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Volume 16, Number 1, February 2004
Contributors
Introduction by Johan Saravanamuttu
The Limits of the human security agenda: the case of Canada's response to the Timor crisis by T.S. Hataley and Kim Richard Nossal
Enthusiasts of human security argue that what is needed in the post-Cold-War period is a foreign policy agenda that is more 'people-centred' than the state-centred focus of security policy during the Cold War period. Among the most enthusiastic proponents of the human security paradigm in the 1990s was the Canadian government, which, in partnership with a number of other like-minded governments, sought to press the human security agenda, taking a number of human security initiatives. However, since the late 1990s, we have seen a paradox: the concept has attracted increased attention from scholars while its salience among policy-makers appears to be declining. Using the case of the Canadian government's policy towards the crisis in Timor in September 1999, we explore the difficulty that policy-makers have had in moving human security from the rhetorical realm to the level of concrete policy that makes a difference to the safety of people whose security is threatened. We conclude that there was a significant gap between Canada's human security rhetoric and Ottawa's actual policy in Timor. While the Canadian government did eventually contribute troops to the International Force, East Timor (INTERFET), we show that Canada's response was slow, cautious, and minimalist. There was neither the willingness nor the capacity to be at the forefront of the efforts to send a robust force to East Timor. This case demonstrates some important limits of the human security agenda, and why this agenda remained so firmly in the realm of the rhetorical in the 1990s.
Japan's subnational governments in China: emerging bilateral relations by Purnendra Jain
One of the many areas of growing engagement between Japan and China is at the subnational government (SNG) level. Yet this development has received scant attention from analysts and scholars who study Japan's local government and international relations. This article opens the window on the bilateral relationship at the SNG level, focusing on the actions of Japanese SNGs and their incipient role as international actors. The case of the Japan-China relationship at the SNG level is analysed in comparative context by considering the worldwide trend among SNGs to pursue international activities. The analysis focuses on three major types of linkages that Japanese SNGs have developed in China: (1) formalized sister relationships between SNGs; (2) trade promotion; (3) technical and economic cooperation. This development has important implications both for local-national relations in Japan and the way foreign relations are now managed
The impact of Gandhi on the development of Johan Galtung's peace research by Thomas Weber
Johan Galtung is often referred to as the 'father of modern peace research'. His writings, especially his work on structural violence, which is now one of the concepts underpinning the discipline, are very reminiscent of some of Gandhi's key doctrines. This may be coincidental or there may be a causal link. While Galtung freely acknowledges the strong influence of Gandhi on his thought, others seem to downplay or miss the Gandhian connection. In comparing the writings of the two in peace-related areas and by examining Galtung's references to Gandhi, it becomes clear that there is a strong causal Gandhian underpinning to Galtung's peace research. As modern peace research is not understandable without Galtung's contribution, so Galtung's work is not fully understandable without a knowledge of Gandhi's influence to his thought.
In-country: the United States in Vietnam and Iraq by Simon Jenkinson
Communication by Jean Chesneaux
Communication by Larry Marshall
Communication by Mark A. Boyer, Scott W. Brown, Michael Butler, Natalie Florea, Magnolia Hernandez, Paula Johnson, Lin Meng, Clarisse Lima
Book Reviews