Obama presidency: PBS video
The PBS Video website provides free access to documentaries, films and
programmes made by leading American broadcaster PBS. They include
newshour programmes and materials from key series such FrontLine. This
section offers videos relating to American president Barack Obama.They
follow his rise to the presidency and discuss recent domestic and
foreign policies. Copyright and technical information is displayed on
the website.
http://www.pbs.org/video/feature/59/
First 100 days: following Barack Obama
A blog maintained by American political writer Michelle Austein Brooks
on behalf of the USA.Gov blogs website (which is supported by the US
Department of State). It provides comment and analysis on the first 100
days of American President Barack Obama. It includes coverage of his
policies, leadership style, use of social media and the impact of the
new president on American politics.
http://blogs.america.gov/campaign/
The Practical Answers website, which includes more than 250 downloadable free technical briefs, can be found at: www.practicalanswers.org
FUMSI: Share
The charity Practical Action, writes Jane Eason, offers a Practical Answers service which is helping hundreds of people around the world overcome their own poverty, through the provision of knowledge and information. Through sharing and disseminating information, this practical support has had major impacts on the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of poor men and women throughout the world.
WHAT'S INSIDE:
'Yet, this service is more than just offering information; it is about putting
communities in touch with others who have benefited, experts and also working in
partnership with other organisations, encouraging people to share information
and take ownership of their projects.'...FROM FUMSI
The Global Monitoring Report 2009: A Development Emergency notes that the global financial crisis is imperiling attainment of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and creating an emergency for development. The report warns that, although the first goal of halving extreme poverty by 2015 from its 1990 level is still reachable based on current projections, risks abound. Download the report in full-text (pdf, 9MB), or by chapters from the website.
From UN Pulse
Regional UNDP Offices assist countries in their regions in finding their own solutions to global and national development challenges by providing capacity development and policy support. A number of documents, reports and news are available through the websites of UNDP Offices around the world.
Highlights of recent reports:
Russia on the path to equal opportunities
- educational and employment opportunities for people with disabilities
in Russia through the prism of the UN Convention on the Rights of
People with Disabilities.
Policy recommendations on economic and institutional reforms 2009 - Ukraine, hard hit by the economic slowdown, needs to enact major reforms to avoid further economic deterioration.
People-centred analysis: regional development, local governance and the quality of life
- examines regional disparities regarding social exclusion and quality
of life throughout the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
From UN Pulse
The outcome document (pdf) from last week's Durban Review ConferenceWorld Conference against Racism held in Durban, South Africa is now available. The conference was held in order to assess measures adopted at the 2001 .
UN Pulse Permanent Link: Durban Review Conference outcome document|
Policy, Law, Economics and Politics - Deepening Democracy through Access to Information Recommended reading World Development Indicators 2009 (April 2009) Released by the World Bank, this report analyses the effect of the global economic crisis on world development, and how progress towards the Millennium Development Goals is being affected. |
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Political parties and the Constitution (April 2009) In this article, the Centre for Constitutional Rights (the FW de Klerk Foundation) analyses South Africa's major political parties' standings on the Constitution.
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Situational Analysis of Children in South Africa (April 2009) Produced jointly by the Presidency of the South African government and the United Nations Children's Fund, this report provides an analysis of the situation of South African children.
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The Constitution, the Rule of Law and Mr Zuma (April 2009) The Centre for Constitutional Rights (the FW de Klerk Foundation) comments on the Constitution, the rule of law and Jacob Zuma in this article. Opinion pieces from IDASA and ISS Post-Election Power-Sharing Governments and the Future of Democracy in AfricaA new
phenomenon appears to be emerging in Africa
that sees rival political parties "uniting" after disputed
elections to form an inclusive government in the interim and to implement
structural political reforms. Kenya
and Zimbabwe
illustrate this "emerging trend", following arrangements they...
Election Brief: Opposition performance at the polls in 2009South Africa's electoral system is designed
to sustain a multi-party democracy. The premise being that multi-partyism
breeds electoral competition and in turn entrenches and consolidates
democracy. However, this has not been the case over 15 years of democracy.
