326 research outputs found
Kooperation oder Eskalation? Warum Rohstoffknappheit nicht zwangsläufig zu Konflikten führt
No full textRichert J, Richter S. Kooperation oder Eskalation? Warum Rohstoffknappheit nicht zwangsläufig zu Konflikten führt. Internationale Politik. 2009;64(11/12):10-16
Dance on the Volcano in Colombia: A presidential election in the midst of socio-political change
No full textBy Ralf J. Leiteritz (Universidad de Rosario) & Solveig Richter (Leipzig University) – Elections lead to tremendous socio-political tensions, especially in conflict regions with a high potential for violence - this is currently the case in Colombia, where ReCentGlobe and Leipzig University recently established an academic partnership. Professors Ralf J. Leiteritz from the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá and Solveig Richter from Leipzig University see the results of the first round of ..
Terrorism and Conditions for Human Rights in Counter-terrorism in Sub- Saharan Africa
No full textThis doctoral dissertation explores the conditions or set of conditions necessary and or sufficient to facilitate or impede human rights when governments respond to terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa. Relying on a theoretical model that isolates significant macrosocial conditions suggested by theory (liberal democratic and constructivist theories) and extant empirical studies, the dissertation employs a research design that combines Comparative Qualitative Analysis – QCA, specifically Crisp Set Comparative Qualitative Analysis (csQCA) and an in depth case study of Mali to test five hypotheses in the form of necessary conditions that facilitate human rights, and uncover additional important factors unique in the structure of African societies. It is established that government preference for human over state security (here measured by more government expenditure on welfare than on military) and poor economic and administrative capacity (here measured by the absence of transparency and accountability coupled with a high level of corruption in the public sector) are necessary conditions that facilitate and impede human rights respectively in counterterrorist policies in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, it is established that ancient African social norms, cultural practices and traditions that promote justice and human rights passed down the generations through socialization play an important role in facilitating human rights in counterterrorist policies in sub-Saharan Africa
Modern African conflicts and international interventions: the prospects of indigenous peace-making mechanisms : a case of Darfur 2003-2014
No full textThis thesis empirically contributes to extant debates over the relevance of indigenous peacemaking
methods in modern African conflicts. Reliant on the on-going Darfur conflict as case
study and contingent on the study’s two embedded units of analysis being: African Union-
United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and the Institution of the Native Administration
respectively, the study advanced the notion of complementarity as propounded by authors in
the field of conflict transformation. The contended inadequacy of mainstream methods of
intervention in civil wars across the globe was contextually investigated side by side John Paul
Lederach’s postulations towards the adoption of the “reconciliation” component as the central
focus of intervention in cases of prolonged violence.
To corroborate or refute the propositions underlying Lederach’s comprehensive framework for
intervention in protracted conflicts, the study, drawing from secondary as well as primary data
derived from key informant interviews, group discussion and official UNAMID documents,
employed the pattern matching technique to arrive at its findings: UNAMID does implement
the authorised multidimensional mandate geared towards the actualization of durable peace for
Darfur. The involvement of the Civil Affairs Section with the stakeholders on level 3 of the
conflict, demonstrates a complementarity of efforts to douse tensions at all levels of the conflict,
including on the level of intertribal rivalry on the grassroot. Darfur’s indigenous system for
reconciliation and its custodians (Judiyya and Ajaweed) constituted the selected stakeholder for
this study. These actors have been incorporated into UNAMID’s working framework for peace,
albeit to the extent to which the GoS sanctions it. The thesis contends that regardless of a
legitimacy crisis, indigenous methods maintain saliency at peace-making in a semi modern
society like Darfur, notably, in the absence of reliable and effective formal peace-making
arrangements. Nonetheless, the current politicised nature of the conflict constitutes an
impediment to the effective use of indigenous methods on level three of the triadic conflict in
Darfur. Accordingly, conflict transformation may be actualised based on the re-empowerment
of contextual human resources and in conjunction with mainstream approaches, but most
significantly also, contingent upon the unbiased support of the government of the day
”Babes in the wood?”: Intertekstuaalisuus ja subteksti Solveig von Schoultzin novellissa ”Även dina kameler”
No full text”Babes in the wood?” – Intertextuality and subtext in the short story ”Även dina kameler” by Solveig von Schoultz
In my article I examine three central intertexts in the short story “Även dina kameler” (Even your camels) written by the Finland-Swedish author Solveig von Schoultz in 1965. The short story includes several, “odd” intertextual fragments, which all seem to point at a secret of some kind, hidden from the reader. In my analysis I use the definition of the term “subtext”, put forward by the literary critic Michael Riffaterre in his book Fictional Truth, in order to show how the mysteriousness of the text is constructed, how the intertexts build up the “subtext” of the short story and what the secret is that the story both hides and signals of. This way one gets a picture of how the seemingly plain and realistic text is actually built up in an effective and elaborate way and characterised by high textual density.
The analyzed intertexts all relate to certain topics: a mother, who is distant or dead, a woman’s identity and changes in it, and how words get or loose their meaning. All in all, the short story shows both on its explicit and hidden level how the death of the protagonist’s mother – the hidden secret of the text – has lead to the creation of a language of one’s own. The significance of language is, then, connected to loss. The strange words and allusions the woman protagonist uses also put forward the metalinguistic and poetic message of the story; the importance of language, and how language can both carry meanings, and become empty of meaning. In this way the story is even connected to the author’s own enterprise
Green cars = green conflicts?: Governance, grievances and conflict dimensions of the Bolivian State Lithium Program
No full textGrowing demand for consumer electronics and e-cars makes lithium a crucial resource for energy storage. Most lithium is found in South America, with Bolivia guarding the largest treasures. Currently, the country is developing a strategy for lithium industrialization and the government has assigned 900 million dollars to this project. In the past, resource exploitation has been severely contested in Bolivia and led to violent national conflicts, as the so-called “Gas Wars” of 2003 and 2005 as well as a long history of conflictive mining initiatives illustrate. However, the case of lithium may diverge from this pattern since the government’s policy approach to lithium industrialization exhibits major differences compared to past programs. The question thus emerges if lithium exploitation can lead to conflict in Bolivia or if these governance changes significantly reduce the likelihood for violence.
Research has for a long time engaged with the link between resources, governance and conflict. Thereby, case studies from all over the world underline that specifically the impacts of extraction on local livelihoods are decisive triggers of conflict. The findings are however scattered and a systematic assessment is missing. In this thesis, the concept of “meaningful grievances” is applied and refined by a governance perspective. Based on extensive qualitative interview data, the local perceptions of the lithium program and its governance are assessed, identifying grievances locals connect to the program and the meanings they attach to these grievances supporting a further refinement of the theories on a resource-governance-conflict-link
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