Dialogue Partners Research Articles

Promoting SCO-GCC Partnership: Shaping and Pursuing an Indian Initiative

The security scenario in West Asia is seamlessly connected; however, it impinges upon the interests of Eurasian countries that make up the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). All SCO members are concerned about the three evils of ‘terrorism, extremism and separatism’ since transnational jihadi groups, such as Al Qaeda and ISIS, anchored in West Asia, get many recruits from SCO members and in turn threaten them with radicalization and violence. SCO also has concerns about the deteriorating ties between major West Asian countries, particularly Iran’s confrontation with Saudi Arabia: the two countries are engaged in proxy wars in Syria and Yemen and have shaped these conflicts in sectarian terms. With the withdrawal of the US from the Iran nuclear agreement, battle-lines have now been drawn between the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia on one side and Iran, Syria, Iraq and, possibly, Russia on the other. Given the importance of the connectivity projects that envisage a central place to West Asia and the significance of ties with the West Asian nations for all SCO members, the article will recommend that India shape and pursue a diplomatic initiative to bring the SCO closer to the GCC members, initially, as dialogue partners and perhaps observers, and later even as full members.

Explorations in multiparty casual social talk and its relevance for social human machine dialogue

Much talk between humans is face-to-face, casual, multiparty, and of indefinite duration. Such casual conversation or social talk facilitates social bonding and mutual co-presence rather than strictly being used to exchange information in order to complete well-defined practical tasks. Artificial partners capable of participating as a speaker or listener in such talk would be useful for companionship, educational, and social contexts. However, to adequately model social talk, such applications require dialogue structure beyond simple question/answer routines. While there is a body of theory on multiparty casual talk, there is a lack of quantitative work in the area. Our work focuses on the anatomy of casual talk, in particular phases of chat, highly interactive dialogue exchanges, and chunks, longer contributions from single participants in the dialogue. We outline the current knowledge on the structure of casual talk and describe our investigations in this domain. Our research finds that distributions of the durations of chat and chunk phases vary with chat being shorter than chunk phases. Chat is also more common at the start of conversations, with chunks becoming more prominent as the conversation progresses. Laughter and overlap are more common in chat phases than chunk phases. We discuss how these insights can inform the design and implementation of truly social machine dialogue partners.

‘Philosophizing with’

In this essay, I shall present key points from my dr.phil thesis (Higher Doctorate/Habilitation), Epistemological concerns – querying the learning field from a philosophical point of view (Dohn, 2017).1 The aim is to provide an overview of the thesis and to present its main argument for a form of applied philosophy where philosophy takes on the role of dialogue partner with a voice of its own. By way of illustration, I shall highlight some of the issues I have engaged with in this role as well as the answers which dialogue with other disciplines has led me to as regards these issues. First, I present the field, aim, and structure of the thesis. Second, I explicate what I mean by ‘philosophizing with’ and point out four different ways in which one can undertake this venture. Philosophy may dialogue with many disciplines in many areas; the ones I have engaged with fall within the learning field. To further the comprehensibility of my more specific concerns within this field, in the third section I articulate the philosophical outset from which I speak: With inspiration from Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Wittgenstein and Dreyfus, I hold a view of human existence as being-in-the-world and an approach to knowledge as fundamentally involving tacit aspects. This outset is developed throughout the thesis, in dialogue with other disciplines. In section four, I briefly present the resulting philosophical view of knowledge. In section five, I articulate more specifically a number of the issues within the learning field which have helped me develop this view. Section six conversely summarizes some key points which my philosophizing with on these issues have led me to contribute to the disciplines. I end with a few concluding remarks on concerns to engage with in continuation from the results of my thesis.

Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles

Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles

Hartmut Rosa als Gesprächspartner für die Theologie

Hartmut Rosa as Dialogue Partner for Theology A double analytical strength of resonance theory can be found, on the one hand, in that Rosa’s category of transformation mirrors the Christian understanding of conversion, while on the other hand, certain phenomena such as milieu narrowing or alienation of Church fromsociety can be seen as a loss of resonance. The author argues that Rosa consistently presents the notion of resonance as something inevitably positive in the sense of a normative monism and that this is inconsistent with Christian concepts of salvation and redemption. Instead the author points to a negative theology which hangs on to divine mystery.

The influence of conceptual (mis)match on collaborative referring in dialogue.

