Free and Fair? Rhodesians Reflect on the Elections of 1979 and 1980

The elections of April 1979 and February 1980 were the first in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe's history to permit universal adult suffrage, allowing for black majority rule. In the first election, Bishop Abel Muzorewa's United African National Council (UANC) won an overwhelming victory, while in the second, British-supervised election, Muzorewa's party was soundly defeated and Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) won over 60% of the vote. By interviewing present and former white Rhodesians, located via Facebook and the print magazine Rhodesians Worldwide, who were witnesses to these two critical elections, this study aims to shed light on which of them was more representative of the will of the people of Zimbabwe, at least in the eyes of the country's white minority.     

试论布什政府对华政策的调整

美国布什政府对华政策的调整是冷战结束期间美国对外战略调整的一个重要方面.布什当政的四年是美国政府对华政策调整的四年,这一调整过程大致经历了四个阶段.在调整中布什政府对华政策的演变呈现出六大特点一是过程前起后伏;二是目标为演变和遏制中国;三是出发点着眼于长期性和全面性;四是政策的矛盾性;五是突出了人权政策;六是表现出政治问题经济化和经济问题政治化.导致布什政府调整对华政策的直接原因是“六·四”风波,但是,冷战的结束及因此而造成的美国战略利益的转变,才是布什政府改变对华政策的根本动因.     

Reflections of a London-Irish musician: an interview with Cáit O'Riordan

The second-generation Irish have played a major role in the history of popular music in Britain. The significance of Irish ethnicity in the lives and work of these musicians has recently been addressed. However, scant attention has been paid to issues of gender amongst this generation of musicians, and the role of female musicians has been largely overlooked. This essay seeks to address this issue, via an interview with Cáit O'Riordan, the former bass guitarist (and occasional vocalist) in The Pogues. The article suggests that the voice of O'Riordan might serve as a useful starting point in addressing the role of female musicians amongst the Irish diaspora in Britain.     

‘Enormous Opportunities’ and ‘Hot Frontiers’: Sub-Saharan Africa in U.S. Grand Strategy, 2001-Present

Abstract

This article argues that, in the 21st century, there has been a significant turnaround in the US approach to Sub-Saharan Africa. No longer is the region viewed solely as the site of human tragedy and internal wars where Washington has no tangible interests. Instead, US policymakers have increasingly viewed this part of Africa as a site of valuable commercial, geopolitical, and security interests—with particular emphasis on petroleum reserves, the market potential of its growing population, and its apparent locus as a site of transnational Islamist terrorism. Sub-Saharan Africa is now considered in grand strategic terms. Unintended consequences of US intervention are already visible, however; as it integrates the region into its global strategic calculus, the United States has begun to repeat mistakes made in other key regions of the world.     

U.S. Financial Aid for Iraq Under the Engagement Policy, 1988–1990

Abstract

This article reframes our understanding of the pre-Gulf War U.S. policy toward Iraq away from the issue of why the Bush administration ignored evidence that Saddam Hussein was not reciprocating U.S. efforts to moderate his behavior. Rather, it asks why the Bush administration did not consider Saddam’s abuse of U.S. export credit programs as relevant for evaluating Iraqi intentions and the efficacy of the engagement policy. It traces debates among federal agencies about two export credit programs to show that strategic considerations drove decisions to preserve or suspend these programs even though Iraq’s financial behavior offered insights earlier in time about its strategic intentions. While the Bush administration intended for engagement to reward or punish Saddam depending on his behavior, my examination of export credit controversies shows that it did not establish a rationale for deciding when and how to punish Iraq for threatening or abusive behavior.     

布什"单边主义"的文化传统

布什的单边主义深深地植根于美国文化传统之中,它根源于美国的个人主义传统,发展于美国的"天赋使命"的观念,强化于美国的"清教传统和白人优越论"的观念,成就于美国的"善恶二元论"。单边主义是美国历代统治者孜孜以求的目标之一,也是美国历史文化中最深厚的积淀之一。从这个意义上说,无论谁成为美国的总统,在美国霸权衰落以前,单边主义都将是美国外交最明显的风格。     

A New Frequency Analysis Method for Constructing Fire Histories from Flowering Events in Austral Grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea australis) from Southern Victoria

Austral Grasstrees often flower in response to fire, leaving a discernable scar on the trunk. These scars act as a record of flowering, and by measuring the distance between the scars, and relating the growth to a known growth rate, a fire chronology can be constructed from each measured tree. By analysing the frequency distributions of the fire dates calculated from a population of grasstrees, lengthy fire chronologies can be constructed. While the results are provisional, a resolution of two years and spans exceeding 100 years are possible. The technique has considerable advantages over current methods, and should find applications in fire ecology, ecological history and vegetation management.     

Martin Luther King,Jr, and the Possibilities of Democratic Politics

Abstract

This essay moves beyond the limits of the post-September 11 debate over national security versus civil liberties to consider again the possibilities of democratic politics. It briefly surveys three Protestant interpretations of American democracy that have dominated recent debates. These interpretations leave us with the dilemma of having to choose between democratic dissent and the political pursuit of the good. Such a dilemma begs for other interpretations. Martin Luther King, Jr, stands as an obvious but neglected resource. His interpretation of democracy reconciles the pursuit of the good, a substantive politics, with diversity and dissent. This argument requires the retrieval or reconstruction of King's interpretation, which involves an examination of King's religious convictions as well as his engagement in and reflection on the political arena. The essay concludes by suggesting how King's interpretation informs contemporary debates and shapes Christian practice.