Abstract
This paper discusses how the Athenian democracy was one of the models for the American democratic model. It looks at how in ancient Athens, democracy was truly representative, Athenians decisions were made by voting and how the meetings of the Assembly were frequent and accessible giving citizens the power to benefit by their self-rule. The paper contends that while the Athenian democracy might have served as the model for the American democratic model, in practice, America has fallen short of such a true democracy and that in the U.S., the government is considered an outside entity that is expected to pay for programs or to take on an independent existence separate from the
American citizenry itself.

From the Paper
"In addition, many Americans believe that citizenship is mostly about the rights that are due to the individual. They do not necessarily see that there are any duties they are required to perform as citizens. The ancient democratic citizenship of Athens, on the other hand, did entail very real obligations and requirements. For example, one of the main oaths that citizens had to take on together with their Assembly duties included the promise to pass on to one's descendants a fatherland "increased in size and strength." This obviously meant that they combined social, military, financial and religious issues as citizen rulers of a democracy."

Tags:vote, citizens, assembly, government

Abstract
This paper looks examines whether or not the Russia that has come to exist since the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991 has successfully established a capitalistic free market economy with democratic institutions. The author examines in great detail whether or Russia, which was a totalitarian society has become a democracy since Putin's rise to power. The paper discusses the different styles of governing since the 1917 revolution and argues that even with this new era, the czarist style has remained. The structure of the Federal Assembly, the nomination process and the election process are all detailed in the constitution, but according to this paper, the President still holds a disproportionate amount of control over the all elements of government. Using the press as an example, the paper refers to several experts who feel that Russia is now a controlled or managed democracy which allows its citizens enough freedom to feel that there have been changes and to give the outside world the impression that democracy is alive and well in Russia.

From the Paper
"Many Kremlin watchers, believing that old habits die hard, felt certain that if Yeltsin had not won that general election in a run-off, he would have reasserted his authority with force -- something he showed himself quite capable of when he dismissed parliament at gunpoint. On the other hand. no one is certain about what Putin would have done had he lost in 2000. However, Putin, the former KBG chief, like the spy that he was, left little to chance and came away with an easy victory in an election that international observers said was fair and without flaw. In fact, although he won handsomely, several Putin candidates were defeated. In the study of governments, there is much discussion about transition being an inevitable part of the formation of every government. From Plato to Aristotle to Machiavelli, each saw dictatorships as either necessary or inevitable in times of disarray. A strong hand is required to bring order so as to pave the way for a more populist government if not a fully democratic one. Of course democracy can have its own tyrannical side."

Tags:putin, yeltsin, totalitarian

Abstract
The authors argues that while social democracy is rarely spoken of as a dominant, united voice in Canadian politics, social democrats, both officially and as grassroots activists, have played key roles in shaping Canadian social policy; their crown jewel being nationalized healthcare. The authors goes on to discuss that while social democrats in this country have generally found themselves on the outside of the power structure looking in, the official party's job is now more or less to find ways to affect change with limited access to the power structure. Finally, the author states that the past, present, and future of the New Democratic Party (NDP) seems to be based on the party's ability to act as more activist than government.

From the Paper
"So, despite its power outage, while the NDP is a legitimate mainstream party, except in the province of Quebec where it has never elected a New Democrat during a general election, it would appear that there will be limits on that legitimacy. Where the party can continue to be a useful official voice, however, is its persistence to criticize of the effects of free trade and globalization, and the ensuing rate of American ownership of Canadian resources. Historically, the NDP essentially forced a 1970s Trudeau Liberal minority government to form the Foreign Investment Review Agency to act as watch dog (Whitehorn n.p.) of sorts."

Tags:NDP politics, social policy, government power

Abstract
Examines era of the 1990s as a complicated transitional period from Communism to political democracy. Problems of changing a unitary state into a federalist democracy; inability to collect taxes, economic stagnantion. The influence of the Russian Mafia. Examines growth of organized crime and its control of business companies. Democracy as an outside force.

From the Paper
From Communism to Political Democracy. The Russian Experience
Introduction:


The entire development of Russia starting in 1990 until today has been a complicated transitional period: the transformation of a unitary state into a federalist democracy.


Democracy has been hurt by many of Boris Yeltsin's economic reforms. His attempt to move from public to private ownership was fraught with problems. During the last five years of Yeltsin's presidency, domestic production dropped 41 percent and unemployment rose 7 percent. Rampant inflation..which caused prices to rise as much as 2,500 percent..has at times made food and other necessities unaffordable. Statistics show that 20 percent of Russians are now living under the official poverty level. Some Russians wish for the days of Communism where at..."

Abstract
The paper introduces the topic with a look at Robert Phillip Kolker's "The Altering Eye", which considers some of the economic and social forces that apply in different countries to shape their film. It then examines the life and work of director Pedro Almodovar as an example of these theories at work in Spain. It suggests that Almodovar's success was dependent on the social and political changes in Spain, namely the end of the fascist era and a move toward democracy.

From the Paper
"Film is an international medium in spite of language differences, and different countries come to the fore at different times to make a mark both artistic and economic on the world cinema. After world War II, Italian neo-realism burst onto the scene, followed in the early 1960s by the French New Wave. In the 1970s it was a combination of films from Australia and films from West Germany, the latter led by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. More recently, Spain has become a contributor to the screens of the world, with the leading filmmaker of the time being Pedro Almodovar, in some ways an unlikely leader given his penchant for bizarre sexual themes, iconoclastic attitudes, and searing satiric humor."