When two dialogue partners need to refer to something, they jointly negotiate which referring expression should be used. If needed, the chosen referring expression is then reused throughout the interaction, which potentially has a direct, positive impact on subsequent communication. The purpose of this study was to determine if the way in which the partners view, or conceptualise, the referent under discussion, affects referring expression negotiation and subsequent communication. A matching task was preceded by an individual task during which participants were required to describe their conceptualisations of abstract tangram pictures. The results revealed that participants found it more difficult to converge on single referring expression during the matching task when they initially held different conceptualisations of the pictures. This had a negative impact on the remainder of the task. These findings are discussed in light of the shared versus mutual knowledge distinction, highlighting how the former directly contributes to the formation of the latter.

Forensic Expertise as a Basic Mechanism for Enforcing the Rule of Law in SCO Member States

The platform of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has become one of the priority formats of modern international cooperation in the field of forensic science. This is due to the role of forensic expertise in the detection and investigation of crimes of terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as in other areas that require the application of specialized knowledge. The stepping up of cooperation between forensic science organizations has been taking place in response to the decision of the Meeting of the Ministers of Justice of SCO member states to establish an expert working group on forensic practices. The plan is to implement a whole range of measures within the functional framework of the group to consolidate the capabilities of forensic science in SCO member states, as a way of improving the quality of forensic services and reducing turnaround times. As part of an ongoing effort to harmonize methodological approaches to the tasks facing the working group, the article analyzes the legislation of a number of states participating in SCO activities. The issues of retraining and professional development of experts, as well as the training of research personnel constitute a separate area of cooperation. It is proposed to consider the Forensic Science Department of the Law Institute of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia as an organizational and technical platform for educational cooperation among member states, observer states, and SCO dialogue partners on the issues of in-service professional development of forensic personnel.

Post-TPP Trade Policy Options for ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners: “Preference Ordering” Using CGE Analysis

Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and his “America First” trade agenda ignite a second round of interest in mega-free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific. Countries are evaluating alternative trade policy actions in a post-TPP era. Using national real GDP gains estimated by a modified GTAP model to construct “preference ordering” for 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations members and their six regional dialogue partners, this paper comes up with several policy-oriented findings. First, when multilateral agreements are not possible, countries are better off with a regional trading agreement than without one. Second, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is likely to have higher beneficial impacts than the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Third, for dual-track countries, implementing both agreements is better than each separately. Fourth, impacts of open regionalism are likely to be higher than those of a closed and reciprocal one. Going forward, this paper argues that countries should adopt a “multi-track, multi-stage” approach to trade policy.

Диалоговая структура речи как средство формирования коммуникативной компетенции студентов в процессе обучения иностранному языку

The research examines the aspects of developing communicative competence among students in foreign language teaching through role-playing dialogues. The concept of the type of dialogue is described based on the mental attitude of participants of communication. The research highlights the dictum, modal, and regulative types of dialogue. As a rule, a lecturer turns out to be a lead partner in dialogue. He manages the grasp of educational material by students, promotes them to use comprehensive speech patterns. Besides, a lecturer can provide guidelines for collaboration, cooperation or, conversely, resistance until the end or a point of dialogue. Role-playing situations involving legal terminology are exemplified in the research. The author notes that role-playing dialogues engage all students having the different background knowledge in learning English.

France and the Blue Pacific

AbstractUnder the concept of the ‘Blue Pacific’, island nations are placing increased priority on the oceans, seeking to integrate policy on climate change, maritime security, fisheries and ocean biodiversity. This agenda however affects France, one of the remaining colonial powers in the Pacific, which controls a vast maritime domain in the region. The 2016 decision to incorporate the French dependencies New Caledonia and French Polynesia as full members of the Pacific Islands Forum raises a series of diplomatic challenges for Forum island countries. This article outlines France's interest in the Blue Pacific, in areas such as exclusive economic zones, security, research, climate and maritime boundaries. It then details problems facing Forum member countries arising from France's ongoing control of its three dependencies in the region, including uncertainty over legal standing in the Forum; the capacity to sign treaties; policy making on security in the Forum; policy issues on fisheries and climate in other member agencies of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific; relations with other Forum dialogue partners; resource exploitation by the colonial power; and disputes over maritime boundaries.

