Power,often seen as a tool for control,extends beyond individuals to encompass decisions and resources.Various groups hold varying degrees of power in society,employing tactics to gain and expand it.Politics is essent...Power,often seen as a tool for control,extends beyond individuals to encompass decisions and resources.Various groups hold varying degrees of power in society,employing tactics to gain and expand it.Politics is essentially the use of power to achieve goals,often stemming from conflicts between personal and organizational objectives.This occurs in situations marked by autocratic decision-making,unclear authority,resource scarcity,and uncertainty,when organizational politics contradict employees’interests,trust erodes,prioritizing individual concerns over collective goals.Constructive politics,however,empower and differentiate between ethical and unethical behavior.Gender,a socially constructed variable,is influenced by psychology and sociology literature,affecting power dynamics.This paper explores the interplay of power and politics in society,striving for a more equitable and progressive outcome while addressing their contribution to gender inequality.Globalization and economic restructuring impose changes,fostering discrimination and preferential treatment.We examine policy implementations in food,agriculture,health,and education,finding that despite significant changes,they often fail to benefit disadvantaged populations.展开更多
A quantitative approach to the national geopolitical influence is helpful to provide a reference for national sustainable development on the international stage, based on describing national diplomatic capacity and ov...A quantitative approach to the national geopolitical influence is helpful to provide a reference for national sustainable development on the international stage, based on describing national diplomatic capacity and overseas influence. Herein, this study proposes a complex geopolitical influence model, considering the affected nations' response. The geopolitical influences of great power in the affected nation are correlated with overall strength, the acceptance degree of the affected nation to the great power and the distance between both sides. Then, the geopolitical influences of China and the US in Southeast Asia countries are empirically analyzed from 2005 to 2015. The geopolitical influence of China in Southeast Asia has been largely growing for the past decades, accompanying with a constant trend of the US' effects. It is believed that China and the US can coexist peacefully in Southeast Asia to promote the regional development, and jointly create an open, inclusive and balanced regional cooperation architecture that benefits all nations in this region and great powers, through mutual political trust and economic beneficial cooperation. This study may contribute to advancing the policy debate and determining the optimal cooperation in pledging commitment to a new and sustainable model of great power relationship among the various regional geopolitical options.展开更多
Organizational power politics permeates all actions within an organization. Power is one person's ability to exert change on another person's way of life and actions. Using power is a valuable means to influence and...Organizational power politics permeates all actions within an organization. Power is one person's ability to exert change on another person's way of life and actions. Using power is a valuable means to influence and achieve intended desires and future action in others. Power is instrumental; it's a means to achieve goals other than the attainment of power itself. Power may also be expressed as one person's dependence on another. Power can, and sometimes is, a goal; its basic use is instrumental in the achievement of one's goals or aims. This paper is part of a descriptive analysis section from a study conducted on organizational power and leadership. The researcher gathered insights into the lived experiences of like-minded sample of respondents as they described organizational power politics and how they view and use power in their vanous leadership positions .展开更多
This paper focuses on some literary expressions of the role of faith in our engagement with things political from the pen of C. S. Lewis, whose writings are distinguished by a combination of intellectual force and ima...This paper focuses on some literary expressions of the role of faith in our engagement with things political from the pen of C. S. Lewis, whose writings are distinguished by a combination of intellectual force and imaginative flair. In an increasingly secular climate, he sought to bring God back into the equation, and it is not surprising to find some current issues addressed within his imaginative representations of a vibrant spiritual reality. His ideas and ideology are inextricably linked to his Christian faith. Several critical essays reflect his interest in both theology and political issues including: the ethical use of technology, civil liberties, ecology, pacifism, and animal rights. This material forms the layers of his science-fiction trilogy which includes themes of spiritual warfare, factions, faith, and a fairy tale ending. His theology was not confined to the disciplines of a particular school of thought and his approach to things political follows no party line. His critical essays and stories are concerned with the practicalities of life, but are never reduced to a merely social gospel; they always have a cosmic dimension.展开更多
The Orthodoxy has been in existence in Russia for more than 1000years and has fully merged itself into the nation,creating a strongsense of religious culture.During the long years of the reigns by differ-ent regimes f...The Orthodoxy has been in existence in Russia for more than 1000years and has fully merged itself into the nation,creating a strongsense of religious culture.During the long years of the reigns by differ-ent regimes from the Czarist Russia to the Soviet Union and then to thenew Russia,the religion went through the process of ups and downs inits development.Having once played a very important role in the展开更多
