scholarly journals The 1987 ISA Arrests and International Civil Society: Responses to Political Repression in Singapore

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-27
Author(s):  
Marc Rerceretnam
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Large Role ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Political Repression ◽  
Political Dissent

The penalizing of prominent opposition figures via the Singaporean legal system has made many weary of confronting the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) government on their own turf. Unwilling to take up this challenge, some Singaporeans appear more willing to push for change overseas – beyond the clutches of the PAP government. This article will trace the development of political dissent from abroad and how such actions played a formidable role during the so-called 'Marxist' conspiracy arrests in 1987 and how such alternative political viewpoints will continue to play a large role in shaping criticism and opposition to the present repressive political climate in Singapore.

The Rise of Digital Repression

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Feldstein
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Political Repression ◽  
The World ◽  
Dna Collection ◽  
Opposition Movements ◽  
Mass Surveillance

This book documents the rise of digital repression—how governments are deploying new technologies to counter dissent, maintain political control, and ensure regime survival. The emergence of varied digital technologies is bringing new dimensions to political repression. At its core, the expanding use of digital repression reflects a fairly simple motivation: states are seeking and finding new ways to control, manipulate, surveil, or disrupt real or perceived threats. This book investigates the goals, motivations, and drivers of digital repression. It presents case studies in Thailand, the Philippines, and Ethiopia, highlighting how governments pursue digital strategies based on a range of factors: ongoing levels of repression, leadership, state capacity, and technological development. But a basic political motive—how to preserve and sustain political incumbency—remains a principal explanation for their use. The international community is already seeing glimpses of what the frontiers of repression look like, such as in China, where authorities have brought together mass surveillance, online censorship, DNA collection, and artificial intelligence to enforce their rule in Xinjiang. Many of these trends are going global. This has major implications for democratic governments and civil society activists around the world. The book also presents innovative ideas and strategies for civil society and opposition movements to respond to the digital autocratic wave.

Nevada’s Regulated Brothels

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara G. Brents
Keyword(s):  
Legal System ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Consumer Choice ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Worker Health ◽  
Local Municipalities ◽  
Aberrant Form ◽  
Worker Health And Safety

This chapter examines how brothels are regulated in Nevada. More specifically, it looks at how local municipalities in Nevada—the only US state that has legalized prostitution—regulate prostitution markets. It begins with an overview of Nevada’s legal indoor prostitution, the history and development of legal brothels, and brothel laws and regulations. It then considers how sex workers in Nevada brothels are regulated, the present state of brothel organization and market, and rural and suburban brothels. It also discusses how the legal system functions to regulate worker health and safety in Nevada brothels. The chapter argues that Nevada’s brothels are not some aberrant form of organized deviance but rather are part and parcel of today’s neoliberal consumer economy. The political climate that has allowed and sustains legal brothels in Nevada reflects contemporary neoliberal politics and a “morality” in which personal consumer choice is elevated to a moral right.

Man! and the International Group

2021 ◽  
pp. 109-126
Author(s):  
Hillary Lazar
Keyword(s):  
Civil Liberties ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Repression ◽  
Political Dissent ◽  
Critical Window ◽  
International Group ◽  
International Solidarity ◽  
History Of ◽  
American Civil Liberties Union ◽  
Print Publications

From January 1933 through April 1940, Man! A Journal of the Anarchist Ideal and Movement served as the central connector for a transnational anarchist network that extended across multiple continents from North America to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. As the main organ of the “International Group”—an organization with chapters throughout the United States—Man! also linked radical immigrant communities throughout America. In addition to demonstrating the importance of print publications as an avenue for transatlantic and inter-ethnic connection, the story of Man! provides a lesser-known, early example of an international solidarity movement and critical window into political repression. With help from the American Civil Liberties Union, the several-year governmental effort to suppress the journal and deport its editors Vincent Ferrero and Domenic Sallitto as well as their colleague, Marcus Graham, became an international cause célèbre that sparked an international defense movement. Recounting the history of Man! and the International Group helps to bring this moment in transnational anarchist resistance to light, while elucidating the ways in which xenophobia-driven immigration policy can serve as a means for State-based suppression of political dissent.

