The Emergence of Regional Civil Society: Contributions to a New Human Security Agenda

2019 ◽  
pp. 289-308
Author(s):  
Timothy M. Shaw ◽  
Sandra J. MacLean
Keyword(s):  
2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adewale Banjo

AbstractThe politics of succession in post-independence West Africa has left much to be desired and, by extension, has affected the quality of democracy and human security in the sub-region. This article briefly assesses succession politics in Togo, a small West African nation of approximately 5 million people, following the death of President Gnassingbe Eyadema, one of Africa's longest serving dictators. The author describes the military takeover and subsequent election that legitimized the illegal take over of power by Eyadema's son despite sustained domestic opposition from politicians and civil society, as well as sub-regional, regional and international condemnation of a Constitutional "coup d'etat" in Togo. The article concludes that the succession crisis in Togo is far from over, given the continuing manipulation of what the author calls the geo-ethnic divide in that country.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 670-680
Author(s):  
Javier Solana

Summary Apocalyptic predictions on the world’s future after COVID-19 are unfounded. Structures of global governance can be reinforced through greater subsidiarity; that is, by enhancing the participation of local authorities, by the involvement of civil society and the private sector and by regionalising initiatives, where appropriate. Furthermore, globalisation’s scope should be extended to comprise the shared governance of all global public goods and elements affecting human security. This essay outlines how this transformation could work for the four policy areas of global trade, food security, public health and climate change.


Author(s):  
Stephen Wright

This chapter examines the consolidation of democracy and human rights in Nigeria. With regard to the relationship between development and human rights, Nigeria presents an interesting puzzle. It is rich in oil, but has not been able to translate its immense natural resources into sustainable economic development and respect for human rights. Ethnic and religious tensions, a result of colonialism, have been exacerbated by disastrous economic development, which has in turn led to a deteriorating human rights situation and intense violence. The chapter first considers the political economy of Nigerian oil before discussing the country’s political and economic development, with particular emphasis on critical aspects of human security and civil society. It concludes with an assessment of the progress that has been made as well as ongoing development challenges Nigeria faces.


Author(s):  
Aline Chianca Dantas

Resumo: Este trabalho debate se a mediação policial é um instrumento de humanização da segurança pública ou não, ensejando uma discussão maior sobre como tornar a segurança pública mais humana. Assim, discutem-se as premissas da segurança pública tradicional, o papel da polícia e do Estado e as bases da segurança pública humana. Passa-se a um estudo da mediação enquanto meio de resolução de conflitos e, especificamente, da mediação policial. Destaca-se o papel da mediação enquanto política criminal e verifica-se que a mediação policial tem características que a aproximam da segurança humana; mas, ainda está abarcada pela figura do Estado e permeada pela segurança pública tradicional. Conclui-se, então, que a mediação policial, apesar de estar imbricada com os interesses estatais, consegue incluir características mais humanas na prática policial, abarcando a figura da vítima de maneira mais protetora, possibilitando a resolução dos conflitos sociais de forma mais direta e aproximando o Estado da sociedade civil. Aponta-se, no entanto, para a necessidade de reformas mais amplas na segurança pública brasileira. Para o desenvolvimento dessa discussão, realiza-se um estudo qualitativo, utilizando-se de uma metodologia baseada em pesquisas bibliográficas sobre as temáticas apresentadas, breves exposições de casos em que a mediação policial foi utilizada e verificação de associação entre os elementos da teoria de segurança humana e a prática da mediação policial.Palavras-chave: Mediação policial; Segurança pública; Segurança humana. Abstract: This paper debates whether police mediation is a humanizing instrument of public security or not, aiming to trigger a larger discussion about how public security can be made more human. Thus, it discusses the assumptions of traditional public security, the role of the police and the state and the bases of human public security. It goes through a study of mediation as a mean of conflict resolution hovering specifically over the police mediation. It highlights the role of mediation as a criminal policy and argues that police mediation has characteristics that approximate it to the human security, while still being embraced by the figure of the state and permeated by traditional public security. It concludes that police mediation, despite being intertwined with state interests, can include more human characteristics in police practice, comprehending the figure of the victim more protectively, thus enabling the resolution of social conflicts more directly while approaching the state to civil society. It points out, however, to the necessity of broader reforms within Brazilian public security. In order to develop this discussion, a qualitative study was carried out, using a methodology based on bibliographic research on the presented issues, as well as brief reviews of cases where police mediation was used and finally, a verification of the association between elements of human security theory and the practice of police mediation.Keywords: Police Mediation; Public Security; Human Security.


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