Showing papers in "The Round Table in 2009"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss and profile the development trajectories of small economies from the vantage point of the strategic flexibility used by small states in seeking to exploit opportunities and maximize economic gains in a turbulent and dynamic external environment with which they must engage.
Abstract: Many scholarly analyses of small economies over the past two decades have been premised on the implicit understanding that a state's small population size, compounded by such factors as islandness and remoteness from markets, is to blame for an inherent and unavoidable economic vulnerability. The article critiques the core features of this approach, and proposes in turn to discuss and profile the development trajectories of small economies from the vantage point of the strategic flexibility used by small states (at multiple levels as individuals, household units, corporate entities and complete jurisdictions) in seeking to exploit opportunities and maximize economic gains in a turbulent and dynamic external environment with which they must engage. Keeping alive a portfolio of skills and revenue streams enables these actors to migrate inter-sectorally as well as trans-nationally.
89 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the events of May 2008 exposed the distrust among black Africans that permeates post-Apartheid South Africa, and argue that distrust is crucial for social development.
Abstract: In May 2008 South Africans made international headlines by embarking on a hitherto unprecedented campaign of violence against African migrants. This violence formed part of a wider pattern of intolerance and antagonism against African migrants in post-Apartheid South Africa. At the heart of this prejudice lies socio-economic deprivation, whilst the political context within which the attacks took place could explain its timing. Much of the work on South African xenophobia takes a citizenship approach, examining processes of nationhood, or focuses on post-Apartheid immigration policy. This paper contributes to the study of xenophobia in South Africa by analysing it in relation to social capital, which emphasises trust as crucial for social development. This article asks what xenophobia suggests about levels of trust in South Africa and argues that the events of May 2008 exposed the distrust—particularly amongst black Africans—that permeates post-Apartheid society. It starts by charting the recent d...
79 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that International Relations (IR) theory has much to learn from African experiences and African scholarship and demonstrate how scholars can use African experiences to revise, innovate and better inform existing IR theory.
Abstract: This article argues that International Relations (IR) theory has much to learn from African experiences and African scholarship. The African context provides novel political, cultural, social and economic experiences and knowledge that can and should inform IR theory and encourage its further development. This article outlines how African experiences can be incorporated into IR theory as insights or contributions by African scholars (working both within Africa and beyond), insights or contributions by non-African scholars working on Africa and insights gleaned from a close interpretation of African experiences. It demonstrates how scholars can use African experiences to revise, innovate and better inform existing IR theory.
38 citations
TL;DR: Among the 52 member states of the Commonwealth, 28 have populations below two million as mentioned in this paper, and most are at the lower end of the population scale: 22 with populations below one million, and 13 with populations under 250,000.
Abstract: Among the 52 member states of the Commonwealth, 28 have populations below two million. Small states thus comprise over half of the total. Within the group, most are at the lower end of the population scale: 22 have populations below one million, and 13 have populations below 250,000. The Commonwealth gives special attention to small states, and the Commonwealth Secretariat has taken a leadership role in identifying their distinctive features. At the same time, contexts and modalities have changed significantly over the decades. Most obvious have been the opportunities and challenges of globalisation. The internet has significantly reduced the isolation of small states, and has given opportunities to access expertise that could not previously have been imagined. Technological advances have facilitated forms of collaboration, such as the Virtual University for the Small States of the Commonwealth. The cross-national interconnectedness in this era of globalisation also brings challenges. Many small ...
36 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the problems faced by women in politics in Bangladesh are analysed in both the public and the private spheres of patriarchy, and the problems women face when they participate in politics are analyzed.
Abstract: Women's participation in politics is extremely limited in Bangladesh despite the country having had two prominent women leaders. Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia gained the highest leadership positions in the government and the opposition through their family connections due to the low level of political institutionalization and the absence of suitable male heirs. By their family connections, they have overcome the problems that women otherwise face in politics. Why are Bangladeshi women not more prominent in politics? What are the problems women face when they participate in politics? Here the problems faced by women in politics in Bangladesh are analysed in both the public and the private spheres of patriarchy.
