论惩治国际恐怖主义犯罪的基本问题

恐怖主义行为滋生于 2 0世纪初叶 ,一些组织或个人基于各种各样的动机或目的不断实施危害人类的行为 ,如劫持航空器、劫持人质等。这些行为在国际社会层出不穷 ,愈演愈烈 ,逐渐发展成具有组织性、有针对性 ,甚至带有某种政治色彩的国际性恐怖主义罪行。如何有效地惩治这种新型国际性犯罪已经成为国际社会关注的热点问题 ,有关惩治国际恐怖主义犯罪的理论与实践也是各国刑事法学界重视的研究课题。结合现代国际法和国际刑法的相关理论 ,本文重点就恐怖主义犯罪的概况、性质及惩治与防范策略加以研究 ,以期促进对此问题的深入探讨。     

煽动民族仇恨、民族歧视罪的司法定位变化与刑事应对

煽动民族仇恨、民族歧视罪在立法之初保护的是公民的民族平等、团结的民主权利,但近年来该罪出现了被恐怖组织所利用,危及社会稳定,甚至引发严重暴力恐怖活动的趋势。本罪作为应对恐怖主义犯罪罪名体系的基础性罪名,与涉及恐怖主义犯罪的煽动分裂国家罪,组织、领导恐怖组织罪等罪名在司法上相结合形成阶梯式罪名体系。由此,在立法上应当提升该罪的分则地位,加重法定刑,在司法上应树立对煽动民族仇恨、民族歧视罪危害后果的正确认识。     

析恐怖主义犯罪与危害国家安全犯罪——以新疆恐怖主义犯罪为例

在新疆。恐怖主义犯罪与危害国家安全犯罪行为人实施犯罪的目的基本相同。但二者在构成要件、活动特点和法律适用方面都有本质的区别．由于我国现行刑事法律关于恐怖主义犯罪罪名设置的缺陷及程序法的缺乏等原因。导致法院在审理此类案件时大多以危害国家安全罪、犯罪行为人实施的犯罪行为触碰的刑法中相关的普通刑事罪名处以刑罚。这不仅抹杀了恐怖犯罪与危害国家安全犯罪、普通刑事犯罪的界限,而且导致我们在寻求国际刑事司法协助时遇到障碍。因此。厘清恐怖主义犯罪与危害国家安全犯罪的界限是准确、有效打击恐怖主义犯罪的前提。     

反恐背景下的国土安全警务模式研究

我国未来警察角色功能应适应世界潮流的趋势,从传统的社区安全维护角色,提升为国土安全维护的角色。借鉴美国国土安全预警、危机处理、情报收集、分析、共享警务模式,我国在社会管理创新战略指引下,警察机关应围绕着国家安全与社会安全管理创新进行一系列的机制、策略、模式等改革,以适应当前的复杂的治安趋势和反恐工作的需要。所以,国土安全警务模式予以我国的启示是:警察机关应重视国土安全维护的任务,制定以情报主导的国土安全警务模式,建立国土安全警务的监督机制,从而应对当前的国际及国内的反恐形势。     

自杀性恐怖袭击的防范与治理研究

自“9·11”事件后,自杀性恐怖袭击已成为恐怖活动的主要方式。深层次的情报搜集,理论上的揭露与批判,加强金融监管和理性的媒体战略是杜绝自杀性恐怖袭击的四大“利器”,而构建合理的国际政治经济新秩序,朝向公平与正义则是铲除恐怖主义滋生土壤的根本。     

当代西方恐怖主义威胁认知与治理目标和路径

恐怖主义威胁认知对治理政策的有效性具有决定性的影响,也是外部政策评估的有效切入点:威胁认知通过影响政策目标与政策路径,构成恐怖主义治理能够在多大限度内发挥其有效性的前提。九一一事件以来,西方对恐怖主义威胁出现了"传统智慧""本土恐怖主义"和"极端意识形态"三种不同的认知,治理政策经历了"全球反恐战争""反激进化"和"反极端化"三个阶段,政策目标经历了"文化安全化—族群安全化—思想安全化"的演进,政策路径出现了从"群体化"到"个体与群体兼重"再到"个体化"的转变。恐怖主义威胁认知的三个阶段演进,更多的是面对新恐怖威胁的被动更新,而非针对前一阶段问题所做的主动修正。这导致当代西方恐怖主义治理的既有政策有限性将会持续,反恐的政策负担会越来越重,甚至"越反越恐"。在当前国际恐怖主义不断发展变化的背景下,西方乃至全球的恐怖主义治理又处于一个需要更新威胁认知的关头,这可能会进一步影响当前恐怖主义治理的效果。     

