Using a case study of Arabs in Israel as a starting point, thisarticle focuses on the phenomenon of communal and ethnic violence.Through a discussion of different theoretical perspectives on ethnicconflict in the context of the case study in Israel as well as conflicts around the world, the article suggests that there is often a confusion of symptoms and secondary factors with the core causes of ethnic conflicts and communal violence. The article discusses how western centric assumptions might have shaped theorizing on the issue of communal conflict, and proposes an alternative theory that views these conflicts as a modern global structure. Going beyond commonly used explanations such as economic, cultural, or instrumentalist factors, the article argues that the phenomenon is a deeply structural one that is linked to nationalism, the nation-state, and by extension to the European colonial outlook and tomodernity. The colonialist perspective was built on the racist assumption that the answer for modern political problems is to be found in the nationstate and its structures of organizing, categorizing, including, and excluding groups. This structure that organizes contemporary life around the world informs the acts of racism and violence against those who are seen as not belonging to a particular nation or the group. Previously colonized groups are trapped within this structure that is not of their own making. Similarly the colonizers are also trapped in the mindset thatinformed, and still informs, their outlook on the organization of modern politics. In conclusion, the article that work in the field of communal violence needs to pay greater attention to this structural thesis, and move away from limited approaches that often confuse the causes with symptoms. This will help deepen our understanding of what is happening in contexts such as Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Rwanda, and India, where colonization lingers or decolonized states are still plagued by the structural ramifications of colonial legacies. This structural thesis can also help understand questions of race and citizenship, in relation to thepolitics of exclusion and violence, as they are shaped by the framework of citizenship rights in countries such as the U.S., France, or elsewhere. The article calls for a possible solution in countries that are still fighting the after-effects of colonization, by engaging in a dialogue on a possible future polity that could potentially avoid the pitfalls of the nation-state: its narrow-minded nationalism and the inequalities of restrictive citizenshiprights.

Sectarianism --- Ethnic Conflict --- Middle East --- Nationalism

What does democracy do or fail to do about the welfare ofNigerians? Does it matter for the performance of democracy? This paper seeks to determine the mutual impact of democracy and welfare of citizens in Nigeria. Given the state of democracy and available data, it seems that politicians at the state and local government levels are more concerned about their personal interests than those of citizens. We then problematise theoretical western democracy, sold to Nigeria, as with many other third world formerly colonized territories, after independence, but refused during colonialism, at the least for lacking in development and failing to take local conditions into consideration. Implied here are both the institutional and behavioural deficiencies that run democracy dry. The question is, is democracy affecting welfare of citizens positively? To respond in the negative as we do, means more than just a simple answer. Why is it so? With a focus on 1999 to date, a major assumption in this paper is that both the performance and stability of democracy consist in its responsiveness to the welfare citizens. Without any allusion or references to any saintly model of democracy somewhere to be copied, it is argued that the lack of involvement of citizens in election of leaders has created in political elites the loss of all sense of accountability to citizens.Besides, having found oil revenue as the sustaining power for the state, the individual tax paying citizen has been relegated, as against traditions of respect for the tax payer in more established democracies, where the running of the state is dependent on the tax payer’s money. The gap between the volume of resource allocation and development projects at the state and local government levels, as well as the ostentatiousness of politicians seem to have led us to conclude that politicians are only feeding fat on citizens’ welfare.

Nigeria --- Democracy --- African Politics --- Authoritarian Rule

The last weeks of 1989 concluded a year of turmoil in EasternEurope and the fall of communist regimes. For a significant portion of the French population the direction of European communism was relevant not only to the European political landscape but to their own beliefs and identities. In Western Europe and America, the press heralded the 1989 communist collapses in Eastern Europe, from groundbreaking Polish elections in June to the fall of the Berlin wall in November, as great victories in the struggle against communism. But relying upon the English speaking press alone to examine Cold War era events provides a misleading image of how Western countries viewed Communist states and the events which led to their collapse. The political climate in America and Britain was highly conservative; however, the political right did not hold as strong a position in other Western nations, even those in the NATO alliance. In places such as Italy and France, viable Communist parties and strong leftist movements existed along with press outlets which represented their ideas and those of a constituency which took a less straightforward view of the West’s moral position. The French Communist Party (PCF) achieved some degree of electoral success throughout the Cold War. The collapse of Communist governments and ensuing dramatic power shifts raised anumber of questions about the French left which my article considers.How did Communists and Socialists in France, view the fall of states who espoused, in theory, the forms of government and social management their own parties advocated? And how did the Socialist and Communist parties in France relate to their ideological counterparts in Eastern Europe?This article employs French newspapers, political journals, and partycommunications to discuss the French left’s expectations for the future of communism in Eastern Europe, their views on the revolutions of 1989, and their hopes and fears for the future of Eastern Europe as the political climate evolved.

Marxism --- Frech Socialism --- History --- Political Ideology --- Revolution --- Eastern Europe

Feminism is not an immutable and easily-defined concept. It isconditioned by history, culture, religion and other social factors. The secular-liberalist approach to feminism has long dominated theinternational discourse on women’s rights and gender equality. However, in recent years Islamic feminism has gained prominence in the Middle East, serving as a tool through which pious Muslim women can reconcile their religious beliefs with their desire for social, political and economic equality. Islamic feminism has faced harsh criticism from those who believe that the Islamic system of life and governance is static and unchangeable. However, an examination of the writings of Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, a Shiite Ayotallah, and the influence these writings have had on pious Shiite women can reveal the viability of Islamic feminism.