Tags:Kolker, economic, social, political, fascist, democratic, socialist, rape, sadism, morality

Abstract
This paper explains that the Hindu inclusion of the feminist reform and succession translates into modern philosophical objectives common to the feminism approach; whereas, women of the Buddhist faith are often subjected to restrictions. The author points out that Jewish and Christian feminists have worked to obtain equality in the obtaining of religious education methods and tools, which has modified their restrictive traditions. The paper points out that the Islamic religion is the most oppressive religion in terms of women's rights and the feminist movement in general. Islamic women are most often treated as outsiders to the religion.

Table of Contents:
Hinduism and Buddhism's Feminist Theories and Thoughts
The Value of Confucianism and Taoism's Feminist Contributions
Judaism and Christianity
The Islamic Religion

From the Paper
"Taoism's feminist contributions to the overarching conceptual discernment of a religion in tradition lay broad for several reasons. In particular, the female has long since been accounted equally through the religious and sociological aspects of Taoism, which has caused the mirrored development of feminism outward to the inwards of basis for other derivations of religions. Gender equality has existed in Taoism since its earliest years through the non-restrictive availability and opportunity for attaining spiritual enlightenment, growth and dissection."

Tags:egalitarian taoism, social construction, democracy outsiders

Abstract
This paper explains that laws reflect, not universal, natural conditions, but particular cultural and social constructions. The author argues that one of the reasons that laws exist is to impose an artificial simplicity and order onto human behavior and human belief. The paper points out that, in a democracy, the law shifts from one era to the next, trying to reflect and create as great a consensus as is possible, but always leaving a large number of people outside of that consensus.

From the Paper
"Let us take a recent example of this. Ira Einhorn, who had been convicted in absentia in 1993 of killing his girlfriend, had fled to France. When U.S. authorities determined that he was living in that country, they asked French officials to allow them to extradite Einhorn back to the United States when he could be retried and sentenced. Both France and the United States have as a part of their culture and their laws a prohibition against murder. However, in France, this prohibition against murder includes executions (which opponents often refer to as state-sanctioned murder). In the United States (at least at the federal level and in many of the states), the legal and cultural prohibition against murder does not include execution."

Tags:einhorn, culture, simplicity, behavior, democracy

Abstract
This paper examines what America looks like to an outsider, and what it means to people from different countries of the world as a state, as a people, and as a geographic region. It considers liberty, equality and democracy from the perspective of immigrants and of other countries of the world. The country is also considered in light of the views of Plato, Voltaire, Bismarck and Marx.

From the Paper
"Although the origins of the country has its roots in the European colonization of the Americas beginning in the 16th century, the ideals of the United States of America are wedded to the Declaration of Independence in which the founding fathers of the country have committed the nation to the concept of equality, democracy, and liberty. These are the principles from which all subsequent U.S. politics, forms of government, economic policies, and social trends have taken their lead. While incorporating these ideas in the declaration of independence and, later, the U.S. constitution the founding fathers of America were greatly influenced by the 17th century English philosopher, John Locke and his theories on politics. Locke's ideas of the supreme sovereignty of the people, their natural right of changing a government that does not work in their interest, separation of the church from the state, and rule of the majority are reflected in the American Declaration of Independence."

Tags:equality, democracy, liberty, independence, culture, opportunity, Plato, Voltaire, Bismarck, Marx, government

Abstract
This paper discusses the N.G.O. system Association for Progressive Communication and describes its foundations. The writer looks at how it runs as a service for communicating democracy across the globe at faster rates of communication. Subjects discussed are: media activities, media sources such as books, APC's mission, membership and the issues they address. The writer also discusses within this paper how the press sees this organization, to create an objective opinion outside of the organization and give a clear view on how this institution is run.

Abstract
This paper discusses how the initial experiment to 'Westernize' the African country of Somalia was successful, as Britain and Italy did not change the pastoral, clan system of social and political order. It examines how the Cold War introduced both democracy and socialism to Somalia and how the Somali experiment in post-Cold War government was cluttered with millions of dollars of aid from outside sources. It looks at how when the sources of aid disappeared with the end of the Cold War, Somalia was left with a dictator without bargaining power and a clan system strong enough to overthrow him. It evaluates how with the overthrow of the Somali dictatorship and no central government, years of famine and no means to support the infrastructure of the company, Somalia fell into civil war.

From the Paper
"Throughout the 1980's Barre declared war on the all clans in Northeast Somalia, specifically the Isaaq clan. After Barre lost the Ogaden War he knew popular opinion saw him as a weak leader. In order maintain power he turned his back on his socialist experiment and turned into a ruthless dictator. People were maimed, killed, tortured and many fled to Ethiopia. U.S. foreign policy under the Reagan administration was to preserve peace. Most of the emphasis on African foreign policy was in South Africa and fighting Apartheid. According to U.S. foreign policy makers, Somalia's best hope for peace under a centralized government was under the leadership of Barre."

Tags:africa, mogadishu, shermaake, somaliland, third, usmaan, world