Organic certification as assemblage: The case of Cuban honey

Through the lens of assemblage theory, we conceptualise organic certification for agricultural products in Cuba as a “dispositif‐assemblage,” through which we trace a multiple and conflicted “will to govern” the production and valuing of food qualities. We juxtapose the hierarchical third‐party certification system for Cuban organic honey for export with a proposed horizontal participatory guarantee system for organic products to be consumed in Cuba. The analysis highlights that there are multiple ways in which commodities take on value and meaning within assemblages, some of which are extra‐economic in nature

Narcophobia: drugs prohibition and the generation of human rights abuses

This paper is concerned with the negative aspects of global drugs prohibition. The paper argues that prohibition, which is driven by moralism rather than empirical research, creates a black market that is regulated by violent entrepreneurs, and particular in developing countries where there is a lack of economic opportunities for the poor, offers the only feasible employment options. The paper suggests that the results of experimental legislation should be taken seriously. The militarisation of prohibition enforcement has hindered the advancement of democracy and led to violence and increases in human rights abuses. In conclusion it is argued that the current system of global prohibition creates more problems than it solves, and that issues of drug production and trade need to be dealt with by regulation from within a development perspective

Soft Power, Hard Aspirations: the Shifting Role of Power in Brazilian Foreign Policy

Journalists and policy analysts have highlighted the emergence of Brazil as a regional power. However, little attention has been paid to its foreign policy strategies. Brazil's rise to prominence in world politics represents the historical culmination of a foreign policy featuring two main strategies – persuasion and consensus building – both of which emphasise the use of soft power. We analyse four current foreign policy initiatives: the campaign for a permanent seat on the UNSC; the development of a nuclear submarine; Brazil's leadership of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti; and government support for Brazilian multinationals. We suggest a growing tension between these initiatives and the two strategies identified above. These initiatives reflect the view current among some policymakers that if Brazil is to rise as a global power it must play by the rules of great power politics