The multi-party system is strong...
Voting For Accountability In South AfricaThe
memory of politicians are often as short as their election promises are long.
An example is the speed with which the elected - and electorate - forgot an
election undertaking by the ruling party in 2004 promising to strengthen the
Scorpions as part of its proposed anti-corruption drive. Fast...
Election Brief: The Youth VoteSouth Africa like most developing nations
has a high proportion of its population falling into the category of 'youth'.
Although young black South Africans played a significant role in the struggle
against apartheid, subsequently their role in shaping socio-economic and
political outcomes has...
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South Africa votes 2009: Mail and Guardian online
This site was created by leading South African newspaper the Mail and
Guardian to provide coverage of the 2009 South African elections. In
addition to news headlines, comment and analysis from the newspaper, it
also includes coverage of the polls, comment from voters and a
background guide on the elections, parties and South African electoral
system. Copyright information is displayed on the website.
http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport/south-africa-votes-2009
South African elections 2009: Financial Times coverage
This site was created by the Uk Financial Times to provide coverage of
the 2009 South African elections. It includes access to articles and
comment from FT journalists which include focus on the political and
economic impact of the elections. Other features of the site include
profiles of the main candidates and political parties and an audio
slideshow assessing the current state of democracy and standards of
living in South Africa. Users should note that access to some materials
requires registration/ possible payment.
http://www.ft.com/cms/383a6e06-2429-11de-9a01-00144feabdc0.html
South African elections 2009: BBC special report
This site was created by the BBC to provide coverage of the 2009 South
African elections. In addition to news stories, comment and analysis
from BBC journalists; it also offers background information on the
candidates, parties and electoral system. Also accessible are a
collection of sound and video film clips from the campaigns. These
include interviews with the electorate, images from rallies and voting
stations and footage of key speeches from political leaders. Links are
provided to other BBC news stories covering life in South Africa, as
well as key websites from other South African organisations. Technical
and copyright information is displayed on the website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/africa/2009/south_africa/default.stm
EISA South African elections archive
EISA is a non-profit organisation based in South Africa which seeks to
promote democracy and democratic accountability in Southern Africa.
This section of its website provides free access to its resources
relating to South African parliamentary elections. They include EISA
reports and papers relating to local and national elections in South
Africa since 1994. They include election observation reports which
assess the electoral system and state of democracy in the region, some
oficial election results and statistics on voter turnout levels.
http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/souelectarchive.htm
SA elections: Times of South Africa
This website was created by the Times of South Africa to provide
coverage of the 2009 South African elections. In addition to news
stories and comment, it also has background information on the South
African electoral system, the key political parties and candidates.
Other features of the site include: a multimedia archive of political
speeches and political broadcasts aired during the election campaigns,
twitter and blog comment. There is also a statistical section which
provides facts, figures and analysis of media coverage of the 2009
elections. Copyright and technical information is displayed on the
website.
http://saelections.co.za/
There is a final push by political parties contesting the upcoming elections in South Africa. In particular, the ruling party the ANC (African National Congress) held a debate via twitter today.
Interestingly, the political parties have begun to make use of Social Media and social networks to get their message across. The most prominent party making use of these techniques has been the DA (Democratic Alliance) whose campaign seems to have been inspired by President Obama's election campaign last year.
The DA have been managing a presence on social networks and several twitter accounts such as that of the mayor of Cape town and head of the DA, Helen Zille.
However, today the ANC announced on a newly created twitter account “ANC_DEBATE” that they would be hosting a live debate with questions fielded by Jessie Duarte, an anti apartheid activist and current spokesperson for the ANC.
After the announcement there was some debate on the usefulness of this. A South African twitter user @woganmay even created a special page on twittersa, to aggregate all the comments. Some reactions to the debate however were negative and the ANC took criticism.