The institutionalization of relative advantage: formal institutions,subconstitutional presidential powers,and the rise of authoritarian politics in Russia, 1994–2012

What role do formal institutions play in the consolidation of authoritarian regimes such as the Russian Federation? Oftentimes, it is assumed that autocrats, usually potent presidents, wield informal powers and control far-flung patron–client networks that undermine formal institutions and bolster their rule. After the institutional turn in authoritarianism studies, elections, parties, legislatures, or courts have taken center stage, yet presidencies and public law are still on the margins of this research paradigm. This paper proposes a method for measuring subconstitutional presidential power and its change by federal law, decrees, and Constitutional Court rulings as well as a theoretical framework for explaining when and under which conditions subconstitutional presidential power expands. It is argued that as a result of a gradual, small-scale, and slow-moving process of layering, presidential powers have been accumulated over time. This furthers the institutionalization of presidential advantage toward other federal and regional institutions, which in turn contributes to the consolidation of authoritarianism.     

On amorphous terms,terrorism and a feeble judiciary: Analysing the dissenting judgment in Maseko v Prime Minister of Swaziland and Others (2016)

On 16 September 2016, the Swaziland High Court delivered judgment in the matter between Maseko and Others v Prime Minister of Swaziland and Others [2016] SZHC 180, in which it declared certain provisions of the Suppression of Terrorism Act (2008); and the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (1938) as unconstitutional. The Declaration followed a constitutional challenge, based on the applicants’ freedom of expression, assembly and association. The judgment was unprecedented in the Swaziland context, given that of the four applicants, three were political activists and one was a Human Rights lawyer. All four have been in frequent collision with the government over their political opinions. Two judges ruled in favour of the applicants, whilst the third one ruled against them. The judgment was a sharp departure from past decisions, where the courts often ruled in favour of the state, leaving many litigants without a remedy. The ruling marked the first time a Swazi court had declared the Swaziland Constitution a living document. However commendable the main judgment, the dissenting opinion raises several constitutional questions that need to be addressed. This article therefore, critically analyses the dissenting opinion of Justice Hlophe, and seeks to demonstrate that his approach is antithetical to constitutionalism, and is irreconcilable with accepted notions of Bill of Rights litigation.     

Cultures of high-frequency trading: mapping the landscape of algorithmic developments in contemporary financial markets

Abstract

As part of ongoing work to lay a foundation for social studies of high-frequency trading (HFT), this paper introduces the culture(s) of HFT as a sociological problem relating to knowledge and practice. HFT is often discussed as a purely technological development, where all that matters is the speed of allocating, processing and transmitting data. Indeed, the speed at which trades are executed and data transmitted is accelerating, and it is fair to say that algorithms are now the primary interacting agents operating in the financial markets. However, we contend that HFT is first and foremost a cultural phenomenon. More specifically, both individuals and collective agents – such as algorithms – might be considered cultural entities, charged with very different ways of processing information, making sense of it and turning it into knowledge and practice. This raises issues relating to situated knowledge, distributed cognition and action, the assignment of responsibility when regulating high-speed algorithms, their history, organizational structure and, perhaps more fundamentally, their representation.     

Organizational ignorance: an ethnographic study of high-frequency trading

Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of strategic uses of ignorance or not-knowing in one of the most secretive industries within the financial sector. The focus of the paper is on the relation between imitation and ignorance within the organizational structure of high-frequency trading (HFT) firms. In social studies of finance (SSF) literature imitation is considered a strategic act, i.e. imitation is a term applied when traders copy the strategies of other traders. I wish to turn this relation between ignorance and imitation on its head and consider ignorance itself as a strategic unknown and investigate the kinds of imitations that might be produced from structures of not-knowing (i.e. structures intended to divide, obscure and protect knowledge). This point is illustrated through ethnographic studies and interviews within five HFT firms. The data show how a black-box structure of ignorance is replicated within the organizational setting of these firms and re-enacted by the traders. Towards the end of the paper the politics of the relationship between imitation and ignorance is discussed.