Cabaran pembinaan komuniti ASEAN: analisis persepsi awam di tiga negara ASEAN

Proses pembentukan Komuniti ASEAN telah dikritik oleh para sarjana sebagai terlalu elitis dan kurang inisiatif yang serius daripada pihak penggubal dasar untuk memperolehi pandangan orang ramai berkenaan pembentukan komuniti serantau ini. Artikel ini membincangkan bagaimana pandangan masyarakat awam di Indonesia, Malaysia dan Singapura terhadap sembilan cabaran baik di dalam mahupun antara negara ASEAN yang mungkin dihadapi oleh inisiatif ini. Antara cabaran yang dibincangkan meliputi ketidaksamaan tahap pendidikan; kekurangan daya saing ekonomi; pergantungan terhadap negara maju; Ketidaksamaan sosioekonomi; perbezaan sistem undang-undang dan politik; had penguasaan dan penciptaan teknologi; kemiskinan di rantau; konflik dalaman dan keganasan; dan keragaman etnik dan agama di rantau

Keamanan Energi dan Hubungan Kerja Sama Cina-Jepang

This article explores the Chinese and Japanese energy relationship by describing changes in the Chinese energy situation as a starting point. The article breaks down that the strength of the Chinese domestic energy since the 1970s and the decade of the 1980s make the country's independent in energy and become the largest oil exporter country, especially to the energy poor neighbor, Japan. However, entering the decade of the 1990s or the end of the post-Cold War era, the situation changed drastically when China faces the energy crisis. The change status bring a wide range of implications for Japan and influence the bilateral energy relations of the two countries, which tend to be ambivalent or ambiguous, between energy cooperation and the potential of conflict. As main purpose of this paper is to identify which energy issues are a direct influence on the behavior of the interaction between China and Japan and as knowledge contribution in understanding the issues of energy itself and the Sino-Japanese relations as a whole. The main assumption of this article is that the energy security factor is a very important issue and significant in shaping the nature and pattern of Sino-Japanese relations, because it raises consideration of national interests and national security of both countries, particularly in the present and the future

The role of Kano Emirate Council in managing ethnic and religious conflict in Kano State-Nigeria

Conflict and security scholars have identified ethnic and religious conflicts as one of the main causes of insecurity in Nigeria the African most populous country. One of the states in which these twin conflicts have been occurring is Kano state that incidentally is also the most populous state in the country. Hausa/Fulani ethnic group whose religion is Islam dominates the state that has a current estimated population of over ten million. However, owing to its background as the commercial nerve centre of the northern region, the state has attracted substantially Christian immigrants from the southern parts of the country. Unfortunately, the relationship between the host Muslim Hausa/Fulani and their Christian immigrants especially the Igbos over the years have been characterized by series of conflicts arising from ethnic and religious acrimonies. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the role of Kano Emirate Council in the management of these conflicts. The study is based on a qualitative research method with secondary data obtained through review of related published materials. Finding of the study revealed that, Kano Emirate Council plays significant role in managing ethnic and religious conflicts in the state on informal basis. On the backdrop of this finding, this paper concludes that management of Kano state security which is often threatened by ethno-religious conflicts can be improved with the reintegration of the Emirate Council into the security management framework

Disaster communication in managing vulnerabilities

The management of information among various stakeholders in natural and human induced disasters is fundamental to the mitigation and effective disaster-relieve operations. Disasters always happen abruptly, and often with different levels of severity, posing a major challenge for effective information exchanges and coordination. Extended droughts, trans-boundary haze, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic activities and severe weathers have created havoc and displaced populations in many parts of this continent. These events have given rise to the realization that a more concerted disaster management strategy is needed to manage disasters more effectively. The paper attempts to uncover the emerging patterns in disaster communication. By drawing from experiences in disasters, especially in Asia, the paper firstly conceptualizes disaster, vulnerabilities and disaster communication, in the broader literature on disaster. Secondly, it examines how the emerging features, such as disaster communication and coordination mechanism, the role of social media and technology, reliability of communication systems, social capital and cultural knowledge can assist first responders, care givers and disaster related agencies in helping disaster victims more effectively

Pemikiran strategik dasar luar India: dari Dasar Pandang Timur ke Dasar Tindak Timur

Kebangkitan India sebagai kuasa ekonomi dan langkah strategik untuk mengekalkan pertumbuhan ekonomi telah membawa kepada perubahan dasar luar India daripada Look East Policy (Dasar Pandang Timur) kepada Act East Policy (Dasar Tindak Timur). Dasar baru inidilihat sebagai satu pendekatan yang diambil oleh India untuk menghadapi perubahan senario global. Dasar Tindak Timurmemberi tumpuan kepadapembinaan strategi bagi pertumbuhan ekonomi, politik, keselamatan dan pertahanan India, melalui pelanjutan hubungan baik dengan negara -negara di Asia Tenggara dan Asia Timur. Mulai 2014, pimpinan Narendra Modi telah memperkenalkan Dasar Tindak Timuryang dilihat sebagai satu pendekatan India untuk mencapai kepentingan ekonomi dan geostrategik. Walaupun kedua-dua dasar ini menjurus kepada hubungan dengan negaranegara di bahagian timur India, di Asia Tenggara dan Asia Timur, namun kedua-dua dasar ini menampakkan beberapa perbezaan dan persamaan. Artikel ini, menjawab persoalan samada Dasar Tindak Timurini merupakan satu polisi baru India ataupun kesinambungan daripada polisi sedia ada iaitu Dasar Pandang Timur. Ataupun, polisi baru ini hanya merupakan retorik politik semata-mata

