Mali Secured?

The Elections Were Successful, but the Problems Persist

The new President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, is striving for an effective stabilisation of the country and for national reconciliation in spite of simmering power struggles and opposing interests within the international community. One cannot appreciate the challenges facing the President today without knowing the circumstances in which the elections took place.

Nationalism in Asia

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Parliamentary Elections 2013 and the Development of the Political Parties in Cambodia

On 28 July the Cambodian Minister of Information announced the preliminary election result: “Cambodian People’s Party (CPP): 68 seats, Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP): 55 seats, no change” came one hour after CNRP, the main opposition party, declared itself the winner of the national election, claiming 63 seats out of 120 for their own party.

South Korea on a Journey of Self-Discovery

From „Victim Nationalism“ to Nation Branding

People familiar with Korea are generally aware of the fact that Korean nationalism can present the greatest obstacle to foreigners trying to understand what the Koreans are like. There is clearly a specifically Korean type of nationalism, which has prevailed for a long time. This becomes apparent, for instance, when one contemplates a scene from the Asian crisis at the end of the 1990s.

The Resurgence of Nationalism in East Asia

A Threat to Regional Stability?

The social, economic and political modernisation of East Asia and its regional and global complexity have not led to a decline in nationalism in these countries. On the contrary, nationalist sentiments and resentments have been revived over the past few years and are clearly gaining in importance for domestic and foreign policy in these countries.

Argenchina: The Chinese Presence in Argentina

Sino-Argentine relations have seen a comparative boom since the outset of the Argentine peso default in 2001 and Néstor Kirchner’s 2003 presidency, and have further strengthened during current President Cristina Kirchner’s tenure. As it stands today, China is Argentina’s second most important trading partner, having received eight per cent of Argentine total exports and providing 13 per cent of its total imports by 2011.

Between Religion, Extremism and Governance

Political Islam in the Palestinian Territories

According to Palestinian Basic Law, Islam is the official religion in the Palestinian Territories. It is an integral part of political and social life of the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, 98 per cent of whom are Muslim. It also exerts a decisive influence on the two major movements, Hamas and Fatah, as well as on numerous smaller political parties and movements, which often originate in the secular sphere or have Marxist roots.

Editorial

In Egypt as well as in other countries of the region, the expectations associated with the “Arab Spring” have not been fulfilled to date. Democratic elections gave power to Islamist parties, whose political convictions do not necessarily match the ideas that had been advocated by the predominantly young protestors: freedom and justice, participation and pluralism.

Exception or Pioneers

Political Islam in Marocco

Shortly after the first stirrings of the Arab Spring, the éxception marocaine, the Moroccan exception, quickly became one of Morocco’s hottest topics in the media and in public debate. To what extent has Islam contributed to Morocco’s process of transformation? And what role does organised party-political Islam play in the development of Morocco when compared with other North African countries?

Islam and Political Parties

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