International Matters Research Articles

Repositioning African states to prudently engage the global (dis)order and advance peace, security and development

ABSTRACT Africa is by all accounts one of the richest continents but also displays the worst in human security indexes. During colonisation, the continent was characterised by the lack of peace, insecurity and underdevelopment. Moreover, with the demise of colonialism, Africa became a geo-political stake in the rivalries of the Cold War era in a bipolar world. The main casualty in this rivalry was human security on the African continent. Internally, challenges of governance, resources lost to the continent owing to illicit financial flows and the inability of civil society to hold African states to account have also conspired to undermine human security broadly as Africans are not free from want and from fear. Considering the above, Africa remains an underdog in international politics with minimal influence in international organisations and even with less effective influence in operationalisation of international politics. In internal matters, Africa has also failed to ensure human security as a new paradigm for the continent’s realisation of peace, security and development imperatives. Employing qualitative methodology and using secondary data, this conceptual article discusses the need for repositioning African states to prudently engage the global (dis)order and advance peace, security and development.

Sovereignty in the Age of Globalization

States have always had unchallenged sovereign power, but in the present time, this power is collapsing due to the emergence of international organizations, regional organizations, international courts, and tribunals, NGOs & MNCs. Sovereignty and globalization are both concepts that are looked into in this paper through the application of a methodical framework. Global factors influence the internal matters of a state, ultimately affecting the effectiveness of the state's sovereign powers. Furthermore, the paper talks about the challenges faced by the state due to this increased involvement. And opportunities. Undoubtedly, nationalism has risen across the globe because of global expansion. Migration is on the rise due to globalization, and along with it, the nationalistic sentiment has also increased. Numerous nations are facing severe difficulties owing to migration, resulting in a direct impact on state sovereignty. In regards to challenges faced by the sovereignty of the state, the paper even highlights futuristic aspects, keeping in mind the past and historical events that helped mankind throughout this challenging journey.

Africa-China Relations and the Issue of South-South Cooperation

Africa-China or Sino-African relations continue to grow stronger. Africa sees China as a partner in development with the global South-South Cooperation. As a measure of friendship, China constructed the African Union headquarters at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for free. There has been cooperation between China and African countries. China’s role in Africa during the independence struggles is well noted and its development assistance to the continent has been phenomenal over the years. As Africa and China relations continue, several bottlenecks continue to mar the relationship. This paper highlights the bottlenecks of Africa-China relations by tracing the historical ties between China and African states. It delves into Africa-China relations in terms of South-South Cooperation and China’s foreign policy of non-interference in internal matters of other states. It uses 2019 data to analyze China-Africa trade, investments and revenues accruing to both partners. It concludes with how China-African states can achieve mutual benefits.

A TELAAH PERAN KELUARGA DAN LINGKUNGAN TERHADAP PERKEMBANGAN SOSIAL ANAK USIA DINI MENURUT AMNAH H{ASAN ‘ABDU AR-RAH{MAN AL-MUNA<DI DALAM KITAB DAWRU AL-MADRASAH WA AL-'USRAH FI< AT-TANSYI'AH AL-IJTIMA<IYAH ‘INDA AL-AT{FA<L

The process of children's social development is influenced by external factors and internal factors of the child himself. External factors such as family and environment, internal factors such as health aspects, hereditary factors and other internal matters. In reality, parents are often negligent regarding this matter, such as not paying attention to the child's social development and choosing the environment for the child. This research aims to examine the role of parents and the environment in the social development of early childhood. This research uses literature study using works books Amnah H{asan 'Abdu Ar-Rah{man Al-Muna>di with the title Dawru Al-Madrasah Wa Al-'Usrah Fi< At-Tansyi'ah Al-Ijtima>iyah 'Inda Al-At}fa>l as a source primary data with technical content analysis. This research found several roles of family and environment in the social development process of early childhood, such as giving children sufficient time and providing a good environment for early childhood.

