Princes and Parliaments in the Arab World

2004 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Herb
Keyword(s):  
Arab World ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
The World

Several Arab monarchies have held reasonably free elections to parliaments, though all remain authoritarian. This article compares the Arab monarchies with parliaments in other parts of the world, including both those that became democracies, and those that did not. From this I derive a set of prerequisites, potential pitfalls, and expected stages in the monarchical path toward democracy. This helps us to understand not only the democratic potential of the parliamentary experiments in the Arab monarchies, but also the role these parliaments play in the political life of these authoritarian regimes.

Plato

Classics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Brisson ◽  
Richard Dufour
Keyword(s):  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Military Force ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Political Role ◽  
Material Growth ◽  
The World ◽  
Principal Points ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Intellectual Knowledge

Born at Athens in a family of noble descent, Plato (b. c. 428–427– d. c. 348–347 bce) naturally sought throughout his life to play a political role as councilor or legislator, not only at Athens but also abroad, especially in Sicily. A writer and philosopher, Plato was above all a citizen who, as is attested by the ten books of the Republic and the twelve books of the Laws (which constitute almost half of his work), wished to reform the political life of his city by assigning power not to wealth or to military force, but to knowledge. Against the traditional vision of culture in his time, essentially transmitted by poetry, Plato proposed a new system of education based on knowledge, in which mathematics plays an important role, and which culminates in the contemplation of true realities and of the Good. Plato’s life is therefore inseparable from his thought. Fairly early, a dogmatism (the term being taken in the minimal sense of the exposition of a doctrine) developed, with the appearance of a doctrine whose principal points became more specific over time. This doctrine is characterized by a twofold reversal. First, the world of things perceived by the senses is a mere image of a set of intelligible forms that represent true reality, for they possess the principle of their existence within themselves. Second, human beings cannot be reduced to their bodies, for their true identity coincides instead with an incorporeal entity, the soul, that accounts for all motion, both material (growth, locomotion, etc.) and spiritual (feelings, sense perceptions, intellectual knowledge, and so on).

scholarly journals PATRIOTIC VALUE ORIENTATIONS OF KAZAKHSTAN'S YOUTH

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-141
Author(s):  
V.H. Nabiyev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Political System ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Processes Of Change ◽  
Special Role ◽  
The World ◽  
Political Conditions ◽  
People Today

The article examines the problem of patriotism, which plays a special role in the political life of modern Kazakhstan. In fact, in all over the world, young people today are in very difficult socio- economic and political conditions, when their entry into life is accompanied by changing and peculiar processes of change not only political system or economic mechanisms of management. The change in the system of spiritual and moral values, guidelines and ideals of all citizens, especially young people, is impressive.

Jordan's Media Strategy and Its Role in Combating Terrorism

2019 ◽  
pp. 46-74
Author(s):  
Hnai Al Badri ◽  
Hanan Al-Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Arab World ◽  
The Political ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Arab Media ◽  
Strategic Value ◽  
The Social ◽  
Major Player ◽  
The World

There is no doubt that media plays a key role in modern societies, as it has become the main source for the formation of collective awareness among citizens around the world. In light of the real vile war the Arab world has been witnessing against terrorism, media has become a major player in the confrontation. Today, the Arab world is facing terrorist and fanatic attacks that take religion as a cover for its atrocities and hideous actions, disturbing the peace and amity in communities, and causing a lot of harm to innocent people, destruction of infrastructure, and devastating impact on economy and the social structure. Unfortunately, Jordan's media—as is the case with other Arab media—seems to have issues with their adopted strategies to deal with terrorism, its causes, and influencing factors. The chapter provides the details and findings of a study that attempts to characterize the approach adopted by Jordan's media coverage of terrorism and to investigate and appraise the strategic value of such approach, leading to the recommendation for a more effective strategy that is based on proper understanding of the political, social, and economic environment and other key factors.

A New Political Pacifism

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-77
Author(s):  
William R. Marty ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World War I ◽  
Peace Movement ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
World War ◽  
The World ◽  
Christian Love ◽  
The Church

In the aftermath of the carnage of World War I, a politically engaged pacifism spread rapidly among a number of traditionally non-peace churches, and among the populations of England and America. This pacifism meant to be effective in the world, and it was: it swayed the democracies of England and America to adopt many of its policies. It meant to achieve peace and end war. Represented as what Christian love requires in political life, it failed utterly and completely in its aims both as political prescription and understanding of Christianity. The relevance of this essay is that many of the erroneous assumptions and failed policies of the church peace movement of the 1930s appear to be still the assumptions and policies of secular statesmen of the present. The errors of the political pacifists live on, and if they are not corrected, the consequences are likely to be the same, or worse, for next time, unless we are wiser than the last, the evil ones may prevail.

American Jews, Israel and Public Policy

Worldview ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Balfour Brickner
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Arab World ◽  
The Political ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
National Liberation ◽  
American Jews ◽  
The World ◽  
Political Center

Israel the David has become Israel the Goliath. In the eyes of millions, a much-admired underdog withstood heroically, even miraculously in June of 1967, the threat of annihilation from the giant military menace of the combined Arab armies. Four and a half years later this underdog has become, in the minds of those same millions, an aggressive, obstinate, muscle-bound upstart, not only blocking all possibilities for normalcy in the Middle East but, far more dangerously, threatening the peace of the world. As this reversal of image hardens, political postures change. Here in America, those in the political center see Israel as an obstacle to broader economic trade and thus to easier diplomatic relations with the vast Arab world, while from the left, Israel stands condemned as an imperialist tool of the capitalist powers, preventing the legitimate national liberation of millions of oppressed Arab fellahin.