Regional Maritime Cooperation in Maintaining Maritime Security and Stability: A Test Case for ASEAN Unity and Centrality

Southeast and East Asia region has emerged as a global strategic maritime. Yet, maritime in the region remains vulnerable with overlapping claims on sea borders, piracy attacks and other transnational challenges at sea. For these purposes, some major powers in the region such as the US, China and Indonesia have launched their respective strategies in securing maritime for their interests. To harmonize the various interests, ASEAN with its counterparts in East Asia region need an ASEAN-led, inclusive and comprehensive regional maritime mechanism and strategic partnership between ASEAN member states and its dialog partners to maintain good order at sea. In November 2015, the East Asian Summit eventually launched a joint statement on Enhancing Regional Maritime Cooperation to justify the centrality of ASEAN and to counter the failure of ASEAN Defense Minister Meeting. In such case, ASEAN member states need to manage their disunity to minimize hindrances of the realization and implementation of the plan. This paper mainly elaborates the reasons why the region needs regional maritime cooperation and challenges that ASEAN have to deal with in order to implement the ASEAN unity and centrality in promoting maritime cooperation and regional stability. To explain the maritime strategies of ASEAN and its dialogue partners, this study uses qualitative methods and utilizes states’ documents as well as ASEAN statements particularly on maritime issues.

The Bible in a Disenchanted Age: The Enduring Possibility of Christian Faith

The Bible in a Disenchanted Age: The Enduring Possibility of Christian Faith

The Gospel of Matthew on the Landscape of Antiquity

The Gospel of Matthew on the Landscape of Antiquity

Foucault - maoismen, genealogien

Foucault’s inspiration from Nietzsche in terms of his approach to the writing of history is difficult to overestimate. However, this article will advance an interpretation of Foucault’s approach to history which focuses on another, and less readily evident, dialogue partner in his authorship, namely the Marxist tradition and, more precisely, French Maoism. In the first part it is argued that Foucault’s practical experience from his involvement in the Maoist inspired activist group, Groupe d’information sur les prisons (GIP), left crucial marks on his contemporaneous statements on the genealogical method and his elaboration of the power-knowledge nexus. In the second part of the article it is demonstrated how the activism of GIP is reflected in his lectures at Collège de France in 1976. The aim of the article is threefold. Firstly, to bring attention to other (largely neglected) sources of inspiration for Foucault’s genealogical approach than Nietzsche. Secondly, to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of Foucault’s relationship to Marxism, which is frequently portrayed rather one-sidedly as unambiguously negative. And thirdly, to demonstrate concretely how principles originating from Maoist political activism reappear, not only in Foucault’s practical commitment to GIP, but also in his theoretical considerationsof genealogy.

The Hungarian Constitutional Court: A Constructive Partner in Constitutional Dialogue

Following the landslide victory of the Fidesz party in 2010, the new government, backed by a two-thirds majority in the parliament, started quickly transforming politics and to some extent the polity of Hungary as well. Due to the high international reputation of the Hungarian Constitutional Court, attacks against the Court became widely followed in the international scientific community. Several volumes and articles dealt with the transformation of constitutional adjudication after 2010, but no one focused on the question of whether the backlash against the Court had any ground in the practice of constitutional adjudication in Hungary. This chapter will explore to what extent the HCC has really constrained the room for manoeuvre of the legislator in Hungary after the democratic transformation process, and examine whether the narrative of a Court unduly entering the political field and, consequently, constraining too heavily the democratically elected parliamentary majority might prove true. We will argue that the practice of the HCC and its position within the system of separation of powers might be best described as a partner in a constitutional dialogue. In this position, the HCC signalized quite frequently that the legislator departed from the path of constitutionality but, at the same time, developed a highly refined instrumentarium not to constrain too heavily the legislator. Thus, the attitude of the court towards the legislator has been cooperative and partnerial rather than confrontative.

Reflection in practice as source of values: The cross-cultural creation of a health-care ethic in post-apartheid South Africa

As a starting-point, in his well-known definition of a 'practice', Alasdair MacIntyre argues that the 'reflection' involved in 'practice', is best understood as a dialogue between different partners, whether individuals or groups. Such reflection, aimed as it is at the achievement of excellence in the practice concerned, can (if pursued with rigour and commitment), uncover values embedded in the practice which, however limited the practice (rugby, gardening), have a wider, even universal, scope. When the partners in dialogue have general recognition of one another (religions, countries, professional bodies, political parties), these values can provide materials for a Global Ethic (Parliament of the World's Religions), that is constructed from the bottom up (the Oregon Plan), rather than by some public authority (the United Nations). This article provides grounds for this view by examining the practice of health-care in post-apartheid South Africa, and the co-reflection of scientific health-care professionals and traditional healers, that are part of constructing a new model for health-care that better serves the needs of all South Africans. This dialogue may uncover values whose scope is wider than that of health-care and which could provide a really humane foundation for a society containing different cultures.

