美国台海政策演变与要害分析

美国台海政策随着美全球战略与对华政策的变化而变化,其发展大致经历了三个阶段。当前美国台海政策新变化,即从战略模糊到战略清晰,美台军事安全合作大幅提升,正进入新的高度,美国台海政策主要出于美霸权利益考量,美国通过曲解“一个中国”原则与维持台海所谓“现状”企图达到两岸长期的“不统”、“不独”与“不战”状态,以便美国长期操控两岸、从中渔利进而防范延缓中国的崛起。然而,随着两岸各自的变化,美国左右逢源、平衡两岸的台海政策越来越暴露出其内在矛盾与巨大风险,并将因来自各方面的挑战而难以为继、濒于破产。     

论个性化执政值得推崇——从“仇和现象”谈起

"仇和现象"引发了人们对个性化执政的思考.个性化执政是国家的大政方针与当地具体实际的最佳结合,是领导者个人主动性和创造性的高度发挥,是领导者的领导活动富有魅力和特色,是领导者大有作为创造出为老百姓称道的实绩,是领导者对人民竭忠尽智的无私奉献.我们这个时代呼唤个性化执政,同时为个性化执政提供了广阔的生存空间.个性化执政是提高党的执政能力的内在要求,是执政能力建设的一种趋势和方向.个性化执政符合社会主义民主政治和公众的要求.我们不能简单化地将个性化执政理解为人治,个性化执政恰恰是通向法治的必经之途.     

The social construction of the legitimacy of Christian healing in Abidjan

ABSTRACT

Based on ethnographic work conducted recently in the city of Abidjan where religious pluralism and medical pluralism intersect, this paper lays out the foundations of Christian healing legitimacy as perceived by some key stakeholders. Against the background of the legal recognition of biomedicine and traditional medicine which with religious healing constitute the three major healing systems in Abidjan, the paper explores the anchorages of the legitimacy of Christian healing which lacks such explicit legal backing. Data are collected through semi-structured interviews of about 240 religious practitioners, medical professionals and beneficiaries of Christian therapies in the city of Abidjan. The major theoretical framework of this paper is the Weberian theory of the triple sources of legitimation complemented with historical and political economy approaches which attempt to link the development and functioning of therapeutic systems in Côte d’Ivoire with broader political, economic and historical processes. The main argument is that Ivoirians construct the legitimacy of alternative therapies in general, and religious therapies in particular, by building on the perceived limits of biomedicine, and its inability to respond to all their therapeutic needs. From a medical pluralism perspective, the pluralisation of offers signals the plurality of needs which has determined in our Ivoirian ethnographic context the appropriation of biomedicine, the resilience of traditional medicine and the current rise of Christian healing.     

Voices of the Commonwealth: An Oral History of the Modern Commonwealth 1965–2012

This article describes a major exercise undertaken by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, London, to put together an oral history of the modern Commonwealth. The project was set in the context of a wider research agenda aimed at investigating whether the Commonwealth has made any difference globally in policy terms. As part of the exercise, the author, who was the lead researcher on the project, interviewed senior figures within the Commonwealth who played key roles in shaping the destiny of the organization and in influencing policy. The article is a personal account of the exercise.     

Free trade agreements and “economic territory” as a geoeconomic imaginary in South Korea

Since the early 2000s, the discourse of “economic territory” has surfaced in conjunction with economic neoliberalization in South Korea. This paper argues that economic territory as a geoeconomic imaginary not only facilitated the expansion of free trade agreements as an accumulation strategy but also served as a hegemonic project which masked the nature of an accumulation strategy as a class project and consolidated political legitimacy by manipulating nationalism. To examine this linkage, it critically draws upon the idea of cultural political economy (CPE) developed by Lancaster-based sociologists Bob Jessop and Ngai-Ling Sum. This paper offers a fresh and more substantial interpretation of South Korea’s political economy and opens up new analytical space for CPE.     

