Great Britain Russia China Mexico Nigeria Iran

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Political Culture Nationalism: pride inbeing English

Insularity: feeling ofseparation from rest ofEurope

Nobless oblige: duty ofthe upper class to takeresponsibility for thewelfare of the lowerclasses

Multinationalism:boundaries includeEngland, Scotland,Wales, and NorthernIreland.

Small size: limitedresources shapedefforts to colonizeother lands andbecome an imperialpower

Factors thatshape PoliticalCulture:GeographicSetting- Russia isthe largestcountryin the worldgeographically.Russia is also oneof the coldestcountries oneearth. Warm portsare few, and it'shistory has beenshaped by thedesire to conquercountries thathave blockedRussian access tothe sea. Russianshave manynatural resourcesalthough they arevery difficult toextract. EasternOrthodoxy- TheRussian EasternOrthodox religionis inextricablylinked to thestate, so theprinciple ofseparation ofchurch and statenever developed.Even when thecommunist stateforbade its citizensto practicereligion, theacceptance ofgovernmentcontrol remained.Equality of result-The Russiansappreciate thevalue of equalityrather than theof equalopportunity. As aresult, the Russianpolitical culture isnot particularlyconductive to thedevelopment ofcapitalism.

Political culture shaped byperiod of dynastic rule,control by imperialistnations, and finallycommunist rule.ConfucianismMaoism stressesdemocratic centralism(responsibility of ruler tothe people), ideal societybasedon self reliance andstruggle, egalitarian socialstructure, the mass line,and loyalty to the state.Geography also influencespolitical culture--concentration on easternseaboard influencespolitics, and isolation ofwest has caused problems.Chinese nationalism: ideaof "Middle Kingdom,"sense of entitlementamong Han Chinese.(mandate of heaven, socialhierarchy, goal ofharmony, loyalty to family)influences politics today.Patron-client system,concept of guanxi typifiedin Chinese politics

Have a longhistory ofauthoritarianrule, stability firstbrought by PRI'slong dictatorshipand centralizationof power.Mexico's Patron-client(camarillasystem)mainlygot itssupport fromrural areas whereit is still incontroltoday; thissystem is a hugepart of Mexico'spolitical culturethat helped thePRI stay in powerfor so long.systemMexico also has ahistory ofcorporatism,which means thatthe governmentgained controlover interestgroups, andinterest groupleaders gotgovernmentpositions. Thissystem alongwith Mexico'spatron-clientsystem hascreated a historyof corruption.Mexico's politicalculture is nowbecoming moredemocratic andthe governmentmore legitimate.There are socialcleavages withinMexico that helpshape it's politicalculture includingthe north andsouth regionalcleavage and thehuge gap

Prebendalism: (Patron-clientrelations)- the practice of exchangingpolitical and economic favorsamong patrons and clients.-invites corruption and onlyprovides benefits for few whilehurting the majority. Ex. NigerianPresident giving oil revenuesforsupport.

State Control/Rich civil society- (Civil Society)- the sectors ofacountry that lie outsidegovernment control.British and Military tried tocompletely control Nigeria's civilsociety.-Formal + Informal ethnic and

religious associations, professionaland labor groups, and NGO's havelong influenced Nigerian society.

-Groups mainly related throughcorporatism and clientelism.

Tension b/w modernity andtradition: Modernity difficult toobtain due to ethnic-based militaryconflicts and personalized corruptleadership practices.-Values established in pre-colonial

era now conflict with valuesobtained during the colonial era.

Religion: Muslim North vs.Christian South.

-Identitiycentered onnationalism

-Encounterswith Westernmodernity

-Shiism

-Very dividedwith manysocialcleavages

Sovereignty,Authority,Power

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Skepticism aboutpower-Russiansare hostile towardtheir leadership.Russians havelittle trust in theirpolitical systemand little trust innongovernmentalleaders as well.The importance ofNationality-People tend tocategorize othersbased on theirethnicity anddiscriminate.Russians generallyadmire the Balticpeople for their'civility' andexpress distastefor Muslim-Turkishpeople. Anti-Semitism is strongin Russia andmany blame theJews for theirproblems.

between rich andpoor.

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Political History Gradualism:establishedstrong traditions,explains transitions inpolicymaking powerfrom King toParliament

Magna Carta: limitedthe power of themonarchy

Bill of Rights: listsrights retained byParliament, notindividual citizens

Common Law: basedon local customs andprecedent than formallegal codes, developedgradually

Industrial Revolution:changed fuedalsystem, increased theneed for moreresources which led tothe...

