Political culture,state elites and regional security in West Africa

This article analyses the dominant patterns of political culture among West Africa's state elites in an attempt to understand what standards, beliefs and principles they cherish. We suggest that although there are significant differences across the region's states, the dominant political culture can be characterised as neopatrimonial, that is, systems based on personalised structures of authority where patron–client relationships operate behind a façade of ostensibly rational state bureaucracy. In order to explore these issues the article proceeds in four parts. After providing a definition of political culture and why it is an important topic of analysis, we examine the central characteristics of the political culture held by state elites in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region. The section ‘The Nigerian factor’ briefly discusses some of the malign effects that this culture has had upon governance and political economy issues in the regional giant, Nigeria. The final section explores whether the region's elites are living up to their own claims that they are embarking upon a serious attempt to engage in state reconstruction or are instead simply searching for alternative ways to sell their more traditional concern with regime protection. We conclude that, without a fundamental recasting of the political culture guiding the region's elites, a security culture that prioritises democracy and human security is unlikely to emerge within ECOWAS.     

西方土地利用规划中的公众参与和实践模式

西方土地利用规划中的公众参与是建立在广泛而深厚的理论基础之上的,正是在这种理论基础上,诸如美、英、德等西方国家在土地利用规划中也有着非常成熟而有效的公众参与实践模式,这些都十分值得我国学习和借鉴。     

明末清初西湖小说与西湖文化精神

明末清初西湖小说有着浓郁的地域特色,蕴含着丰富的地域文化精神:从生命关爱到人文关怀;热爱生活,对生活环境的爱护与美化,注重对物质生活的享受,同时也追求高雅的精神品位;崇尚才学.     

西部开发中民族文化保护论

西部开发作为经济、社会、生态、文化协调发展的系统工程 ,少数民族传统文化的保护、建设是其中十分重要的基础工程。西部开发也为传统文化的更新、转型提供了机遇。经济全球化与文化多样性的关系则是西部开发中民族文化保护、文化资源开发利用的文化语境。云南少数民族传统文化的保存现状及近年来实施的保护措施 ,印证着这个文化变迁进程的复杂性与丰富性。     

论西部少数民族地区的城市化

西部民族地区城市化发展滞后,与我国特殊的自然地理呈东低西高紧密相关,同时又受到经济发展中非均衡发展战略的影响。21世纪西部少数民族地区的城市化发展应加快工业化和非农化进程,并在城市体系制度创新等方面取得实质性进展,以期借西部大开发的东风,加快城市化进程,推动西部少数民族地区经济社会全面进步。     

论中国西部开发投资的现状及法治展望

国家实施西部大开发战略,最为关键的是投资问题。如果没有一定的投资保障,中国西部国土的整治,水资源的调配、经济结构的调整、产业的选择、资源的开发、基础设施的改善、生态环境的治理、教育的振兴就没有保障,西部大开发就将成为一句空话。为了积极引导外商投资和国内民间资本参与西部开发,制定相应的法律、法规非常重要。文本试图从西部资金投入发展的现状及发达国家的投资法律制度在西部开发中所起的作用,探讨在我国西部开发中建立规范、有序的投资市场应健全和完备的法律制度体系。     

艾森豪威尔政府的对华禁运政策

艾森豪威尔政府时期,美国对华政策为全面遏制思想所主导,因此,在欧洲盟国废除“巴统”管制体系中的“中国差别”的情况下,美国依然单独坚持对华禁运政策。     

Regionalism and Colonialism in Contemporary Oceania

Abstract

Regionalism in Oceania emerged in a context shaped both by the decolonisation movement as well as the Cold War, the dynamics of which are still being played out today. This article considers two cases of particular interest in current regional politics which illustrate a number of important contradictions in conventional approaches to the analysis of colonialism. The first involves the two larger French territories in the region – New Caledonia and French Polynesia – which have recently been admitted to full membership of the Pacific Islands Forum despite falling short of the technical requirements for such membership, namely independent status. The second concerns Indonesia’s claim to sovereignty over West Papua. Although this claim has been recognised in international law since 1969, its basis is highly suspect and Indonesia’s record from the start is arguably tantamount to a repressive form of colonialism enabled by the United Nations itself. Placed in comparative perspective, these cases invite us to reconsider just what colonialism on the one hand and self-determination on the other really mean in the contemporary period.     

Global and local models of governance in interaction: configurations of power in Upper Guinea Coast societies

ABSTRACT

This paper studies emerging power configurations in Upper Guinea Coast societies which result from contemporary interactions of global and local models of governance. With empirical data on shifting meanings of chieftaincy and control of land, changing tax regimes and the rising importance of youth in domestic politics, modifications of legitimate authority across time are contrasted with the effects of international interventions and global discourses on socio-political change. Some of these interventions accelerate, others accentuate or counteract processes of change within local power configurations. Only by carefully considering the innate malleability of local concepts of authority, history, and tradition can contemporary processes of change be identified as either mere reconfigurations or genuinely new configurations of power.