A Desultory Defense of Democracy: OAS Resolution 1080 and the Inter-American Democratic Charter

This article evaluates the effectiveness of OAS mechanisms for safeguarding democracy through multilateral diplomacy, what some scholars have dubbed the interamerican defense of democracy regime. Drawing on a range of international relations theories, this study derives competing hypotheses about member states' responses to democratic crises in the Americas. It then analyzes all instances in which a collective response—that is, an application of Resolution 1080 or the Inter-American Democratic Charter—was debated in the OAS between 1991 and 2002. Patterns of state behavior suggest that domestic politics, rather than the structural or systemic traits of the interamerican system, best explain foreign policy responses to crises of democracy in the region. The OAS record in confronting such crises is uneven.     

构建师生互动的英语教学和谐关系

当前,我国普通中学的不少学生厌学情绪严重,加之独生子女难以管理,学生的学习目标不够明确,缺乏信心与毅力,这样的学生更需要老师付出真诚与耐心,尤其是英语课程教学,在亲和的互动中构建师生教学的和谐关系,对于培养学生学习英语的兴趣,帮助学生树立自信自强的学习品质,显得格外重要。     

Using the state to change society: The example of ‘domestic violence’

North American research on the policing of ‘domestic violence’ has been very influential among policy makers in Great Britain. In particular, research which purports to verify the deterrence value of arrest has prompted the establishment of over thirty domestic violence units in London and similar initiatives elsewhere in Britain. The paper will outline the nature of the traditional police response to ‘family violence’ in London and the nature of the experimental innovations. Changes in police practice with regard to this type of violence will be put in the context of the organizational constraints and possibilities of policing. Finally, changing police responses to domestic violence will be evaluated in terms of the debate over the possibility of using the state or its organs to achieve social change.     

The judicial role in life-sustaining medical treatment decisions.

Although there has been speculation regarding the pervasiveness and nature of judicial decisions regarding life-sustaining medical treatment (LSMT), no attempt has been made to empirically assess their prevalence or the issues they address. An exploratory study utilizing a mail survey of a nationwide random sample (N = 905) of state trial court judges was conducted to provide initial information regarding this decision-making process. Twenty-two percent of the responding judges had heard at least one LSMT case, and judicial review did not appear endemic to particular states. The number of judges hearing LSMT cases dropped from 1975 to 1981 but has increased since then. Three major issues predominate: patient competency, appointment of a surrogate decisionmaker, and resolution of the ultimate issue of forgoing LSMT. Relatively few cases either contested a prior directive's validity or involved imposing sanctions for instituting or forgoing LSMT. Although subject to different interpretations, the results suggest the courts are having a significant impact on certain aspects of the LSMT decision-making process. However, the infrequency with which any one judge is called upon to make an LSMT decision causes concern about the judiciary's ability to respond in a timely and appropriate manner. With their potential for a profound effect on the actions of health care providers, greater attention to this decision-making process is warranted.     

A unique case of congenital bilateral absence of parietal bones in a neonate

The remains of an unidentified female neonate were discovered in a field in central Missouri. Examination revealed bilateral absence of the parietal bones. A search of the literature describing similar defects suggests that the present case represents a unique condition, described here for the first time.     

吉尔吉斯斯坦新总理费利克斯·沙尔申巴耶维奇·库洛夫

2005年9月1日,吉尔吉斯斯坦议会投票以绝对多数批准了巴基耶夫总统对政府总理人选的提名,费利克斯·沙尔申巴耶维奇·库洛夫正式出任政府总理。库洛夫1948年10月29日出生于吉尔吉斯斯坦伏龙芝市(今比什凯克市)。他14岁开始在工厂当车工学徒。1967~1971年,在苏联内务部鄂木斯克高等警察学校学习。1971~1991年,在吉尔吉斯斯坦内务部系统工作。1971~1975年,为吉尔吉斯斯坦内务部监督员;1975~1978年,为苏联内务部学院学员;1978~1980年,任吉尔吉斯斯坦内务部处长;1980年12月~1987年10月,担任吉尔吉斯斯坦塔拉斯州内务局副局长和局长。1987~1991年…     

村庄理性与合作精神——以浙江W村为例

经济发达地区的富村表明,市场经济的不断发展正在推动以文化为基础的传统理性向以利益为基础的现代理性转变,并出现理性与非理性、个人理性和公共理性的二元悖论。个人理性主要表现为“自我”的利益行为选择;公共理性主要表现为“集体”的公共利益行为选择。在这样的选择中村庄人际关系理性化和利益计算构成了农村社会关系的基础,由此使得个人理性不断强化和公共理性不断衰弱的态势日益突出,并伴随着非理性冲动的行为方式,从而影响村庄合作精神的提升和村庄平稳发展。因此,在新农村建设中必需加强制度和道德规范建设,促进公共理性的成长,全面提升村庄的合作能力,以实现农村社会的和谐发展。