Colonial Era: increasedBritish wealth andpower"sun never sets on theBritish Empire"

Reform Acts of 1832and 1867: morepeople allowed to vote

The first rulers ofRussian wereTsars who ruledin Moscow andcooperated withMongrol Rulers.The Tsars alsoheaded theRussian OrthodoxChurch. In thelate 17th and18thcentury TsarPeter The Greatintroducedwesterntechnologyand culture. Also,Catherine TheGreat managed togain warm wateraccess to theBlack Sea.Alexander the 2was assasinated in1881 by hiscritics. By the1890s, Marxistshad arisen.VILenin changed themeaning ofMarxism when heargued fordemocraticcentralism, or a"vanguard"leadership groupthat would leadthe revolution inthe name of thepeople. Lenin'sfollowers werecalled Bolsheviks.In 1918 a civil warbroke out betweenthe White Army,led by Russianmilitary leadersand funded by theAllie powers, andthe Red Army ledby Lenin. TheReds won in 1920and Lenin tookpower. Stalin tookpower from 1927until his death in1953.After Stalin

Dynastic cycle before the20th century. Has rankedas one of the mostinfluential political systemsin the world for centuries.During the 19th century,the last dynasty, the QingDynasty, suffered thepresence of imperialisticnations (i.e., England,Germany, France, andJapan), called spheres ofinfluence. In1911 was theBoxer Rebellion, wherepeasants rose up againstforeign powers, but werecrushed. Then, ChiangKai-shekNationalistParty orKuomintang and MaoZedong established theChinese Communist Party.Mao gained strength forhis party throughthe LongMarch. Both partiesunited in defense of theJapanese invasion, butMao emerged as a hero. In1949, the Nationalistsalong with Chiang fled toTaiwan and claimed that itwas the true China whileMao created the People'sRepublic of China. Maoengaged in economicmodels called Five YearPlans that mimicked theSoviet technique andinstilled quotas foreconomic productivity.The Great LeapForward was a massivefailure for communistChina. The CulturalRevolution was a purge of"decadent" elements ofChinese society and wasmeant to rally youtharound the hardliners'communist cause. DengXiaopingTiananmenSquare. Fornow, China isunder the rule of PresidentHu Jintao and Premier WenJiabao. established thecame to power in the '70s

Mexico's politicalhistory has beenviolent andunstable. Theimpact of Spanishcolonialism canbe seen in thelargely Catholicpopulation andthe socialcleavage betweenmestizos andAmerindians.AfterindependenceMexico has seenmany failedregimes andmilitarycoups,causinginstability.SantaAnna led arepressiveregime, he losthalf of Mexico'sterritory andbrought evengreater socialunrest andinstability.Porfirio Diazbrought the ideaof non-reelectionPRIwas created byCalles and hisfollowers, theyneeded a way totransfer powerfrom onepresident to thenext without acomplete changein government.They created thePRI so that theparty couldnominate itscandidate for thenext election.This broughtcontinuity andstability foreighty years, butthe corruptionand centralizationof power of the

Pre-Colonial Era (800-1860C.E.)- gradual diffusion of Islam throughCultural Diffusion (Contact with andspread of customs and beliefs ofother people.)Colonial Era (1860-1960)- Indirect rule from British (trainednatives to fill the Euro-stylebureaucracy in South)-North governmental structuresleft untouched due to politicalhierarchies according to Islamictradition.- North Vs. South cleavage growslarger.

Modern Nigeria (1960-Present)-Independence obtained in 1960-Parliamentary governmentreplaced by a military dictatorshipin 1966, set the stage forgovernment to change quickly andviolently. Parliamentarygovernment has been changed to apresidential system which modelsthe US. There is a Senate andHouse of Representatatives-Ethnic identities now the majorbasis for conflict in Nigeria.-Institutionalization of corruptionamong the political elite.- NationalQuestion posed towards Nigeria(Possibility that Nigeria would notsurvive as a country.1960-66 Tafawa Balewa66-75 Yakubu Gowon75-76 Murtala Muhammed76-79 Olusegun Obansanjo79-83 Shehu Shagari83-85 Muhammed Buhari85-93 Ibrahim Babangida93-98 Sani Abacha99-2007 Olusegun Obasanjo2007-Present Umarau Yar'Adua/GoodluckJohnathan

-Safaviddynasty1501-1722

-Qajardynasty1794-1925

-Reza KhanShah Pahlavi1925-1941

-MuhammadRezah Shah1941-1971

-1979Revolution:Founding ofIslamicRepublic

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died in 1953,Nikita Khrushchevbecame premierof the USSR.Leonid Brezhnevtook power from1956 until 1982.Mikhail Gorbachevthen took controlfrom 1985 until1991. Then, in1991 Boris Yeltsinwas in charge. In1993 a newconstitution wasput in place.

