The Disintegration of the Middle East Retreating to the ＂Weak Sovereignty Era＂

The Arab Spring in the spring of 2011 soon brought the Middle East into an abyss of chaos, instability, terrorism and civil war. Over the past six years, the Syria conflict in some areas tended to cool down. President Trump reached an agreement with Russian President Putin on building a new ＂conflict relegation zone＂ on July 7, 2017. After three years of hard fighting, Iraq liberated Mosul on July 9, 2017. Full restoration of territorial integrity is just around the comer. ISIS lost Mosul, and was trapped in Racca. Further loss of land and territory is just a matter of time.

Cyberspace： A New Threat to the Sovereignty of the State

This paper discusses one of the contemporary challenging issues--it is the challenge of e-commerce to the sovereignty of the state, where governments are unable to implement their own laws on disputed cases resulting from trans-border e-commerce interactions. The objective of the current research is to draw attention to the impact of international characteristics of e-commerce on the sovereignty of state, and to identify the factors affecting this sovereignty. The issue of the dynamieity of time and place will be taken into consideration, where activities carded out over the internet are characterized by their cross-border dimension. Based on real e-commerce case studies disputed on international level, this paper will draw on the legal perspective of cyberspace, identifying the relationship between cyberspace and state sovereignty, and outlining the mechanisms by which cyberspace could cross borders and the territory of the state despite all the precautions taken by the state to protect its sovereignty.

On National Sovereignty under Economic Globalization

Formally, national sovereignty can be identified as hard and soft;social-structurally,it consists of politi- cal sovereignty, economic sovereignty and cultural sovereignty. With the globalization of world economy,na- tional sovereignty is changing.Our country is now confronted by three major challenges: the independence of economic sovereignty,the integrity of political sovereignty and the equality of cultural sovereignty. This research probes how to maximize national benefits under globalization.

The Strategic Re-view of China’s Territorial Sovereignty

This paper re-examines the status quo of China's territorial sovereignty security from a strategic perspective.Territory is the most basic physical where-about for a country to express national sovereignty.It is the territory that the national sovereignty derives its physical basis from.In the context of globalization,however, the traditional national territorial sovereignty space is continually squeezed and constrained,but the national territorial sovereignty is still the cornerstone of the international relations.And the inviolability of national territorial sovereignty is still the most important principle of modern international law.In this regard,the primary goal of Chinese national security today remains as a goal to safeguard the unification,integrity and security of China's territorial sovereignty.At present,the integrity,unification and security of Chinese national territorial sovereignty have yet to be achieved on the strategic level.As one of China's basic national conditions,it should be taken seriously and paid adequate strategic attentions.

Human Rights, Sovereignty and Right to Peace: Equilibrium and Adaptation

Universalization of human rights is the result of reviewing World War II and the proof of the advancement of human civilization. Nevertheless, practice and protection of human rights have always challenged state authority under the context of sovereignty. The expansion of the international human rights law has reflected a growing need to reexamine state authority in terms of sovereignty legitimacy, and to place further consideration on the legitimacy of multilateral efforts.This paper argues that(1) a unique attribute of the right to peace is that the subject to fulfilling the right is an individual as well as a state. It also drives a dilemma: while sustaining the right is the duty of a state, the state’s assisting its citizens to the practice of the right to peace might be conflicting to the fulfillment of state authority;(2) it results from the view that the state is regarded as the only subject to practice the right. As such, the state might be more likely to include individuals to practice the right from a higher vision, and deal with possible disputes between the personal right to peace and the common interest in society through the rule of law. The findings further suggest that(3) a main determinant of effect in practice of the right to peace concerns how multilateral and state actors addressing the legitimate problem determines the practice of human rights norms and the compatibility between international norms and state authority.(4) The evolution from military conflicts to peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait is a concrete practice of the right to peace.

On the Relationship Between Human Rights and Sovereignty

The relationship between human lights and sovereignty is a key theoretical and practical issue that has aroused heated debate in the international human lights field. What are the viewpoints and positions of Western countries and developing countries on this issue？ What is the deeply rooted reason for this debate？ How can the relationship between the two be properly handled？ This article will analyze these questions.

