Relationality and rationality in Confucian and Western traditions of thought

Abstract

This paper provides a theoretical sketch of relationality within the field of International Relations (IR). It argues, contrary to what many IR scholars hold, that representation is practice: academic representation reflects the background of a community of practice and highlights what is embodied therein. Therefore, different cultural communities have different practices and draw from different background knowledge. Rationality, which serves as the dominant foundation for background knowledge within many Western communities of practice, permeates mainstream IR theory. Relationality performs a similar role in traditionally Confucian communities of practice, where relations enjoy a distinct ontological status over individual rationality. A relational theory assumes (1) that self-existence coincides with other-existence and coexistence, and (2) that self-interest coincides with other-interest. Based on these assumptions, it argues that relations select, meaning that in a social situation actors base their action on relations in the first place and that rationality is and can only be defined in terms of relations. The article uses the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an example to elaborate its theoretical point.     

Heteroplasmy in hair: differences among hair and blood from the same individuals are still a matter of debate

The analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a useful tool in forensic cases when sample contents too little or degraded nuclear DNA to genotype by autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, but it is especially useful when the only forensic evidence is a hair shaft. Several authors have related differences in mtDNA from different tissues within the same individual, with high frequency of heteroplasmic variants in hair, as also in some other tissues. Is still a matter of debate how the differences influence the interpretation forensic protocols. One difference between two samples supposed to be originated from the same individual are related to an inconclusive result, but depending on the tissue and the position of the difference it should have a different interpretation, based on mutation-rate heterogeneity of mtDNA. In order to investigate it differences in the mtDNA control region from hair shafts and blood in our population, sequences from the hypervariable regions 1 and 2 (HV1 and HV2) from 100 Brazilian unrelated individuals were compared. The frequency of point heteroplasmy observed in hair was 10.5% by sequencing. Our study confirms the results related by other authors that concluded that small differences within tissues should be interpreted with caution especially when analyzing hair samples.     

Determination of the active principles of Catha Edulis: quali-quantitative analysis of cathinone, cathine, and phenylpropanolamine

In the last years, all the vegetable material supposed to belong to the Catha Edulis species, seized at the Malpensa and Orio al Serio airports, were analyzed in our laboratory on behalf of the Tribunals of Busto Arsizio and Bergamo, respectively. After a preliminary botanic examination, the quali-quantitative determination of the active principles cathinone, cathine and phenylpropanolamine (PPA) was carried out by means of GC/MS and GC/FID techniques, which meet the requirements of the forensic analyses. We developed a fast, effective and reliable derivatization procedure which allowed to simultaneously detect cathine and PPA, whose discrimination is mandatory since PPA is not a psychoactive agent. Cathine was distributed in the various parts of the plant (leaves and stems) and its quantity ranged from 0.03% to 0.17% of the weight of the vegetable material; PPA was not detected in the twigs and its quantity in the leaves ranged from 0.07% to 0.16%. The quantitative determination of cathinone was carried out directly on the methanol solution after maceration of the vegetable material, its quantity ranging from 0.02% to 0.10%. No significant difference in the content of the two active principles was found between the fresh and the dried material.     

The Displacement Effect in the Growth of Governments

We analyze the displacement effect within a multivariaterevenue-expenditure model of government growth, based on along historical dataset, for Italy. Our long-run analysisshows a permanent influence of domestic product on the growthof governments, supporting Wagner's law. The short-rundynamics are more complex and provide some evidence for thedisplacement effect, in terms of a lower resistance againsttax-financing of government spending in the post-war. Inaddition, government spending adjusts faster when deviationsfrom its equilibrium get larger.     

Carl Schmitt's Five Arguments against the Idea of Just War

Carl Schmitt famously alleged that a commitment to just war fosters the criminalisation and demonisation of the enemy. The aim of this paper is to trace, analyse and evaluate five arguments that can be found in Schmitt's opus elucidating and supporting the above claims. The paper suggests that even though Schmitt's critique of just war is typically extreme, it can nevertheless enrich the current debate on just war in so far as it challenges the common claim that the just war tradition occupies the middle ground between bellicism (that always justifies war) and pacifism (that never justifies war). Arguing against this widely held view, Schmitt claims that in the 20th century a belief in just war, far from representing a moderate position between extremes, is instead at the fore of an ideology that aims at dehumanising anyone who does not share its core values.     

Toward a methodology for the comparative study of political corruption

Robust explanations of political corruption demand that research progresses beyond purely theoretical analyses and single case studies. In this article, we highlight problems of definition, operationalization and measurement of corruption that have restricted the number of truly comparative, empirical studies of the phenomenon. We suggest a few steps that might help researchers overcome methodological obstacles in their study of corruption. We introduce and evaluate one example of how the phenomenon might be comparatively operationalized and measured. While not beyond criticism, the corruption index we present will undoubtedly help light new avenues toward more comprehensive explanations of comparative political corruption. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Hungary

European Journal of Political Research -