Feminism --- Islam --- Middle East --- Economic Equality

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of thebureaucratic Stalinist regimes of Russia and Eastern Europe a wave ofeuphoria provoked in the West. People rejoiced at the demise of Stalinism and termed it as the "end of Socialism." The final victory of the "free market" was trumpeted from the pages of learned journals from Tokyo to New York. The strategists of capital were exultant. Francis Fukuyama even went so far as to proclaim the "end of history." Henceforth, the class war would be no more. Everything would be for the best in the best of all capitalist worlds. History has proved them incredibly wrong. It we take the Post independence Indian English Poetry in account, we will find that Marxist Idiom has played a crucial role in moulding the literature of Indian in a peculiar way. Indian English Literature and especially Indianpoetry in English has witnessed multiple social struggles on various levels that motivated a number of poets big and small equally to scribble their pen dipped in the ink of Marxist philosophy of protest. The present paper seeks to explore the unexplored regions of Marxist influence in Indian Poetry in English from its inception to its present day.

Indian Poetry --- Literature --- Postcolonianism --- Marxism

This paper describes a pilot mobile smoking cessation programthat occurred between 2007 and 2009 across two suburban New Yorkcounties, serving 1,263 individuals. The program was designed andcarried out with three objectives: (a) to assess and reduce a potential service disparity faced by adult smokers in heavily disadvantaged communities—including people marginalized by homelessness, economic distress, lack of transportation, alcoholism / drug addiction, mental illness, and/or HIV; (b) to use evidence-based methods to promote smoking cessation and reduction among such adults in 14 specific lowincome Long Island, NY areas; (c) to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the program’s mobile service modality. Results of this pilot program show that meaningful percentages of the target population had: (1) never encountered a smoking cessation message prior to engagement with thismobile program (38%); (2) a demonstrated desire to quit smoking despite the heightened stresses in their lives that other people don’t face, and (3) a demonstrated ability to quit or reduce smoking when given help in a form (including mobile service) that works for them. This paper concludes that Stakeholders and Policymakers in this and/or similar jurisdications would benefit from uniting to fund and design an extended mobile service delivery and data-gathering project that serves a greater number of at-risk/ multi-disadvantaged people, while seeking to quantify the financialsavings to the community that results from helping disadvantaged people to: (1) quit smoking and (2) become linked to affordable doctors for regular check-ups. This pilot program demonstrated a positive social justice impact and suggests a possible parallel positive financial impact on the community worthy of exploration.

Smoking --- New York --- Homeless --- Mental Illness --- HIV --- Cessation Program

This article is about a social and human issue.Historically, film critics have recognized Frank Capra as a humanistfilmmaker. The findings will attempt to show how Steven Spielberg works also evidence his humanistic spirit after an almost finished PH.D research. This study illustrates the interest of both authors comparative. The body of this exhibition exposes in a general point of view that which is synonymous to both filmmakers and that which is unique in each of these master filmmakers.This study also presents a comparative analysis of the subjectsaround three general aspects: human excellence, individual ethicalbehaviour and the privilege of individual freedom before the submission to another being or State. Great human subjects compose the conclusion of this paper whereas the common themes and the original and unique characteristics of each director are underlined. In conclusion, the research tries to prove that Spielberg is also worried about social issues and creates a humanist culture.

Social Cinematography --- Frank Capra --- Steven Spielberg

Gender disparity in rights and freedoms and social atrocitieson women in the form of strict sexual division of labour, Sati and child marriage were justified by a sanskritic ideology embedded in Hindu sociocultural milieu. This paper seeks to analyze the causes for, and implications of such an ideology for women. Radical feminist scholars mostly blame men and men dominated society for various restrictions and impositions on women, but the conclusion drawn in this paper is that this sanskritic ideology has evolved over time partly owing to women themselves. This is because of the functional role of this ideology to women.

Sanskritic Ideology --- Feminism --- Child Marriage --- India --- Women

The first decade of the 21st century has witnessedhorrendous incidents of terror. While its beginning witnessedthe attack on the twin trade towers in New York, towards itsend another horrible attack occurred in the Indiancommercial centre Mumbai. The attack further reinforcedthat terrorism has no religion, terrorists are not humans,and the terror acts surpass human comprehension. Thebarbaric terror attack in Mumbai in November 2008 killedabout 200 people including women, children and patients.Many foreign nationals including citizens of the US, UK andIsrael too were killed and many others were injured. In asense, the incident not only fortified the global nature ofterrorism but also brought into stark picture the barbarityand the degradation of human mind at its peak.

Israel --- Terrorism --- Mumbai Attacks --- Twin Trade Towers --- War on Terror

In 2000 the last year for Americans feeling comfortableand secure at home, the newly elected President George W.Bush promised Americans and the rest of the world thatunder his new administration he would promote bipartisan,peace, and mediation to address not just America'sconcerns, but the world's as well. Then 9/11 changedeverything! Forever! President Bush would not only break allpromises made pre 9/11, he and his administration wouldbreak the law on every level of government. From nationallaws in the U.S. Constitution that have governed America formore than two-hundred years to international conflictresolution laws that have lasted for more than a millennium,Mr. Bush violated them.

Bush Administration --- 9/11 --- American Security --- Conflict Resolution

The rise in public awareness regarding the importance ofcultural proviency is traced through a brief historical overview of pivotal events in the American educational system. Then two important levels of analysis, administrative and teacher-student, are used so as to show how cultural profiency can be integrated into the educational system. Finally some simple recommendations are provided.

American Educational System --- Cultural Proficiency --- Social Norms