35 citations
TL;DR: The authors argued that the success of the IPL and similar sporting ventures in nonwestern nations is likely to see these countries challenging the West's sporting monopoly and getting to increasingly determine where and how the game is played.
Abstract: This article examines why India has emerged as the preeminent nation in international cricket and how the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a major step in realigning the power structure in international sports. The article argues that India has been able to take the lessons of globalization (as they apply to sport) and use them to create a new national cricket league that has an international character. It goes on to argue that the success of the IPL and similar sporting ventures in nonwestern nations is likely to see these countries challenging the West's sporting monopoly and getting to increasingly determine where and how the game is played.
30 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the enduring presence of warlords, and the influence of their international supporters, remains inadequately addressed by current practices of post-conflict state-building.
Abstract: Using evidence from the case of Congo, focusing in particular on the eastern Kivu provinces, this article argues that the enduring presence of warlords, and the influence of their international supporters, remains inadequately addressed by current practices of post-conflict state-building. The dominant contemporary model of state-building currently focuses on the promotion of liberal democracy as a way of avoiding future conflict, highlighting in particular the key role of elections. Simultaneously, it emphasises the importance of security and developing a state monopoly on violence. However, in the pursuit of both these ends in Congo, warlord politics and interference from regional powers continue to pose significant challenges. Exploring key aspects of the rebel movement led by Laurent Nkunda in east Congo (2004–2009), this article will illustrate some of the challenges warlordism poses in Congo, focusing particularly on the shortcomings of a ‘single sovereign’ approach to state-building. In co...
28 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the contemporary aid relationship between donors and African states is couched in terms of a high-level consensus between western and African political leaderships, a central pillar of which is adherence to liberal principles of governance and economic management.
Abstract: Recent rhetoric surrounding the contemporary aid relationship between donors and African states is couched in terms of a high-level consensus between western and African political leaderships, a central pillar of which is adherence to liberal principles of governance and economic management. The paper argues that an analysis of the nature of this consensus and its prospects requires that we need to understand it as (1) encompassing specifically international-geopolitical dimensions (including state interests, bargaining and power); and (2) social-developmental purposes and content. The paper uses Rosenberg's considerations on ‘international sociology’ and uneven and combined development to provide a framework for analysing the aid relationship. In doing this, the paper speaks to two related theoretical issues: conceptualisations of the relationship between the ‘social developmental’ and the ‘geopolitical/international’ within International Relations (IR); and the contemporary relevance or otherwi...
20 citations
TL;DR: A critical examination of South Africa's policy of "quiet diplomacy" towards Zimbabwe since 2000, with the reasons behind it, especially the role of Thabo Mbeki, and considers possible alternatives is presented in this paper.
Abstract: This article offers a critical examination of South Africa's policy of ‘quiet diplomacy' towards Zimbabwe since 2000, with the reasons behind it, especially the role of Thabo Mbeki, and considers possible alternatives. It argues that liberal values in Africa are usually prioritised at the abstract level in charters and declarations such as those of the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The translation of such values into political practice has, however, become highly problematic, and they have frequently been eclipsed by other, more pressing, imperatives impinging upon the policy-making process. South African policy towards Zimbabwe since 2000, contend the authors, captures this paradox in stark relief.
19 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that both India and Pakistan need to focus on new areas of bilateral cooperation, which might help them to build mutual trust and provide much-needed impetus to bring peace in the region.
