EPIK Journals Online Vol. 4 : Session 2

EPIK Journals Online Vol. 4 Iss. 03

EPIK Young Leaders Essay Competition 2013 Award-Winning Work (1st Prize)

アラブの春：紛争は協力よりも本当に良いのか？

著者：フー・リ・キム、カリフォルニア大学バークレー校

要旨：

アラブの春における紛争の結果、民主化への移行や権威主義体制の崩壊を通じて、当該地域の住民の生活は、議論の余地はあるものの改善された。しかし同時に、住民は紛争中に多くの犠牲を払い、政府との協力関係を維持していれば、サウジアラビアやアラブ首長国連邦の例に見られるように、より平和な時代が継続した可能性もあった。アラブの春のような革命は、国の政治システムに急進的な変化をもたらし、関連国や地域における変化の必要性への呼びかけとして国際社会に警鐘を鳴らす。しかし、紛争が協力よりも良いかどうかは、どのような基準で判断するかが議論の的となる。本稿では、紛争が協力よりも良いのかという問いを評価するために、アラブの春の紛争を検証する。

キーワード：アラブの春、紛争、協力、権威主義体制、移行

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EPIK Journals Online Vol. 4 Iss. 04

EPIK Young Leaders Essay Competition 2013 Award-Winning Work (2nd Prize)

Conflict Management System and Democracy in Multinational Societies: Case Studies in India and Nigeria

Author: Ji min (Janice) Han, Claremont McKenna College

Abstract:

Conflicts expose a set of problems deeply entrenched in a society. Revelation of underlying problems helps the political elites to clarify issue priorities and form public policies accordingly. Conflicts also mobilize people in a grassroots level as different groups defend their own interests. Thus, conflicts serve to reflect plural interests in a decision-making process, thereby promoting representative and deliberative aspects of democracy. However, conflicts do not always lead to positive outcomes. In order for conflicts to serve the positive functions, a society has to have a sensitive conflict management system. The paper argues that the sensitivity is determined by a society’s conflict management mechanism—political institutions, elite behavior, and civil society—and political culture. This paper compares and contrasts India and Nigeria, the two multinational societies where conflicts have spawned differing consequences. The paper concludes that conflicts can promote democracy in multinational societies, provided that they have a sensitive conflict management system.

Key Words: democracy, power sharing, power dividing, political institutions, civil society, conflicts

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EPIK Journals Online Vol. 4 Iss. 05

To Fight or Not to Fight: The Revolution Conundrum

Author: Niyati Samir Gandhi, National Law School of India University

Abstract:

The “democratic peace thesis” argues that democracy is desirable because democratic states don’t wage war against each other. It essentially states that democracy is the most stable form of government and stable governments are less prone to war than governments in transition. However, if this is to be relied upon, an odd phenomenon has emerged in the past few decades- the wars for democracy. In this paper, the author explores the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, the “humanitarian” intervention in Libya and the Lokpal (Anti-Corruption) Movement in India to understand the role of conflict and co-operation in bringing stability and real democracy to all nations of the world. Using various examples of instances during the afore-mentioned events she argues that conflict and co-operation are not competing means, but values that will lead to stability when used harmoniously and keeping in mind the context of each situation.

Key Words: Democracy, Arab Spring, Lokpal, Revolution, Co-operation, Conflict

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