This paper develops a phenomenology of power in its various forms based on the account of the relationship between domination and freedom given by Niccol6 Machiavelli and ttienne de La Bo6tie. These authors are read i...This paper develops a phenomenology of power in its various forms based on the account of the relationship between domination and freedom given by Niccol6 Machiavelli and ttienne de La Bo6tie. These authors are read in such a way as to extract the contemporary meaning of power in relation to the concept of appearance. Both authors link domination to other forms of violent power (oppression, exploitation, and exclusion), and while they recognize the inevitable role of appearances in politics, they oppose the tendency of rulers to use appearances to maintain their power over the people. The sharing of intellectual power is then the most likely way for popular power, once it makes its appearance in society, to lead to transformations in governmental and economic power.展开更多
The paper aims to examine the effect of political influence on corporate transparency, and performance of Indonesian listed companies, Seventy-three large public firms from hundred of the largest companies in Indonesi...The paper aims to examine the effect of political influence on corporate transparency, and performance of Indonesian listed companies, Seventy-three large public firms from hundred of the largest companies in Indonesia were selected as the sample. Data for corporate transparency are collected from annual reports for the years 2005-2007. Corporate transparency is indexed by the amount of information disclosed in company's annual report. The disclosure index reporting model developed in the current research is based on the Annual Report Award (ARA, an award given annually to Indonesian listed and non-listed companies), and firm performance is measured using two indicators: ROA (return on assets) and Tobin-Q. The political influence variable is proxied by two indicators: government ownership and the existence of politicians in Board of Directors (BOD). Results demonstrate that contrary to the hypothesis, government ownership (political influence) has positive relation to corporate transparency, as well as to ROA (firm performance). Results also support the hypothesis that transparency act as a mediating variable for the relationship between political influence and firm performance. However, when political influence is pmxied by existence of politicians in BOD and fm'n performance proxied by Tobin-Q, data seems to give support to the hypotheses proposed. The discussion and implications of the findings and suggestions for future research arc discussed.展开更多
This paper explores how the body discourses constructed by patriarchal culture influence individual's body viewpoint and form teachers' body image in educational fields in gender perspectives of feminisms and the co...This paper explores how the body discourses constructed by patriarchal culture influence individual's body viewpoint and form teachers' body image in educational fields in gender perspectives of feminisms and the concepts of power and discourse from Foucanlt. At the same time I will also demonstrate that the body politics of women teachers in secondary education do not represent the stable and rigid hierarchy of traditional teacher-student relationship but shape the subjectivity which are deployed and suffused as a capillary action by the disciplines and power relations interwoven by gender, sexuality, class and age throughout the individual's cognition and behavior, thus produce self-monitoring in the meantime monitoring others for social function. Finally, I will argue that how the subjectivity under the social structure and cultural norms generates an individual's agency of resistance and subversion to existing gender structures through reflectivity in the cracks produced by the collision, fragmentation, consultation within different discourses, and then finds the temporary strategic and political positioning and identity.展开更多
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 ...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.展开更多
During 2010-2011, Myanmar started its political transition. The U Thein SeinAdministration has made obvious policy adjustments towards China after it replaced the Mili-tary government. However, such adjustments were l...During 2010-2011, Myanmar started its political transition. The U Thein SeinAdministration has made obvious policy adjustments towards China after it replaced the Mili-tary government. However, such adjustments were limited, as Myanmar hasn't totally lean tothe West, but keeping relatively closer political contact with China. Empirical analysis showsthat political institu6on and ideology are not the key reasons leading to such adjustments?China-Myanmar relations had undergone fluctuation, osdlla6on and stability during 2011-2016, the root causes of which are the legality of political power, national security based ongeopolitics and economic development demands of" Myanmar people. Moreover, those threefactors remain the primary considerations of the NLD Government when it handling relationswith China.展开更多
Great changes occurred to the Japanese power structure as DPJ had taken power. The new government in Japan is now headed by DPJ and its alliance–Social Democratic Party and People's New Party, substituting for LD...Great changes occurred to the Japanese power structure as DPJ had taken power. The new government in Japan is now headed by DPJ and its alliance–Social Democratic Party and People's New Party, substituting for LDP-Komeito coalition government, an alternation of two conservative parties, though not in a strict sense of the two-party alternation. The election intensified the conservative politics in general, though different from the hawk conservative force in the post-cold war period. The Japanese political currents see a trend of 'de-rightwardization'. This will help to improve Japan’s relations with its Asian neighbors. Yukio Hatoyama calls for building 'fraternity society' and fostering 'fraternity' spirit in diplomatic affairs. He is for the view of attaching equal importance to U.S. and Asia.展开更多