Cultivating sustainable development in corporate internal matters: Nexus among high‐performance work systems, creativity, and impersonal trust from normative stakeholder theory

Cultivating sustainable development in corporate internal matters: Nexus among high‐performance work systems, creativity, and impersonal trust from normative stakeholder theory

Evolution of EFTA in Differentiated Integration within Europe

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), established over 60 years ago as an alternative platform for fostering cooperation, has evolved into a crucial component of the pan-European project. The organizational framework underpinning its operations, its developmental trajectory with specific focus on divergences, and the models of differentiated integration (DI) have significantly contributed to its evolution.EFTA's distinct organizational structure, coupled with its pragmatic legal framework, serves as the foundation of its operations. A detailed examination allows for a clear distinction between Switzerland and the three member states of the European Economic Area (EEA), namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.Regarding the EEA, its legal framework is established through collaborative development of legal instruments with the EU. The thematic allocation is carefully structured based on existing competencies; officials of EFTA's pillar bodies within the two-pillar EEA structure maintain productive relations with the EU, while others focus on internal matters. The geographical location of these bodies plays a decisive role: Brussels and Luxembourg are aligned with a broad Eurocentric decision-making paradigm, while those within EFTA prioritize endogenous agendas.Switzerland's integration trajectory relies on a diverse array of regulatory mechanisms aimed at bridging disparate areas and fostering cooperation among participating states. A sectoral approach and bilateral agreement packages with the EU are pivotal, with several EFTA bodies operating within Swiss jurisdiction facilitating convergence with the European market. Amidst the current regional turbulence, the convergence of various factors has enabled EFTA to align with the EU's approach to differentiated integration. While earlier scholarly perspectives on the phenomenon were limited in criteria and tools, subsequent empirical developments have provided a more nuanced understanding. The DI models adopted by EFTA member states closely resemble those of the EU, highlighting their alignment. Ultimately, the Association has become an integral part of European integration, with the quartet of participating countries maintaining greater flexibility in decision-making processes.

Fluid Ecologies, Sovereignty, and Colonialism: Princely contestations over riverine islands in colonial India

This article analyses the disputes over riverine islands between two princely states in colonial southern India in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These disputes arose because of changes in the islands’ landmass caused by water movements. Such tidal temporalities challenged cartographic rigidities and the established notions of sovereignty of states. What were assumed to be sovereign, undisputed and infallible were unsettled by such hydrological power and the fluid ecologies involved. A set of challenges emanated from external concepts arising from colonialism which undermined the native geographical understanding of the land-water continuum due to the monetisation of land. This article makes a critical appraisal of this double challenge to the traditional understanding of fluid ecologies while also highlighting the counter challenges from the princely states. These contests were particularly pronounced as the princely states had considerable autonomy in internal matters of administration and thus differed from the rest of the colonial territory directly ruled by the British in India. The article contributes to the study of riverine islands by investigating the nature and fluidity of shifting islands, whose variation in temporal contexts has been barely acknowledged in Island Studies to date.

Framing curriculum making: bureaucracy and couplings in school administration

ABSTRACT This article aims to undertake a comparative investigation of school administration to understand further the frames of curriculum making. School administration is an under-illuminated aspect of curriculum research. The paper commences from the notion that, in mass education, a school system is operationalized by many schools, which are coupled to each other and to political decisions. Here is the curriculum vital. Building on the classic work of Stefan Hopmann, a curriculum is part of the administrational structure of the school system. The Article suggests several categories that can describe the nature and function of school administration in various contexts. There are external matters of schooling, such as school buildings, school food, etc. and internal matters of schooling, such as curriculum, pedagogy, and evaluation. Individual schools and school administration are coupled via licences, and programmatic, professional, and procedural supervision. The article employs these categories with a comparison of a decentralized Sweden and a centralized Germany. The comparison investigated 290 Swedish municipality school administrations and 45 state education authorities in 4 German federal states. In this comparison many interesting similarities between both contexts can be hightligthed.

Bishops of the Patriarchate of Alexandria travelling to meet their Patriarch in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages: A study of the motives and duration of their journeys

The article considers the theme stated in the title in three separate sections focusing on three regions that were ecclesiastically subordinate to the patriarchate of Alexandria, that is Egypt, Libya Inferior and Pentapolis, and Nubia and Ethiopia. Bishops in the first area, strictly controlled by the patriarch, travelled to Alexandria first to be ordained and later to attend synods called by the patriarch and to conduct routine business, for example requesting financial assistance, waiting for a dispute between hierarchs to be solved, or in the case of breaking the discipline by the bishops or members of the clergy subordinate to them. Churches of Nubia and Ethiopia, located farther afar, sought the patriarch’s attention almost exclusively in order to ordain bishops of the political centres of their states. The patriarch’s ability to directly interfere with the internal matters of these distant Churches was very limited. For each of the examined regions, the author seeks to establish the approximate time required to travel to Alexandria. This section of the paper is based on antique and early medieval sources as well as post-medieval and nineteenth-century travel records.