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Or listen to the MP3 files directly by click the links below:
Podcast
The Deaths of Hintsa: postapartheid South Africa and the shape of recurring pasts
11 December 2008
Is South African history developing an authentic new discourse or is it stuck in the colonial archive? Two years into the democratic transition in South Africa, a little-known healer-diviner, Nicholas Tilana Gcaleka, stumbled onto the stage of history. He claimed to have brought the skull of Xhosa king Hintsa back to South Africa from Scotland, where he said he had traced it. Amidst a flurry of media attention, the skull was confiscated and handed to a team of scientists to “prove” its authenticity. They declared the cranium was that of a human female, and definitely not Hintsa. Gcaleka was proclaimed, at least, laughable, and at worst, a liar.
Gcaleka seems to have highlighted the limits that apartheid posed on the reworking of concepts of nation and identity. Author Premesh Lalu says in his book 'The Deaths of Hintsa: Postapartheid South Africa and the shape of recurring pasts' (HSRC Press), that we are compelled to track the process of how a little-known healer-diviner, in his encounter with the history of colonialism, became entangled in the formation, regulation and transformation of historical statements relating to the deaths of Hintsa. Lalu calls for a history that makes a conceptual difference in the wake of apartheid, and which addresses the transition to a postapartheid era. Lalu proposes that this transition bypassed the colonial archive and therefore failed to anticipate its resilience.
Through mining a rich field of research, from colonial archival material to contemporary museum exhibitions, Lalu states that overcoming apartheid has required coming to terms not only with the effects of history, but with the discourse of history itself. Hear the views of Professor Lalu, along with those of historians Leslie Witz and Ciraj Rassool, in this podcast.
Duration: 9 min 10 sec
Podcast
Electric Capitalism: ecolonising Africa on the power grid
8 December 2008
Electric Capitalism: Recolonising Africa on the Power Grid, edited by David A. McDonald and published by the HSRC Press is, in its simplest description, a book about the importance of electricity in Africa. It assesses the development of key electricity restructuring in the region thus far, including the ownership, generation, distribution and consumption of an energy source that is inextricably intertwined with power, policy and politics on the continent. On a more detailed level, it employs the expertise of researchers, energy professionals, academics and activists to shed light on the larger social, economic, ideological and spatial dynamics shaping electricity reforms in southern Africa and the continent. In commentary that ranges from the use of nuclear power to the search for alternative energy sources, the gendered nature of the manufacture and distribution of electricity, the provision of free basic electricity, the building of hydro-electric dams and more, authors David McDonald, Liz McDaid, David Fig and Wendy Annecke probe the intricacies of the contemporary electricity sector in this podcast.
Duration: 9 min 32 sec
Podcast
Power, Politics and Identity in South African media
14 August 2008
"People working in the media don't really like thinking about themselves. They report about what other people are thinking. But the South African media has changed radically in the past 14 years. It's become very necessary to think about what role media players are taking in relation to power and identity," said Dr Adrian Hadland, co-editor of Power, Politics and Identity in South African Media, opening up a spirited session at the third Cape Town International Book Fair in June 2008.
Under the banner "Holding us together or pulling us apart? The role of the South African media in the creation and mutation of identities", six panellists plus media veteran Denis Beckett as chair looked at a range of ways that a changing media is currently engaging with a changing society. Listen to the edited podcast of this spirited discussion.
Duration: 8 min 58 sec
Podcast
Resource Intensity, Knowledge and Development: insights from Africa and South America
18 July 2008
Are Africa and South America destined to be 'resource-rich underachievers', or can knowledge intensification change all that? Resource Intensity, Knowledge and Development: Insights from Africa and South America was launched at the Cape Town Book Fair 2008 in a public discussion between academic, researcher and volume editor Dr Jo Lorentzen and UCT sociologist Professor David Cooper, where the two speakers shared their views on recent resource-based development and the global economy debates.
The book provides evidence that, given the right conditions, resource-based industries can become knowledge intensive. Knowledge, experience and skills accumulated in resource-based activities, such as sugar farming or mining, can be exploited in different sectors, such as plastic production. It also gives examples of where things can go wrong. In this engaging podcast, Lorentzen provides background to revisited theory around resource-rich economies and development, and Cooper adds greater texture on the role of universities and civil society in 'the third capitalist industrial revolution', the era of the knowledge-intensive economy.
