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Comparative Politics

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	Tuesday, March 04, 2003

Welcome to the First Edition of The Laurier Journal of Political Affairs Click above to read the editor's note. 8:33:06 PM

The Neo-Conservative Revolution in Canada: A Nation Lost - By: T. Kenneth Agar and David Linnerth This essay posits that Canada has undergone a significant change in political culture, in what is called the Neo-Conservative Revolution.  The argument made in this essay is that Canada's national sovereignty has been lost as a result of the economic self-interest. 8:29:45 PM

E-Goverment in Canada - By: Aaron Schull The potential role of technology in the future of Canadian democracy is examined in this paper.  Canada may take a moderate approach to e-government, in which case Canada's political culture would not be significantly affected.  However, a more revolutionary e-government model would require Canadian political culture to be modified as well.   8:25:52 PM

A Critical Analysis of the Canadian Mainstream Media Coverage The Protests Over the 2002 G8 Summit - By: Anthony Piscitelli The mainstream media coverage of the protests surrounding the 2002 Group of Eight Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta is examined.  This essay looks specifically at six newspapers and two news broadcasts.  The conclusion is drawn that the potential for violence was emphasized, while the arguments of the protesters were largerly ignored. 8:22:19 PM

'And the Sins of the Father Shall Be Revisited Upon the Son' - By: Christopher Sadler This paper posits that western countries create more problems than they solve when they play kingmakers in foreign countries. Specifically, it is predicted that pursuing regime change in Iraq will cause nationalist schisms upsetting the regional balance of power, fail to create a democracy, and as these problems accrue will be an ever larger threat to our security. 7:58:07 PM

Gender Inequality in Canada - By: Marta Zych This paper attempts to empirically and theoretically examine the degree of gender equality in Canada.  The conslusion reached is that women are, depsite decades of feminist activity, dominated by men in almost every Canadian institution. 7:54:19 PM

Elite Theory and Attack on Iraq: The View from C. Wright Mills - By: Jessica West The purpose of this essay is to examine the theoretical roots of elite theory and its main contentions as put forth by C. Wright Mills.  To demonstrate the implications of the theory it is applied to the current debate on Iraq, arguing that the decision on waging war will be based on the interests of those individuals controlling the state, the military, and large corporations who form a distinct social class.  One of the main implications arising from this theory is the absence of democracy in the making of crucial decisions despite rhetoric of the elite. 7:49:58 PM

Myth and Reality: The Two Sides of Arab Nationalism - By: Jessica West This essay follows the rise and fall of pan-Arab nationalism, as it existed at its pinnacle in the 1950s and 1960s.  Based on the ideas articulated by poets, intellectuals and politicians, it is argued that Arab nationalism was both a myth and a practical goal to achieve an Arab renaissance and unity.  It is when the reality of the Middle East failed to live up to the romantic expectations expressed by Arab nationalism that it began to decline.  7:47:43 PM

Breaking the Camel’s Back: Waiting for Debt Relief - By: Jessica West Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, this essay examines both the domestic and international context in which the region’s debt crisis was created and evaluates the solutions that have been offered by the international community thus far, notably the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) by the World Bank.  The argument is that in light of the variety of causes of the debt crisis, the amount of the burden that sub-Saharan African countries have carried thus far and the negative effects that this has caused, debt forgiveness should be given to the poorest countries with the largest debts. 7:42:27 PM

The Fall of the Iron Curtain: Joy and Lament - By: Jessica West This essay examines Interdependence Theory as articulated by Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye as an alternative to Realist Theory in International Relations.  The main contention of the essay is that interdependence theory is more useful than realism in conditions of increasing nterdependence between states because it includes a more complex view of the world structure and considers goals other than security, such as economic prosperity. 7:39:23 PM

Inequality Lives in the Heart:- India's Caste System - By: Jessica West This essay is both a review of the book Tamarind Mem by Anita Rau Badami and examination of caste in present day India.  Despite the efforts of the Indian State to eradicat caste in the country (primarily through legal means) its existence is still evident on political, economic and social issues. 7:33:32 PM

Racism: Alive and Well in our Media - By: Joseph Farag This article is a discussion of North American media that seeks to demonstrate the prejudices inherent within many news sources.  Since September 11th, the Muslim community has become the primary target of racist media. 1:56:08 PM

Do Not 'Misunderestimate' George W. Bush - By: Jenny Tierney George W. Bush has been criticized as being a foolish leader with little intellect.  However, those who criticize Bush as being stupid are undersestimating Bush's abilities to lead the United States of America.  Comparison with Bill Clinton aids in demonstrating this analysis. 12:27:55 PM

The State: Falling from Grace - By: Byron Pascoe Our world no longer accepts the state as its central character.  Taking a back seat to larger, more encompassing and effective institutions and coalitions, states now play different roles.  Economically, it makes more sense to work in clusters rather than behaving autonomously.  This and other factors are lessening the abilities for states to provide proper defence, welfare and unilateral progress.  Trading off sovereignty for opportunity is a recycled concept that has worked in the past.  It is now the path that we take because the state's justification for their claim on society has declined. 12:14:08 PM

A Critical Analysis of the Canadian Mainstream Media Coverage of The Protests Over the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis Alberta - By: Anthony Piscitelli The mainstream media coverage of the protests surrounding the Group of Eight Summit in Kananaskis Alberta is examined.  The paper looks specifically at six newspapers: (the Toronto Star, the St. Catharaines Standard, the National Post, the Toronto Sun, the Globe and Mail, the Hamilton Spectator, and the Calgary Herald) and two news broadcasts (CTV news and CBC news).  Three basic patterns of coverage are then discerned.  Finally, conclusions are drawn on the nature of coverage these different media organizations gave the protests. 11:32:05 AM

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