and made China moremoderate, aside from the1989 incident in

PRI regime wasended whenVicente Fox waselected president.Now Mexico hasbecome moredemocratic andmuch of thecorruption fromthe patron-clientsystem has beenweeded out, but,Mexico is stillfraught withcorruption andfraud.to Mexicanpolitics andbrought thirtyyears of stabilityto Mexico. But hewas alsorepresive andforced millions ofpeasantsintoservitude. The

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Sovereignty

Sovereignty in the UKcomes from theparliamentary system,the more powerfulhouse of commons andthe honorable house oflords. Also moreregional governementshave been allowed togovern and makedecisions on the locallevel

For most of the20th century,public authorityand politicalpower emanatedfrom one place:The Politiburo ofthe CommunistParty. Thepolitburo was asmall group ofmen who climbedthe ranks of theparty throughnomenklatura, anordered path fromlocal party sovietsto thecommandingheights ofleadership. Whenthe USSRdissolved, it'sauthority andpower vanishedwith it, leaving inplace a newgovernmentstructure withquestionablelegitimacy. Still,the politicalculture andhistoricaltraditions ofRussia are firmlyentrenched andhave shaped thegenesis of the newregime, andundoubtedly willdetermine thenature ofit'sfuture.

Cultural influences ofConfucianism and Maoism,history of authoritarianpower; Chinesenationalism aids insovereignty, as seen in theresistance to the spheresof influence

Sovereignty inMexico comesfrom it'spresidentialdemocracy. Thepeople directlyelect thepresident, therepresentatives inlegislature andmany state andlocal leaders.

Sovereignty in Nigeria lies in it'sPresidential system similar to thatof the United States and before, aparliamentary system similar tothat of the British.

-Reformershave a lot ofpopularauthority

-The clericshave politicalauthority

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Sources ofPower

Legitimacy hasdeveloped gradually.

The Prime Ministerholds most the powerin the parliament asleader of the majorityparty.

The main sourceof power lies inthe President. Hehas the power toappoint the primeminister and thecabinet, issuedecrees that havethe force of law,and dissolve theDuma.

The President is head ofstate. The Premier is headof government. They bothare aligned with theChinese Communist Party,which retains the greatestamount of power, which isconcentrated in thePolitburo, specifically theStanding Committee

The head ofgovernment andhead of state isthe president.The legislaturemakes legislationand can votedown legislationmade by thepresident;historically thelegislature hasbeen a rubberstamp, butrecently that hasbegun to change.

The President holds the majority ofthe power with the ability toappoint the Head Minister of theFederal Ministry and also holds thepositions of Head of Governmentand Head Of State.

-Elections

-Appointments

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ConstitutionHas an unwritten

constitution.

Constitution of theCrown- "constitution"evolved over time withimportant documentscombining to form theC of the C.

The RussianConstitution wascreated in 1993. Itcreated a 3branchgovernment, witha president, aprime minister, alower legislaturehouse called theDuma, and aConstitutionalCourt.

The fourth constitution ofthe PRC was created in1982, with four revisionsthus far. It created agovernmental system thatis paralleled by the partysystem.

Constitution of1917 resemblesthe U.S.Constitutions, thegovernment isseparated intothree branchesand theoreticallythe president,legislature andjudiciary checkand balance eachother butConstitution islong and easilyamended whengovernment hasneed to changesomething.

The current constitution is the1999 Constitution. It was adoptedin its original form on May 29, 1999in Abuja, at the dawn of theNigerian Fourth Republic.

-Establishedin 1979during theIslamicRevolution

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Regime typeUnitary state with

political authoritycentralized in London.(Whitehall).Parliamentary system,

Russia has afederalgovernmentstructure, butpracticesasymmetricfederalism. Someregions are muchstronger than theothers, so poweris devolvedunequally acrossthe country.

China has a centralizedgovernment with someregional power in ruralareas concerning localelections.Communist government“with Chinesecharacteristics”—advocatescapitalism; has parallelparty system alongsidegovernment.

Mexico has afederalpresidentialsystem and is anilliberaldemocracy.

Nigeria isa federal presidential representativedemocratic republic, whereby thePresident is both head of state andhead of government, and of amulti-party system.

TheocraticDemocracy

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EconomicSystem

Liberalism- philosophythat emphasizespolitical and economicfreedoms for theindividual and themarket.

Until 1970's collectiveconsensus philosophy-supports a great dealof gov control of theeconomy

Neoliberalism underMargaret Thatcher-revival of old liberalismideals

Russia practices acentralizedplanningeconomy. TodayRussia's economyis fueled by it'shuge oil and gasreserves.