The rise of the far right in Europe has captured the attention of the international community in recent years. Its specific features are: an unprecedentedly strong influence, an obvious trend towards the moderate line...The rise of the far right in Europe has captured the attention of the international community in recent years. Its specific features are: an unprecedentedly strong influence, an obvious trend towards the moderate line, horizontal collaboration to expand its reach, and a very adept use of social media networks. The refugee crisis has given the far right an historical opportunity. The rise has also had a profound effect on European politics; it has deepened the political divide inside EU member states, and shaken up the traditional political values and the foundation of the union.The rise of the far right will likely not change Europe's political landscape, but problems of EU governance over its handling of the refugee crisis cannot be ignored.展开更多
The goal of each policy should be to maintain the country's stability. This proposition becomes a keynote of thepolitical concept of the state. Machiavelli's work The Prince is not just a treatise on politics, but a...The goal of each policy should be to maintain the country's stability. This proposition becomes a keynote of thepolitical concept of the state. Machiavelli's work The Prince is not just a treatise on politics, but a text aiming tosubvert the traditional concept of political philosophy. Machiavelli devoted two main theses to political art. Thefirst one emphasizes that the ruler must work on the assumption that people are bad. Man is inherently evil.Whoever gives the republic its constitution and the law must consider all people evil in advance, and they must alsoreckon with the fact that the people will show their perverse nature whenever they get the chance.展开更多
Investments in the exploitation of the continent’s raw material reserves have resulted in little (positive) impact on the energy security situation within Africa. This paper attempts to explore factors influencing th...Investments in the exploitation of the continent’s raw material reserves have resulted in little (positive) impact on the energy security situation within Africa. This paper attempts to explore factors influencing the level of energy security of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, and from the dimension of availability, affordability, economic efficiency and environmental stewardship or sustainability of energy. The cross-sectional survey design was employed as the design for the collection and analysis of data. The study applied a quantitative research method in examining the indicators of energy security for SMEs in Accra Metropolis in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The population covered about 500 SMEs who have about 100 employees and total revenue of $1 million or the equivalence in Ghana Cedis. A sample of 246 was selected through a cluster and simple random sampling. The analysis adopted statistical techniques to conduct descriptive, exploratory and inferential analysis of the data collected. Factors that influence the level of energy security of SMEs are broadly categorized into the environment and economic change, political factors, physical disruptions and market conditions. Ge- nerally, the level of energy security under the availability dimension is medium among the SMEs. Issues of affordability, economic efficiency and environmental stewardship provide high medium interventions on energy security for SMEs. It is recommended that managers of Ghana’s energy sector should ensure prudent management of the country’s energy resources since the disruption of supply lines or sources form the key conditions that influence the energy security level of SMEs. SMEs should adopt energy efficiency measures to ensure that energy is conserved for future use.展开更多
The population finds more and more difficulties to assess the scope and content of political declaration especially in terms of plausibility and the real intentions of the speakers. This is especially true for the Sen...The population finds more and more difficulties to assess the scope and content of political declaration especially in terms of plausibility and the real intentions of the speakers. This is especially true for the Senegalese public who more and more loses confidence in the political class. The public tends to look at the identity of the political personality and its personal values (morality credibility) to determine what to make of his/her words. On their side, politicians also begin promoting their image through their speeches. At this level, religious ethics seems to be unanimously considered a criterion of good morality among Senegalese politicians. We will try to look through Perelman's theory of argumentation, which Amossy redefined, how, in order to reach the audience, politicians adapt their words to the public, and enhance principles cherished by the populations to win the battle of the image and confidence.展开更多