Abstract: The peace process between India and Pakistan, which started in 2000, moved very slowly before coming to a standstill following the terror attack on Mumbai in November 2008. This article argues that both these two South Asian neighbours need to focus on new areas of bilateral cooperation, which might help them to build mutual trust and provide much-needed impetus to bring peace in the region. The Indus River Agreement of 1960 between India and Pakistan, with its only focus on water sharing, has not been able to generate positive spin-off effects. If both the countries agree to renegotiate the Indus Agreement into an integrated river basin management mechanism, the benefit-sharing might have other peace-enhancing effects and can contribute to bilateral cooperation in other areas. Besides renegotiating the Indus Treaty, both India and Pakistan may also opt for another resource-based conflict management strategy in their tense border areas. For a quarter of a century, both these countries have been i...
15 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the role of traditional justice systems and the ICC in ending the war, concluding that justice in Northern Uganda requires an end to the false dichotomy of traditional and ICC approaches and that the two must complement each other in order to address the different groups within the LRA and the Acholi population.
Abstract: This article outlines the current situation with regard to the Lord's Resistance Army and the possibilities for peace in Northern Uganda. It seeks to add to the discourse on rethinking Africa's international relations in the context of a specific conflict and with regard to a specific tool of the international community: the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its involvement in issuing warrants for insurgency leaders in October 2005. The article discusses the role of traditional justice systems and the ICC in ending the war, concluding that justice in Northern Uganda requires an end to the false dichotomy of ‘traditional’ and ICC approaches and that the two must complement each other in order to address the different groups within the LRA and the Acholi population.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider efforts to rebuild trust by examining the work of a social movement, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), at two levels: strengthening the pillars of the national integrity system (with a specific focus on parliament), and holding public bodies to account for corrupt practice in delivering key services.
Abstract: Bangladesh's parliamentary elections in December 2008 witnessed a landslide victory for an alliance led by Sheikh Hasina's Awami League following two years of a caretaker government backed by the military. The country's beleaguered population faced the twin challenges of natural disasters and pervasive poverty. One of the key factors influencing trust in the government of Bangladesh is stability, which has been in short supply because of confrontational politics between the two largest parties and accompanying violence. This paper considers efforts to rebuild trust by examining the work of a social movement, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), at two levels: strengthening the pillars of the national integrity system (with a specific focus on parliament), and holding public bodies to account for corrupt practice in delivering key services. People's experiences of services delivered through schools, hospitals and local government have resulted in a complete collapse in trust in public bodi...
TL;DR: In 2004, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reported that building public trust in Sierra Leone's post-conflict government and political system was a precondition for development in all sectors of society as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In 2004, Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission reported that building public trust in Sierra Leone's post-conflict government and political system was a precondition for development in all sectors of society. This article assesses progress in this venture, and finds that problems of deep distrust continue to pervade all levels of socio-political interaction in Sierra Leone. Nevertheless, the manner in which political trust is conceptualised in Sierra Leone is changing as traditional inequitable systems of patronage are gradually rejected. Noting this trend, it is a central argument of this article that the channelling of prevailing political cynicism into mechanisms of accountability, combined with the earning of public trust by exemplary political leaders, represents the most effective way to reconstruct trust in government, the political system, and throughout Sierra Leone in general.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors outline the gravity of the environmental crisis, including pollution, climate change, overpopulation and the unpredictable environmental impacts from our use of science and technology and exploitation of natural resources.
Abstract: This article outlines the gravity of the environmental crisis—pollution, climate change, overpopulation and the unpredictable environmental impacts from our use of science and technology and exploitation of natural resources. We must put the ‘eco’ back into economics and realise what the conditions and principles are for truly sustainable living. We have to set a new bottom line, a bottom line dictated by the reality that we are biological creatures, completely dependent for our survival and well-being on clean air, clean water, clean soil, clean energy and biodiversity. We are social animals who need strong families and supportive communities, full employment, justice, equity and security and freedom from racism, terror, war and genocide. And we remain spiritual beings who need sacred places in the natural world that gave us birth.
