The End of Pax Americana

In The End of Pax Americana, Naoki Sakai focuses on U.S. hegemony's long history in East Asia and the effects of its decline on contemporary conceptions of internationality. Engaging with themes of nationality in conjunction with internationality, the civilizational construction of differences between East and West, and empire and decolonization, Sakai focuses on the formation of a nationalism of hikikomori, or “reclusive withdrawal”—Japan’s increasingly inward-looking tendency since the late 1990s, named for the phenomenon of the nation’s young people sequestering themselves from public life. Sakai argues that the exhaustion of Pax Americana and the post--World War II international order—under which Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and China experienced rapid modernization through consumer capitalism and a media revolution—signals neither the “decline of the West” nor the rise of the East, but, rather a dislocation and decentering of European and North American political, economic, diplomatic, and intellectual influence. This decentering is symbolized by the sense of the loss of old colonial empires such as those of Japan, Britain, and the United States.

The evolution of the Gulf Coopera-tion Council approaches to security issues after the Arab Spring

The painful consequences of political, economic and social shocks provoked by the Arab Spring forced the political elites of the Middle Eastern states to revisit traditional approaches to maintaining stability and security in the region. This inevitably aff ected the activities of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which was from the outset established in order to enhance cooperation between the countries of the region primarily in the fi eld of security. This paper attempts to identify the key milestones, factors and trends that have shaped the GCC decision-making process in the security sphere over the past 10 years since the beginning of the Arab Spring. The author shows that the Arab Awakening has encouraged the GCC member-states to deepen military-political integration, aimed at strengthening their defense capabilities, as well as their abilities to respond to external and internal challenges. The author notes that the GCC countries still view Iran as the main source of all these threats; moreover, con-sidering substantial strengthening of Iran’s infl uence in the Middle East their position has even hardened. Tehran is accused of meddling in the internal aff airs of the GCC member-states, supporting illegal Shiite groups operating on their territory, and instigating religious discord. In this context, it is quite natural that the Iran’s nuclear programme is of particular concern to the GCC. At the same time, the author emphasizes, that although the GCC member-states declare common approach towards Iran, their practical actions can vary signifi cantly. In particular, it was Qatar which opposed an excessively hard-line approach towards Iran. This fact, as well as accusations against Doha of supporting terrorist and extremist groups, led to two crises that shook the GCC in the 2010s. However, the fact that these crises have been eventually settled shows that security issues still press regional actors towards strengthening the capacities of the GCC. Especially since military threats have been compounded by a new threat — of the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The author concludes that this new threat, which has already incited the GCC to promote cooperation in a health sector, will also strengthen the member-states’ focus on various nonmilitary challenges including epidemiological and environmental ones.

Never Ask for a Lighter Rain but a Stronger Umbrella

In a recent editorial in the journal Nature Sustainability, the editors raised the concern that journal submissions on water studies appear too similar. The gist of the editorial: “too many publications and not enough ideas.” In this response, we contest this notion, and point to the numerous new ideas that result from taking a broader view of the water science field. Drawing inspiration from a recently hosted conference geared at transcending traditional disciplinary silos and forging new paradigms for water research, we are, in fact, enthusiastic and optimistic about the ways scientists are investigating political, economic, historical, and cultural intersections toward more just and sustainable human-water relations and ways of knowing.

NAPOLEON, THE MAIN CHARACTER IN GEORGE ORWELL’S ANIMAL FARM, AS THE SYMBOL OF STALIN (A STUDY IN SEMIOTIC APPROACH)

Literary work, such as a novel, is an imitation of the facts that it can be analyzedin symbol that can show how the facts enter in it. Semiotic is one approach thatcan be used to analyze how the symbol works in a literary work. This study is toexplain on how Orwell portrays Napoleon in his Animal farm, to explain on howStalin is, and to explain the aspects that Napoleon symbolizes Stalin in Orwell’sAnimal Farm. The data, which is analyzed in terms of semiotic analysis, isselected into the symbol of Napoleon because this central character has a bigpart of the story. The researcher thinks that Orwell reflects this character toanimal which has a hidden purpose and considers that animal relates to personswhich the story is made. There are three problems to discuss, namely (1) whatare Napoleon’s traits? (2) What are Stalin’s traits? (3) What aspects doesNapoleon symbolize Stalin? The results show that the symbol of pig (Napoleon)has many special traits such as leaderships, intelligence, and unique characterand so Joseph Stalin (the actor of Russian revolution), which people describedhim having his own traits. Both of them have correlation in political, economic, and social and cultural aspect

