Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

Epilogue: Democracy In Ghana As A Model For The African Continent, H. E. John Dramani Mahama

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Address by the President of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, to mark the formal end of Kennesaw State University’s “Year of Ghana” celebrations and academic programs.

A Street Child's Revolt Against Her Mother And Society: Lessons From Amma Darko's Faceless, Philomena Yeboah Ama Okyeso

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The writings of Amma Darko rank among Africa’s great literature. In Faceless, Amma Darko uses conflicts that bedevil mother-daughter bonds to address larger issues such as streetism, patriarchy, government indifference, irresponsible parenting, and inefficiency in the police service. Faceless may appear to be primarily an investigation of the causes, effects, and solutions of streetism, yet it also has important things to say about both the destructive and regenerative potentials of mothers. The benefits of male–female collabo-ration in addressing developmental challenges are another topic that has acquired consid-erable space in this novel. It is these issues/topics that this study explores and …

"Now I Know The Law": Empowerment Of Mining Communities By An Environmental Non-Government Organisation (Engo), Yaw Asamoah, Kwabena Barima Antwi, Oheneba Akyeampong, Paul Baidoo, Daniel Owusu-Koranteng

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) became very prominent after the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 as vibrant social movements. Since then, ENGOs operat-ing at the local, regional, or global levels have been instrumental in environmental man-agement in both developed and developing countries. This study sought to investigate the performance of the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), a local ENGO, in some selected mining communities in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipali-ty, in the Western Region of Ghana. Situated in the intepretivist research philosophy, the study employed in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and observations to collect data from some staff of WACAM, …

A Comparative Analysis Of Ghana's First-Past-The-Post (Fptp) Electoral System And The Proportional Representation (Pr) System, Joseph Kingsley Adjei

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Electoral systems translate the votes cast in a general election into seats won by parties and candidates. The choice of an electoral system is one of the most important institutional decisions for any democracy. In fact, the choice of a particular electoral system has a profound effect on the country concerned. Yet, once an electoral system has been used for some time, its impact on the political life of the country may be less recognized. Against this background, this paper provides an analysis of Ghana’s First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) electoral system and juxtaposes it against the Proportional Representation (PR) system to see …

January Roundtable: Responding To The Syrian Crisis, Introduction, Claudia Fuentes Julio

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“The World Next Genocide” by Simon Adams. New York Times, November 2012.

and

“Syria is Central to Holding Together the Mideast” by Condoleezza Rice. Washington Post, November 2012.

Syrians Crushed Between Humanitarianism And Realism, Philip Cunliffe

Human Rights & Human Welfare

With the UN High Commissioner for Refugees announcing early this year that the war in Syria may have claimed as many as 60,000 lives, two op-eds published late in 2012 usefully exemplify two contrasting frames that have thus far dominated international responses to the conflict—namely, the humanitarian frame and the geopolitical frame. Yet despite the apparent contrasts between these two frameworks, both reflect a similar contempt for the Syrian people and their right to self-determination. The humanitarian framing of the conflict emphasizes the scale of human suffering and the need to alleviate it, while the geopolitical frame accentuates political interests …

Syria: Not Libya, But Let’S Treat It Like It Is Anyway, Eric A. Heinze

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The articles by Condoleezza Rice and Simon Adams advance a series of disquieting possibilities for the future of Syria if the US and other states fail to act. While I am sympathetic to the urgency with which both writers advance their claims, there is much strained and stretched logic—as well as outright naiveté—in both authors' arguments, especially Rice's.

Here, We Are Walking On A Clothesline: Statelessness And Human (In)Security Among Burmese Women Political Exiles Living In Thailand, Elizabeth Hooker

Dissertations and Theses

An estimated twelve million people worldwide are stateless, or living without the legal bond of citizenship or nationality with any state, and consequently face barriers to employment, property ownership, education, health care, customary legal rights, and national and international protection. More than one-quarter of the world's stateless people live in Thailand. This feminist ethnography explores the impact of statelessness on the everyday lives of Burmese women political exiles living in Thailand through the paradigm of human security and its six indicators: food, economic, personal, political, health, and community security. The research reveals that exclusion from national and international legal protections …

When The Traditional Justice System Is The Best Suited Approach To Conflict Management: The Acholi Mato Oput, Joseph Kony, And The Lord's Resistance Army (Lra) In Uganda, Charles Baguma

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The majority of Acholi recognize that most combatants in the Lord 's Resistance Army (LRA) were fo rcibly abducted and have themselves been victims. This creates a moral empathy with the perpetrators and an acknowledgement that the formal justice system is not sufficiently nuanced to make the necessary distinctions between legal and moral gu ilt. This has generated a remarkable commitment to reconciliation and a peaceful settlement of the conflict rather than calling for retribution against the perpetrators of serious abuses. The Acholi religious, cultural. and local government leaders have advocated for traditionally- based ritual processes for war-related justice, reconciliation, …

Calypso: Effecting Conflict Transformation Through The Indigenous Calypso Art-Form, Edward M. Phillips

