Women and children,war and peace: political agency in time of conflict

The four books under review focus on different aspects of war and conflict, but they all make it clear that women and children are more than their victims. They can be, and often are, active participants in all dimensions of conflict, from taking up arms to working for peace. While all four books paint an appropriately grim picture of war and its impact, there is also some optimism to be found in the resilience shown by women and children as they face the brutality of war and often actively seek to work for peace. Three of the books examine women's involvement in conflict, war, peace and peacemaking, and the aftermath of these events, albeit in very different ways—although all view women as active participants in the process rather than as victims. The fourth book included in this article, Children and global conflict, is not only relevant to the discussion, but also provides another important lens through which we can examine issues of conflict, war and peace. This review article provides insight into the contrition made to the field by these recent books individually, as well as when considered as parts of a whole.     

Women,development, and anthropology: Focus on production and reproduction

Charlton, Sue Ellen M. Women in Third World Development. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1984. xiv + 240 pp. including index and references. $30.00 cloth, $11.95 paper.

Anker, Richard, Mayra Buvinic, and Nadia H. Youssef, eds. Women's Roles and Population Trends in the Third World. London: Croom Helm, 1982. 287 pp. including index and references. $33.50 cloth.     

Crime,collective action and development

Starting from a definition of criminal activity for economic purposes broader than the criminological concept of economic crime, and from an assessment of its empirical importance, the article considers: 1) the relationship between criminal behaviour and economic behaviour, on the hypothesis that criminal activity can in large part be viewed as a component of the broader category of economic activity;the negative effects of crime on the performance of markets and economic systems; The basic hypothesis is that when the social damage caused by crime is assessed, and consequently when the suitability and extent of punitive action is evaluated, the costs/benefits analysis must be extended to include the structural repercussions of crime on collective action and on the supply of public goods. This signifies that a substantial part of the harmful effects of crime affects the long-term competitiveness of local areas or systems, in particular by acting on the so-called non-material production factors, such as human capital, social capital and entrepreneurship. This consequence is particularly serious where the organized crime is able to exert control over a given territory and influence its patterns of development.     

2001年人间佛教学术研讨会综述

中国台湾佛光山文教基金会和美国西来大学于2001年1月8日至10日,在台北市国际会议中心联合主办“2001年人间佛教学术研讨会”。本次会议收到海峡两岸与美国、日本学者的佛教学术论文,会议讨论的内容涵盖历史、哲学、心理、管理、信息等方面。本文就提交会议的论文做一扼要的综述。     

Seeking peace and security in the Horn of Africa: the contribution of the Inter‐Governmental Authority on Development

This article assesses the contribution that IGAD has made to regional security in the Horn of Africa since the adoption of its peace and security mandate in 1996. It describes the evolution of IGAD and its mandate in the context of regional conflict and wider African peace and security processes. It explores the local dynamics of the two major IGAD‐led peace processes, in Sudan (1993–2005) and in Somalia (2002–2004), and discusses the effectiveness of IGAD's institutional role. A consideration of the wider impact of the peace agreements highlights the way IGAD has enhanced its role by setting the agenda on peace support operations in Somalia. The article concludes that IGAD's successes are more the result of regional power politics than of its institutional strength per se. Despite the obvious need for a better regional security framework, the scope for the IGAD Secretariat to develop an autonomous conflict‐resolution capability will remain limited. However, IGAD brings a new diplomatic dimension to conflict management that locks in regional states and locks out interested parties beyond the region. With regard to Somalia, the organization has played a pivotal role in directing African and wider international responses to conflict in the region.     

“第二届近代中国与世界国际学术讨论会”综述

为纪念中国社会科学院近代史研究所建所50周年,中国社会科学院近代史研究所、中国史学会于2000年9月7至9日在北京怡生园国际会议中心隆重召开“第二届近代中国与世界国际学术讨论会”。来自俄罗斯、美国、日本、法国、意大利、波兰、澳大利亚、韩国、新加坡以及中国台湾、香港及内地的150多位中国近代史研究专家出席了会议。与会专家向会议提供论i00多篇,围绕近代中国与世界这一主题的众多问题进行了深入研讨。限于篇幅,本仅从史学理论、政治、经济、中外关系、思想学术、化、人物研究等七个方面,对部分论的主要观点予以介绍,不当之处,尚祈见谅。     

The roots to peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo: conservation as a platform for green development

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is endowed with an abundance of natural resources, and the presence of high‐value resources such as coltan and diamonds is well known. The country is also endowed with a wealth of biodiversity, although the value of this is often overlooked. This article describes the detrimental impact of armed conflict on this biodiversity and the dangers posed by the return of peace, which is likely to result in increased biodiversity exploitation. The resulting loss of key carbon sinks crucial to the global fight against climate change will affect not only the DRC, but also the international community. Biodiversity is therefore identified as a threat to security but also a valuable asset for development, and this article discusses methods to realize the value of biodiversity in the DRC through the benefits of ecosystem services and income generated from monetizing biodiversity. It concludes by arguing that the false dichotomy of conservation and development as separate entities and objectives needs to change so that conservation becomes a central pillar of security and development work in the DRC and other regions of current or recent armed conflict around the world.