TL;DR: This article argued that it is dangerous to become over-reliant on overseas fee income, and that public funding and curriculum structures need reform in English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
Abstract: Australia in the 1950s received and subsidised its first international students from neighbouring Asian countries under the Colombo Plan to train ‘the expert minds’ necessary for development. During the 1980s subsidies were phased out, but the number of international students greatly increased. Migration rules based on points encouraged such students to become skilled migrants. Globalisation brought massive increases in student numbers and competition for revenue from their fees. English-speaking countries have market advantages because of the ‘empire’ of the United States; but it is dangerous to become over-reliant on overseas fee income. Public funding and curriculum structures need reform.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors look back to the symbiotic birth of India and the modern Commonwealth in 1947-1949 and ask whether we can learn anything from the decision-making process that brought them together initially that might inform our comprehension of their current relationship.
Abstract: As an Indian Secretary General takes up the reins of the Commonwealth this analysis looks back to the symbiotic birth of India and the modern Commonwealth in 1947–1949. It asks whether we can learn anything from the decision-making process that brought them together initially that might inform our comprehension of their current relationship and the opportunities for further contemporary engagement.
TL;DR: The struggle involved inSetting the normative framework for health in sub-Saharan Africa and the roles of major external actors in setting the policy agenda are examined.
Abstract: At population levels, health outcomes are determined more by social conditions than by either biology or technological interventions. Therefore, entrenched and increasing inequalities associated with global transformations in political economy are among the most significant causal factors for so-called ‘global health’ problems that disproportionately afflict sub-Saharan Africans. Growing attention is being paid to the social causes of ill health, as evidenced in the WHO's recently introduced Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. However, the predominant paradigm continues to support a biotechnical/clinical health model that privileges pharmaceutical treatment of individual diseases over support for broader social change that would include improved broadly based national health systems as well as revised international economic structures. This paper examines the struggle involved in setting the normative framework for health in sub-Saharan Africa and the roles of major external actors i...
TL;DR: The authors examines the dynamics and complexities of migration in current-day Southern Africa and contextualises it in relation to the most salient issues, discourses and practices that characterise migration governance at the international level.
Abstract: The issue of migration and in particular the increase in irregular or undocumented migration has become highly politicised in Southern Africa. This has involved a rise in social intolerance towards migrant populations and outright xenophobia in many countries. This brief article examines the dynamics and complexities of migration in current-day Southern Africa and contextualises it in relation to the most salient issues, discourses and practices that characterise migration governance at the international level. The article highlights that predominant approaches to the governance of migration in the region reflect some of the dynamics which have marked migration discourse and praxis in the international sphere, but that they also carry some distinct characteristics. Trends of securitisation and related exclusionary practices of citizenship, which have become more pronounced in the international sphere, are emulated in Southern Africa. State and societal processes and reactions to higher levels of ...
TL;DR: The report of the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding, entitled Civil Paths to Peace, presented recently to the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Kampala, Uganda, seeks to downplay any single-minded concentration on religion in favour of promoting broader civil engagements in crafting civil paths to peace as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: While trends towards secularization may have appeared inexorable as the last century came to a close, more recent events, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11, have led to greater attention being paid to the resurgence of religion globally. But how to represent and portray religion, with respect and understanding, in this new environment may contain significant challenge—a subject which this paper considers in the light of two recent Commonwealth Reports. The Report of the Commonwealth Commission on Respect and Understanding, entitled Civil Paths to Peace, chaired by Amartya Sen, and presented recently to the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Kampala, Uganda, seeks to downplay any single-minded concentration on religion in favour of promoting broader civil engagements in crafting civil paths to peace. In contrast, the Commonwealth Foundation's Report, Engaging with Faith, treats religion more sympathetically and encourages understanding and cooperation between the faith communities. The...
TL;DR: The authors examines selected crises that have arisen between India and Pakistan in the post-independence period and asks if communications between the two sides, whether direct or indirect, have made a difference in whether the crisis has escalated to war or been settled short of it.
