Publishing Institution: CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política / Topic: Politics

Author:: Rafael Cuesta
Publication Date:: 06-2005
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
Abstract:: In this article, I analyze some political and philosophical references taken from the movie, The Lord of the Rings. This production was immensely popular at the end of the twentieth century (from a literary perspective as well as from a cinematography viewpoint) however it maintains many characteristics of epic poems and ancient legends such as the expressions of Beowulf. The article aims to establish the terms of a central debate in contemporary political theory by examining the representation of communitarianism and liberalism portrayed in J.R. Tolkien ́s work.
Topic:: Civil Society, Development, Education, and Politics

Author:: Adriana Borjas Benavente
Publication Date:: 06-2005
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
Abstract:: Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas' participation in the 1988 presidential election gave rise to the creation of a charisma that allowed him to found the Democratic Revolutionary Party. This founding was based on charismatic authority. On the other hand, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the current governor of the Federal District, acceded to the national political scene with a spontaneous leadership supported, but not designated, by Cárdenas. This type of leadership, in addition to several tactics, has situated him in a privileged position in comparison with other political actors also running for president. It is the purpose of this text to analyze López Obrador's leadership and political strategies based on the theoretical contributions of Max Weber and Jay Haley. Furthermore, this paper aims to build on the research that is empirically developed in her book, Partido de la Revolución Democrática. Estructura, organización interna y desempeño público, 1989-2003, as well as ato contribute to ongoing theoretical debates in the social sciences.
Topic:: Democratization, Government, and Politics

Author:: Iaki Martnez de Albeniz
Publication Date:: 06-2005
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
Abstract:: This article is concerned with the scientific production of politics from a critical viewpoint. Using a constructivist perspective, it analyzes the so-called black box of political science, namely the essence of politics itself. Although protected from critique, because in principle a discipline cannot question the object of its analysis, it is precisely the definition of politics that is the most controversial and thus requires further analysis. Therefore, the central theme of political science is the definition of politics. I contend that once politics is defined, not as a certainty but as a scientific construction, it raises many questions: Why does the issue of the meaning of politics emerge? How does political science construct politics? What are the discursive effects of this construction in the political sphere? What does it mean to “do politics” and how do we define political action? It is these questions that I seek to address in this article.
Topic:: Development, Politics, and Science and Technology

Author:: María de los Ángeles Yannuzzi
Publication Date:: 06-2005
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
Abstract:: In this article I argue that the relationship between ethics and politics in modern democracy is tense and dangerous. In particular, it is dangerous because ethics introduces a strong moral relativism. Moreover, in complex societies this connection cannot be sustained in the field of politics. That is, when power enters the ethical dimension it distorts it because the discourse of ethics becomes a way of justifying power. It is this interweaving that causes constant tension between ethics and politics such that there is never a satisfactory resolution. Therefore, I purport that only the implementation of an argumentative logic that starts with the recognition of the precariousness and ambivalence of the relation between ethics and politics can serve as a protection against those distortions. Without this approach there is risk that the spaces of liberty will be limited by the power of the state in the name of ethics.
Topic:: Development, Government, Human Rights, and Politics

Author:: Philip Sebastian Mller
Publication Date:: 06-2005
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
Abstract:: Global governance offers an alternative perspective from which to imagine world order and is becoming a serious contender for explaining how we see the world and it is guiding us in legitimizing our actions in the world. Who are the politicians of global governance? What can we expect from them? What is their agenda? In order to address these questions, two things are necessary: We need to look at the structural and generative logic of global governance, identify its politics, and question the real people that are the politicians of global governance that have real-world impacts in a world order conceptualized as global governance.
Topic:: Development, Government, International Organization, and Politics

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