Duration: 9 min 38 sec
Podcast
Changing Social Policy: the Child Support Grant in South Africa
1 July 2008
In November 2007, the HSRC Press hosted a debate at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, on the question 'Do state pensions and grants create dependency?' This debate coincided with the launch of a new book by Francie Lund entitled Changing Social Policy: The Child Support Grant in South Africa. Featured in this podcast are the views of the author and researcher Professor Francie Lund; Dr Monde Makiwane, senior research specialist at the HSRC; and Hein Marais, a Johannesburg-based writer and journalist focusing on AIDS, political-economy and development issues.
Duration: 11 min 09 sec
Podcast
Racial Redress & Citizenship in South Africa
10 June 2008
In May 2008 Racial Redress and Citizenship in South Africa, edited by Kristina Bentley and Adam Habib, was launched in a three-city seminar roadshow. Made possible by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, South Africa, these seminars presented key opportunities to engage in and to share new thinking. Complementing the content and the structure of the book, the seminars featured a range of commentators who collectively focused on the success of redress so far, and explored whether alternative methods may have more beneficial consequences. Listen to the views of Kristina Bentley, Crain Soudien, Geoffrey Modisha, Vinothan Naidoo and Zimitri Erasmus.
Duration: 9 min 26 sec
Podcast
Stealing Empire: P2P, intellectual property and hip-hop subversion
30 May 2008
April 2008 saw the launch of Dr Adam Haupt's book Stealing Empire: P2P, Intellectual Property and Hip-Hop Subversion, which takes a fascinating look at the impact of issues such as global monopolist tendencies on different aspects of media and culture, from the commodification of hip-hop music to attempts to “fence in” the internet. From law, technology, and the Internet to the media and all things cultural - listen to the views of Adam Haupt, Martin Hall, Burni from Godessa and Caco the Noble Savage on Stealing Empire.
Duration: 8 min 22 sec
With new editors Peter Kagwanja and Kwandiwe Kondlo at the helm, the
latest edition of this critical review features contributions by
academics, researchers, commentators and analysts, and covers topics
ranging from post-Polokwane politics to South Africa’s role in the
United Nations Security Council.
The 13 chapters in the book tackle some of the central concerns that the nation is facing, as well as revealing fascinating research on topics that have not received major exposure, but pose equally important challenges. State of the Nation: South Africa 2008 continues the HSRC tradition of contributing to the ongoing dialogue and debates between researchers, policy-makers, public managers and policy activists, as well as revealing and revelling in the vibrancy of our democracy.
A portion of the essays were written before the dramatic outcomes of the 52nd National Conference of the ANC in Polokwane in December 2007, which marked a major turning point in the history of the ANC, with potentially exciting implications for South Africa’s democracy. Accordingly, the editors have included commentary on the conference in order to contextualise the chapters that make up State of the Nation: South Africa 2008. Essential questions, such as how to explain the defeat of Thabo Mbeki as ANC President, what the state of party politics is, and where South Africa is headed, are explored in the detailed Introduction to the volume, followed by essays which critically evaluate the state’s performance in several key areas. The compilation as a whole draws attention to nationalism as the salient issue that has framed the seismic shifts in South Africa’s politics, economy, society and foreign relations.
In Section I, Politics, Somadoda Fikeni takes a sobering look at what he describes as “South Africa’s democracy at the crossroads”. The 2007 ANC conference in Polokwane was dominated by a “winner takes all” scenario in which the Jacob Zuma faction swept the board during both the provincial nominations and at the actual conference. There are now genuine concerns about the consequences of the party’s structures lapsing into indiscipline in ways that undermine democracy. A new culture of politics and the intimidation of critics has been allowed to proceed, with commentators such as ANC Youth League President Julius Malema and COSATU Secretary-General Zwelinzima Vavi vowing to “kill for Zuma”. Mbeki’s absent style and Zuma’s firebrand tactics have collectively undermined a century of efforts to counter tribalism in the liberation movement, while the absence of an effective opposition has made the ruling party elite extraordinarily complacent.