Italian and French Democracies’ Containment of Communist Unrest in the Early Cold War

After a brief interlude of legality ending in 1947, France and Italy faced violence fuelled by Communist organisations; the most important took place from the autumn of 1947 to the autumn of 1948 and greatly impressed governments and public opinion, sustaining fear of a Communist uprising. Facing this challenge to public order were resolute Ministers of the Interior Mario Scelba and Jules Moch. Their policy gained them the reputation of reso­lute anti-Communists going beyond the limits of democratic legality. This paper questions this simple picture. In fact, for centre-right and centre-left govern­ments ruling these two countries, emergency powers were linked to the state of (civil) war and both ministries’ policies relied mainly on the application of the existing penal code and the mobilisation of existing forces. Moves to strengthen repressive laws depended on a long and uncertain parliamentary process and, without wide political consensus and solid parliamentary majorities, they often proved to be too little or too late. Judiciary repression was sometimes inefficient, leaving the Ministries infuriated by impunity. With the fear of world war peaking in 1950, there were legal efforts to thwart possible Communist support for a Soviet invasion; but those did not appear any more fruitful than prior attempts, and faded when internal matters seemed more urgent than the declining “Red Threat” in the 1950s. This study also highlights the fact that the repression by the Italian state, relying on former Fascist laws and sometimes infringing on civil liberties, was more violent than in France. Casualties caused by law enforcement persisted even after the decrease of Communist activism, underlying the histor­ically higher level of social and political confrontation in Italy.

재산관계에 관한 국제재판관할법의 2022년 개정

In creating the new rules on international jurisdiction created in 2022, the drafters put an emphasis and focus on patrimonial matters. This led to an effort to provide for detailed and sophisticated rules as far as practicable. The legislative model was found in the 1999 Hague Preliminary Draft and the 2005 Hague Choice of Court Convention. So the new rules follow the continental European style of legislation. Concise provisions without detailed clarification were preferred.
 Naturally, the drafters sought to strictly limit each basis of jurisdiction, so as to stay away from exorbitant jurisdiction. Particularly notable is the broad limitation imposed on the place-of-performance jurisdiction for contract cases (Art. 41). A strict limitation was also introduced on the jurisdiction over related claims when they are filed against different defendants (Art. 6(2)).
 However, legislative clarification was not made throughout the amendment. In some places, the drafters minimized the breadth of legislative resolution and chose to defer difficult issues to interpretation. The prime example would be the criteria for establishing a habitual residence. Further limitation to tort jurisdiction at the place of harm, other than the condition of predictability, is also left to the academia and the courts. Establishing the rules of jurisdiction for internal matters of a trust was wholly left as a future task. Notwithstanding this legislative vacuum, the settlor should be allowed make a unilateral choice of forum, although this will be a point of debate.
 In some heads of jurisdiction, the drafters chose to expand the available grounds of jurisdiction, rather than trying to limit them. Justification was found in the realistic considerations and being an autonomous legislation. In this connection, particular attention was paid to the rules of internal jurisdiction provided in the Civil Procedure Act and the rules of international jurisdiction provided in the Japanese Civil Procedure Act as amended in 2011. Special jurisdiction at the place of “continuous and systematic activity” was newly introduced (Art. 4, para. 2); jurisdiction over related claims between the same parties was also preserved (Art. 6, para. 1); the bases of jurisdiction over counterclaims were even expanded, so that a connection with the defense will generally suffice (Art. 7); forum patrimonii as restricted by the “substantial connection” test was also preserved, taking into account the convenience of enforcement (Art. 5 ii); the place-of-performance jurisdiction was broadly preserved in the case characteristic performance is clearly defined (Art. 41, para. 1); contract jurisdiction is to be upheld without limitation at the place of performance (Art. 41, para. 2); no particular limitation is imposed on the contractual agreement over the place of delivery (Art. 41, para. 2), leaving open the possibility of allowing a fictitious agreement to some degree. The new law also sought to provide for sufficiently wide-ranging set of jurisdictional bases for special jurisdiction for contracts in intellectual property (Art. 38) and that for infringement of intellectual property (Art. 39).
 Forum patrimonii as limited by the substantial connect test (Art. 5 ii) and the forum non conveniens provision (Art. 12) deserve special attention, in that they leave a large room of discretion to judges. The two provisions has a potential to function positively by introducing flexibility. Meanwhile, they may end up hindering the interpretive development of sophisticated standards and greater uncertainty.
 Forum patrimonii, even functioning under the constraint of the “substantial connection” test, should only remain a final resort and play its proper function. An excessive use of this basis will cause stagnation of the further development of the Korean law of international jurisdiction, and will practically cause difficulty in having Korean judgments recognized and enforced abroad

