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For more content, see Journal of Asian and African Studies.
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Warlords, Politicians and the Post-First Civil War Election in Liberia
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The issue of post-conflict elections has become one of the major areas in both the scholarly literature and in policy circles. This is because post-conflict elections are considered critical to the peacebuilding process in war-torn societies. The rationale is that post-conflict elections can be used to address the vexing problem of choosing the leadership for states recovering from war. With the leadership chosen in the context of free, fair and transparent elections, it can then shepherd the arduous process of rebuilding the society.
In this vein, using the first post-conflict election in Liberia as a case study, this article examines the electoral landscape, and the factors that led to the Taylor-led National Patriotic Party (NPP) winning a landslide victory.
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Copenhagen 18/12: Africa Must Continue Calling for a Fair, Ambitious and Binding Climate Deal*
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The date, 18 December 2009, left the world perturbed, as global leaders failed to reach consensus on a legally binding climate deal in Copenhagen. Since Bali 2007, much work had been done on preparing for a fair, ambitious and legally binding climate deal. Accordingly, the non-binding Copenhagen (political) Accord was concluded paving the way for further talks in Mexico in 2010. However, the African continent maintained that it had received a raw deal. This paper presents the African Group’s climate position and analyses the implications of the Copenhagen Accord for the continent. The paper also presents a way forward for Mexico and beyond. The conclusion urges African governments to hold onto the gains of Copenhagen 2009 and to continue pushing for a fair, ambitious and legally binding climate deal.
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Jerusalem Walls: Transforming and Segregating Urban Fabric
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Jerusalem city witnessing last touches of constructing the Israeli wall that came as a part of a general strategy aim to separate the city from its periphery. The city, that includes about 400,000 Palestinians considered as the hub of fifty Palestinian communities. This structure is interlinked by complex cultural, social, and economic relationships. This aims to de facto annex vast areas to Israel using different means like land confiscations, colonial activities and finally constructing the wall in order to reach the city “Israelization”. Israel claims that Jerusalem is an open city as was declared immediately after 1967. On the ground, since 1967, Israel created different kinds of walls to divide Jerusalem into Palestinian enclaves and Israeli contiguous urban scheme (Hasson, 1996).
This study investigates the impact of Israeli policies on Jerusalem area since 1948. Since then all planning practices were directed to isolate Jerusalem by cutting off all surrounding Arab communities. The aim of the study is to shed light on the hidden agenda of the Israeli planning strategies and its impact on the Palestinian urban structure.
In order to assess the urban settings for the study area, aerial photos were analyzed, field visits, literature and historical review were conducted. The outcome of the study shows that Israeli planning machine in the area was aiming to enlarge “Greater Jerusalem” area by annexing as much land as possible within the city boundary. Another aim was to weaken and segregate the surrounding Palestinian communities in away to make it impossible for these communities to form a center as a Palestinian hub competing the historical hub of Jerusalem.
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Product Labeling and Sociocultural Values of Nigerian Consumers
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This paper examines the development of product labels in Nigeria. It highlights the successes and developments so far. The paper critically examines the approach adopted by labels giver especially in relation to Nigerian culture and traditions. This is because product labels in this country are still mostly communicated in foreign languages and without a proper consideration of the exiting norms, culture and values regarding communication while implementing labels on products. The paper therefore recommends ways by which the regulatory agencies can further achieve their aims and objectives from African perspective.
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Poverty Changes during the Three Recent Development Plans in Iran (1995-2007)
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The purpose of this study is to analyse the degree of poverty in Iran and how it changed over time during the second, third and fourth (first three years) five-year national development plans (1995-2007). It does this by documenting overall poverty levels and poverty within regional subgroups, using the micro-level data set of household expenditure survey conducted by the Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI) in 1995, 1999, 2004 and 2007.
