Volume 2 No 1

Contents

Editorial

Articles

Citizen agency, human rights and economic development in the context of populism and new democratic leadership models in Latin America
by Héctor Santiago Mazzei

Sustainability of food systems: The role of legal and policy frameworks
by Nicholas W Orago

Freedom of religion and the securitisation of religious identity: An analysis of proposals impacting on freedom of religion following terrorist attacks in Flanders
by Willem Vancutsem

The development of Uganda’s military justice and the right to a fair trial: Old wine in new bottles?
by Ronald Naluwairo

The forced displacement of indigenious peoples in Colombia
by Felipe Gómez Isa

Recent Regional Developments

Human rights and democracy in the Arab world in 2017: Hopeless within, doomed abroad
by Hafsa Bennis, Razane Boustany, Anna Lucky Dalena, Henriette Josephine Gentil, Yasmine Jamal Hajar, Hind Sharif, Salma Sharif, Marta Welander and Martina Zucconi

Challenges to the European Union in 2017: Brexit implementation, populism, and the renewed attempt at advancing the social dimension of the European integration project
by Chiara Altafin and Wiebke Lamer

Selected developments in human rights and democratisation during 2017: Sub-Saharan Africa
by Michael Gyan Nyarko and Trésor Makunya

Selected regional developments in human rights and democratisation in the Asia Pacific during 2017: 'Diverse region with divergent stance'
by Ravi Prakash Vyas and Sachin Siwakoti

Regional perspectives on democratisation of Eastern Partnership countries
by Arusyak Aleksanyan

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 12
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    Global Campus Human Rights Journal, Volume 2 No 1
    (Global Campus, 2018-10)
    Global Campus Human Rights Journal (Human Rights Journal) is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, published under the auspices of the Global Campus of Human Rights as an open-access on-line journal.
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    Editorial
    (Global Campus, 2018-10) Viljoen, Frans ; Hayes, Mike
    This is the third issue of the Global Campus Human Rights Journal. It consists of five articles of a general nature, covering a diversity of geographic and thematic concerns, and five reviews of recent regional developments in human rights and democracy, covering 2017.
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    Citizen agency, human rights and economic development in the context of populism and new democratic leadership models in Latin America
    (Global Campus, 2018-10) Mazzei, Héctor Santiago
    This article reviews the concepts of governance and governability in light of the emergence of new leadership models at the turn of the century and after the 1990s in Latin America. The article reviews the challenges of democratisation processes in Latin America to strengthen and broaden the exercise of human rights, in the context of the new democratic and so-called populist leadership. After a period of foreign debt crisis, and with the emergence of new leaders in Latin America at the turn of the millennium, a different type of agenda is taking shape, centred on the characteristics of leadership, plebiscite democracies, ‘decisionism’ and the search for institutional quality. These agenda points are connected to themes such as the idea of ‘republic’ versus the idea of ‘democracy’; constitutional stability; and the notion of personal and populist leadership as against democratic leadership. The article reviews these concepts and highlights the meaning of the so-called neo-constitutionalism in Latin America, both from a legal and a political perspective. Key words: Latin America; governability; populist leaderships; republic; democracy; constitutional stability; neo-constitutionalism
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    Sustainability of food systems: The role of legal and policy frameworks
    (Global Campus, 2018-10) Orago, Nicholas Wasonga
    Food plays a critical role in human life for sustenance, nutrition, cultural expression and socio-economic development. It is, therefore, imperative that food production, processing and consumption systems are managed in a manner that ensures access to adequate, quality, safe and nutritious food for all for present and future generations. However, the world continues to struggle with different nutritional challenges such as undernutrition, overnutrition and malnutrition. It is essential that a system of food production, processing and consumption be adopted that effectively responds to these challenges in a comprehensive and holistic manner. This article elaborates on the food sustainability approach as an alternative to the prevailing conventional industrial approach to food production that has failed to end the world’s nutritional challenge while, at the same time, adversely degrading the ecosystem. The food sustainability approach adopts a systems approach to the global nutritional challenge, addressing it in an integrated and holistic manner at all levels of the food chain to ensure that food production, processing and consumption are economical, socially just and environmentally viable in the short and long term. The article finds that legal and policy frameworks at the national and global level have played a critical role in the maintenance of the current conventional food systems that perpetuate hunger, inequality and destroy critical ecosystem services. It calls for the review and transformation of these legal and policy frameworks so as to create an integrated and holistic food systems framework for the management of the entire food chain to enhance the realisation of economic, social and environmental sustainability in the food system. Key words: food; malnutrition; food systems; food sustainability; legal and policy frameworks
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    Freedom of religion and the securitisation of religious identity: An analysis of proposals impacting on freedom of religion following terrorist attacks in Flanders
    (Global Campus, 2018-10) Vancutsem, Willem
    This article develops an adapted, discourse theory-based framework of securitisation theory to assess possible violations of the human right to freedom of religion. The relevance of this framework is illustrated by the analysis of three political proposals that would limit freedom of religion, made in Flanders after the terrorist attacks of 22 March 2016: a change to the Constitution; the criminalisation of ‘radicalism’; and a ban on the wearing of the burkini. While none of these proposals has subsequently been put in place, the article demonstrates how securitisation and identity constructions may impact on freedom of religion in illegitimate ways, while drawing attention to the possible effects of a particular construction of Flemish identity on the right of Muslim citizens to freedom of religion. After first outlining the securitisation theory and its original shortcomings – most notably the failure to take the discursive context and the role of identity constructions into account – the article links this theory to the human right to freedom of religion, through the limitation criterion of a ‘legitimate aim’ in article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It is shown that a manifestation of religion has to be securitised, or constructed as a threat to a ‘legitimate aim’, in order to be limited. However, it is argued that there are different ways in which this securitisation can occur: First, a manifestation of religion can be securitised in its own right; or, second, on the basis of an interpretation of the religion it belongs to. Embracing the insights of discourse theory, it is argued that both are related to identity constructions and the threats that ensue from clashing identities. The second instance, it is argued, constitutes a violation of the human right to freedom of religion. This insight is subsequently applied to the three proposals, demonstrating the relevance of the theory and its practical implications. All proposals, it is shown, ensue from a wider construction of ‘Islam’ as a ‘threat’ – the result of a Flemish identity construct that regards Muslims and Islam as the ‘other’. It is this construction that has given rise to the three proposals that aim to securitise manifestations of Islam. This identity construct, it is concluded, therefore is not compatible with freedom of religion for Muslims, and alternatives should be supported. Key words: securitisation; freedom of religion; legitimate aim; Islam; identity; discourse, European Convention on Human Rights