Managing terrorism and insurgency through African traditional institutions: the role of Kano Emirate Council – Nigeria

Although Nigeria, like most developing countries is facing various security challenges, recent media reports suggest that activities of Boko Haram insurgent group appears to be the most visible source of security threat to the country. Beginning 2009, the group launched violent attack on the Nigerian state, killing thousands of people and destroying public and private properties in different parts of the country.Globally, the group is now labeled as one of the most deadly insurgent/terrorist groups in the world.Like most insurgent or terrorist groups, it seems to defy several counter terrorism measures introduced by the Nigerian government.Arising from this background, many Nigerians are calling for the involvement of traditional institutions in the fight against the insurgent or terrorist groups. This article attempts to examine the role which African traditional institutions can play in managing the menace of such groups. Methodologically, in-depth interview was adopted for the study using Kano Emirate Council as case study.Thus, among the findings of the study is that traditional institutions occupy a strategic position in Nigerian setting which make them relevant in the fight against insurgents.In this article we argue that considering the closeness of the institutions to the communities, lack of modern security monitoring equipment and comprehensive data on the population for security agencies to keep abreast with the happenings in the society, the Nigerian government should create a framework to synergize between the institutions and the contemporary security agencies

Keamanan Energi dan Hubungan Kerja Sama Cina-Jepang

This article explores the Chinese and Japanese energy relationship by describing changes in the Chinese energy situation as a starting point. The article breaks down that the strength of the Chinese domestic energy since the 1970s and the decade of the 1980s make the country’s independent in energy and become the largest oil exporter country, especially to the energy poor neighbor, Japan. However, entering the decade of the 1990s or the end of the post-Cold War era, the situation changed drastically when China faces the energy crisis. The change status bring a wide range of implications for Japan and influence the bilateral energy relations of the two countries, which tend to be ambivalent or ambiguous, between energy cooperation and the potential of conflict. As main purpose of this paper is to identify which energy issues are a direct influence on the behavior of the interaction between China and Japan and as knowledge contribution in understanding the issues of energy itself and the Sino-Japanese relations as a whole. The main assumption of this article is that the energy security factor is a very important issue and significant in shaping the nature and pattern of Sino-Japanese relations, because it raises consideration of national interests and national security of both countries, particularly in the present and the future

Economic Versus Political Liberalisation In Asean: Public Opinion Among University Students In Four Member Countries

As a regionalism initiative, establishment of the ASEAN Community needs plausible level of public awareness, good public perception and strong public support from the public for its legitimacy. The current paper discusses the opinion among the public pertaining to regional economic integration under the ASEAN Economic Community initiative in comparison to political-security cooperation under the ASEAN Political Security Community in 2015 among educated public in four ASEAN countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam

Smart card reader and electoral transparency in Nigeria: the case of 2015 general elections

Periodic elections are characteristics of contemporary democracy, because they serve as means of changing non performing representatives of the people. In Nigeria, it is difficult to ascertain whether elections have over the years served the above mentioned purpose. Elections in Nigeria have been characterized by irregularities, consequently the introduction of the Smart Card Reader to correct the abnormalities. This paper examined the effectiveness of the use of Smart Card Reader in search for electoral transparency in Nigeria, as experimented during the 2015 general elections. It relied heavily on secondly data. Using the system theory as espoused by David Easton as it theoretical foundation, the paper disclosed that, the use of smart card reader in the Nigeria’s 2015 general elections to a large extent reduced the level of electoral scam that is widely known to have characterized the Nigerian electoral system. The paper also reveals that despite the success recorded by the use of the smart card reader, there were some challenges recorded and also controversy surrounding the legality of the use of smart card reader. Based on the challenges encountered by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the use of the smart card reader, the paper recommends adequate education as the panacea for the effective use of the smart card reader in Nigeria’s subsequent elections

Impact of Nationalist Sentiments and Commitment for Prioritising the ASEAN Economic Community: Empirical Analysis from Survey in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore

This study examines how nationalist sentiments affect the public's commitment to prioritize the proposed ASEAN Economic Community and its three features – free flow of goods and services, free movement of skilled/professional workers and freedom to invest in the region. It analyzes statistical data from public opinion surveys conducted to 1,040 respondents from eleven cities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in 2010. Tested by OLS regression analysis, the study finds some mixed findings for the four hypotheses, differences in results in the three ASEAN countries, and issues specific to developing countries that vary the results from the European integration. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1s1p18