Huwebes, Agosto 9, 2012

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

  INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

INTERNATIONAL LAW


International law is the set of rules generally regarded and accepted as binding in relations between states and nations.[1] It serves as the indispensable framework for the practice of stable and organized international relations.

Traditionally, international law consisted of rules and principles governing the relations and dealings of nations with each other, though recently, the scope of international law has been redefined to include relations between states and individuals, and relations between international organizations.  Public_international_law, concerns itself only with questions of rights between several nations or nations and the citizens or subjects of other nations. In contrast, Private_international_law deals with controversies between private persons, natural or juridical, arising out of situations having significant relationship to more than one nation. In recent years the line between public and private international law have became increasingly uncertain. Issues of private international law may also implicate issues of public international law, and many matters of private international law nave substantial significance for the international community of nations.

SOURCES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

 A source of international  law is where an international decision maker or researcher looks to verify the substantive legal rule governing a legal dispute or academic discourse. The sources of international law applied by the community of nations to find the content of international law are listed under Article 38.1 of the Statute of the International Court of JusticeTreaties, international customs, and general principles are stated as the three primary sources; and judicial decisions and scholarly writings are expressly designated as the subsidiary sources of international law. Many scholars agree that the fact that the sources are arranged sequentially in the Article 38 of the ICJ Statute suggests an implicit hierarchy of sources.[4] However, there is no concrete evidence, in the decisions of the international courts and tribunals, to support such strict hierarchy, at least when it is about choosing international customs and treaties. In addition, unlike the Article 21 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which clearly defines hierarchy of applicable law (or sources of international law), the language of the Article 38 do not explicitly support hierarchy of sources.


The sources have been influenced by a range of political and legal theories. During the 20th century, it was recognized by legal positivists that a sovereign state could limit its authority to act by consenting to an agreement according to the principle pacta sunt servanda. This consensual view of international law was reflected in the 1920 Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice, which was succeeded by the United Nations Charter and is preserved in the United Nations Article 7 of the 1946 Statute of the International Court of Justice.
 

DIFFERENT SCHOOL OF THOUGHT IN  INTERNATIONAL LAW

a.Realism is the view that world politics is driven by competitive self-interest
Realism is a tradition of international theory centered upon four propositions.
1. Anarchy:
  • There is no actor above states capable of regulating their interactions; states must arrive at relations with other states on their own, rather than it being dictated to them by some higher controlling entity.
  • The international system exists in a state of constant antagonism
2. Egoism:
  • Individuals and groups tend to pursue self-interest.
  • Groups strive to attain as many resources as possible
3. Groupism:
  • Politics takes place within and between groups.
4. Power politics:
           .>Relations between groups are determined by their levels of power derived primarily from their material (military and economic) capabilities.
            > The overriding national interest of each state is its survival, and there is a general distrust of long-term cooperation or alliance.
            >“International politics are always power politics” (Carr 1946, 145).            

b. Liberalism is one of the main schools of international relations theory. Its roots lie in the broader liberal thought originating in the Enlightenment. The central issues that it seeks to address are the problems of achieving lasting peace and cooperation in international relations, and the various methods that could contribute to their achievements.

c.,Institutionalism claims that international institutions such as the United Nations, NATO and the European Union can increase and aid cooperation between states.

d. Constructivism is the claim that significant aspects of international relations are historically and socially contingent, rather than inevitable consequences of human nature or other essential characteristics of world politics.

MEMBERS OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

  The membership in the International Society of Hypnosis (the International Society) shall consist of Members, Affiliate Members, and Honorary Members. .
The class of Affiliate Member is reserved for those who meet the standards of acceptability and have a serious interest in becoming colleagues but are unable to meet the dues requirement because of national restrictions upon currency exchange. When approved by the Credentials Committee they will be accepted as Affiliate Members, without dues.
Honorary Members shall be elected, upon special invitation and without application, by the Board of Directors, and shall be limited to distinguished scientific contributors to hypnosis. They shall have all the privileges of membership, but shall be free of the obligation to pay membership dues.
Individual applications will be accepted from nations in which one or more Constituent Societies exist only if the applicant is excluded from membership in a Constituent Society solely because of the profession to which he belongs. In such a case his application will be judged according to the standards of the International Society relative to his profession. Otherwise his application will be referred back to a Constituent Society to which he may be eligible. An individual applicant, if approved, will be admitted as a member upon the payment of dues.

TYPES OF INTERACTION IN INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY
DOMESTIC INFLUENCES ON STATE BEHAVIOR

 DIPLOMACY

 (from Latin diploma, meaning an official document, which in turn derives from the Greek δίπλωμα, meaning a folded paper/document) is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states. It usually refers to international diplomacy, the conduct of international relations[1] through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to issues of peace-making, trade, wareconomicsculture,environment and human rights. International treaties are usually negotiated by diplomats prior to endorsement by national politicians. In an informal or social sense, diplomacy is the employment of tact to gain strategic advantage or to find mutually acceptable solutions to a common challenge, one set of tools being the phrasing of statements in a non-confrontational, or polite manner.
The scholarly discipline of diplomatics, dealing with the study of old documents, derives its name from the same source, but its modern meaning is quite distinct from the activity of diplomacy.

DIPLOMATIC AGENTS

                The convention splits the functions of diplomatic agents into six categories: representing the sending state; protecting the sending state's nationals within the receiving state; negotiating with the receiving state; notifying the sending state of conditions and developments within the receiving state; promoting friendly relations between the two states; and developing economic, cultural, and scientific relations between the two states.

