CIAO DATE: 01/2009
Volume: 9, Issue: 2
Summer/Fall 2008
Foreword: Dynamics of Dissent
Today's methods of dissent-sometimes peaceful, often violent, and usually controversial-take many forms in the age-old quest for social and political change. Globalization has become an ever-present force of transformation, affecting how opposition to the status quo arises and how people express their opposition. Technology and trade liberalization provide citizens with immediate access to information that shapes how they voice their dissent. At the same time, traditional factors-ethnic, economic, religious-continue to be a source of tension, provoking dissent in numerous ways. This Forum examines the evolving dynamics of contemporary dissent. While keeping an eye on dissent's consistent themes, such as the exclusion of minorities and debates over non-violent tactics, this Forum also explores the effects of new forces, from the internet to the WTO, on how people experience and confront marginalization. Examining the dynamics of dissent allows us to better understand how changes will continue to unfold as our diverse world becomes ever more integrated.
Towards a Civic Culture: Student Activism and Political Dissent in Pakistan
Haider A. H. Mullick
Who Are the People? Why Ethnic Politics Matter (PDF)
James Mabry
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the idea of mass mobilization in order to redirect government is axiomatic. If the environment is degraded, then the solution is to educate and organize concerned citizens. The same can be said of gender inequality, racial prejudice, or, in the form of labor movements, class disparity. Yet of all the challenges a society may launch at its state, the most serious are not those that challenge a particular policy or seek redress of a single social issue, but those that challenge the legitimacy of the state itself. This begs the question: what makes a state legitimate or illegitimate? The short answer is whether or not the state represents the will of the people. But the long answer demands an answer to another question: who are the people? In the global arena, it is implicit that different peoples are different nations, and that different nations have different states. If there is disagreement over the composition of a particular nation, there is by extension disagreement over the composition of the state. If the raison d’etre of the state itself is contentious, this can upset the stability of said state, and, by extension, may threaten the equilibrium of international relations.
The Dialectic of Resistance and Restriction: Dissident Citizenship and the Global Media
Jules Boykoff
The Politics of Change: Why Global Democracy Needs Dissent
Roland Bleiker
Courage, Creativity and Capacity in Iran: Mobilizing for Women's Rights and Gender Equality
Shaazka Beyerle
Globalization, Dissent, and Orthodoxy: Burma/Myanmar and the Saffron Revolution
David Steinberg
Airpower: The Flip Side of COIN (PDF)
Daniel F. Baltrusaitis
By failing to integrate airpower into the core military doctrine for counterinsurgency, U.S. forces risk planning operations without a full understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of service capabilities.
The Tigers Abroad: How the LTTE Diaspora Supports the Conflict in Sti Lanka
Peter Chalk
An integral part of the LTTE support structure is the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora, which serves as a critical lifeline by providing international political recognition and monetary support
Mothers, Bombers, Beauty Queens: Chechen Women's Roles in Russo-Chechen Conflict
Francine Banner
The bodies of Chechen women symbolize the dichotomy of tradition and modernity in Chechen national identity.
Citizenship in the Making
Gustavo Gordillo
A retrospective analysis of the legality of the 2006 election and Lopez Obrador's presidency in Mexico.
The AKP Catalyst: Progressive Islamists and Ambitious Kurds
Michael M. Gunter
The newly elected AK Party looks to cement its authority over the Turkish Military and its Kurdish citizens through progressive reforms and EU membership.
What Can Iraq's Neighbors Contribute?
Daniel Serwer
While Iraq may be in desperate need of friends and help from its neighbors, the United States must first define its role and timeline for being there and then open the door for Iraq to accept that help.
Internet in China: The Road Ahead
James Mulvenon
China's struggle to use information technology for economic growth while avoiding its political consequences.
East Asian Optimism
Peter Boettke
David Kang explores the role of China as a harbinger of cooperation and harmony in East Asia, in spite of its geopolitical power and its rapid emergence.
Old Paradigms, Challenging Realities, New Interpretations
José A. Montero
Parag Khanna delivers an account of the current contest among America, Europe, and China through the lens of the subjects of the contest—the "Second World."
As Hazy as Ever, the Cross-Strait Status Quo
Lin Fu
"Cross-Strait" relations and the Taiwanese identity are constantly in a state of flux as China's ascension attracts Taiwan economically but repels it politically.
American Muslims and the Use of Cultural Diplomacy (PDF)
Hafsa Kanjwal
Today, American Muslims are in a unique historical position to transcend reactive public relations, and engage in a constructive cultural diplomacy to create a cohesive and accessible American Muslim identity.