Ecclesiology today and its potential to serve a missionary church

This article engages the theme of the 2017 meeting of the American Society of Missiology: “Missiology’s Dialogue Partners: Practitioners and Scholars Conversing about the Future of Mission.” It seeks to contribute to that conversation by providing a survey of the discipline of ecclesiology with an eye towards how it might learn from the field of mission and how it might inform it. This exploration begins by defining some of the goals, methods, and boundaries of the field of ecclesiology. It then considers three critical issues at the forefront of ecclesiological work today: 1) questions emanating from the ecumenical sphere; 2) shifting demographics within Christianity and corresponding calls for new ecclesial structures, and 3) the necessity of a more robust engagement between ecclesiology and the social sciences. The concluding section offers some reflections about how the current state of ecclesiology might provide glimpses of the future of ecclesiology and what light it might shine on the future of missiology.

Adam’s Dust and Adam’s Glory in the Hodayot and the Letters of Paul: Rethinking Anthropogony and Theology by Nicholas A. Meyer

Reviewed by: Adam’s Dust and Adam’s Glory in the Hodayot and the Letters of Paul: Rethinking Anthropogony and Theology by Nicholas A. Meyer Jason Maston nicholas a. meyer, Adam’s Dust and Adam’s Glory in the Hodayot and the Letters of Paul: Rethinking Anthropogony and Theology (NovTSup 168; Leiden: Brill, 2016). Pp. vii + 291. Paper $138. This study addresses how the hymnists of the Hodayot and Paul interpreted the creation accounts of humanity in Genesis 1–3. Paul and the Hodayot offer similar pessimistic accounts of humanity and prioritize divine action, which makes them fruitful dialogue partners. Meyer’s study is careful and creative as he provides close readings of the relevant texts. The volume is a revised version of a Ph.D. dissertation submitted to McMaster University (supervised by Stephen Westerholm, co-supervised by Eileen Schuller). In a lengthy treatment of the Hodayot (chap. 2), M. argues that the Hodayot juxtapose two traditions: Adam as a creature from dust (Gen 2:6–7) and an exalted humanity depicted in texts like Gen 1:26–27 and Psalm 8. Reading these creation statements through the lens of other texts, particularly Job, the hymnists present the human dilemma as resulting from [End Page 533] the nature of creatureliness. Three themes stand out in the hymnists’ assessment of humanity’s creatureliness: “finitude, sinfulness, and impurity” (p. 34), the latter expressed especially with sexual imagery. M. contends that the propensity toward sinfulness and impurity is, for the hymnists, part of God’s plan. Humanity is drawn beyond the inherent weaknesses of creatureliness by attaining the glory of Adam. The Hodayot present a duality of sorts as the earthiness of Adam is set in contrast to a heavenly experience. M. stresses that this is not merely a return to some pre-fallen Adamic existence. Crucial to M.’s project is a challenge to the creation–fall–redemption paradigm. He argues instead for the pattern of “intention–creation–history–fruition” (p. 78). Meyer argues that the Hodayot are not an isolated account of humanity; rather, other Dead Sea Scrolls share similar perspectives. In particular he draws strong parallels with the Two Spirits Treatise in 1QS 3.13–4.26 and the Self-Glorification Psalm, which is found in some copies of the Hodayot but also exists as a separate text. Chapters 3–5 form the heart of this study as M. discusses a range of Pauline texts dealing with creation motifs. In chap. 3, he addresses texts outside of Romans, and in chap. 4 he treats the letter to the Romans. Chapter 5 is a brief summary of the two previous chapters. Much of the discussion in chap. 3 deals with the “image of God.” This particular idea is found in Romans, which provides a fuller account of Paul’s view of Adam and Jesus with a particular focus on the moral implications of the deeds of these figures. Adam represents the earthly image, which is passed to all of Adam’s descendants by birth, while Christ is the heavenly image after which Adam was created and into which believers are being transformed. By becoming human, Christ accomplishes the human project by completing the task of ruling over creation. He thus succeeds where Adam failed. Yet Adam’s failure was the result not of a transgression but of the limitations of his earthly existence. M. contends that Paul operates with a duality between earth and heaven, not a creation–fall–redemption model. Meyer’s project addresses some of the most disputed Pauline texts so there will be points at which readers will disagree with his exegetical decisions. His thesis does not stand or fall with any single text, and in many instances his arguments are persuasive. The study would have benefited from more discussion about how the Hodayot and Paul intersect. The study has the feel at points of being two separate projects. Nevertheless, this should not distract from the value of this fine study. M.’s work deserves careful assessment and further discussion. Jason Maston Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX 77047 Copyright © 2018 The Catholic Biblical Association of America