数字主权与国家安全若干问题研究

With the rapid advancement of information technology, the digital space has become humanity's “third living space.” However,this new space has also created security risks, exhibiting novel national security and development-related characteristics. In such a context,digital sovereignty encompasses dominance over digital technologies,rule-making authority in the digital realm, a voice in the digital space,and the right to develop the digital economy. Many countries and regions worldwide, such as the United States, the European Union, and China,have placed extreme importance on digital sovereignty, as evidenced by their adoption of relevant strategies. China faces four barriers that hinder its efforts to enhance digital sovereignty: path dependence,technology maturity, generalized functional security, and energy consumption. China urgently needs to promote information technology innovation at the paradigm level, facilitate much-needed breakthroughs in ground-breaking technologies, and build an independent knowledge system with Chinese characteristics regarding the digital space. Only in this manner can China forge a new path of digitalization to consolidate its digital sovereignty and advance its modernization.

Socio-Economic and Political Analysis of a Fragile State:A Reflection on Ethiopia

A review of the literature indicates that,currently,Ethiopia is now beyond the bounds of fragility.The purpose of the study was to investigate whether Ethiopia was experiencing fragility.After a review of the literature on fragility,a theoretical framework lens on fragility was developed to empirically test Ethiopia’s current condition.A longitudinal analysis indicates that before 2018,Ethiopia was regarded as the central economic engine of sub-Saharan Africa.However,as the current regime reversed Ethiopia’s developmental state model and moved to follow a neo-liberal model,Ethiopia’s economy has gradually diminished.More specifically,during the current regime,Ethiopia has experienced a decline in its Gross Domestic Product,faced rampant unemployment,and encountered an increase in inflation.Its foreign exchange currency reserves have declined below the three-month threshold of hard currency required for a country to import goods and services,and its external debt has extended beyond the country’s GDP.By encouraging armed conflict and widespread insurgencies,the current regime has caused social tension and deep humanitarian crises in Ethiopia-resulting in devastation of health and school facilities and causing more than five million Ethiopians to be displaced.Finally,failing to provide leadership to his people,the current regime in Ethiopia has willingly allowed the incursion of Ethiopia’s sovereignty by foreign forces.The conclusion of the study is that,when observed through the lens of fragility using a longitudinal framework,currently,Ethiopia has traversed beyond fragility and seems to be heading toward balkanization.

近代“主权”概念在中国的传播与影响

"主权"(sovereignty)是国际法学的核心术语之一。19世纪中期,美国传教士丁韪良在翻译西方国际法著作时,将sovereignty译定为"主权",并译介了其内涵和外延。随着社会危机的日益加深,"主权"概念在近代中国广为传播,影响深远。

Evidence of China's sea boundary in the South China Sea

According to a series of important historical maps,i.e.,the Location Map of the South China Sea Islands,the Nansha Islands,Zhongsha Islands,Xisha Islands,Yongxing Island and Shidao Island,and Taiping Island（archived by the Territorial Administration Division of the Ministry of Interior of Republic of China in 1946）,and the Administration District Map of the Republic of China published in 1948,the dashed line surrounding the South China Sea Islands represents China＇s sea boundary in the South China Sea at that time.It was both connected with,and an extension of,the land boundary of China.At that time the dashed line was used to represent the waters boundaries while the solid line was used to represent the land boundary—a universal method used in maps that was then recognized internationally.The above observation provides historical and scientific evidence of China＇s sea boundary in the South China Sea that is useful for the international maritime delimitation over the South China Sea area.

The Nature of No-Fly Zones in International Relations

A No-Fly Zone (NFZ) is a unique mode of humanitarian intervention that is understudied in international relations. This article focuses on the politics of NFZs in international relations, and investigates their nature by empirically reviewing all three cases of NFZs to date. NFZs represent a middle ground for international intervention which, both legally and legitimately, may be aimed at either protecting populations or promoting regime change in weak states, depending on the circumstances. There may be efforts by intervening states to highlight humanitarian crises among certain targets in order to secure UN authorization for the NFZs;but the implementation of NFZs is also largely driven by the security interests of the enforcing states. As a result, there is the potential for those states implementing NFZs to transcend legal authorization and to at times use excessive force, with the potential for calamitous results for local people, or, in extreme cases, to accomplish regime change by supporting opposition parties in target states.