The section continues with William Gumede’s essay on the modernisation of the ANC, and the legacy of President Thabo Mbeki. He explores the ANC’s attempts to transform from a broad-based liberation movement to a political party, resulting in its current shape as a highly presidentialised party with power concentrated in a chief executive. Gumede points out that while many of the modernisation proposals could make the ANC more efficient, others take away power from grassroots members and activists, increasing the distance between the movement’s leaders and its ordinary support base.
Thabisi Hoeane’s chapter on the PAC becomes all the more important in the post-Polokwane political arena, where he looks at the chances of the organisation posing an alternative to the ANC in the next election. Ultimately, he argues that the PAC has been unable to sustain Robert Sobukwe’s African Nationalist and non-racial legacy, as well as substantial membership figures, and that future prospects depend on translating ideas into practical reality if it is to reclaim its stature in South African politics.
Thiven Reddy’s essay on black consciousness in contemporary South Africa is similarly relevant. But while he agrees that the influence of the black consciousness movement has declined, he is also adamant that the ideas of the movement remain relevant in post-1994 South Africa. For him, as long as “unequal material conditions of life prevail … the ideas of black assertiveness, pride and the quest for dignity remain”.
In Section II, Economics, Sampie Terreblanche begins by focusing on the developmental state in South Africa and the difficult road ahead. While acknowledging the achievements of the new democracy, he concludes that the ANC’s policy approach disregards the poor and is too elitist. He comes to the depressing conclusion that “the poor will remain trapped for the forseeable future in poverty and destitution”, which is South Africa’s ultimate conundrum.
Shaun Ruggunan writes about an unusual – but important – topic in his essay on the globalisation and transformation of the South African merchant navy. He assesses the current state of the navy and the commercial fishing sector, with specific reference to flag of convenience shipping and taxation methods, and South Africa’s attempts to grapple with these contentious issues.
In their chapter, David Hemson, Jonathan Carter and Geci Karuri-Sebina analyse service delivery, state capacity and development as a measure of change. They explore the relationship between policy and capacity, and examine prospects for a resolution of the issues (including human capital and reach) which are currently hampering state delivery.
Donald Gibson, Amina Ismail, Darryll Killian and Maia Matshikiza weigh up the state of the South African environment with an emphasis on sustainable development, giving attention to eco-systems and human vulnerability. South Africa’s development path crucially depends on the integrity of its natural resource base, and the authors argue that the success of supportive initiatives such as the National Framework for Sustainable Development will depend on them being driven and implemented by a high-level political champion.
In Section III, Society, Leslie Bank looks at the relationship between landlords, tenants and social power as played out in the backyards of an East London township. While backyard living has been a feature of South African life for several decades, there have been substantial shifts in yard politics over the years, reflected in gender relationships as well as the state’s intention to support yard upgrading, as opposed to removing yard dwellers.
Scarlett Cornelissen looks at the contradictions of aspirationist urban policy-making, with a specific focus on Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Internationalisation and competitiveness have become more tangible in the strategies taken on by urban authorities in an attempt to effectively compete in the global economy. However, South Africa also needs to take into account an elemental focus on providing for the primary developmental needs of urban residents.
In Section IV, South Africa, Africa and the globe - the final section of the publication - three essays focus on various aspects of South Africa’s international relations.
South Africa’s involvement in the Great Lakes mediation sessions is explored by Che Ajulu, who concludes that while the country played a critical role in ensuring diplomatic resolution to conflicts in Burundi and the DRC, it ultimately produced mixed results. Burundi’s political, ethnic-based political culture has not changed, while the DRC’s election has failed to reduce political tension.
South Africa’s role as one of three non-permanent holders of a seat on the United Nations Security Council is explored by Peter Kagwanja. South Africa has taken strong and principled stands on several issues, including the illegality of the Israel occupation, and ensuring the sovereignty of weaker states, which has won the country much acclaim from countries of the South. However, it has also put the ANC government on a collision course with America, which has ramifications for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Finally, and very topically, Peter Kagwanja and Martin Revayi Rupiya look at military relations between South African and Zimbabwe. They conclude that South Africa has two options in relation to its northerly neighbour: the first being a forceful wave driven by notions of militarism, and the second by entrenching the “quiet diplomacy” of the Mbeki government. Ultimately, the former could result in military action in the broader region, including Angola and Nambia, which would roll back the gains South Africa has made in the past decade in consolidating African relations.