Abstract: This article examines selected crises that have arisen between India and Pakistan in the post-independence period and asks if communications between the two sides, whether direct or indirect, have made a difference in whether the crisis has escalated to war or been settled short of it. It finds that both kinds of communication have succeeded in building trust during escalating crises and that this may have led to settlements short of war. It also suggests that the content of communication is important and that positive messages sent through either channel have led to successful outcomes. It calls for the maintenance of sustained and dedicated communication channels that will remain in place and continue to build trust after crises are settled, rather than the ad hoc ways in which the two countries have communicated during crises thus far.
TL;DR: The 2007 General Elections in Trinidad and Tobago have re-affirmed the country's one-party dominant system in which the People's National Movement (PNM) has held power for 41 of the last 52 years, and has been elected to hold five more as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The 2007 General Elections in Trinidad and Tobago have re-affirmed the country's ‘one-party dominant system' in which the People's National Movement (PNM) has held power for 41 of the last 52 years, and has been elected to hold five more. Despite significant positive resources for democratic development in Trinidad and Tobago, one-party dominance has weakened Parliament, blurred distinctions between ruling party and government, and created vulnerability and powerlessness for dissenting minorities. These generic hazards have been exacerbated by Trinidad and Tobago's history of Crown Colony government and the ‘resource curse'. Since 1986, the PNM's dominance has been fragile, consistently supported by less than a majority of voters. Despite this, the Opposition has remained fragmented for rather petty reasons, as there exist no insurmountable ideological, policy, or ethnic-based differences between them. The major group which refused to join the other forces in 2007 represents a political ‘Third Tr...
TL;DR: The 2009 UK Forum for International Education and Training conference theme, politics, policies and progress in education, can be illustrated from experiences of government in Guyana, of the role of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth and of influential UN commissions as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The 2009 UK Forum for International Education and Training conference theme, politics, policies and progress in education, can be illustrated from experiences of government in Guyana, of the role of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth and of influential UN commissions. Tremendous progress has been made in the expansion and development of Commonwealth education systems over the past 50 years, although many obstacles have been encountered. Understanding of the potential and limitations of education in relation to development has greatly increased, but persistent problems of quality and inequality have yet to be resolved. As the world has shrunk, international interdependence in education has increased and the global community needs to apply policy formation and political processes intelligently in national as much as in international contexts. The Commonwealth has never enjoyed the ‘hard power’ at the disposal of larger bilateral and multilateral agencies through their substantial financial r...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine how and why in March 1995 certain elements of the Canadian government decided to take unilateral forceful action against foreign fishing off the Grand Banks and go against a long tradition of cooperation and multilateralism.
Abstract: This paper examines how and why in March 1995 certain elements of the Canadian government decided to take unilateral forceful action against foreign fishing off the Grand Banks and go against a long tradition of cooperation and multilateralism. In particular, it will address to what extent existing models of decision-making (in particular rational and bureaucratic models) adequately explain the process that went on in Ottawa at this time. The findings are that even though the bureaucratic politics model of decision-making can be used in a parliamentary structure like Canada, it is insufficient to explain Canadian decision-making processes during the Turbot War, and thus must be supplemented by a more inclusive cybernetic approach.
TL;DR: This article used the controversial 2008 Belfast homecoming parade of local men and women in the British armed services as a case study to examine the mechanisms at work picking away at inter-communal trust, and the speed and persistence of their application.
Abstract: This article uses the controversial November 2008 Belfast homecoming parade of local men and women in the British armed services as a case study to examine the mechanisms at work picking away at inter-communal trust, and the speed and persistence of their application, a defining characteristic of these mechanisms. The article conceptualises trust partially by reference to social capital, and closely examines how issues of post-conflict memory and contested space intersected and damaged nascent networks of inter-community trust. The article will also tentatively suggest means by which such cultural conflicts can be allowed to combust without ripping away grassroots trust and threatening civil disorder.