Due to the symbiotic relations between oil and the contemporary Middle East, a global energy transition is bound to affect the Middle East's international status and the power structure among its countries. The po...Due to the symbiotic relations between oil and the contemporary Middle East, a global energy transition is bound to affect the Middle East's international status and the power structure among its countries. The power gap between rich and poor countries will widen, and the “big politics of small states” in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar may become more prominent. As economic development has become the top priority of national strategies, many hot spots in the Middle East have cooled down as relations between rival countries have eased and there are even signs of multilateral economic cooperation. Meanwhile, there are signs of vicious economic competition among related countries. With the decline of the Middle East's global importance, the United States and Europe are moving further away while the interdependence between Asia and the Middle East is increasing. Reforms to tackle the energy transition in the Middle East are a race against time, difficult, and uncertain, but the signs so far are positive.展开更多
Culture has been exerting an even greater influence on China’s image construction and nation branding in today’s globalizing world.As“culture”is the core of Chinese soft power strategy,the concept of“soft power”...Culture has been exerting an even greater influence on China’s image construction and nation branding in today’s globalizing world.As“culture”is the core of Chinese soft power strategy,the concept of“soft power”has been redefined as“cultural soft power”in the Chinese context.Cultural instruments,including the Chinese language as well as traditional and popular cultures,are widely implemented as the“charm”tools to wield and project China’s soft power.Cultural diplomacy is also viewed as an effective way to promote an understanding of China’s ideals,support Chinese economic goals and enhance Chinese national security in subtle,wide-ranging,and sustainable ways.Although Chinese soft power is still in its“embryonic phase”,partly due to its close link to the country’s economic performance and huge market attraction as well as the disadvantages generated by the political and ideological issues,it has contributed greatly to expand China’s international influence and create a circle of like-minded allies on its periphery,in which process its increasing importance shall not be neglected.展开更多
This paper will apply a politically oriented description-critique paradigm developed from the works of Whitehall and Grewell that offers a way to examine works of popular culture, particularly Mars-based science ficti...This paper will apply a politically oriented description-critique paradigm developed from the works of Whitehall and Grewell that offers a way to examine works of popular culture, particularly Mars-based science fiction films. Because of the unique nature of these films, primarily which they are set in a future and distant world, they allow us to explore the socio-political landscape in which they were created from a remove that does not exist in "real-world" based works. Specifically we will be examining the governing power (in any particular Mars-based science fiction film) that might be either wielded by business interests or governmental interests. Although it is possible to have both a strong government and a strong business in a society, in many Mars-based science fiction films, government and business seem to represent two sides of a continuum. The stronger the business power structure in the film, the weaker the governmental power structure, and vice-versa.展开更多
This essay attempts to explore a kind of philosophy about water that was formed in ancient China,which the author names it“water philosophy”.Historically,the spirit of water philosophy has rich cultural connotations...This essay attempts to explore a kind of philosophy about water that was formed in ancient China,which the author names it“water philosophy”.Historically,the spirit of water philosophy has rich cultural connotations and diverse social representations,and has a far-reaching impact on the promotion of social development in China.In fact,although it is only a common substance,water is an important object of Chinese traditional culture,and especially is a key cultural symbol in Chinese philosophy,politics,poetics,etc.The formation and goal of water philosophy are not to probe into the objective physics of water and its logic of knowledge,but to research the philosophical significance of water as a symbol and object of thinking.Because of its key role in social development,water has been one of the important sources of Chinese philosophical thinking.It is in this metaphysical thinking process that water philosophy with Chinese cultural traditions and characteristics is formed.More importantly,the cultural connotations and characteristics formed by the thinking of shape,nature,emotion,rhyme,momentum,and reason of water have exerted an extensive influence on formation of national character as well as social development.Although water philosophy is the product of Chinese agricultural civilization era,more meaningful is that the positive spirit of water philosophy is also of great value today.展开更多
文摘Power,often seen as a tool for control,extends beyond individuals to encompass decisions and resources.Various groups hold varying degrees of power in society,employing tactics to gain and expand it.Politics is essentially the use of power to achieve goals,often stemming from conflicts between personal and organizational objectives.This occurs in situations marked by autocratic decision-making,unclear authority,resource scarcity,and uncertainty,when organizational politics contradict employees’interests,trust erodes,prioritizing individual concerns over collective goals.Constructive politics,however,empower and differentiate between ethical and unethical behavior.Gender,a socially constructed variable,is influenced by psychology and sociology literature,affecting power dynamics.This paper explores the interplay of power and politics in society,striving for a more equitable and progressive outcome while addressing their contribution to gender inequality.Globalization and economic restructuring impose changes,fostering discrimination and preferential treatment.We examine policy implementations in food,agriculture,health,and education,finding that despite significant changes,they often fail to benefit disadvantaged populations.
