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71. TOWARDS REDEFINING THE NEWS AGENDA IN THE NIGERIAN MEDIA FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Author:
Osakue Stevenson Omoera
Publication Date:
06-2014
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy International Relations
Institution:
Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Abstract:
The media (radio, television, film, print, social networks, etc) are change agents in contemporary world. They can be/should be deployed to ensure the culture of peace as well as galvanise other agents of development in 21st century societies, especially in Africa, where peace and sustainable development appear to be eluding many countries, including Nigeria, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Somalia , to mention a few. Appraising the state of affairs in Nigeria, Igbuzor (2006) warns that several intelligence reports on Nigeria indicate that if the country is unable to create about 24 million jobs for its gr owing population, to provide effective platforms and infrastructures for fighting corruption, and to ensure equitable distribution of its abundant wealth, it could become a failed state.
Political Geography:
Africa, Canada, and Zimbabwe

72. Women and Democracy in Zimbabwe

Author:
Tony Reeler
Publication Date:
10-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Afrobarometer
Abstract:
Women are mostly marginalised in African political processes, but they have one key area of equality with their menfolk, and that is in voting: The ballot does not discriminate, even if the results of the balloting frequently do not meet the expectations of the voter. Though not the democracy, elections are an important component of democracy, and even though studies indicate that African citizens have been losing faith in the value of elections, elections offer the only peaceful path for attaining and consolidating democracy (Moehler, 2005; Moehler and Lindberg, 2007; Logan and Cho, 2009; Logan, 2008a). But in the largely patriarchal societies that make up most African countries, do women have the same voice and level of participation as their menfolk?
Topic:
Gender Issues, Elections, Democracy, and Feminism
Political Geography:
Africa and Zimbabwe

73. Burden or Boom: The Impact of Burmese Refugess on Thailand

Author:
Inge Brees
Publication Date:
10-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
In the West, refugees are increasingly regarded as a menace, especially in the aftermath of 9/11 which led to heightened securitization of migration and anxieties about 'the other'. However, this discourse is better justified in developing countries which have to deal with mass influxes of refugees into their territory when the conflict of neighboring countries spills over their borders. In such cases, refugees can pose a security threat to the host country. For example, they can attract attacks from across the border which present a hazard to the local populations or they can be mixed in with the armed forces as in the case of Interahamwe with the Tutsi in the Congo. Relief aid can be used by leaders to control their fellow refugees and finance their own insurgent activities, which can prolong the conflict in a country of origin. Moreover, refugee camps provide a breeding ground for political radicalism, militancy, and recruitment into rebel groups. If a violent act is committed, there is often no adequate law enforcement system to punish the offenders. Since most camps are not entirely closed, the problems of crime, violence, and militarization leach out into the surrounding host community. The presence of refugees can thus pose a security problem, but the host country is usually also affected on a political, economic and environmental level. For example, large numbers of refugees who are in desperate need of cash are in a weak bargaining position. They feel obliged to accept lower wages, which may have a detrimental effect on the wages and employment rates of the native population. This can result in rising tensions, as was the case recently in South Africa, where survival migrants2 from Zimbabwe were blamed for declining economic conditions. Governments usually try to reduce potential tensions by compelling refugees to stay in camps.
Political Geography:
South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, and Thailand

74. Electoral Conflict and Justice: The Case of Zimbabwe

Author:
Conrad Nyamutata
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
African Journal of Legal Studies
Institution:
The Africa Law Institute
Abstract:
In recent years, Africa has faced a new form of conflict arising from disputed elections. Incumbents have refused to vacate office after apparently losing elections, triggering violent conflict. Regional organisations have invested considerable political energy to manage these conflicts. Post-electoral conflict accords (PECAs) resulting in power-sharing have been the favoured modus vivendi with regional mediators. However, little attention has been paid to the crucial issue of justice in the management of these disputes. Like most conflicts, electoral conflict centres on perceived injustice in the electoral process. Therefore, in order to manage these conflicts in an effective way, justice must be acknowledged in both procedural and substantive content. This article focuses on management of electoral conflict in Zimbabwe. It argues that the protracted post-electoral conflict in Zimbabwe can be explained, to a large extent, through failure to acknowledge procedural, distributive and retributive justice concerns.
Political Geography:
Africa and Zimbabwe