TL;DR: When compared with global bodies such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and The World Bank and with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Commonwealth education programs are modest in scale and resourcing as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: When compared with global bodies such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and The World Bank and with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Commonwealth education programmes are modest in scale and resourcing. Yet there have been significant successes, including the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan and the Commonwealth of Learning. The distinctive features and strengths of UNESCO and OECD in international education collaboration and partnerships are useful sources of ideas for strengthening Commonwealth education. There is considerable scope for more intense collaboration and Commonwealth-wide partnerships in addressing shared concerns.
TL;DR: The Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in The Round Table Journal on 09/06/2009, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00358530902895360.
Abstract: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in The Round Table Journal on 09/06/2009, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00358530902895360.
TL;DR: In the education sector, the Council for Education in the Commonwealth, now in its 50th year, demonstrates the value to the Commonwealth of having among its collaborators critical champions of its work as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Commonwealth is rooted in past movement of peoples and in present-day links between individuals and institutions. The health of the ‘Commonwealth of states’ depends on the concurrent existence of a vibrant ‘Commonwealth of peoples’; but human development is accorded low priority in Commonwealth agendas and the official Commonwealth, while publicly acknowledging civil society's importance, has largely neglected the challenge of raising awareness of and interest in the Commonwealth among ordinary people. Commonwealth associations are potential allies in tackling this task. They are particularly numerous in the education sector, which has more extensive Commonwealth co-operative networks than any other, even though some organisations have faded away. The record of the Council for Education in the Commonwealth, now in its 50th year, demonstrates the value to the Commonwealth of having among its collaborators critical champions of its work.
TL;DR: The rise of modern institutional multilateralism is a phenomenon dating back less than a hundred years, and there is no reason to infer that it is either immutable or permanent.
Abstract: The rise of modern institutional multilateralism is a phenomenon dating back less than a hundred years, and there is no reason to infer that it is either immutable or permanent. With the end of the Cold War, there was an expectation of global consensus and the implementation of collective security. But this depended to an excessive extent on the United States and its willingness to use force, and the level of subjectivity in US-led interventions gave rise to questions of whether multilateralism could survive in conditions of unipolarity. Now the primacy of the United States is slipping, and its pre-eminence will decline as manufacturing, technology and innovation spread. From being the major lending country, it has become the biggest debtor. Despite American military superiority, the world will be increasingly poly-centric and the new emerging powers will exert a strong and increasing influence in world affairs. The character of international cooperation in the next few decades will be shaped by ...
TL;DR: The London Declaration of 26 April 1949, made by Commonwealth Prime Ministers, was an act of statesmanship of rare insight and imagination, as was its approval by King George VI, paving the way for the emergence of a voluntary forward and outward-looking association of sovereign, independent governments and peoples, alive to their common values and traditions, and conscious of the contribution they can together bring to making the world a better place as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The London Declaration of 26 April 1949, made by Commonwealth Prime Ministers, was an act of statesmanship of rare insight and imagination, as was its approval by King George VI. It paved the way for the emergence of a voluntary forward- and outward-looking association of sovereign, independent governments and peoples, alive to their common values and traditions, and conscious of the contribution they can together bring to making the world a better place. The Commonwealth is an international asset as well as a boon to its members.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the concept of trust in the context of resource extraction, focusing on the moral and statutory responsibilities of the state, extractive firms, and host communities.
Abstract: This article examines the concept of trust in the context of resource extraction, focusing on the moral and statutory responsibilities of the state, extractive firms, and host communities, and using Nigeria's Niger Delta as a case study. It attributes ongoing oil-related unrest to the breakdown of trust between these parties. Using a combination of primary and secondary data, it links outbreaks of violence to the failure of the state to foster development, create an enabling environment for economic growth in communities, and build rational institutions for peaceful and sustainable resource extraction; oil companies' exploitation of weaknesses in existing institutional arrangements to promote selfish interests; communities' almost-total dependence on companies for the provision of public goods and employment; and the collapse of trust between communities and between various groups and individuals in the region. To address conflict outbreaks, restore and build trust between parties, it recommends ...