This land is my land: the Ethio-Sudan boundary and the need to rectify arbitrary colonial boundaries

Ethiopia and Sudan share a common boundary of over 1600 km which was drawn through a series of treaties between Ethiopia and the colonial powers of Britain and Italy. To date, this boundary has not been clearly demarcated. In 2007, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, the current ruling government, entered into a secret agreement with the Sudan to make adjustments on the border. This paper identifies the major factors that have frustrated efforts to address the Ethio-Sudan boundary problem and also proposes solutions on how Ethiopia and Sudan could resolve their differences. The analysis reveals that political, social and cultural factors; the decision to adopt the western concept of the boundary; and the failure to recognise the historic and cultural constructs have contributed to the frustration of negotiations on the border. The paper proposes that Ethiopia and Sudan embrace the African Union Border Program, which encourages mutual cooperation, regional integration and the building of communities with strong economic and cultural ties.     

Sex Determination by Discriminant Function Analysis of Lumbar Vertebrae

Sex determination is critical for developing the biological profile of unidentified skeletal remains. When more commonly used elements (os coxa, cranium) for sexing are not available, methods utilizing other skeletal elements are needed. This study aims to assess the degree of sexual dimorphism of the lumbar vertebrae and develop discriminant functions for sex determination from them, using a sample of South African blacks from the Raymond A. Dart Collection (47 males, 51 females). Eleven variables at each lumbar level were subjected to univariate and multivariate discriminant function analyses. Univariate equations produced classification rates ranging from 57.7% to 83.5%, with the highest accuracies associated with dimensions of the vertebral body. Multivariate stepwise analysis generated classification rates ranging from 75.9% to 88.7%. These results are comparable to other methods for sexing the skeleton and indicate that measures of the lumbar vertebrae can be used as an effective tool for sex determination.     

Congressional Activism in the Foreign Policy Arena: A Case Study of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide

This article analyzes congressional activism during an international crisis. Using the 1994 Rwandan genocide as a case, this study explores executive–congressional relations during a time when immediate policy responses are needed. A content analysis of policy statements made during committees, on the House floor, and on the Senate floor is used to investigate the specific policy ideas proposed by members of Congress. The models presented pay particular attention to the actions of Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members, in relation to other more common predictors of congressional activism. In addition to the results for CBC members, other conclusions indicate that foreign policy leaders in Congress are international affairs policy experts without serious concerns of being defeated in their next election.     

日本国家安全保障会议探析

国家安全决策机制是整个国家政权体系的基本构成,是国家权力安排的重要组织表现,也是公民安全诉求的主要凭借。以1947年美国成立国家安全委员会为起点,世界各主要国家无不结合本国实际,积极探索"国安委"模式的建构。安倍内阁为突破战后体制束缚,谋求使日本成为正常国家,在经济、政治、军事上全面出击,其标志性事件就是日本国家安全保障会议的革新。它以国家安全保障局为机构依托,辅之《国家安全保障会议设置法》与《特定秘密保护法》,借力美国"亚太再平衡"战略,为日本安保体制带来战术和战略层面的双重改善,是安倍集权外向扩张的先兆,将给中日关系、东亚局势产生诸多不确定性因素。     

充满创新精神的马克思主义中国化的光辉文献

十七大报告创造性地提出了中国特色社会主义理论体系,是对新时期我们党创新理论的科学整合,揭示了改革开放是决定我们国家民族未来的希望之路,使马克思主义中国化达到一个新的高度.以党的十七大为标志,中国特色社会主义事业处于一个新的历史起点.     

贵州民族文化多样性及其再生性保护与开发

贵州民族文化呈现多样性,但传承面临危机,数字化技术对民族文化进行再生性保护与开发,是传承和创新民族文化的最好手段。     

浅析职代会审议职权

审议权是职代会基本职权之一,特别是在改革日趋深化阶段,更是承担着维护职工合法权益的责任。但是由于审议权的权限,它与其他职权的行使范围和程度还是有所不同,因此,在实际工作中,准确区别审议职权的工作内容、工作对象和工作性质是非常必要的一件大事。     

党委与人大关系的历史考察

研究党委与人大的关系,需要考察人民代表大会制度产生发展的历史过程。共产党是人大制度的设计、创建和领导者,人民代表大会是共产党实现执政和作为执政党地位的法律根据所在。两者相得益彰,相互促进。在中国,共产党与人民代表大会制度和谐相处,有机统一,共同为推动人民利益的实现和社会的发展服务,积累了许多宝贵的历史经验。但在规范党委与人大的关系方面还存在一些薄弱环节。要正视这些薄弱环节,与时俱进,开拓创新,做好科学规范党委与人大关系的工作。     

非政府组织发展与我国人民代表大会制度的完善

完善和发展人民代表大会制度必须充分认识我国社会业已发生的深刻变革,即社会的多元化发展已经对我国民主政治的实现形式提出了新的要求和新的挑战。作为现代公民社会基本组织形式的非政府组织,在社会动员与社会参与、监督人大行使职权、实现人民当家作主与建立公民社会等方面,对完善人大制度起着不可替代的作用。     

中华民族精神与服务型政府文化建设

在五千多年的历史发展中,中华民族形成了以爱国主义为核心的团结统一、爱好和平、勤劳勇敢、自强不息的伟大民族精神;当前,随着政府职能由“全能型”转向“服务型,”塑造服务型政府文化成为社会发展的内在要求;政府文化作为一种文明形态,首先具有民族特点,建设服务型政府文化需要民族精神。