scholarly journals Where is the West in UN Peacekeeping? An examination of the decline in Western troop contributions to UN peacekeeping

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sophie Maarleveld
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Peace Operations ◽  
The West ◽  
Security Community ◽  
Secondary Literature ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
First Case ◽  
Community Concept

<p>This thesis explores an important aspect of the changing composition of United Nations peacekeeping troop contributions by examining the causes of the decline in troop contributions from the West. It does so by creating a theoretical framework within which the widespread decline in troop contributions from the West can be contextualized and reviewing a variety of possible arguments in secondary literature for the decline that can be considered within this theoretical framework. I assert that the constructivist concept of security communities, although originally focused on interactions between states in the community, can also be used to understand the ways in which these states respond to peace and security threats outside of the community, and that this is the reason there has been a systemic decline in troop contributions from the West.  The past, current and future peacekeeping engagements of Canada and New Zealand will be explored in detail in this thesis. These countries have historically had a strong commitment to the UN, and been champions of its ultimate authority to sanction international responses to conflict. Both countries have a history of significant troops contributions to UN peacekeeping, but have decreased these contributions in the last 10-15 years. Understanding why these two internationalists all but abandoned UN peacekeeping can provide clues as to why other Western militaries have done the same, and concentrated their resources in other peace support operations. These cases also exemplify how the security community concept can be applied to understanding troop contributions to peace operations.  This thesis is divided into four main sections. In the introduction I present the research question and discuss its relevance and importance, as well as the salience of the two case studies, followed by the explanation of my theoretical framework, a review of secondary literature on the topic, and the details of my research methodology. In chapter one I explore a variety of arguments that have been made by academics and practitioners regarding the decline in troop contributions from the West. Chapter two covers my first case study – Canada – and chapter three covers New Zealand.  I argue that although the factors that determine countries’ troop contributions are unique and shaped by domestic as much as international circumstances, the wider trend in the West of decreasing troop contributions to UN peacekeeping missions, while increasing troop contributions to non-UN peacekeeping operations can be explained by building on the security community concept. As such, any return to UN peacekeeping is likely to occur throughout the West or not at all. I also argue that in order for the West to re-engage with UN peacekeeping, both Western governments and the UN must take steps towards redefining the parameters of troop participation in UN peace operations.</p>

scholarly journals Where is the West in UN Peacekeeping? An examination of the decline in Western troop contributions to UN peacekeeping

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sophie Maarleveld
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Peace Operations ◽  
The West ◽  
Security Community ◽  
Secondary Literature ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
First Case ◽  
Community Concept

<p>This thesis explores an important aspect of the changing composition of United Nations peacekeeping troop contributions by examining the causes of the decline in troop contributions from the West. It does so by creating a theoretical framework within which the widespread decline in troop contributions from the West can be contextualized and reviewing a variety of possible arguments in secondary literature for the decline that can be considered within this theoretical framework. I assert that the constructivist concept of security communities, although originally focused on interactions between states in the community, can also be used to understand the ways in which these states respond to peace and security threats outside of the community, and that this is the reason there has been a systemic decline in troop contributions from the West.  The past, current and future peacekeeping engagements of Canada and New Zealand will be explored in detail in this thesis. These countries have historically had a strong commitment to the UN, and been champions of its ultimate authority to sanction international responses to conflict. Both countries have a history of significant troops contributions to UN peacekeeping, but have decreased these contributions in the last 10-15 years. Understanding why these two internationalists all but abandoned UN peacekeeping can provide clues as to why other Western militaries have done the same, and concentrated their resources in other peace support operations. These cases also exemplify how the security community concept can be applied to understanding troop contributions to peace operations.  This thesis is divided into four main sections. In the introduction I present the research question and discuss its relevance and importance, as well as the salience of the two case studies, followed by the explanation of my theoretical framework, a review of secondary literature on the topic, and the details of my research methodology. In chapter one I explore a variety of arguments that have been made by academics and practitioners regarding the decline in troop contributions from the West. Chapter two covers my first case study – Canada – and chapter three covers New Zealand.  I argue that although the factors that determine countries’ troop contributions are unique and shaped by domestic as much as international circumstances, the wider trend in the West of decreasing troop contributions to UN peacekeeping missions, while increasing troop contributions to non-UN peacekeeping operations can be explained by building on the security community concept. As such, any return to UN peacekeeping is likely to occur throughout the West or not at all. I also argue that in order for the West to re-engage with UN peacekeeping, both Western governments and the UN must take steps towards redefining the parameters of troop participation in UN peace operations.</p>

scholarly journals Rights of Nature Versus Nature Conservation Rights of Nature Versus Conventional Nature Conservation: International Lessons from Australia’s Tarkine Wilderness

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Benjamin Richardson ◽  
Nina Hamaski
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Important Research ◽  
Rights Of Nature ◽  
Conceptual Shift ◽  
Important Research Question