Mélange of Humourism, Judaism and Hebraism in Philip Roth's ‘Goodbye, Columbus': An Analytical Study

In the vanguard of rising Jewish ethnicity in America after World War II, Philip Roth penned a novella, 'Goodbye, Columbus'. This incandescently alive novella depicts the embedded flippancy and humor of the lower middle class and upper class. Neil Klugman, a librarian, hailed from Newark. On the other hand, Brenda Patimkin,a college student of an affluent family, lived in Short Hills. Neil, the protagonist and the narrator of the story, falls in love with Brenda.Roth, through the character of Neil, has mildly slated the relationship of Gentiles with other characters. A cursory perusal of the novella also surfaces what elements impelled the writer to show this side ofthe picture regarding the delineation of Jews' internal matters. In this study, we have argued about the novella in terms of its Hebraism and humouristic features; the study has also underpinned how Judaism is reflected in the novella.

Recognition for Convenience! Kenya’s Foreign Policy towards South Africa under Moi’s Era (1978-1998)

During the 1970s, majority of states, including Kenya followed the practice of recognizing states and not governments. In so doing, they downplayed the granting of formal recognition to new governments. Kenya’s policy, then, was clearly stated in parliament in 1971 when the then foreign affairs minister, Dr. Njoroge Mungai, was asked to comment on the Kenya government’s position on the military regime of General Idi Amin of Uganda. He stated, “Kenya could not afford to interfere with internal matters of another state nor let any state interfere with internal matters of Kenya.” However, during the Post–Cold War period, Kenya’s recognition policy underwent major transformations to include recognition of de jure governments. This study critically examines Kenya’s recognition of South Africa government during and after the Cold War in a bid to reveal any distinct policy trends if any during Moi’s era. The study aims to ascertain how, Kenya’s recognition policy, has largely, been formulated, articulated and exercised during Moi’s administration (1978-1998). The central question of this study is this: What recognition trends emerged towards South African government under Moi’s administration (1978-1990)?

Recommendation of Good Practice in the Food-Processing Industry for Preventing and Handling Food Loss and Waste

Food-processing companies are controlled by societal influences and economic interests, but their efforts with regard to reducing food loss and waste are very different. This qualitative study aims to identify basic recommendations of good practice for the food-processing industry in order to prevent and handle food loss and waste. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature review was conducted in the field of food waste prevention and data was collected from thirteen German companies. The findings summarize the recommendations of good practice, which cover the entire supply chain from supplier to consumer and beyond. The analysis showed that the participating companies are already partially aware of operational measures, even if they are applied or mentioned without a systematic approach. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that most activities relate to internal matters, like processing, employees and utilization. However, the responsibility of food-processing companies does not end with internal processes to reduce food waste. The results show that some companies are already aware of their responsibility to be involved along the entire supply chain. Finally, the results show that the needs of consumers and suppliers must also be considered in order to reduce food waste, in addition to direct reduction measures. This paper highlights nine important stages and 53 basic recommendations for companies to address food loss and waste in order to improve their practices.

Institutional Religious Freedom in Full: What the Liberty of Religious Organizations Really Is and Why It Is an “Essential Service” to the Common Good

Should the freedom of churches and other religious institutions come down to little more than a grudging recognition that “what happens in the church, stays in the church”? In this article, I provide a more robust definition of what I call institutional religious freedom than a crabbed and merely negative understanding. In addition, I also go beyond a libertarian-style defense of institutional religious freedom as the ecclesiastical equivalent of the “right to be left alone” by suggesting a multitude of reasons why institutional religious freedom in a robust form deserves robust protection. Especially amidst exigent challenges such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, an anemic appeal to an ecclesiastical version of negative liberty on merely jurisdictional grounds will not be enough to defend religious organizations from an increasingly strong temptation and tendency on the part of political authorities—often acting on the basis of understandable intentions—to subject such organizations to sweeping interference even in the most internal matters. In contrast, the article offers an articulation of why both the internal and external freedoms of religious institutions require maximum deference if they are to offer their indispensable contributions—indeed, their “essential services”—to the shared public good in the United States and other countries throughout the world. Underscoring the external and public dimensions of institutional religious freedom, the article follows the work of law and religion scholar W. Cole Durham in that it analytically disaggregates the freedom of religious institutions into three indispensable components: “substantive”, or the right of self-definition; “vertical”, or the right of self-governance; and “horizontal”, or the right of self-directed outward expression and action.