Religion, Religiosity and the Place of Islam in Political Life: Insights from the Arab Barometer Surveys

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Tessler
Keyword(s):  
Arab World ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Role ◽  
Civic Values ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Islam And Democracy

AbstractThis paper explores the nature and determinants of attitudes toward the political role of Islam held by ordinary citizens in the Arab world. Based on results from nationally representative surveys carried out in seven Arab states during 2006-2007, it engages the pervasive debate about Islam and democracy—showing that the significant divide is not between those who favor democracy and those who favor Islam, but between those who favor secular democracy and those who favor a political system that is both democratic and Islamic in some meaningful way. Furthermore, this analysis finds that the civic values and predispositions of individuals who favor a political role for Islam are overwhelmingly similar to those of individuals who favor a separation of religion and politics. The paper also finds little consistency in the factors that incline individuals towards support for political Islam in the different countries surveyed. Most importantly, this analysis concludes that there is little or no incompatibility between Islam and democracy in the public mind and that a proper understanding of the reasons and ways that Muslim Arab publics think about governance and the political role of Islam is possible only if attention is paid to the particular political and societal contexts within which attitudes are formed.

scholarly journals ESCALATION OF CRISIS IN POLITICAL SYSTEMS

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 188-198
Author(s):  
Lidiia Kostetska
Keyword(s):  
Political Ideology ◽  
Political System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The World

Transformational changes have been taking place in the political systems in many countries of the world over the last few decades. This issue arouses the great interest of scientists and researchers. In the article, I pay particular attention to the study of the “traditional” and “new” party systems and their role in the country’s contemporary political life. Given the challenge of the day, I see populism as a problem with its impact on democracy along with such issues as the role of populist parties and the citizens’ attitude to them; the analysis of problems developing in the political process, particularly, in parties and movements of the populist type; the formation and development of multi-party systems and democracy as a whole.Populism is considered in the article as a political ideology. This phenomenon is investigated as a component of the political parties’ activities, especially, of the Ukrainian parties. A comparative analysis of populist parties in the European Union and Ukraine has been carried out.I analyze the main factors of populism’s influence on the party-political system on the examples of the European countries and Ukraine. I also prove that populism has always occupied a special place in the implementation of programs of political leaders and parties. It is noted that populism remains the current day phenomenon of both the party-political system and the socio-economic life of the countries in the world. Having a considerable influence over the politics of the countries, where functioning of democratic institutions is relatively inexperienced, populism has a rather clear manifestation in the modern political space and the “old” democracies. There is a clear link between increasing populism and exacerbating socio-economic problems. The inability of the political establishment, including the democratic one, to respond effectively to new problems and challenges is an important factor contributing to the emergence and growth of populist influence.The in-depth analysis of the populist rhetorical and political effects on the development of modern democracy is particularly important, i. e. the margins between the reality and virtuality, truth and falsehood are leveling; facts lose their value; deconstruction of truth takes place; traditional ideologies are destroyed; moral relativism, hypocrisy and  double standards are spreading out.

scholarly journals Youth Movements, Civil Disobedience, and the Skandalon of the Ecological Crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. e38231
Author(s):  
Nuno Pereira Castanheira
Keyword(s):  
Political Thought ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Youth Movements ◽  
Current State ◽  
The World ◽  
Refusal To Participate ◽  
Life On Earth

The ecological crisis is endangering life on Earth as we know it, giving rise to multiple protests, strikes and marches around the world, most of them lead by children and teenagers. The aim of this paper is to argue for the legitimacy of the presence of children and teenagers in political life in the current state of the ecological crisis through a seemingly paradoxical kind of participation: civil disobedience, i.e. refusal to participate. The paper will start by addressing the need to think the ecological crisis and analyze its origins; it will then consider the significance of the role performed by children and teenagers in the political stances regarding the crisis on the basis of Hannah Arendt’s ontological-political thought.

scholarly journals Opportunities and Challenges of the DPW Crescent Star Party in Elections in North Sumatra

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-391
Author(s):  
Hasrat Efendi Samosir
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
United Nations ◽  
General Election ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Muslim Country ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
The University ◽  
North Sumatra

In the context of Indonesia where the population is predominantly Muslim (even the largest Muslim country in the world) the views above are very relevant if linked to the political life of Muslims. In the 2009 General Election the UN vote was greatly reduced and could not exceed the 2.5% threshold, so that they could not place their representatives in the DPR RI, in connection with that the UN DPP through the Independent Survey Institute of the University of Indonesia (UI) had done survey to find out the causes, with results: first, the Candidate Figure is unknown or unpopular. Second, party administrators are less well known and not close to the community. Third, programs and issues are not in accordance with the aspirations of the people. Fourth, the image of leaders and administrators is rarely covered by the mass media. Fifth, the performance of legislators and regional heads from the United Nations is not aspiration and less publicized.

Fighting for Virtue

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan McCargo
Keyword(s):  
Prime Minister ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
World View ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Political Order ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
The World

This book investigates how Thailand's judges were tasked by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) in 2006 with helping to solve the country's intractable political problems—and what happened next. Across the last decade of Rama IX's rule, the book examines the world of Thai judges: how they were recruited, trained, and promoted, and how they were socialized into a conservative world view that emphasized the proximity between the judiciary and the monarchy. The book delves into three pivotal freedom of expression cases that illuminate Thai legal and cultural understandings of sedition and treason, before examining the ways in which accusations of disloyalty made against controversial former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra came to occupy a central place in the political life of a deeply polarized nation. The book navigates the highly contentious role of the Constitutional Court as a key player in overseeing and regulating Thailand's political order before concluding with reflections on the significance of the Bhumibol era of “judicialization” in Thailand. In the end, under a new king, who appears far less reluctant to assert his own power and authority, the Thai courts may now assume somewhat less significance as a tool of the monarchical network.

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