Justice and Tyranny, Law and the State in the Middle East

1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-388
Author(s):  
Charles Lindholm
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Max Weber ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
The State ◽  
Civic Organizations ◽  
Rational Organization

In his influential work, Max Weber argued that the Middle East was fatally hampered in the development of a modern civil society by the existence of arbitrary Qadi justice, based on the personalized decisions of a judiciary reliant only on case law for precedent and lacking any form of rational organization. This individualistic judicial structure (or lack of structure) allowed authoritarian regimes to subvert the courts for their own purposes, destroying the possibility of the development of an autonomous citizenry; meanwhile, in Europe the evolution of a rationally codified legal system acted as a check on governmental tyranny and provided a space for the evolution of independent civic organizations.

scholarly journals ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND ABUSES OF CONTRACT

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Margaret Jane Radin
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Mass Market ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Société Civile ◽  
Fine Print

Mass-market standardized fine print (boilerplate) altering the rights of consumers is greatly expanding in today’s digital environment  Mass-market boilerplate impacts access to justice when it deletes rights to redress of grievances. Such deletion of rights leads to normative degradation because it undermines agreement, which is the basis of justifiable contractual enforcement, and leads to democratic degradation because it undermines the basis of civil society and the rule of law. A brief comparison of US and Canadian common law suggests that Canada’s legal system is less willing to allow these inroads into access to justice. Dans le monde numérique d’aujourd’hui, l’insertion dans les conventions, ententes et contrats les plus communs de clauses standardisées en petits caractères, qui dénaturent les droits des consommateurs, est de plus en plus fréquente. Ces clauses passe-partout ont des répercussions sur l’accès à la justice lorsqu’elles suppriment le droit à la réparation d’un préjudice. Une telle suppression de droits mène à la dégradation normative parce qu’elle mine le consentement, qui est la base de l’exécution justifiable d’une obligation contractuelle, et à la dégradation de la démocratie parce qu’elle gruge la base de la société civile et la primauté du droit. Une brève comparaison de la common law des États-Unis et de celle du Canada laisse voir que le système juridique canadien est moins porté à permettre de tels empiètements sur l’accès à la justice.

scholarly journals Transformation of Swedish CSOs Using the Strengths of Purpose and Empathy

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. p264
Author(s):  
Johanna Hallin ◽  
Nathalie Ahlstedt Mantel
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Appreciative Inquiry ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
The Public ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
New Strategies

Civil society organizations in Sweden are facing new challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing context. Demographical changes, a new political climate and a broad professionalization of the sector demand a transformational shift in business. In the project Tailwind, four leading CSOs in Sweden develop new strategies and policies to navigate the new landscape. The project explores the question of how these organizations will have to transform to be able to thrive in the future. Using positive psychology and appreciative inquiry as a method for this piece of research, key insights found include: the CSOs need to draw on the strengths of the organization when strategically developing the operations, to build their operations on empathic meetings with the target group, and to step up to claim an expert position in the public eye, sharing knowledge and insight with decision-makers about the needs of the target group.

scholarly journals AID FOR AFRICA AS ONE OF THE ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY POLISH NGOs: LEGAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH

MEST Journal ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-81
Author(s):  
Marek Stych ◽  
Beata Pawlica ◽  
Malgorzata Kmak
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
International Aid ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
The People

This article tackles the issue of aid for African states. Africa is one of the poorest continents, with many people living on the verge of poverty and suffering from malnutrition or famine. Hence, the humanitarian aid provided to the people of this continent is of particular importance. In Poland, such aid activities undertake entities defined in the Polish legal system as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs also conduct many other kinds of activities. The Act on public benefit and volunteer work is an example of creating legal mechanisms for the functioning of civil society in the legal system to provide international aid to those it needs. Assisting other societies is important for modern civil society the same as political or economic cooperations are. The role of NGOs operating in health protection, education, or entrepreneurship areas is crucially important. The authors of this paper discuss the issue of the said aid provided by selected Polish NGOs. The article aims to determine the extent and scope of the assistance to African countries provided by the NGOs, based on the respondents' experiences, whether such assistance is necessary, and what form it should take.