While the editors of State of Nation: South Africa 2008 concede that several burning issues are not considered in this edition – such as the state of crime and education – the publication nevertheless tackles some of the most important topics dominating discourse in contemporary South Africa. As HSRC President and CEO Olive Shisana says in her Foreword to the publication, “the exciting times we live in as South Africans never end”. Developments on social, political, economic and international fronts have generated much debate and the expression of a wide range of views. Once again, the annual volume provides essential information for scholars, politicians, policy-makers and civil society on the current South African condition.
Thanks to Ingrid Thomson for letting me know about this.
India elections 2009: Reuters
This site was created by international news agency Reuters to provide coverage of the 2009 Indian elections. In addition to news stories and reports from reuters journalists, it also contains background facts on the Indian election process, blogs from Reuters India reporters following the campaigns in the field, and an interactive maps of polls and results by geographical region.
http://in.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/election2009
National Election Watch (India)
National Election Watch is a campaign led by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in collaboration with a number of other Indian civil society organisations. It seeks to increase democratic accountability in Indian elections. Its website provides access to information, papers and statistics about levels of political corruption in India. It also offers news and resources about campaigns for electoral and political reform. Coverage of recent and forthcoming elections includes materials analysing the financial position of individual candidates and parties, measurements of the extent of electoral fraud and mispractise.
http://www.nationalelectionwatch.org/
India election 2009: BBC special report
This site was created by the BBC to provide coverage of the 2009 Indian
elections. In addition to news stories, comment and analysis from BBC
journalists and other political specialists, it also includes blogs
from reporters on the ground, photographs and some film clips of
events. Also accessible is a battleground map with election timetables,
profiles of key constituencies, parties and candidates; as well as
background information on the electoral system. Technical and copyright
information is displayed on the website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/south_asia/2009/indian_election_2009/default
Google India elections 2009
Coverage of the 2009 Indian parliamentary elections from Google in
association with the Hindustan Times and a number of other democratic
reform think tanks. This innovative site offers free access to news
headlines and comment from the Hindustan times as well as a number of
web 2.0 features. The latter include links to YouTube videos,
interactive Google maps showing electoral boundaries and polling booth
locations. Also available are links to blogs, constituency, MP and
political party profiles and opinion poll data. All information offered
in English. Technical and copyright information is displayed on the
website.
http://www.google.co.in/intl/en/landing/loksabha2009/
India elections 2009: Financial Times coverage
This site was created by the Financial Times to provide coverage of the
2009 elections in India. It offers access to news stories, interviews
and comment from the FT, much of which focuses upon the possible impact
of the elections on the Indian economy. The site also offers an
interactive map which displays the distribution of political power
among the parties in parliament and the issues at stake. Access to some
articles may require a subscription.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/950714d0-12eb-11de-9848-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check
India elections 2009: SME Times special
This site was created by Indian business news portal SME Times to
provide coverage of the 2009 Indian elections. It offers free access to
news stories, polls and comment. Also accessible is a brief history of
Lok Sabha elections, background information on the electoral system,
main parties and candidates.
http://smetimes.tradeindia.com/smetimes/general-elections-2009/general_election_
India general elections 2009: IBNlive
CNN-IBN is an English-language Indian TV news channel. It is a
partnership between Global Broadcast News (GBN), a Network18 Company,
and Turner International (Turner) in India. The site provides free
access to news headlines and multimedia content covering business,
politics, society sport and Indian news. This section was created to
provide access to information about the 2009 Indian elections. It
includes news headlines, televised political programmes, interviews and
debates. Also accessible are blogs, online video diaries from
individual states, (including many Indian language ones) , features on
the polls and interactive maps of constituencies and polling booth
locations. The site also includes background information on the main
parties and online maps, graphs and statistics of all election results
from 1951-2004. Copyright and technical information is displayed on the
website.
http://ibnlive.in.com/politics/general-elections-2009.html
NATO at 60: a hollow alliance
This website provides access to the full text of Policy Analysis no.
