明德慎罚与刑罚尚中——政治法律和谐的文化源头解读

在中华传统文化的源头就孕育产生了和谐思想,和谐思想体现在为政治国上主要表现为明德慎罚和刑罚尚中。为政以德和明慎用刑体现了德政与刑政的动态平衡下的和谐理念。刑罚尚中则主要表现法制和谐的基本内涵。明德慎罚和刑罚尚中的政治法律和谐思想导源于天人合一的原始思维,是天人合一和谐思想在政治生活和法律制度中的体现,并对后世中华法系的形成和发展定下了基调,对今天建设和谐社会和法治社会也多有助益。     

The enemy within: rethinking arms availability in sub-Saharan Africa

Over the past decade small arms and light weapons availability has been singled out as one of sub-Saharan Africa's highest profile challenges. Yet the construction of the threat of arms availability as one of authorised trade and illicit trafficking across international borders has resulted in a narrow focus on regulating lawful exports and imports and brokers. While these are real and legitimate concerns, the authors contend that small arms and light weapons availability should be re-evaluated as a complex social phenomenon involving dynamic supply and demand dimensions. A limited emphasis on controlling authorised transfers to war zones glosses over the challenges of illegal markets, the gradual emergence of national arms production capacities across Africa and the systematic diversion of weapons and ammunition surplus from the domestic stocks of security services into civilian hands. It also obscures a more dynamic landscape of armed violence across the continent which extends beyond war zones. Whilst the conventional interpretation of arms availability is favoured by African diplomats and international arms control experts, such a reading potentially obscures the weaknesses of security governance and the myriad motivations and means shaping small arms and light weapons acquisition and misuse amongst armed groups and civilians.