The rights-of-nature model is gaining traction as an innovative legal approach for nature conservation. Although adopted in several countries, it remains in its infancy, including in Australia. An important research question is whether rights of nature will offer superior environmental outcomes compared to traditional nature conservation techniques including creation of protected areas. This article investigates that question through a case study of the Tarkine wilderness, in the Australia state of Tasmania. It first identifies key lessons from existing international experience with affirmation of rights of nature, such as in New Zealand and Ecuador. The article then explores how rights of nature could apply in Australia’s Tarkine region and their value compared to existing or potential protected areas and other nature conservation measures under Australian or Tasmanian law. Affirming rights of nature represents a major conceptual shift in how people via the law relate to the natural world, but whether the model offers practical benefits for nature conservation depends on a variety of conditions, in addition to the need to address broader societal drivers of environmentaldegradation.

scholarly journals The Effect of Blue-Green Infrastructure on Habitat Connectivity and Biodiversity: A Case Study in the Ōtākaro/Avon River Catchment in Christchurch, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6732
Author(s):  
Thuy Thi Nguyen ◽  
Colin Meurk ◽  
Rubianca Benavidez ◽  
Bethanna Jackson ◽  
Markus Pahlow
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Habitat Connectivity ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Environmental Evaluation ◽  
Representative Species ◽  
The Matrix

The natural capital components in cities (“blue-green infrastructure” BGI) are designed to address long-term sustainability and create multi-benefits for society, culture, business, and ecology. We investigated the added value of BGI through the research question “Can the implementation of blue-green infrastructure lead to an improvement of habitat connectivity and biodiversity in urban environments?” To answer this, the Biological and Environmental Evaluation Tools for Landscape Ecology (BEETLE) within the Land Utilisation and Capability Indicator (LUCI) framework was adopted and applied in Christchurch, New Zealand, for the first time. Three ecologically representative species were selected. The parameterisation was based on ecological theory and expert judgment. By implementation of BGI, the percentages of habitats of interest for kereru and paradise shelduck increased by 3.3% and 2.5%, respectively. This leads to improved habitat connectivity. We suggest several opportunities for regenerating more native patches around the catchment to achieve the recommended minimum 10% target of indigenous cover. However, BGI alone cannot return a full suite of threatened wildlife to the city without predator-fenced breeding sanctuaries and wider pest control across the matrix. The socio-eco-spatial connectivity analysed in this study was formalised in terms of four interacting dimensions.

Islamic International Relations Towards a Theoretical Framework

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gubara Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
World Politics ◽  
Muslim World ◽  
The West ◽  
The Past ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
The World

The Western originators of the multi-disciplinary social sciences and their successors, including most major Western social intellectuals, excluded religion as an explanation for the world and its affairs. They held that religion had no role to play in modern society or in rational elucidations for the way world politics or/and relations work. Expectedly, they also focused most of their studies on the West, where religion’s effect was least apparent and argued that its influence in the non-West was a primitive residue that would vanish with its modernization, the Muslim world in particular. Paradoxically, modernity has caused a resurgence or a revival of religion, including Islam. As an alternative approach to this Western-centric stance and while focusing on Islam, the paper argues that religion is not a thing of the past and that Islam has its visions of international relations between Muslim and non-Muslim states or abodes: peace, war, truce or treaty, and preaching (da’wah).

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Statements in the U. S. Creative Sector: Progress, or More Bullshit?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-46
Author(s):  
Antonio C. Cuyler
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Arts Organizations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cultural Organizations ◽  
The Status ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Equity And Inclusion

This article represents a snapshot and analysis of U. S. service arts organizations’ DEI statements and activities in 2018. At that time, many primarily White-serving U. S. cultural organizations responded defensively to accusations of elitism and a harmful rigged funding system that maintained the status quo by awarding most cultural funding to these organizations while undermining the health and vitality of cultural organizations by and for historically oppressed communities (Sidford, 2011). Furthermore, Helicon Collaborative (2017) found that even with a host of cultural equity, “diversity” projects (Tseng 2016), and public-facing DEI statements, little had changed within six years. Therefore, this study uses directed and summative content analysis to investigate the research question “what do cultural equity and diversity statements communicate about cultural organizations’ positions on DEI?” This study also uses Frankfurt’s (2005) essay On Bullshit and Laing’s (2016) two-prong definition of accountability as a theoretical framework to examine if and how cultural organizations hold themselves accountable for achieving DEI in the creative sector. Lastly, readers should keep in mind that the public murder of Geor-ge Floyd in 2020 has hastened all of the service arts organizations’ access, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) work examined in this study.

scholarly journals INDONESIA'S POSITION BASED ON THE AUSTRALIAN ASEAN NEW ZEALAND FREE TRADE AGREEMENT AND ITS IMPACT FROM A BUSINESS LAW PERSPECTIVE