基金Under the auspices of the Special Research Fund of China-ASEAN Collaborative Innovation Center for Regional Development and Development Program of Ministry of Education for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Teams(No.CW201501)
文摘A quantitative approach to the national geopolitical influence is helpful to provide a reference for national sustainable development on the international stage, based on describing national diplomatic capacity and overseas influence. Herein, this study proposes a complex geopolitical influence model, considering the affected nations' response. The geopolitical influences of great power in the affected nation are correlated with overall strength, the acceptance degree of the affected nation to the great power and the distance between both sides. Then, the geopolitical influences of China and the US in Southeast Asia countries are empirically analyzed from 2005 to 2015. The geopolitical influence of China in Southeast Asia has been largely growing for the past decades, accompanying with a constant trend of the US' effects. It is believed that China and the US can coexist peacefully in Southeast Asia to promote the regional development, and jointly create an open, inclusive and balanced regional cooperation architecture that benefits all nations in this region and great powers, through mutual political trust and economic beneficial cooperation. This study may contribute to advancing the policy debate and determining the optimal cooperation in pledging commitment to a new and sustainable model of great power relationship among the various regional geopolitical options.
文摘Organizational power politics permeates all actions within an organization. Power is one person's ability to exert change on another person's way of life and actions. Using power is a valuable means to influence and achieve intended desires and future action in others. Power is instrumental; it's a means to achieve goals other than the attainment of power itself. Power may also be expressed as one person's dependence on another. Power can, and sometimes is, a goal; its basic use is instrumental in the achievement of one's goals or aims. This paper is part of a descriptive analysis section from a study conducted on organizational power and leadership. The researcher gathered insights into the lived experiences of like-minded sample of respondents as they described organizational power politics and how they view and use power in their vanous leadership positions .
文摘This paper focuses on some literary expressions of the role of faith in our engagement with things political from the pen of C. S. Lewis, whose writings are distinguished by a combination of intellectual force and imaginative flair. In an increasingly secular climate, he sought to bring God back into the equation, and it is not surprising to find some current issues addressed within his imaginative representations of a vibrant spiritual reality. His ideas and ideology are inextricably linked to his Christian faith. Several critical essays reflect his interest in both theology and political issues including: the ethical use of technology, civil liberties, ecology, pacifism, and animal rights. This material forms the layers of his science-fiction trilogy which includes themes of spiritual warfare, factions, faith, and a fairy tale ending. His theology was not confined to the disciplines of a particular school of thought and his approach to things political follows no party line. His critical essays and stories are concerned with the practicalities of life, but are never reduced to a merely social gospel; they always have a cosmic dimension.
文摘The Orthodoxy has been in existence in Russia for more than 1000years and has fully merged itself into the nation,creating a strongsense of religious culture.During the long years of the reigns by differ-ent regimes from the Czarist Russia to the Soviet Union and then to thenew Russia,the religion went through the process of ups and downs inits development.Having once played a very important role in the
文摘This paper develops a phenomenology of power in its various forms based on the account of the relationship between domination and freedom given by Niccol6 Machiavelli and ttienne de La Bo6tie. These authors are read in such a way as to extract the contemporary meaning of power in relation to the concept of appearance. Both authors link domination to other forms of violent power (oppression, exploitation, and exclusion), and while they recognize the inevitable role of appearances in politics, they oppose the tendency of rulers to use appearances to maintain their power over the people. The sharing of intellectual power is then the most likely way for popular power, once it makes its appearance in society, to lead to transformations in governmental and economic power.
文摘The paper aims to examine the effect of political influence on corporate transparency, and performance of Indonesian listed companies, Seventy-three large public firms from hundred of the largest companies in Indonesia were selected as the sample. Data for corporate transparency are collected from annual reports for the years 2005-2007. Corporate transparency is indexed by the amount of information disclosed in company's annual report. The disclosure index reporting model developed in the current research is based on the Annual Report Award (ARA, an award given annually to Indonesian listed and non-listed companies), and firm performance is measured using two indicators: ROA (return on assets) and Tobin-Q. The political influence variable is proxied by two indicators: government ownership and the existence of politicians in Board of Directors (BOD). Results demonstrate that contrary to the hypothesis, government ownership (political influence) has positive relation to corporate transparency, as well as to ROA (firm performance). Results also support the hypothesis that transparency act as a mediating variable for the relationship between political influence and firm performance. However, when political influence is pmxied by existence of politicians in BOD and fm'n performance proxied by Tobin-Q, data seems to give support to the hypotheses proposed. The discussion and implications of the findings and suggestions for future research arc discussed.