75. The Trials and Tribulations of Constitutionalism and the Constitution Making Process in Zimbabwe

Author:
Jephias Mapuva
Publication Date:
05-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations
Institution:
Center for International Conflict Resolution at Yalova University
Abstract:
Constitutionalism in Zimbabwe has been characterised by controversy with citizens getting a raw deal. The colonial era was characterised by deprivation of basic rights and civil liberties. A plethora of constitutions were established to try and create a semblance of black representativity. The post-colonial era was informed by governance structures provided by the Lancaster House Constitutional document which was a surrender document that brought the protracted liberation struggle to an end. The vagaries of the Lancaster House Constitution lived to haunt even those who fought for the country, leading to an expression of dissatisfaction with its contents. After successive indecisive elections conducted under the Lancaster House Constitution, the political and economic crises of 2008 led to an impasse and the signing of the Global Political Agreement which gave birth to the Inclusive Government, a transitional arrangement during which a new constitutional draft would be written and put to a referendum. This paper will explore the general theory of constitutions from the Aristotelian classical perspective. Thereafter the paper will also provide an overview of the concept of constitutionalism, followed by the case of Zimbabwe from the colonial era and the various constitutional documents that existed. The recent political development and the role of civil society herein represented by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) will be presented and how the civic group has articulated the constitution reform debate since its inception in 1997.
Political Geography:
Zimbabwe

76. Zimbabwe: An Opportunity for Closer U.S.-South Africa Relations

Author:
John Campbell
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Council on Foreign Relations
Abstract:
As Zimbabwe moves closer to elections, the prospect for political violence, even civil war, grows. President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are wrangling over a new constitution and the timing of upcoming elections. The eighty-eight-year-old Mugabe is suffering from cancer and wants elections soon to ensure his "liberation" legacy. At the same time, Mugabe-allied military factions, flush with off-the-books cash from Marange diamonds mined in the eastern part of the country, are mobilizing to stay in power when Mugabe dies. Political murder is on the upswing and Zimbabwe is as tense and divided now as it was during the run-up to the violent 2008 elections.
Topic:
Political Violence, Corruption, Democratization, and Fragile/Failed State
Political Geography:
Africa, United States, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

77. Growing but not transforming: Fragmented ruling coalitions and economic developments in Uganda

Author:
Anne Mette Kjær and Mesharch Katusiimeh
Publication Date:
03-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:
When the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and its leader, Yoweri Museveni, came to power, they had an explicit agenda of industrializing the economy (Kjær and Muhumuza, 2009). Improved infrastructure and increased production and productivity were the focus. Indeed, Uganda enjoyed a period of sustained economic growth of about 7 percent annually between 1990 and 2006 (Piron and Norton, 2004; Kjær and Muhumuza, 2009), made possible by a stable ruling coalition, macro-economic stability, low inflation (until recently), and relative peace. Poverty declined from 56 percent in 1991 to 25 percent in 20101 However, there has been limited structural transformation in terms of a shift from agriculture to industry. A number of explanations for this could be put forward, whether institutional, policy-oriented or geographical (Selassie, 2008; van de Walle, 2001). None of them, however, explains fully how Uganda, in spite of an initially highly dedicated ruling elite, did not succeed in transforming its economy. For example, Uganda is a landlocked country, but so is Zimbabwe, which is far more industrialized. Similarly, while Uganda certainly has weak institutions, so did other countries that have succeeded in industrializing (Selassie, 2008).
Topic:
Agriculture, Development, Economics, Industrial Policy, and Post Colonialism
Political Geography:
Uganda, Africa, and Zimbabwe

78. The struggle for a democratic Zimbabwe

Author:
Glanis Changachirere
Publication Date:
11-2012
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL)
Abstract:
The follow up ‘Zimbabwe Youth Civil Society conference’ which we held in June in Zimbabwe under the World Youth Movement for Democracy, led to youth activists, and including activists and representatives from various organizations agreeing to start focusing on building a vibrant movement to fight the country’s common enemy of autocracy before other pertinent issues such as national development. This platform for movement building which was agreed to is the Organizing for Zimbabwe initiative which I totally subscribe to and presents me with another opportunity to fight with all other sectors in the country; to fight for a democratic Zimbabwe, where there is social justice and everyone is deemed equal regardless of their age, gender, geographical orientation, spiritual beliefs among other natural differences.
Topic:
Civil Society, Human Rights, Democracy, Autocracy, and Activism
Political Geography:
Africa and Zimbabwe

79. Briefly Noted

Publication Date:
05-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Abstract:
No abstract is available.
Political Geography:
China, Saudi Arabia, and Zimbabwe

80. Walking the Talk: Cash transfers and gender dynamics

Author:
Carol Brady
Publication Date:
05-2011
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Concern Worldwide (Concern) and Oxfam GB (Oxfam) jointly commissioned this report to look at the impacts of cash transfers (CTs) on gender dynamics both within households and communities. This report was commissioned because of the agencies' concerns that while CTs, now being used in many different emergency contexts, are expected to benefit women and contribute towards their empowerment, there was little evidence being collected to see whether this was in fact happening. The learning from this report will inform future gender sensitive CT programmes.
Topic:
Security, Economics, Gender Issues, and Food
Political Geography:
Kenya, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe