Expanding Japan's role in the United Nations

In 1994, Japan made a bid for a permanent UNSC seat. This reflects Japan's growing influence in the United Nations as the second largest financial contributor to the regular UN budget and to the UNPKO budget. Moreover, Japan's contribution is no longer limited to the financial realm. Japan has actively participated in UNPKO since it enacted the International Peace Cooperation Law in 1992. It has sent military contingents to three UNPKO missions and a number of civilian missions. The changing international system necessitates fundamental reforms of the UNSC. The UN's fiftieth anniversary seems to be an opportune time for establishing realistic guidelines for the SC reforms to facilitate permanent membership for Japan and Germany comparable to their growing economic and political standings at the global level. In the meantime, Japan should overcome its reluctance to commit itself to UN peacemaking operations, as Germany did, and consolidate public opinion at home and abroad in support of its bid.     

Introduction: Regional powers in contest and engagement: making sense of international relations in a globalised world

Over the last couple of years, ‘African ownership’ has become a buzzword in many fields. Economic development initiatives like the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) are based on it, partnership agreements like the Joint AU–EU Africa Strategy are built around it and its central concept of Africanisation guides virtually all external relations of the continent. African leaders (rightly) insist on it, international organisations (rightly) preach it and many non-African actors are (unsurprisingly) hiding behind it. The concept of African ownership is so omnipresent today that it is more than surprising that the simple question of who actually owns it has not yet been asked. It is the declared purpose of this paper to disentangle rhetoric from reality and identify the owner as well as the limits of African ownership in the sphere of peace and security.     

Globalisation: A ranking of South Africa and other emerging market economies

Peacekeeping has grown in significance over the years within international relations, yet only a few analyses have applied the frameworks of international relations theory to the issues of peacekeeping. This paper begins with a view to broaden that analysis, and to look at three of the African countries that have contributed significant resources over the years to help restore peace on their continent: Nigeria, Ethiopia and Rwanda. The following article analyses these three countries (and not South Africa, which features a great deal already in the literature) from the point of view of their military capabilities, including sources of training and equipment, after assessing the motivations, challenges and opportunities of each to contribute to peacekeeping in Africa. From that basis, the article assesses the positive and negative impacts these militaries bring to the region's conflicts, as well as the impact of their troops for the sending nations. Lastly, the article assesses the concept of ‘African solutions to African problems’, and argues that this proposition, while worth pursuing, is not a realistic one for peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts on the continent in the short term, mainly owing to funding and equipment restraints.     

农村土地承包经营权征收补偿制度构建——基于对失地农民权益保护之理念

农村土地承包经营权的物权化为农村土地承包经营权成为一项独立征收客体,获得征收补偿提供正当性理论基础,然而现行的农地征收补偿制度构造的理念是建立在债权性的农村土地承包经营权基础上,忽视对失地农民的土地承包经营权单独进行相应的补偿,这与农村土地承包经营权的物权属性产生了严重的偏差,并受其强烈冲击引发了现行农地征收补偿制度的缺憾,亟须对农村土地承包经营权征收补偿进行制度化构建.     

论我国社区矫正的制度建设

社区矫正的进行及其效果需要有制度保障。在我国的社区矫正试点中,制度建设极为重要。社区矫正的制度建设包括组织制度建设和工作制度建设两个方面。我国现行的社区矫正试点工作在这两个方面都存在着一些问题。必须建立以社区矫正官为中心的社区矫正官制度和严格规范的社区矫正操作规程制度。     

非法经营罪的立法缺陷与完善

非法经营罪是我国刑法修订后变动最多的罪名,最高人民法院的司法解释、批复不断丰富着非法经营罪的具体行为方式。就目前来说,非法经营罪的体系已变得非常庞杂,这与司法实践中的扩张行为有关,但立法上的缺陷也是导致这些问题出现的重要原因。应采用空白罪状的描述方式,对其立法和司法解释上的扩张问题加以限制。     

浅谈公司化运营下的律师事务所分配制度改革

律师事务所公司化运营是我国法律服务市场中已经出现的现象,其中分配制度是公司化改革中非常重要的一环。目前我国律师事务所在公司化运营下的分配方式种类复杂,各种形式并存。本文旨在通过研究律师事务所分配制度的发展历程,深度剖析公司化改革后分配制度的类型及其优缺点。使掌舵者明确公司化改革下分配制度的基本情况,并根据自身需求选择合适的分配制度。纵观全局,总结改革取得的成就,研究改革中急需解决的问题,提供较为详细的解决方案,推动公司化改革顺利进行。     

提单的物权凭证属性--兼论无船承运人提单的性质

提单既是重要的航运单证 ,又是重要的贸易单证 ,提单的发展很大程度上取决于对它的正确认识。本文分析了“documentof title”概念 ,指出物权凭证代表的不一定是所有权 ,从大陆法角度分析了提单体现的占有关系 ,提出确立拟制占有制度是提单在商法自主发展规律中的体现。在此基础上分析了无船承运人提单的性质     

在国企改制中维护职工权益的若干问题及对策建议

主辅分离、辅业改制是国企改革的难点,分流出来的富余人员数量较大,前段时期由于改制不够规范,出现了许多侵犯职工利益的若干问题。对此,工会应建立起有效的维权机制,做好分流人员的再就业工作,努力探索职工持股制度,等等。     

关于我国司法鉴定行业协会运行的研究

司法鉴定行业协会是确保司法鉴定行业健康、良性发展的重要力量,在我国各省市已经逐步建立起司法鉴定行业协会,但对其如何定位、如何运行等问题的认识尚不明确,有必要加以澄清。