scholarly journals OVERCOMING LEGAL NIGILISM, RESOLUTION OF LEGAL CONFLICTS AND RESTRICTION OF LAW ABUSING- VALIDITY BASIS OF LAW FORMATION

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Legal Culture ◽  
Exclusion Zone ◽  
Legal Norms ◽  
Legal Principles ◽  
The Law ◽  
Real Assets ◽  
Abuse Of Law

The aim of the article is to investigate the reasons of legal nihilism and abuse of law origin, to find the optimal ways of overcoming these negative legal phenomena and, as a result, to solve legal conflicts in the activity of state authorities and local self-government, their officials, providing recommendations on introducing liability for law abusing. The process of establishing respect to the law is primarily connected with overcoming legal nihilism, legal conflicts and abuse of law limitation. Legal nihilism retards the decent development of the legal system, encumbers the access of society members to legal values and becomes a serious obstacle on the way of the formation of civil society. Specificity of any legal conflict lays in the fact that is its features and peculiarities are shown, seen and characterized from the position of law, specific legal norms and their requirements, decrees, orders to be perceived and evaluated differently by subjects of law A sense of respect together with legal awareness allows a person logically, reasonably, rationally evaluate and find the most suitable way of behavior and legitimate actions. When manifesting real respect here operates one of the important legal principles of civil society - respect for the rights and freedoms of others as their own. This principle is based on the necessity to keep away from any actions (inaction) so directly or indirectly worsening social or legal status of an individual. We mean here exclusion of not only unlawful actions, but also the facts of rude misuse of law. Factors of rude misuse of law are real assets of law practice, therefore, when understanding problems related to the establishment and development of legal awareness, legal culture, and respect for the law, it is necessary to consider the fact that legislation doesn`t forbid to do evil and is the abuse of law in its purest form. And it cannot be avoided, since law shouldn`t be ubiquitous, otherwise a person would be completely deprived of freedom. However, a civil society, betaking spiritual and moral potential capabilities, can create a certain exclusion zone for people challenging law abusing.

scholarly journals Russian legislation on public control

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 374-382
Author(s):  
Vitaly Viktorovich Goncharov ◽  
Tatiana N. Mikhaleva ◽  
Grigory A. Vasilevich ◽  
Evgeny Sergeevich Streltsov ◽  
Aleksandra Alekseevna Milkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
International Law ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Public Control ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Legal Mechanism

This article is devoted to constitutional legal analysis of international legal bases of the legislation of the Russian Federation on public control. The work substantiates the position that to understand the constitutional legal mechanism of public control in Russia it is necessary to study the international legal framework of control of civil society over public authority in connection with the implementation of generally recognized principles and norms of international law in the legal system of the Russian Federation as a priority the rules of the legal regulation under Part 4 of Article 15 of the Constitution.

Revolutionary Law Abidance: Kachin Rebel Governance and the Adoption of ihl in Resistance to Myanmar State Violence

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 872-904
Author(s):  
Alicia de la Cour Venning
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
International Law ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Field Research ◽  
State Violence ◽  
The State ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Rebel Governance ◽  
International Legal System

Although armed opposition actors are increasingly prevalent within contemporary conflicts, ethnographies seeking to understand and explain their relationship with international law are scarce. While scholars highlight the state-centric nature of international law, discussing at length how it privileges state over non-state actors, few examine the way rebels perceive and relate to the international legal system. Drawing on seven months of field research among Kachin civil society and the Kachin Independence Organisation / Army (kio/A), this article demonstrates how the kio/A’s nascent engagement with international law is being strategically pursued as part of a broader rebel governance project. Ethnographic research exposes the oft neglected rebel perspective. It reveals how rebels interact with international humanitarian norms as a means to facilitate and mediate relations with both local and international actors, in an attempt to promote nation building aspirations and thereby strengthen resistance to state violence.

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