Fresh challenges faced on the ground by the Kingdom of the Sky: A quest for peace,harmony and stability

This article argues that Lesotho’s landlocked position, which inhibits trade and results in enclaves of the poor, not only leads to its dependency on South Africa, but also contributes to its instability. It points out that destabilisation remains a problem in spite of Lesotho having served as an excellent model of peaceful transfer of power in a strengthened democratic arena under its 1993 Constitution, as the country had just celebrated 20 years of relative peace. However, despite the 1991 Windhoek Declaration military coups, violence, violation of both human rights and human security continue to contribute to instability in Lesotho, requiring the frequent intervention of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and especially so following the attempted coup in 2014. Lesotho’s Coalition government, which is a prime-ministerial form of government, is discussed in some detail in this article. The role of peacekeeping forces is also examined. The article recommends demilitarisation as the only practical, viable and long term solution to the problem of recurring coups in this country. The authors conclude that a sustained campaign against corrupt activities by government, though laudable, has somewhat surprisingly served to weaken the foundation of the Coalition in Lesotho.     

The Proper Purpose Rule as a Constraint on Directors’ Autonomy – Eclairs Group Limited v JKX Oil & Gas plc

The recent case of Eclairs Group Limited v JKX Oil & Gas plc highlights the pressures faced by company directors in change of control situations, in which they may be tempted to take action to prevent or discourage such change. The Supreme Court decision provides important clarity on the scope of the proper purpose rule in these (and other) situations. We explore the implications of different judicial interpretations of the proper purpose rule for the autonomy of directors in their decision‐making. We do this by focusing on the scope of the proper purpose rule, whether a subjective or objective test is employed in the application of the rule and the test for causation where a director is motivated by mixed purposes.     

The killer outfit and timing: Impact of the fabric and time in body fluid identification and DNA profiling

The present work aimed to study the detection, through lateral flow immunochromatographic (LFI) tests, of saliva samples over time in three different types of fabrics, as well as, the possibility of DNA isolation and characterization from the sample tubes and the cassettes. Fifty microliters of saliva (three samples/time) were deposited in denim, cotton, and polyester. Saliva was identified by SERATEC® Amylase Test and the Crime Scene version SALIVA CS, being able to detect it up to six months of deposition, although with different band intensities. Polyester showed stronger bands than cotton, probably due to its synthetic nature, and denim, as an inked fabric, showed less band intensities. Statistical analyses confirmed significant differences among fabrics, but not over time in the same type of fabric. Total DNA from the sample tubes was successfully recovered, in contrast, from the cassettes, only polyester retrieved amplifiable DNA. These findings indicated that it is possible to recover and identify saliva up to six months after deposition, also obtaining DNA. Future research will be able to expand these results, analyzing the stability of other body fluids, and the sensitivity of lateral flow immunochromatographic tests to detect them.     

Does plot size matter? Evidence from maize production in Babati District,Tanzania

Debates about optimal farm structure and size have a long history in agricultural economics. Agricultural and development economists argue for an inverse relationship between farm size and productivity, but debates around this remain inconclusive. This article provides a case from maize production in Babati District, Tanzania. The efficiency level of 122 sampled smallholder farmers was estimated and found to be 62.3%, suggesting 37.7% of inefficiencies. A U-shape relationship between plot size and efficiency scores was found. There was high efficiency at plots <2?ha, compared to 2?ha and 3?ha, followed by efficiency at plots >4?ha. Policies stimulating small- and large-scale farms in the country are imperative.     

再审程序的理解与适用——兼评《刑事诉讼法》关于再审程序的修改

刑事再审程序,是一种非常救济程序,应当注重再审纠错与程序安定性价值之间的衡平。此次《刑事诉讼法》修改用修改两条、新增两条的方式对刑事再审程序作了一定的修改与完善,有其进步意义。但对于申诉改造、再审事由的设置、再审的启动主体以及再审审理程序的构建等核心问题并没有涉及。因而,此次《刑事诉讼法》关于再审程序的修改只能称得上是程序"微调"。从司法适用的角度来讲,新《刑事诉讼法》的有关规定尚有进一步完善、细化的必要。对此,结合中国的司法实际,可以通过司法解释的形式加以完善,以统一指导司法实践。