Cooking the Goose: Fiji's Coup Culture Contextualised

Abstract

In the 40 years since Fiji became independent, there has been no shortage of perspectives from which to frame its development: its colonial past, its dual status as a Third World and Pacific island state, and, most pervasively perhaps, race conflict. This article focuses on another perspective: the failure of ethnic Fijian leaders to democratise their community politically and economically. Its consequences for the country have been long-standing and lie behind Fiji's developing coup culture     

Independence of data privacy authorities (Part II): Asia-Pacific experience

Part I of this article in [2012] 28 CLSR 3-13 analysed the views of learned commentators on what constitutes the ‘independence’ of data protection authorities (DPAs). It concluded that a more satisfactory answer needed to be found in the international instruments on data privacy and on human rights bodies, their implementation and judicial interpretation, and in the standards that have been proposed and implemented by DPAs themselves. It found that only the OECD and APEC privacy agreements did not require a DPA (and therefore had no standards for its independence). Thirteen factors were identified as elements of ‘independence’ across these instruments and standards, five of which were more commonly found than others.     

Independence of data privacy authorities (Part I): International standards

Part I of this article analyses the views of learned commentators on what constitutes the ‘independence’ of data protection authorities (DPAs). It concludes that a more satisfactory answer needs to be found in the international instruments on data privacy and on human rights bodies, their implementation and judicial interpretation, and in the standards that have been proposed and implemented by DPAs themselves. It finds that only the OECD and APEC privacy agreements did not require a DPA (and therefore have no standards for its independence). Thirteen factors were identified as elements of ‘independence’ across these instruments and standards, five of which were more commonly found than others. Part II of the article will consider how these criteria have been implemented in laws in the Asia-Pacific.     

关注金融衍生交易的市场风险向法律风险的转化——对中航油、中信泰富事件的反思

金融衍生交易的市场风险与法律风险通常被视为两个完全不同的问题,但对于中国企业,特别是具有国资背景的海外上市公司来说,最大的损失源自金融衍生交易的市场风险向法律风险的转化。它显示了传统的国有企业管理体制与现代金融衍生交易的市场规则、法律规则之间的碰撞。中航油事件与中信泰富事件所揭示出的这一风险转化过程,为观察金融衍生交易的法律风险提供了一个新的视角。     

Transitions to democracy,institutional choices and party system stability: lessons from small African islands

ABSTRACT

It is not easy to understand why some African party systems manage to stabilise while others remain fluid. This article argues that institutional choices made during democratic transition impact the likelihood of party system stabilisation. The experiences of Cabo Verde, Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe and Seychelles are compared; despite sharing many similarities (insularity, smallness, low ethnic diversity, authoritarian past, economic vulnerability and competitive elections), they differ substantively in terms of the patterns of interparty competition. It is shown that stabilisation is likely if party elites are able to control the rules of the game during the transition to democracy. A strategic choice of the party law, electoral system and executive system helps structure interactions over time and reduce uncertainty in electoral competition. The findings highlight the need to further explore the ‘black box’ of democratic transitions, and the role of agency in political outcomes in Africa.     

东盟在美国亚太战略中的地位及布什政府的东盟政策

在美国的对外战略中,东南亚是放在东亚的整体范围内进行考虑的,美国的东南亚政策是美国亚太战略的一个组成部分。本文从经济、政治、安全和区域合作四方面分析了东盟在美国亚太战略中的地位和作用,并介绍了布什政府上台后特别是“9·11”事件后美国东盟政策的变化。     

The Struggle for Recognition: Diplomatic Competition Between China and Taiwan in Oceania

The PRC and Taiwan are competing to gain diplomatic recognition from Pacific Islands states, a number of which recognise Taiwan and serve as a barrier to its international isolation. Since much of Oceania is in Australia’s sphere of influence, this struggle has often involved Canberra. This paper focuses on the intensifying conflict–with conclusions about the local political economic situations of the countries in Oceania that are most likely to switch recognition, the dilemmas that the issue poses for Australia and its alliance with the US, and the game theory of these auctions of diplomatic recognition. The rental of recognition is analysed as a “sovereignty business” in which some Pacific Islands states engage—similar to the offshore financial centres which are prevalent in the region. Anthony van Fossen is Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences in the School of Arts, Media and Culture and member of the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University. He has written extensively about the Pacific Islands, particularly in relation to its offshore financial centres and ‘sovereignty businesses’. His most recent book is South Pacific Futures: Oceania Toward 2050 (Brisbane: Foundation for Development Cooperation, 2005), the first comprehensive survey of expert views of the future of the region.     

Emerging donors and new contests over aid policy in Pacific Asia

Abstract

The rise of emerging donors has unleashed new political contests over aid policy, some of which have occurred at the domestic level. This article locates the special edition's analysis of these contests within the existing literature on emerging donors, draws out the key findings of included papers, and considers their implications for policy. It argues that domestic contests have had significant influence over aid policy in both emerging and established donors, the agendas at work have varied from case to case reflecting countries' different political economies, and aid policies represent a ‘work-in-progress’ rather than an expression of immutable models.     

亚太地区安全架构:目标、条件与构想

中国领导人指出,"亚太地区经济合作架构众多,建立一个符合地区实际、满足各方需要的区域安全架构势在必行。"中国应当抓住目前的战略机遇,本着"主动谋划、积极进取"的精神,在亚太地区安全问题上扮演"概念设置国""议程设置国"的角色,在适当时机提出建立亚太区域安全架构的倡议。中国倡导并参与亚太安全架构的建设,有助于达到以下目标:整合并超越现有的地区安全机制;进一步发挥中国在整个亚太地区事务中的引领作用,同时推进"打造周边命运共同体"和"构建中关新型大国关系"两大目标;缓解中国在本地区的安全压力,冲淡美国的亚太安全同盟体系并最终使其转型;保障和促进"一带一路"建设;加强中国在亚太安全事务中的规则制订权;引导国内外舆论和公众正确理解新时期的国家安全观和国际合作观。中国以外的任何一个国家在近期内都不大可能主动提出关于亚太安全架构的倡议,而中国正式提出这一倡议的时机亦不成熟,拟首先明确自己的战略目标,厘清战略思路。     

Emotions and voting behavior in self-determination referendums: the case of New Caledonia in 2018

In this article we examine the impact of emotions in an independence referendum. New Caledonia – a French Pacific territory with 270,000 inhabitants – held a self-determination referendum in November 2018, in which 56% of the voters opted to remain a part of France. We conducted a post-referendum survey with 1496 respondents that included a specific battery to measure emotions as well as control variables. We find that experiencing anger with the national status of the territory increases the probability of voting for independence, while experiencing pride reduces it. These results remain after controlling for partisan, ethnic and national identification, expected effects of independence as well as sociodemographic factors. Moreover, emotions and identity interact and increase the effect of (the lack of) national identification. Beyond the effects of the traditional control variables, the results suggest that knowledge about voting behavior in independence referendums is transferable to decolonization in Pacific Islands.