.     

Prosocial Behavior and Aggression in the Daily School Lives of Early Adolescents

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Research has not adequately addressed a possible mutual co-regulatory influence of prosocial and aggressive behaviors in adolescents’ daily lives. This...