635 by Ted Galen Carpenter which was published in March 2009 by the
Cato institute. The 16 page report was published to commemorate the
60th anniversary of the founding of NATO. It provides an overview of
the historical role of NATO and critically assesses its future role in
21st century international security.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10067
NATO at 60: unhappy returns
This site provides free access to the full text of an article by
Michael Clarke which was published in The World Today, Volume 65,
Number 4 by Chatham House. It provides an overview of the history of
NATO and considers whether it has a future with regard to international
security in the modern world.
http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/twt/archive/view/-/id/1886/
CRS reports: NATO
This site is maintained by the Air University. It provides free access
to a selection of recent (CRS) Congressional Research Services reports
about NATO. CRS reports are prepared for US members of Congress and
provide useful introductions to topical issues. The reports about NATO
include discussion of the history, role, reform and future development
of NATO. It alos includes some reports which discuss individual NATO
military operations. Materials date from approximately 1999 onwards.
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/#nato
NATO: Guardian news
This site is maintained by the Guardian newspaper. It provides free
access to resources relating to NATO. In addition to the latest news
headlines from Guardian journalists, these also include a timeline of
NATO history, recent blog postings and comment. Topics covered
typically include: NATO reform, NATO summits, and the role of NATO in
21st century security. The main emphasis is upon current news stories,
although some archived materials may also be accessible.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/nato
Iran remains among the most poorly understood countries in the world and, for most Americans, terra incognita. A small community of American analysts in the government, academia, and the country’s think tanks is, of course, working on Iran, but the overwhelming majority of them have never been to Iran or have visited only briefly. The consequences of this unfamiliarity have been distinctly negative for American policy, pushing most analyses toward a highly reductionist view. This monograph, the result of a workshop and the authors’ own experience and analysis, is a concise, accessible handbook on the Islamic Republic for U.S. policymakers. As an aid to understanding current-day Iran, it synthesizes the existing analyses on the Islamic Republic and, most important, draws from non-American experts who can offer a different interpretive lens for viewing the seemingly opaque Iranian system. It offers a set of short analytic observations about the processes, institutions, networks, and actors that define Iran’s politics, strategy, economic policy, and diplomacy. From these, it provides a guide for negotiating with Iran, about which the National Security Council’s 2006 National Security Strategy warned, “We may face no greater challenge from a single country than from Iran.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) — also known as the Pasdaran (Persian for “guards”) — was initially created by Ayatollah Khomeini during the 1978–1979 Islamic Revolution as an ideological guard for the nascent regime. Since then, it has evolved into an expansive socio-political-economic conglomerate whose influence extends into virtually every corner of Iranian political life and society. In the political sphere, many high-ranking officials are former Pasdaran. As a force in Iranian culture and society, the IRGC controls media outlets and conducts training and education programs that are designed not only to bolster loyalty to the regime and train citizens in homeland defense, but also to improve the IRGC’s own institutional credibility. And on the economic front, the IRGC controls a wide variety of commercial enterprises, including both government contracting and illicit smuggling and black-market enterprises. In this monograph, Wehrey et al. assess the IRGC less as a traditional military entity and more as a domestic actor, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the variety of roles it plays in Iran’s political culture, economy, and society.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have issued a new report on Arbitrary Detention in Afghanistan (links to Volume 1 and Volume 2). The report finds that Afghans are often detained without lawful reason and recommends a range of changes to laws and procedures of the criminal justice system in the country.
From UN Pulse
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has a Global Job Crisis Observatory. According to the new multimedia site,
"What began as a crisis in finance markets has rapidly become a global jobs crisis. Unemployment is rising. The number of working poor is increasing. Businesses are going under. The ILOs' Decent Work Agenda provides the policy framework to confront the crisis. This website provides information on the employment and social impact of the crisis and policy responses."
