The Democratic Struggle in the Sahel

The countries of the Sahel found themselves under intense domestic and international pressures to undertake political reforms in the name of democracy in the early 1990s, and indeed all of them launched efforts to do so. This chapter surveys the variations and the similarities in how the struggle to build and strengthen democratic institutions has played out in the Sahel. It examines some initial fundamental questions related to the nature of a democratic state that were raised by the transitions, before turning to a discussion of the core institutional debates that have defined the struggle. Subsequent sections discuss the political dynamics and the similarities and variations across countries in the institutions for organizing and administering elections and electoral systems; presidential term limits; the structure of legislatures; and the provisions for women’s representation.

Deflecting Neoliberalism

This chapter explores how the German political economy was transformed by the global rise of neoliberalism and how this change feeds into Germany’s approach to the eurocrisis. Rather than being pushed down an Anglo-American road, German policymakers still seek to preserve what is left of the domestic compromise between capital and labor. The chapter argues that China’s massive demand for German exports informs the long-term vision of a neoliberal Europe structurally adjusted to support the global position of German manufacturers. At the same time, the perceived threat of US interest rates rising out of step with economic conditions in Europe and emerging markets hardened the German stance on austerity during the fever-pitched policy battles at the height of the eurocrisis. Together, these international pressures and opportunities have produced the predicament of German primacy as a transformative and yet destabilizing force within the EU.

2. A global cinema

Silent film proved to be not just a global entertainment medium but also a deeply transnational one. “A global cinema” looks at its worldwide spread, largely unimpeded by language barriers and even national barriers. International coproductions were common, with actors and directors moving freely between countries. Alongside the rise of the Hollywood classical style, French, German, Italian, and Russian national cinemas emerged. Australia, India, Mexico, China, and Japan forged active film industries despite international pressures, while other regions saw their markets dominated by foreign imports.

Rezim Global dan Liberalisasi Perdagangan Sektor Garam di Indonesia

Known as a maritime country, Indonesia is still unable to meet its need of salts, especially industrial salts. As a result, Indonesia has to import salts from various countries with an increasingly higher volume each year. Using theory of two-level games, authors found that the salt importing policy cannot be separated from international pressures so that Indonesia undertakes trade liberalization on salt sector. The international pressure emanated from three global regimes namely WTO, IMF and FTA. The three global regimes basically require Indonesia to liberalize its domestic market by removing tariff and non-tariff trade barriers in various sectors including salt. This paper will explain the mechanism and scheme of the three global regimes in liberalizing Indonesia's trade on salt sector.