China-US Competition in Digital Technologies and EU Strategy

Unable to catch up with China and the United States in the short term,the European Union is in an unfavorable position in the booming digital technology sector needed for economic growth.Within the context of intensifying technological competition and diplomatic strain between China and the US,the EU and European countries have adapted their digital strategies.As a former balance strategy shifts toward constraining Chinese tech companies,Europe’s technological sovereignty is at stake.To enhance European tech capability and control,key measures include increased investment in digital tech,formation of a single European dataspace,and rules based on European values.The interplay between technology and geopolitics and the rising importance of values in digital regulations make possible a technology alliance,despite the introduction of protectionism into the mix.China will need to understand the situation and give positive response.

When the Childhood Event Unfolds Itself:On the Survivor’s Guilt in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

This short paper aims to discuss the unbearably-heavy weight of childhood memory and the survivor’s guilt as the symptoms in the novel,The Kite Runner,published in 2003,by an Afghan-American writer,Khaled Hosseini.It describes the ambivalent relationship between the father and the son against the background of political turmoil in Afghanistan—how they have a good life together in Afghanistan and afterwards how they are forced to leave their homeland like refugees to Pakistan and then to The United States for a new life with the survivor’s guilt after the tumultuous period of the Soviet military invasion.The narrator,Amir,treasures the memories of his old homeland,Afghanistan,the innermost remnants of his being,which has become as the specter haunting his present life in the United States.Amir has to return to his old homeland to meet his father’s closest friend,Rahim Khan,and to rescue Sohrad,the son of his half-brother,Hassan,from the Taliban regime.This ethical return to the past not only has unfolded certain secrecy of his father’s dishonor but also has healed his sense of survivor’s guilt because of his evil rivalry of jealousy against Hassan to fully possess his father’s love in his childhood.In my discussion of ethnic hierarchy and conflicts in Afghanistan described in the novel,Jacques Derrida’s and Giorgio Agamben’s theoretical concepts,such as the problematic of sovereignty,sovereign animality and bare life in The Beast&the Soveriegn and Homo Sacer,will be used to penetrate the deeper understanding of their traumatic past as haunting specters.

Asia-Pacific Powers in Maritime Asia, 1850-1972: A Perspective from Taiwan

This paper will take 1850-1972 as a time frame to depict how maritime Asia had been penetrated or even dominated by the Asia-Pacific Powers, mainly the US and Japan. The time range starts from 1850 when the US had extended its territories to reach the Pacific coast. 1972 was the year that the US handed over the administrative right over Okinawa and Senkaku/ Diaoyutai to Japan while sending the Republic of China in Taiwan a note verbale foretelling this change, and ensuring that the ROC keeps the underlying claim over Senkaku/ Diaoyutai, under the circumstance that the US would like to allow the involved parties to settle the sovereignty issue among themselves. Also in 1972, Japan recognized the PRC on diplomatic front and the US further approached with the PRC after the PRC had replaced the ROC in 1971 to represent Chinese mainland. The main part of the paper is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the decline of China relative to other powers such as the United Kingdom and Japan for maritime Asia in the late 19th century. The second section describes the rise of the Pacific for the world and the dominance of Japan in maritime Asia in the early 20th century. The third section proceeds to the replacement of the US for Japan in maritime Asia before 1972. The conclusion summarizes assets that China and the Asia-Pacific Powers both have for maintaining peace and international order in today’s maritime Asia.