In addition to a wealth of information organized by region and by theme, the site links to related news, reports, and publications. Of interest to researchers may be the ILO Library's guide to finding labour statistics.
From UN Pulse
http://www.slideshare.net/satanic/at-a-glance-g20-agreement
- Presentation Transcript
Attributing Blame: The Public’s Response to Hurricane Katrina (PDF; 151 Kb)
Source: Journal of Politics
When government fails, whom do citizens blame? Do these assessments rely on biased or content-rich information? Despite the vast literatures on retrospective voting in political science and attribution in psychology, there exists little theory and evidence on how citizens apportion blame among public officials in the wake of government failure. We designed a survey experiment in which respondents ranked seven public officials in order of how much they should be blamed for the property damage and loss of life in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. We manipulated the information provided to respondents, with some receiving the officials’ party affiliations, others receiving their job titles, and others receiving both cues. We find that party cues cause individuals to blame officials of the opposite party, but citizens make more principled judgments when provided with information about officials’ responsibilities. These results have implications for our understanding of the impact of heuristics and information on retrospective evaluations of government performance.
See: The Vote is Not Tallied on Katrina Blame (Stanford Graduate School of Business News)
Military Power of the People’s Republic of China (PDF: 16.3 MB)
Source: U.S. Department of Defense
China’s rapid rise as a regional political and economic power with growing global influence has significant implications for the Asia-Pacific region and the world. The United States welcomes the rise of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous China, and encourages China to participate responsibly in world affairs by taking on a greater share of the burden for the stability, resilience, and growth of the international system. The United States has done much over the last 30 years to encourage and facilitate China’s national development and its integration into the international system. However, much uncertainty surrounds China’s future course, particularly regarding how its expanding military power might be used.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is pursuing comprehensive transformation from a mass army designed for protracted wars of attrition on its territory to one capable of fighting and winning short- duration, high-intensity conflicts along its periphery against high-tech adversaries – an approach that China refers to as preparing for “local wars under conditions of informatization.” The pace and scope of China’s military transformation have increased in recent years, fueled by acquisition of advanced foreign weapons, continued high rates of investment in its domestic defense and science and technology industries, and far-reaching organizational and doctrinal reforms of the armed forces.
China’s ability to sustain military power at a distance remains limited, but its armed forces continue to develop and field disruptive military technologies, including those for anti-access/area-denial, as well as for nuclear, space, and cyber warfare, that are changing regional military balances and that have implications beyond the Asia-Pacific region. The PLA’s modernization vis-à-vis Taiwan has continued over the past year, including its build- up of short-range missiles opposite the island. In the near-term, China’s armed forces are rapidly developing coercive capabilities for the purpose of deterring Taiwan’s pursuit of de jure independence.
These same capabilities could in the future be used to pressure Taiwan toward a settlement of the cross-Strait dispute on Beijing’s terms while simultaneously attempting to deter, delay, or deny any possible U.S. support for the island in case of conflict. This modernization and the threat to Taiwan continue despite significant reduction in cross-Strait tension over the last year since Taiwan elected a new president. The PLA is also developing longer range capabilities that have implications beyond Taiwan. Some of these capabilities have allowed it to contribute cooperatively to the international community’s responsibilities in areas such as peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and counter-piracy. However, some of these capabilities, as well as other, more disruptive ones, could allow China to project power to ensure access to resources or enforce claims to disputed territories.
Beijing publicly asserts that China’s military modernization is “purely defensive in nature,” and aimed solely at protecting China’s security and interests. Over the past several years, China has begun a new phase of military development by beginning to articulate roles and missions for the PLA that go beyond China’s immediate territorial interests, but has left unclear to the international community the purposes and objectives of the PLA’s evolving doctrine and capabilities. Moreover, China continues to promulgate incomplete defense expenditure figures and engage in actions that appear inconsistent with its declaratory policies. The limited transparency in China’s military and security affairs poses risks to stability by creating uncertainty and increasing the potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation. The United States continues to work with our allies and friends in the region to monitor these developments and adjust our policies accordingly.