文摘This paper explores how the body discourses constructed by patriarchal culture influence individual's body viewpoint and form teachers' body image in educational fields in gender perspectives of feminisms and the concepts of power and discourse from Foucanlt. At the same time I will also demonstrate that the body politics of women teachers in secondary education do not represent the stable and rigid hierarchy of traditional teacher-student relationship but shape the subjectivity which are deployed and suffused as a capillary action by the disciplines and power relations interwoven by gender, sexuality, class and age throughout the individual's cognition and behavior, thus produce self-monitoring in the meantime monitoring others for social function. Finally, I will argue that how the subjectivity under the social structure and cultural norms generates an individual's agency of resistance and subversion to existing gender structures through reflectivity in the cracks produced by the collision, fragmentation, consultation within different discourses, and then finds the temporary strategic and political positioning and identity.
文摘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.
文摘During 2010-2011, Myanmar started its political transition. The U Thein SeinAdministration has made obvious policy adjustments towards China after it replaced the Mili-tary government. However, such adjustments were limited, as Myanmar hasn't totally lean tothe West, but keeping relatively closer political contact with China. Empirical analysis showsthat political institu6on and ideology are not the key reasons leading to such adjustments?China-Myanmar relations had undergone fluctuation, osdlla6on and stability during 2011-2016, the root causes of which are the legality of political power, national security based ongeopolitics and economic development demands of" Myanmar people. Moreover, those threefactors remain the primary considerations of the NLD Government when it handling relationswith China.
文摘Great changes occurred to the Japanese power structure as DPJ had taken power. The new government in Japan is now headed by DPJ and its alliance–Social Democratic Party and People's New Party, substituting for LDP-Komeito coalition government, an alternation of two conservative parties, though not in a strict sense of the two-party alternation. The election intensified the conservative politics in general, though different from the hawk conservative force in the post-cold war period. The Japanese political currents see a trend of 'de-rightwardization'. This will help to improve Japan’s relations with its Asian neighbors. Yukio Hatoyama calls for building 'fraternity society' and fostering 'fraternity' spirit in diplomatic affairs. He is for the view of attaching equal importance to U.S. and Asia.
文摘The rise of the far right in Europe has captured the attention of the international community in recent years. Its specific features are: an unprecedentedly strong influence, an obvious trend towards the moderate line, horizontal collaboration to expand its reach, and a very adept use of social media networks. The refugee crisis has given the far right an historical opportunity. The rise has also had a profound effect on European politics; it has deepened the political divide inside EU member states, and shaken up the traditional political values and the foundation of the union.The rise of the far right will likely not change Europe's political landscape, but problems of EU governance over its handling of the refugee crisis cannot be ignored.
文摘The goal of each policy should be to maintain the country's stability. This proposition becomes a keynote of thepolitical concept of the state. Machiavelli's work The Prince is not just a treatise on politics, but a text aiming tosubvert the traditional concept of political philosophy. Machiavelli devoted two main theses to political art. Thefirst one emphasizes that the ruler must work on the assumption that people are bad. Man is inherently evil.Whoever gives the republic its constitution and the law must consider all people evil in advance, and they must alsoreckon with the fact that the people will show their perverse nature whenever they get the chance.
文摘Investments in the exploitation of the continent’s raw material reserves have resulted in little (positive) impact on the energy security situation within Africa. This paper attempts to explore factors influencing the level of energy security of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, and from the dimension of availability, affordability, economic efficiency and environmental stewardship or sustainability of energy. The cross-sectional survey design was employed as the design for the collection and analysis of data. The study applied a quantitative research method in examining the indicators of energy security for SMEs in Accra Metropolis in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The population covered about 500 SMEs who have about 100 employees and total revenue of $1 million or the equivalence in Ghana Cedis. A sample of 246 was selected through a cluster and simple random sampling. The analysis adopted statistical techniques to conduct descriptive, exploratory and inferential analysis of the data collected. Factors that influence the level of energy security of SMEs are broadly categorized into the environment and economic change, political factors, physical disruptions and market conditions. Ge- nerally, the level of energy security under the availability dimension is medium among the SMEs. Issues of affordability, economic efficiency and environmental stewardship provide high medium interventions on energy security for SMEs. It is recommended that managers of Ghana’s energy sector should ensure prudent management of the country’s energy resources since the disruption of supply lines or sources form the key conditions that influence the energy security level of SMEs. SMEs should adopt energy efficiency measures to ensure that energy is conserved for future use.
