The Four-stroke Cycle in Security Studies

The purpose of this article is to consider the future prospects for the discipline of security studies in the face of a rising agenda of global, as well as national and international security issues. The author argues that security studies has not found it easy to accommodate itself to a transforming world scene. In particular, it failed disappointingly the challenge posed by the revolutions of 1989–91 which it neither foresaw nor, subsequently, has explained with much insight. The reasons for this are a consequence of its constrained world view, framed by the values of Classical Realism. It remains in its essentials a discipline shaped by the shocks of the late 1940s, which engendered it. However, several groups of scholars have begun to respond to these deficiencies, and the article notes several heartening trends. The time is ripe to press forward, it is argued, and two areas where work is still relatively undeveloped are suggested. A focus upon understanding the phenomenon of stereotyping is proposed as an effective way to improve understanding of global culture. The transformation of political agency demands a new approach to power politics.     

The Pendulum of Congressional Power: Agenda Change,Partisanship and the Demise of the Post-World War II Foreign Policy Consensus

Many scholars contend that Congress rarely matters in the realm of foreign policy. The source of this collective impotence is often explained by the weaknesses in congressional institutions vis-a-vis the president, as well as a general inability to respond effectively to a dynamic international political environment. We contend that the debate over congressional activism has not adequately addressed the role of agenda change. We analyze all roll call votes in the House of Representatives relating to the international affairs agenda between 1953 and 1998. We find that presidents have become significantly more likely to stake out positions on economic and trade issues as compared to other international issues. We also observe that presidential positions in the realm of foreign policy are increasingly characterized by interparty and interinstitutional conflict. While this increased conflict has dramatically decreased the president's ability to successfully pass executive priorities in foreign affairs more generally, presidential success on economic and trade issues has witnessed a significantly greater decline. We infer from these results that changes to the foreign policy issue agenda represent one important factor that has affected not only the incentives for political parties to participate actively, but also the willingness of Congress to challenge the president in the foreign policy debate.Asked one day whether it was true that the navy yard in his district was too small to accommodate the latest battleships. Henry Stimson (chair of the House Naval Affairs Committee early in the century) replied, 'That is true, and that is the reason I have always been in favor of small ships.'1Carriers have been, are and will be for the foreseeable future an absolutely essential part of our deterrence force…2John Warner, senator from Virginia, home state of Newport News Shipbuilding     

Expressions of fertility in the rock art of Bantu-speaking agriculturists

This paper presents an overview of the Late White rock paintings of south-central and southern Africa. It is argued that the most recent paintings were produced by matrilineal or bilateral Bantu-speaking agriculturists, although links with earlier hunter-gatherer groups are also implied. It is noted that certain motifs reoccur over great geographical distances. Ethnographic data are used in order to suggest a possible meaning for these motifs and for the paintings in general. It is argued that many of these paintings embody conceptual associations linking them to fertility. A general outline of the most obvious associations is presented, and a plea is made for detailed regional surveys in order to explain temporal and spatial differences.

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Résumé Cet article présente une vue d'ensemble sur les peintures rupestres Late White d'Afrique australe et du sud de l'Afrique centrale. Il défend l'idée que les peintures les plus récentes ont été produites par des agriculteurs matrilinéaires ou bilatéraux parlant le bantou, tout en supposant des rapports avec des groupes plus anciens vivant de la chasse et de la cueillette. On remarque que certains motifs réapparaissent à de grandes distances géographiques. L'article s'appuie sur des données ethnographiques pour suggérer une signification possible à ces motifs ainsi qu'aux peintures en général. Il démontre que nombreuses de ces peintures représentent des associations conceptuelles les associant à la fertilité. Un aperçu général des associations les plus évidentes est présenté et les auteurs demandent que des études régionales détaillées soient effectuées afin d'expliquer les différences temporelles et spatiales.

     

THE ORIGIN OF THE OAK RIDGES AND ORANGEVILLE MORAINES OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO

T he O rangeville and Oak Ridges moraines have long been considered the main Iandforms constructed during the initial deglaciation of southern Ontario. Recent mapping and stratigraphic studies indicate that they were deposited rather later than the initial phase of deglaciation. This note briefly describes some of these recent developments.