Argument for Ruling a Unique European Tax

Harmonization of tax policy at European level is the result of compromise that must be achieved between member states＇ sovereignty and obstacles that create differences in legal regime for different categories of taxes. The current level of harmonization achieved by the member states clearly shows that the process of reconciliation of taxes will not be a spontaneous, nor will evolve rapidly. With the occasion of European Union [EU] enlargement in 2004 and 2007, disparities in income levels matter between nationals of member states have put more pressure on the cooperation between member states, but some progress has been made including in this area. The idea of harmonization of taxes in the European plan is not new. Context of pertinent and uniform EU position has occurred since the first treaties concluded between member states. The free movements of goods, persons, services and capital, without any obstruction became absolute values. Creating a European tax, set and charged uniformly to all and by all member states, would be possible only if the criteria of budgetary requirements, criteria of efficiency and equity criteria are taken into consideration. Ruling a uniform level of charging would lead to establishing a single tax, mission almost impossible as long as the legal framework on taxation and civil duties remains under the responsibility of each member of EU. This analysis seems to greatly restrict the area of taxes that may meet all requirements listed. EU is still far from time to harmonize VAT （value added tax） levels perceived, but it is noted that the value added tax, income tax and tax on benefits eventually could meet the characteristics of a uniform European tax, achieving unanimous agreement among member states.

European Governments and Populist Challenge： Towards an Institutional Reform of the EU？

This paper argues that the debate about a possible reform of the EU （or, at least, of the Eurozone） is strictly connected to the role populism plays within the European political systems. In particular, the national governments are inclined to modify the European governance in so far as they perceive the populist movements as a threat for their consensus among the citizens. This interpretation is confirmed by three different approaches emerging in 2010-2015, which are examined in the article： the UK welcomed a part of the populist propaganda and tried to take advantage of it to carry out a radical reform of the EU, re-nationalizing a series of functions; Germany did not focus on the populist rhetoric and defended the current EU model, but recognized the federal goal to which the integration process was addressed; France and Italy, in spite of theoretical divergences about the idea of Europe, shared a strategy meant to defeat populism by strengthening the European institutions and reducing the gap with the citizens. This heterogeneous scenario prevented any agreement on the future of the EU, but the effects of recent events--- such as migrations and terrorism, potential causes of a new populist offensive---might convince the Member States to rethink their positions.

Food Security in Nepal:An Overview from Policy Perspective

More than 20 countries including Nepal have the right to food enshrined in their constitutions.The article 36 of the constitution of Nepal-2015 broadly enlivens the essence of all the past,present and future policies of Nepal related to food security,food sovereignty,and food rights.The article and the essence of the constitution are in perfect synergy with the United Nations sustainable development goals-2015.Nepal’s policies on food,when implemented,are sufficient to guide the agricultural development to end hunger,achieve food security,improve nutrition,and promote sustainability.The challenge has been to learn a lesson from the past and focus on the implementation of the numerous guiding policies to achieve the goals of the constitution.

Discussion on the Logical Coordination between Legal Theory and Legal Practice——from the Perspective of the Legal Basis of NPC5s Discussion and Decisiomaking Power on Major Issues

The decision of local people's congresses to discuss major issues is a basic right granted to local people's congresses by the Chinese Constitution and laws.However,in practice,the implementation of the power of deliberation of major issues by local people's congresses is worrying.By applying the theory of Chinese traditionalism and unity in the theory of law,the theory of"sovereignty in the people"in the social contract theory of Western natural law school,Austin's"legal command theory55 in Western positivist law and Hart's"recognition""Rules theory"to argue that the integrity of rights necessarily involves the dual factors of decision-making and execution.At the same time,the existence and operation of the law always reflects the development of the political system.The realistic political situation requires us to make more precise and meticulous refinement of the external form and specific technical links of the legal system,and to coordinate the rules to make up the legal theory and Conflicts and conflicts in legal practice help to reform social institutions.

The Development of International Human Rights Law and the Chinese Contribution to the Global Human Rights Cause

Prior to World War II,human rights were mainly considered to be matters that came under the domestic jurisdiction of each state.The United Nations Charter,adopted in 1945,includes human rights provisions.The adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 that marked the initial formation of international human rights law.Today,the world has formed a relatively comprehensive system of international human rights law and mechanisms.Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China,and in particular after she introduced reform and opening-up policy in 1978,the Chinese government has actively participated in international human rights causes.To date,the Chinese government has ratified 26 human rights conventions and fulfilled the obligations required by these.China has put forward and continually enriched human rights theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics,emphasizing the importance of state sovereignty in safeguarding human rights and the resolution of human rights controversies through dialogue,thereby contributing to the global human rights cause.