文摘The population finds more and more difficulties to assess the scope and content of political declaration especially in terms of plausibility and the real intentions of the speakers. This is especially true for the Senegalese public who more and more loses confidence in the political class. The public tends to look at the identity of the political personality and its personal values (morality credibility) to determine what to make of his/her words. On their side, politicians also begin promoting their image through their speeches. At this level, religious ethics seems to be unanimously considered a criterion of good morality among Senegalese politicians. We will try to look through Perelman's theory of argumentation, which Amossy redefined, how, in order to reach the audience, politicians adapt their words to the public, and enhance principles cherished by the populations to win the battle of the image and confidence.
文摘Due to the symbiotic relations between oil and the contemporary Middle East, a global energy transition is bound to affect the Middle East's international status and the power structure among its countries. The power gap between rich and poor countries will widen, and the “big politics of small states” in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar may become more prominent. As economic development has become the top priority of national strategies, many hot spots in the Middle East have cooled down as relations between rival countries have eased and there are even signs of multilateral economic cooperation. Meanwhile, there are signs of vicious economic competition among related countries. With the decline of the Middle East's global importance, the United States and Europe are moving further away while the interdependence between Asia and the Middle East is increasing. Reforms to tackle the energy transition in the Middle East are a race against time, difficult, and uncertain, but the signs so far are positive.
文摘Culture has been exerting an even greater influence on China’s image construction and nation branding in today’s globalizing world.As“culture”is the core of Chinese soft power strategy,the concept of“soft power”has been redefined as“cultural soft power”in the Chinese context.Cultural instruments,including the Chinese language as well as traditional and popular cultures,are widely implemented as the“charm”tools to wield and project China’s soft power.Cultural diplomacy is also viewed as an effective way to promote an understanding of China’s ideals,support Chinese economic goals and enhance Chinese national security in subtle,wide-ranging,and sustainable ways.Although Chinese soft power is still in its“embryonic phase”,partly due to its close link to the country’s economic performance and huge market attraction as well as the disadvantages generated by the political and ideological issues,it has contributed greatly to expand China’s international influence and create a circle of like-minded allies on its periphery,in which process its increasing importance shall not be neglected.
文摘This paper will apply a politically oriented description-critique paradigm developed from the works of Whitehall and Grewell that offers a way to examine works of popular culture, particularly Mars-based science fiction films. Because of the unique nature of these films, primarily which they are set in a future and distant world, they allow us to explore the socio-political landscape in which they were created from a remove that does not exist in "real-world" based works. Specifically we will be examining the governing power (in any particular Mars-based science fiction film) that might be either wielded by business interests or governmental interests. Although it is possible to have both a strong government and a strong business in a society, in many Mars-based science fiction films, government and business seem to represent two sides of a continuum. The stronger the business power structure in the film, the weaker the governmental power structure, and vice-versa.
文摘This essay attempts to explore a kind of philosophy about water that was formed in ancient China,which the author names it“water philosophy”.Historically,the spirit of water philosophy has rich cultural connotations and diverse social representations,and has a far-reaching impact on the promotion of social development in China.In fact,although it is only a common substance,water is an important object of Chinese traditional culture,and especially is a key cultural symbol in Chinese philosophy,politics,poetics,etc.The formation and goal of water philosophy are not to probe into the objective physics of water and its logic of knowledge,but to research the philosophical significance of water as a symbol and object of thinking.Because of its key role in social development,water has been one of the important sources of Chinese philosophical thinking.It is in this metaphysical thinking process that water philosophy with Chinese cultural traditions and characteristics is formed.More importantly,the cultural connotations and characteristics formed by the thinking of shape,nature,emotion,rhyme,momentum,and reason of water have exerted an extensive influence on formation of national character as well as social development.Although water philosophy is the product of Chinese agricultural civilization era,more meaningful is that the positive spirit of water philosophy is also of great value today.