Suchergebnisse

This collection of essays by David Pion-Berlin examines civil-military relations in Latin America during a period of uncertain democratization. In this timely study, Pion-Berlin argues that scholars need to adopt new analytical perspectives because of changes in the international order, as well as trends in political science scholarship. Pion-Berlin states that the study of civil military relations in Latin America has been hampered by its isolation from comparative politics. He believes that the field has not taken advantage of "theoretical innovations from the outside that could have potentially valuable applications within. Instead, it has fallen back on itself, dredging up familiar ideas that have yielded diminishing returns over time" (p. 2). Pion-Berlin's critique of the state of the scholarship is convincing. Major changes --the end of the Cold War, the rising importance of anti-U.S. sentiment within some regional militaries, the ideological dominance of neo-liberalism, and the growing power of globalization-- call for scholars to rethink many shibboleths. Yet this volume is uneven. Despite some extremely good articles, some important issues are untouched and opportunities missed.

An enduring paradox lies at the heart of Brazilian politics. The Brazilian Army has long suffered from corruption at the highest levels so extreme as to create disquiet throughout the institution. Yet the Brazilian military, like other armed forces in Latin America, has justified its involvement in politics and society by accusing civilians of corruption. Despite repeated revelations of military corruption, soldiers and civilians as well have sometimes accepted the armed forces' use of this moral discourse. For example, an anonymous businessman wrote General Pedro Aurélio de Góes Monteiro on 30 November 1954: "The country is on the brink of financial and economic ruin. This state of things is the result of the abuses of past governments and of the deceased President Vargas and the generalized corruption. … The only solution for the reestablishment of confidence in the exterior would be the delivery of the government to a military dictatorship" (emphasis in the original).2 Thirty years later, at the close of authoritarian rule in Brazil, a daring journalist named Carlos Alberto de Carli exposed rampant corruption within the military's intelligence services. Yet Carli himself dedicated his book in part to "the armed forces—the moral reserves of our people" (cover page, Carli 1985).

After the emergence of H5N1 avian influenza in 1997 Hong Kong implemented a sophisticated system to regulate live poultry markets. While this system is well implemented and thorough, it also has limitations. The rise of H7N9 avian influenza (which is typically acquired through contact with poultry, including in live markets) makes this an appropriate time to revisit the ethical and practical issues related to this trade. Based on data from field observations of live markets in Hong Kong, and interviews with experts in the field, this paper recommends that the government of Hong Kong create a committee to examine the pros and cons of ending live poultry markets in this Special Administrative Region.

Viral samples of avian influenza are essential to preparing pre-pandemic vaccines. In 2007, the conflicting interests of the developed and developing nations led Indonesia to briefly stop sharing viral samples. The result was a struggle in which the two blocs argued for different paradigms for viral sample sharing. The first paradigm, articulated by the developed world, depicted the issue as one of health security, in which international law mandated the sharing of viral samples. The second paradigm, advanced by the developing world, depicted viral sample sharing as a form of biopiracy, which violated countries' sovereign control of their biological resources. Ultimately, the second paradigm proved more politically effective, enabling developing nations to achieve many of their goals through the WHO's 2011 pandemic influenza plan. This paper examines how this plan was shaped by Indonesia's argument that the global public good required a new approach to global health governance, in order to eliminate neocolonial power relationships.

"This innovative introduction to international and global studies, updated and revised in a new edition, offers instructors in the social sciences and humanities a core textbook for teaching undergraduates in this rapidly growing field. Encompassing the latest scholarship in what is a markedly interdisciplinary endeavor, Shawn Smallman and Kimberley Brown introduce key concepts, themes, and issues and then examine each in lively chapters on essential topics that include the history of globalization; economic, political, and cultural globalization; security, energy, and development; health; agriculture and food; and the environment. Within these topics, the authors explore such timely and pressing subjects as commodity chains, labor (including present-day slavery), human rights, multinational corporations, and the connections among them"--

"This innovative introduction to international and global studies, updated and revised in a new edition, offers instructors in the social sciences and humanities a core textbook for teaching undergraduates in this rapidly growing field. Encompassing the latest scholarship in what is a markedly interdisciplinary endeavor, Shawn Smallman and Kimberley Brown introduce key concepts, themes, and issues and then examine each in lively chapters on essential topics that include the history of globalization; economic, political, and cultural globalization; security, energy, and development; health; agriculture and food; and the environment. Within these topics, the authors explore such timely and pressing subjects as commodity chains, labor (including present-day slavery), human rights, multinational corporations, and the connections among them"--

Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Officers versus Politicians, 1889-1930; 2. Chaos, Communism, and Terror, 1930-1937; 3. The Meaning of Independence, 1937-1945; 4. The Struggle over Petroleum, 1945-1948; 5. The Clash of Ideologies, 1949; 6. The Victory of the Nationalists, 1949-1951; 7. Betrayal, Torture, and Suicide, 1951-1954; 8. The Foundations of Military Rule; Epilogue; Notes; Bibliography; Index

The death of Alberto Nisman, the chief investigator of the 1994 AMIA bombing in Argentina, unleashed conspiracy theories and significant political turmoil upon President Cristina Fernández. We study the case and trace two of these theories, asking what they tell us about the Argentine political system and what can be inferred with respect to other countries in Latin America. We confirm that nations with high levels of political polarization are fertile ground for the emergence of conspiracy theories and that domestic and international media play an important role in both giving credence to and spreading such theories.