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Ariawan Gunadi
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Agreement ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
South East Asia ◽  
Business Law ◽  
Business Partner ◽  
The West ◽  
Brunei Darussalam ◽  
The World

AbstractIndonesia as one of the major countries in South East Asia acts as aprominent business center between the East and the West. Business activitiessoon attract the attention of other countries in similar geography to share thewealth such as Malaysia, Filipina, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore,Vietnam, Thai/and, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei Darussalam. However, theinternational society would have to face the import taxes that impedesf oreign goods from flowing into state member' market. Australia and NewZealand as a fellow business partner then proposes the Australian AseanNew Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) to the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that allows members to conduct free tradeamong them in almost every sector, including goods, services, investment,intellectual property and new issues (Singapore Issues). However theagreement is suspected by some parties to condone a subtle form of liberaleconomy that may allow Australia and New Zealand to influence the nationaleconomy of the weaker state, not mentioning endangering ASEAN'bargaining position in the World Trade Organization. This article attemptsto explain the position of Indonesia 's economic sovereignty by signing theAANZFTA which imposes several clauses affecting the economic activity andhow will the agreement bring impact to Indonesia 's national economy offrom a business law perspective.

scholarly journals Hybridizing UN Peace Operations: The Role of the European Union and Canada

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine St-Pierre
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Peace Operations ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Peacekeeping Missions

The prevalence of hybrid peacekeeping missions on the international stage underscores the increasing flexibility with which the UN can meet the peacekeeping demand. This flexibility results from the growing number of actors that the UN can rely on, allowing in turn for more diverse responses to conflict. However, current confusion surrounding hybrid missions points to the need to further clarify the role of regional actors in hybrid missions and elaborate on the implication of these missions for UN peacekeeping. This paper thus discusses the importance of hybrid missions in peace operations by examining the current nature of European Union (EU) and Canadian contributions to peace operations, and by analysing the implications of these contributions for hybrid missions and UN peacekeeping in general.

scholarly journals Factors that Encourage Student Engagement: Insights from a Case Study of ‘First Time’ Students in a New Zealand University.

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96
Author(s):  
Barbara Russell ◽  
◽  
Gloria R L Slater ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Active Citizenship ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
First Time

This case study reports on the findings from one of nine tertiary institutions that took part in a project funded by the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) in New Zealand. The research question explored how institutional and non institutional learning environments influence student engagement with learning in a higher education, university setting. Data was collected initially by means of a questionnaire; subsequently more in-depth data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with students randomly selected from those who indicated, on the questionnaire, that they were willing to be interviewed. Respondents were enrolled for the first time in this institution, but not necessarily for the first time in a tertiary education programme. A conceptual model with four strands: motivation and agency; transactional engagement; institutional support and active citizenship was used to organise the data. Findings were analysed against a synthesis of current literature and suggest that factors identified in the first three strands of the conceptual model played a significant role in student engagement with learning; active citizenship, however, did not feature highly in student responses and is an aspect of engagement that could benefit from further research.

scholarly journals O Le Si'Osi'Omaga O Le Punafanau Lea O Se Gagana E Ola: The Linguistic Landscape Of Samoa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Faith Esera
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
English Language ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Digital Camera ◽  
Linguistic Landscape ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Official Status

<p>The official language of Sāmoa is Samoan, but the majority of the population speak English as a second language. Because of early contact with missionaries and colonial powers, the English language soon became widely acknowledged and used in Sāmoa. Even after Sāmoa became independent from New Zealand, the English language was and is still recognised, but not made official, in the Constitution of Sāmoa and education policies.  This paper reports on the languages that are present in the linguistic landscape of Sāmoa. The main purpose of the study was to identify the predominant language used in Sāmoa, and to analyse ‘hybridity’ or ‘dualism’ on signs that contained the Samoan language. The data consists of 987 signs taken from two survey areas, Apia and Salelologa, using a digital camera. Scollon and Scollon’s (2003) ‘Place Semiotics’ was used to give an overview of the preferred code in the LL of Sāmoa. The ‘Motu Analysis’, a reconceptualization of Backhaus’s ‘part writing’ types, was used to analyse how two or more languages are used and positioned on signs in the LL; this analysis responds to the research question on ‘hybridity’. The final step involved a closer analysis of the subset of signs containing the Samoan language to detect signs of hybridity through loanwords and semantic extensions.  The results of the analyses indicated that English is the dominant language in the linguistic landscape of Sāmoa despite lacking official status in the language policies of Sāmoa. The findings further reveal that the English influence on the Samoan language on the signs is reflected more in semantic loans than loanwords, revealing a healthier picture of the Samoan language. The study concludes with possible lines of research for further studies in Sāmoa and the Pacific.</p>

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