THE  CONSULAR OFFICIALS OF A STATE


The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries. A consul is distinguished from an ambassador, the latter being a representative from one head of state to another. There can be only one ambassador from one country to another, representing the first country's head of state to that of the second, and his or her duties revolve around diplomatic relations between the two countries; however, there may be several consuls, one in each of several main cities, providing assistance with bureaucratic issues to both the citizens of the consul's own country travelling or living abroad and to the citizens of the country the consul resides in who wish to travel to or trade with the consul's country  

Miyerkules, Agosto 1, 2012

Women Participation in Politics and Governance

    Women Participation in Politics and  Governance

  • Preliminary report (as of February 2011) of the May 2010 automated national and local elections shows that around 18.4 percent of the elected posts are won by women candidates, slightly higher than the 17 percent turnout in 2007.
  • For the same election period, voter turnout, which is computed by dividing the total votes cast by the total number of registered voters, is higher for women than men. COMELEC figures as of August 2011 show that women voter turnout is 75.7 percent compared to men at 74.3 percent. The national figure is 75.0 percent.
  • In 2007 and 2004, voter turnouts for women were also higher than men and the national figures. Women voter turnout in 2007 was 73.3 percent while that of men was 72.8 percent and the national figure at 73.1 percent. In 2004, women voter turnout was 77.5 percent compared to men at 76.4 percent while the national figure was 76.9 percent.
  • In 2010 Senatorial election, there were 14 women who ran out of 61 candidates (23.0%), of which two entered the top 12 winning senators (16.7%). Women participation in the senatorial election in 2007 was lower at 10.8 percent (4 out of 37 senatorial candidates) with one woman elected (8.3%).
  • There are 48 women Representatives elected in the 15th Congress (2010 national election). They accounted for 21.6 percent of the total 222 Representatives as members of the Lower House. During the 14th Congress, 51 women had secured memberships in the House of Representatives which was lower at 21.2 percent of the total 240 seats.
  • A women's rights organization has secured party-list representation in Congress since 2004. Civil society/private sector organizations that carry the agenda of marginalized sectors vie for a limited number of seats in the House of Representatives.
  • In the 2007 national election, a total of 21 Party-list Representatives were given seats in the House of Congress, two represented a women's organization - Gabriela Women's Party (GWP) which also won in the 2004 national election.
  • Moreover, of the total 21 elected Party-list Representatives, 6 or 28.57 percent are women. This is higher than the 2004 figure which was only 17.39 percent (4 women out of 23 elected Party-list Representatives).
  • The participation of women in the judiciary is slightly increasing. In 2007, 32 percent of the total incumbent judges in the first and second level courts, including Shari'a courts, were women, although it increased to 33 percent in 2008; 33 percent in 2009; and 34 percent in 2010.
    Lady Judges in the 1st, and Level Courts of the Philippines including Shari'a Courts
  • In the Supreme Court, there were 3 women out of 15 justices in 2001; 4 out of 15 in 2002; 4 out of 14 in 2003; 5 out of 15 in 2004; and 5 out of 15 in 2007.
    Lady Justices in the Supreme court of the Philippines: 2001-2007
  • Statistics on women lawyers showed a decreasing trend of disparity from its male counterpart. In 2001, the percentage of women bar passers was 40.44 percent (512).
    Number of Women and Men bar Passers: 2001-2005
  • It decreased in 2002 at 39.04 percent (358) but increased in 2003, 2004, and 2005 at 43.68 percent (484), 46.31 percent (765), and 48.27 percent (724) respectively.
  • Women dominate the bureaucracy especially the technical or second-level. Based on the 2004 data of the Civil Service Commission, women make up the majority of the bureaucracy, accounting for 58.7 percent of the total 1.31 million government personnel.
  • As of February 2012, the percentage of women occupying CES positions (3rd level positions) is 46 percent which is higher than the 42 percent reported in February 2011.

Linggo, Hulyo 22, 2012

Qualifications for Local and National Elections

 

Qualifications prescribed by law for public elective positions in the Philippines are continuing requirements and must be possessed for the duration of the officer’s active tenure. It is the Philippine Congress which has the power to prescribe additional qualifications and disqualifications.
The following is a simple list of the pertinent qualifications required for public elective positions in the Philippines:
Qualification for Philippine President and Vice-President:
1. natural born citizen of the Philippines
2. registered voter
3. able to read and write
4. at least 40 years of age on the day of election
5. resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years immediately preceding the election.
Qualifications for Philippine Senators:
1. natural born citizen of the Philippines
2. at least 35 years old on the day of the election
3. able to read and write
4. registered voter
5. resident of the Philippines for not less than 2 years immediately preceding the day of the election
Qualification for Philippine Congressmen (District Representative):
1. natural born citizen of the Philippines
2. on the day of the election at least 25 years old
3. able to read and write
4. registered voter in the district in which he shall be elected
5. resident thereof a period of not less than 1 year immediately preceding the day of the election.
Qualification for Philippine Party-List Representative (Sectoral representative):
1. natural born citizen of the Philippines
2. able to read and write
3. resident of the Philippines for a period not less than 1 year immediately preceeding the ay of the election
4. bona fide member of the sector he seeks to represent
5. on the day of the election is at least 25 years old BUT in case of youth sectoral representative, at least 25 years and not more than 25 years old at the day of the election
Qualifications for Philippine Local Officials:
1. citizen of the Philippines
2. on the day of election at least 23 years old for Governor, Vice-Governor, member of sangguniang panlalawigan, mayor, vice-mayor, sangguniang panglungsond in highly urbanized cities; while at least 21 years old for the said officials in component cities and municipalities; at least 18 years old for members of the sangguniang panglungsod, sangguniang bayan and sangguniang barangay and punong barangay; at least 15 years old and not more than 21 years of age for Sangguniang kabataan.
3. able to read and write FIlioini or any other local language or dialect
4. registered voter in the constituency in the locality
5. resident thereof for a period of not less than 1 year immediately preceding the day of the election