Über rechtlichen und religiösen Umgang mit Schuld

Summary Law and religion take different approaches in dealing with the phenomenon of guilt. From a legal perspective guilt is the question of responsibility for the act or a crime. This presupposes the concept of free will, which is principally assumed. The law can only consider external actions. This leads to a reduction of complexity, which in turn leads to the necessity of dealing with guilt in other ways as well. Because religion considers internal matters, it is able to fill in the blanks that the legal perspective disregards. Religion therefore allows forgiveness and a chance for a new beginning. The polarity of the legal and religious handling of the concept of guilt is, thus, the prerequisite for their complementarity.

Sovereignty and International Cooperation: Critical Analysis of the Arrival of American Troops in Colombia, an International Law Perspective

The Governments of Colombia and the United States of America agreed that a specialized agency of the United States army would arrive in Colombia in June 2020, among other reasons, to join efforts in order to counter drug trafficking. However, the arrival of the American troops in Colombia is controversial for three main reasons: (i) the importance of the territory with regard to a state's sovereignty; (ii) the fact that the Colombian Government did not fulfil a constitutional requirement concerning the mandatory Senate authorization regarding the transit of foreign troops; (iii) the belief that the American troops are in Colombia to carry out actions against the current Venezuelan Government led by president Nicolás Maduro. This article argues that military assistance is compatible with the UN Charter if requested by a state to cope with internal matters and is carried out according to the terms and conditions previously agreed upon. Even though there are several treaties that could justify the arrival of American troops in Colombia, the lack of consent expressed by the competent authority renders illegal their presence in Colombia. Nonetheless, based on the International Court of Justice jurisprudence, the article acknowledges that it is too soon to say the agreement between Colombia and the US is invalid according to international law, since the criteria established regarding the invalidity of treaties based on consent is very strict.

The Question of Legitimacy: Kenya's Recognition Policy of Governments under Moi during the Cold War – Eastern Africa Countries (1978-1990)

During the 1970’s, majority of states, including Kenya followed the practice of recognizing states and not governments. In so doing, they downplayed the granting of formal recognition to new governments. Kenya’s policy, then, was clearly stated in parliament in 1971 when the then foreign affairs minister, Dr. Njoroge Mungai, was asked to comment on the Kenya government’s position on the military regime of General Idi Amin of Uganda. He stated, “Kenya could not afford to interfere with internal matters of another state nor let any state interfere with internal matters of Kenya.” However, during the Post–Cold War period, Kenya’s recognition policy underwent major transformations to include recognition of de jure governments. This study critically examines Kenya’s practice during and after the Cold War in a bid to reveal any distinct policy trends if any. The study aims to ascertain how, Kenya’s recognition policy, has largely, been formulated, articulated and exercised during Moi’s administration (1978-1990).

Law Enforcement Cooperation of the Member States of the European Union

The article is devoted to the study of law enforcement cooperation of the European Union Member States. The main bodiesresponsible for cooperation in the EU have been identified.It has been determined that the main instrument of police cooperation is the European Police Office, which is a central elementof the wider European internal security architecture. CEPOL has been proven to be the agency that develops, implements and coordinatestraining for law enforcement officers. The EU Analytical Intelligence Centre (EU INTCEN) is not, strictly speaking, a policecooperation body, as it is the Directorate for European External Action Service (EEAS) and deals only with strategic analysis. On theStanding Committee to ensure the development and strengthening of operational cooperation on internal security matters within theUnion (COSI), it promotes coordination among the competent authorities of the member states.

Law Enforcement Cooperation of the Member States of the European Union

The article is devoted to the study of law enforcement cooperation of the European Union Member States. The main bodiesresponsible for cooperation in the EU have been identified.It has been determined that the main instrument of police cooperation is the European Police Office, which is a central elementof the wider European internal security architecture. CEPOL has been proven to be the agency that develops, implements and coordinatestraining for law enforcement officers. The EU Analytical Intelligence Centre (EU INTCEN) is not, strictly speaking, a policecooperation body, as it is the Directorate for European External Action Service (EEAS) and deals only with strategic analysis. On theStanding Committee to ensure the development and strengthening of operational cooperation on internal security matters within theUnion (COSI), it promotes coordination among the competent authorities of the member states.