Two Gifts from Goethe: Charlotte von Stein's and Charlotte Schiller's Writing-Tables

Two Gifts from Goethe:Charlotte von Stein's and Charlotte Schiller's Writing-Tables Linda Dietrick It is well known that before and after his transformative journey to Italy (1786–88), Goethe enjoyed two intense, decade-long friendships: with Charlotte von Stein in the decade before Italy, and with Charlotte Schiller from 1794 until the latter's death in 1805. What is less known, even now, is that both Charlotte von Stein and Charlotte Schiller were writers in their own right. In 1779 and 1794, Goethe gave the gift of a desk or "writing-table" (Schreibtisch) to Charlotte von Stein and Charlotte Schiller, respectively. In what follows, I explore the histories of these two gifts and the associated acts of gift-giving as staged by Goethe in these two phases of his life. As pieces of furniture used for the purpose of writing, and as gifts from a male writer to women who also wrote, the two desks suggest a range of meanings for both the giver and the two Charlottes who were the recipients. Social theorists have long argued that gifts are never "free," but always figure in a complex system of social relationships founded upon mutual expectation and obligation. As we shall see, Goethe's gifts are good examples of that.1 Charlotte von Stein (1742–1827) was a lady of the court of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, serving chiefly as a companion to Duchess Luise, the wife of Goethe's patron Duke Karl August, and to his mother the Dowager Duchess Anna Amalia. She had been married since 1764 to Karl August's master of stables, Josias von Stein, and had borne seven children, of whom only three had survived infancy. Soon after Goethe's arrival in Weimar in 1776, she became the object of his intense desire. Of the thousands of letters and notes they exchanged, only Goethe's (about 1600) have survived.2 Those letters document an intimate though most likely platonic relationship, as well as a fully shared social and intellectual life. Stein introduced him to the intricacies of aristocratic court life, and Goethe introduced her to his many literary and scientific pursuits, for which her education and reading made her the ideal dialogue partner. Their relationship was interrupted when Goethe abruptly departed for Italy in 1786, and it eventually broke off when, after his return in 1788, he entered a common-law relationship with Christiane Vulpius, a young woman of lower social status. Charlotte Schiller (1766–1826), née von Lengefeld, was born into impoverished nobility in Rudolstadt, 40 km from Weimar. Charlotte von Stein, as a friend of the family, was present at her christening, and when the younger Charlotte reached adulthood, the two women became close [End Page 203] friends, a relationship that continued for the rest of their lives. Charlotte von Lengefeld was married to Friedrich Schiller in 1790, and they had four children together before Friedrich's death at the age of 45. Charlotte von Stein's side of the two women's correspondence is still extant and can be read at the Goethe and Schiller Archive (GSA) in Weimar and, in heavily abridged and amended form, in volume 2 of Ludwig Urlichs' Charlotte Schiller und ihre Freunde (1862).3 The GSA holdings comprise 165 letters.4 The first letter dates from 1783 and the last from 1825, but the vast majority are from the decade and a half leading up to 1799, when the Schillers moved from Jena to Weimar, close to Stein. The letters not only chronicle Charlotte von Stein's and implicitly Charlotte Schiller's relationships with the famous male writers, but also offer insider knowledge of the literary scene: who and what was being read and talked about during this significant period in German culture. This epistolary conversation links Jena and Weimar long before Goethe and Friedrich Schiller began their own friendship and collaboration in 1794. It also documents the fact that both Charlottes were active as writers. The literary works of Charlotte von Stein include, in addition to several poems and translations, four dramas that have survived and can be attributed to her: the short drama Rino (1776), the tragedy Dido (1794), the comedy...

Post-TPP Trade Policy Options for ASEAN and Its Dialogue Partners: 'Preference Ordering' Using CGE Analysis

Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and his “America First” trade agenda ignite a second round of interest in mega-free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific. Countries are evaluating alternative trade policy actions in a post-TPP era. Using national real GDP gains estimated by a modified GTAP model to construct “preference ordering” for 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations members and their six regional dialogue partners, this paper comes up with several policy-oriented findings. First, when multilateral agreements are not possible, countries are better off with a regional trading agreement than without one. Second, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is likely to have higher beneficial impacts than the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Third, for dual-track countries, implementing both agreements is better than each separately. Fourth, impacts of open regionalism are likely to be higher than those of a closed and reciprocal one. Going forward, this paper argues that countries should adopt a “multi-track, multi-stage” approach to trade policy.