I have found an increase in all poverty measures in rural regions and a decrease in urban areas during the second development plan (1995-1999). The country as a whole also experienced a considerable poverty reduction over the third development plan (1999-2004) under Khatami’s presidency. However, all poverty measures suggest that during Ahmadinejad Administration (2004-2007) poverty has risen.
This paper also examines the distribution of poverty breakdown by the regional status of households in Iran. The incidence, intensity and severity of poverty are higher in rural than urban areas in Iran. Regional decompositions show that although poverty was spread throughout the country, the intensity of poverty in some provinces such as Systan-Balochestan, Kermanshah, Kordestan, Hamadan and Ilam was more pronounced. The results also suggest that the contribution of the “southeast” and “west” regions (including above mentioned provinces) to the national poverty were increased during the second, third and fourth plans. This might be attributed to the fact that these provinces were more affected by eight-year long Iran-Iraq war, immigration of refuges from neighbours countries and drought.
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The Role of Organised Labour in Preventing a ‘Race to the Bottom’ for Filipino Seafarers in the Global Labour Market
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The aim of this article is to demonstrate how organised labour at both the national and global level can influence the nature of global labour markets. This aim is achieved through an empirical investigation of the restructuring of the global labour market for Filipino seafarers, and the influence of the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in this restructuring process. The article concludes that despite the global attack on labour unions, organised labour continues to be a powerful agent in preventing ‘a race to the bottom’ for Filipino seafarers working conditions and wages.
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Nigeria’s Elusive Quest for Democracy: Multinational Corporations and Sustenance of Authoritarianism*
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In 1999 Nigeria witnessed its second transition to democracy. However, not only have authoritarian regimes existed in Nigeria for a substantial part of its history but also the successive democratic governments since 1999 have continued to mirror the characteristics of these regimes. Thus, in the article I analyze this paradox by examining the role of multinational corporations in preventing the growth of democracy in Nigeria. I observe that the rentier incomes provided by the multinational oil corporations to the Nigerian state have enabled the authoritarian regimes to maintain themselves in power. Furthermore the multinational corporations have also played a very important role in ensuring the continuation of an “elite social class” supportive of these regimes, within the Nigerian society. These findings suggest that the important socio-economic position enjoyed by these multinational corporations within the Nigerian society, has resulted in the continuation of the authoritarian regimes and their policies within the Nigerian state.
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China-Africa Relations: A Neo-Imperialism or a Neo-Colonialism? A Reflection*
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Based on the intensity and the volume of financial and economic dimensions as it pertains to the relationship between China and various African countries since the end of the 1990s, the debate on these relations has just begun within a global context. The discussion on the nature of South-South relations, especially between a newly emerging industrial country, located in Asia, and the African countries, which represent the least industrialized area of the world, has more recently brought the subject of the unequal balance of power between the two regions under intellectual scrutiny.
Several intellectual debates on China-Africa relations have been mostly reactive in the sense that many analyses have focused on Africa’s past relations with the Global North. The existing literature on these relations has, to a large extent, not sufficiently located the discourse within the existing dominant ideologies, namely neo-imperialism and neo-liberalism. It is also important to localize these relations within the World Trade Organization’s dogmas and practices, the United Nations Charter, and African Union Charter in order to assess whether or not they can be characterized as either neo-imperialist or neo-liberal. Furthermore, it is important to identify on which specific areas these economic relations have generally focused and in which specific African countries they have been dominant. How do the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party perceive and define them? How do the African Union and specific African countries perceive and define these relations? And what are the policy implications in China and in the African public sectors? The main objective of this paper is, using the data and figures from Chinese sectoral investments and export-import of China and specific African countries to make a critical evaluative analysis of these relations and determine if they are qualified to be called neo-imperialist or neo-liberal. The article is both an empirically-based analysis and a reflection.
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Beyond the State in Rural Uganda
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Globalization, Violence and World Governance
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The Political And Social Thought of Kwame Nkrumah
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Education and Democracy in Senegal
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Extended Handshake or Wrestling Match? Youth and Urban Culture Celebrating Politics in Kenya
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