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The calypso, which forms an integral part of the carnival celebrations of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is a syncretic popular art-form that has its origin in Africa. The art-form, having been influenced and adapted by the experiences of enslaved Africans in the Diaspora, has been fused in the vortex of plantation society. Today, the music of carnival has evolved considerably, with the calypso becoming one of the cornerstones of the carnival celebration. This paper looks at aspects of the subset of political calypsos that offer commentary on the socio-political and/or economic issues in the Republic of Trinidad and …

Natural Resource Conflict: The Bakassi Lesson For Sudan And The Republic Of South Sudan Over Abyei, Chux Ibekwe

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The split of Sudan into two sovereign states, Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, in July 20 II did not come as a surprise to many interested parties to the Sudanese conflict. Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan have intensified their dispute over an oil rich border region of Abyei. This article looks at the history of another border dispute between Nigeria and Cameroun over Bakassi peninsula with the aim of identifying mistakes made by the two neighbors, Nigeria and Cameroun, in trying to resolve the dispute. Specifically, this study suggests paths Sudan and the Republic of South …

Introduction: The Year Of Ghana At Kennesaw State University, Dan Paracka, Sam Abaidoo

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Introduction to the issue.

Analysis Of Technology Integration In Teacher Education In Ghana, Douglas D. Agyei

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Ghana’s Education Reforms launched in June 2007 introduced Computer literacy not on-ly as a new subject, but also as a tool to enhance teaching and learning. This study pro-vides a situational analysis of the pedagogical issues associated with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use in teacher education in Ghana. The methodology used in the study focused on meta-data analysis in which issues associated with integrat-ing ICT in Ghana’s education were re-examined to provide a better picture that will sup-port future achievement of teaching and learning with ICT. The evidence suggests that the challenges of ICT use in education do not …

Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices Of Mothers In Duakor, A Traditional Migrant Community In Cape Coast, Ghana, Solomon Sika-Bright, Georgina Yaa Oduro

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Ensuring child health and well-being is critical in Ghana’s development. Central to initia-tives for ensuring child health is the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended exclusive breastfeeding, which is increasingly being promoted in Ghana. As the name connotes, the practice requires that babies from age zero to six months are breastfed. This practice is however interpreted and practiced differently in line with the traditional mode of feeding babies in most communities in Ghana. This paper presents the findings of a study that examined how mothers breastfeed their babies in the first six months at Dua-kor, a traditional migrant community in Cape …

Rural Women's Role In The Socio-Economic Growth And Well-Being Of Ghana: A Case Study Of Women Operating Within The Informal Sector, Raphael Avornyo

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

This paper examines women’s contributions to Ghana’s economic growth and well-being. Data for the study were collected using interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with women operating in the informal sector of the Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denkyira District. The main findings of the study showed that even though women con-tribute to socio-economic growth and well-being, most of them do not have adequate ac-cess to the resources needed to expand their impact. The paper recommends policies aimed at addressing women’s issues regarding the socio-economic system, so that they can create wealth and improve well-being for themselves, their children, and society at large.

About The Contributors, Dan Paracka

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

No abstract provided.

Transitions From War To Peace, Caroline A. Hartzell

Political Science Faculty Publications

The Elgar Handbook of Civil War and Fragile States brings together contributions from a multidisciplinary group of internationally renowned scholars on such important issues as the causes of violent conflicts and state fragility, the challenges of conflict resolution and mediation, and the obstacles to post-conflict reconstruction and durable peace-building. This chapter examines the state of current knowledge regarding transitions from war to peace following civil wars.

In Support Of Corporate Social Responsibility In Developing Countries By Western Multinationals: An Illustrative Case In Ghana, Hope Torkornoo

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The global economy offers opportunities for businesses to integrate business units and processes into seamless value-creating engines that can bring their global strength and capabilities to bear within each local market. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that proactive corporate social responsibility (CSR) by Western multinational enterprises op-erating in developing countries, such as those in Africa, not only serves to soften the Ja-nus-face of globalization but enhances their long-term economic interests as well. The paper posits that CSR provides a framework for a thoughtful modus operandi that wins the trust of local customers, employees, business partners, and the …

The Impact Of Gold Mining On Local Farming Communities In Ghana, Emmanuel Yamoah Tenkorang, Patrick Osei-Kufuor

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The increase in leases for surface gold mining in Ghana between 1983 and 1998 has had drastic consequences for sustainable land use and management in the country. Most of these leases were for surface mining displacing the original owners from large arable land needed for their livelihoods. This situation makes the local people vulnerable to econom-ic uncertainties. The real benefits accruing to the ordinary Ghanaian in these mining communities is simply taken, for granted as monetary compensation is paid to affected community members. Such palliative payments to people displaced by mining activities do not address the existing vulnerabilities of these …

India-Pakistan Relations: International Implications, Alka Jauhari

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

India’s independence in 1947 from the British colonial rule and its subsequent division into two nations – India and Pakistan - has sowed the seeds of continuing conflict between the two countries since their independence. The partition of India was primarily based on the religious divide between the two communities – the Hindus and the Muslims. After India’s partition, the major issue of conflict between the two countries has been the Muslim dominated northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, currently a part of India. This bilateral conflict has had international implications over the years. Decades of conflict, which includes three …