Platformed professionalization: Labor, assets, and earning a livelihood through Airbnb

This paper analyses processes of professionalization on Airbnb in Berlin, exploring who is able to take part most successfully in urban value creation processes facilitated by short-term rental platforms. In doing so, it intervenes in debates on platform urbanism that focus on the role of digital platforms in reconfiguring urban governance and livelihoods. Combining a political economic approach and affordance theory, I conceptualize professionalization as a particular platform logic that benefits Airbnb and hosts who are able to take part, while reinforcing existing inequalities. Drawing on eight months of fieldwork in Berlin, I show how these professionalization practices differentially affect the strategies and practices of hosts, offering benefits to some while worsening the position of others who are unable or unwilling to professionalize. As such, professionalization processes produce inequalities and power asymmetries both on and off the platform, between hosts as well as between the platform owner and platform users. In a context where a growing number of city-dwellers rely on platforms to generate their livelihoods, such power shifts resulting from platform dynamics have a significant impact on who is able to benefit from platformization and thrive in a platform society.

Challenges in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations

Given the variety of actions concentrating on peacekeeping with significant successful operations, the United Nations (UN) continues to encounter concerns and challenges that have hampered its peacekeeping operations’ efficiency, effectiveness, and performance. This article aimed to investigate the primary challenges that adversely influence peacekeeping operations and challenge them based on the security theory proposed by Barry Buzan. According to the study’s findings, UN peacekeeping missions have been successful in addressing conflict situations and promoting peace in many regions of the world. Nevertheless, faults and challenges, notably in terms of the operations’ political, economic, and societal factors, have restricted the peacekeeping operations’ ability to achieve their objectives successfully. Therefore, a better policy that includes all involved actors, especially local government and the population, should be established in order to rebuild a conflict-torn country.

Application of AHP and PESTEL-SWOT Analysis on The Study of Military Amphibious Aircraft Acquisition Decision Making in Indonesia

Indonesia’s characteristics as an archipelagic state along with the increase of traditional and non-traditional threats in Indonesia require the ownership of military amphibious aircraft to oversee its maritime territories and perform logistics distribution to remote areas with minimum accessibility, especially its outermost islands. This study applied a combination of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), Political, Economic, Social, Techonology, Environment, and Legal (PESTEL) and Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis to conduct a structured, systematic, measurable, and comprehensive decision-making process for selecting military amphibious aircraft and prescribe strategic recommendations on the acquisition plan. By using 3 criteria, 14 sub-criteria, and 3 alternative aircraft models, the results of AHP analysis showed that the Beriev Be-200 aircraft are the most preferred aircraft by the Indonesian users. The results of PESTEL-SWOT analysis show that good diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the manufacturer’s country of origin, users’ support to the plan, and user’s ability to adapt in operating and maintaining the aircraft support this decision. Meanwhile, limited fiscal capacity and domestic aircraft maintenance facilities/depots, as well as the risk of spare parts scarcity, have to be addressed for Indonesia to acquire its own military amphibious aircrafts.

Lebanon faces yet another political-economic crisis

Headline LEBANON: Yet another political-economic crisis emerges

Corruption Prevention in Legislative Drafting in Indonesia

Corruption not only happens in the implementation of legislation or policy (administrative corruption) but also in the process of legislative drafting (state capture). Since the establishment of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), many members of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), or government officials have been arrested and convicted of criminal acts due to legislative corruption. In legislative corruption, the actors involved consist of the interest parties and lawmakers. The interest parties attempt to obtain political, economic, and social benefits (supernormal profits) from the formulated legislation. To the same extent, the lawmakers expect the money or other personal benefits from the interest parties in return for the assistance given. Legislative corruption will lead to disorganized policy implementation, loss on the national economy, public distrust of the law-maker institutions, and long-term effect of distrust of law and democracy. Several prevention strategies of legislative corruption can be employed by improving four principles of legislative drafting: management, professionalism, justification, and public participation.

Die Rechte indigener Völker im Menschenrechtssystem

This textbook offers insights into the recently established special rights regime on indigenous peoples’ rights at international level. The reader is guided from the early beginnings of this issue in the 1970s to current jurisprudential developments. International and regional norms are introduced and contrasted with societal and political challenges. The book also opens broader debates on the politics of recognition and decolonisation, multilateral systems and global governance, the pluralisation of society and its institutions, collective rights and the meaning of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. This group-specific field of the international human rights protection system is viewed through the lenses of international law and socio-political approaches.