Capitalism, butgovernment providessocial services, socommunist. Combinesprivate sector and socialistgovernment. Economy isbased on cheapmanufacturing, highlyconcentrated in SpecialEconomic Zones (SEZs)

Mexico has afree marketeconomy andobtains most ofits income fromoil. NorthernMexico is largelyindustrialized andsouthern Mexicois largely ruraland agricultural.There is a hugeeconomic gapbetween the richand the poor, andthe poverty hasbeen a hugesocial andpolitical problem.

Nigeria is a rentier state. Nigeria,like Iran, receives income byexporting their oil and leasing outoil fields to foreign countries.

-Stateownership ofresources

-Trying tonationalizeindustries

-Fueled by oil

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Legitimacythrough gradualism.

Historically,political legitimacyhas been based onstrong, autocraticrule, first bycenturies of tsars,then by the firmdictatorship ofmany of the partyleaders during the20thcentury.Undercommunism rule,Marxism-Leninismproved thelegitimacy basefor the party. TheConstitutionslegtmacy hasbeen seriouslytested byattempted coupsand intenseconflicts. As awhole, thegovernment lackslegitimacy.

Modern China drawslegitimacy from Maoismand its ideals (collectivism,struggle and activism, themass line, egalitarianism,and self-reliance).Communist Party Politburois legitimate power inChina, but leadership hascome under a lot ofcriticism in recent years;Party is said to be corruptand irrelevant, holdingauthoritarian power overan increasingly market-based economy. Questionsof legitimacy include theTiananmen Squareincident in 1989 and theunrest in Tibet that hascontinued in the past fewyears.

Mexico drawslegitimacythrough itscontinued liberalreforms of theeconomy andgovernment.elections havebecome morelegitimate, andthe legislaturehas been able tobe more than justa rubber-stampfor the presidentbut its ownidentity. Thesecontinuedreforms bringlegitimacy of it'sdemocracy toother countriesand it's people.

-some checks and balancesbetween government branches

-some independent decisions in thecourts

-revival of civil society

-Independent Media

-the recent peaceful succession ofpower

Comes formboth God andpopularsovereignty

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Belief Systems:Religion/Ideology

Separation of Churchand state. Populationis mostly Christian.Many Muslims havemoved to the UK andhave been subject toracism.

Tsarist Russia wasRussian Orthodox,with the Tsar alsobeing the head ofchurch. BorisYeltsin alsoencouragedRussian Orthodox.Today most ethnicRussians identifythemselves asRussian Orthodox,but they are stilllargelynonreligious withonly a smallpercentageregularlyattending church.

Confucianism, Taoism,Buddhism all influenceChinese beliefs, howeverthe most prominentideology is the communistideals (see aboveMaoism.) More recently isDeng Xiaoping Theory:“It doesn’t matter whethera cat is white or black, aslong as it catches mice,”ideology that encouragesthe private sector whileupholding communistideals.

Mexico is largelyCatholic becauseof the Spanishinfluence.Thereare some Indianrelgions practicedamong theAmerindians butCatholicism is themain religion.

Islam and Christianity.Islam was originally spread aroundthe 11th century while Christianitymade its debut with the British'sindirect rule of southern Nigeria.

Islamic-Sunni &Shiites

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Governance andAccountability If the constituents

disagree with the waythings are beinggoverned, they simplyelect different officialsduring the nextelection.

A vote of confidenceoccurs when themajority party loses.In such an instance,the cabinet and PrimeMinister, by tradition,step down. Election fornew MPs must be heldimmediantly.

Polls have shownthat most peopledislike theircurrent politicalsystem and havegreat mistrust ofthe government.Many people aremore in favor ofdemocratic ideals.Alienation is alsoindicated by a lowlevel ofparticipation ininterest groups.Vladimir Putin isth e onlypresident who hasshown highapproval rates.

Due to the lack oftransparency, thegovernment cannot beheld accountable by thepeople. There is a lack ofpolitical efficacy inChina, as the populace haslittle effect on how thegovernment operates, asmost policy is set not onlywithin the CCP, butspecifically in thePolitburo StandingCommittee. There hasbeen feedback in favor ofa democratic system inChina, but the governmenthas proven to onlyliberalize in the economy,not politics.

There aretheoretical checksand balancesbetween thepresident,legislature, andjudiciary but thejudiciary is stilllargely controlledby thegovernment andis not yetcompletelyseparate.growingtransparancy andlegitimacy withinthe bureaucracyand legislaturehave led to largeramounts ofgovernmentaccountability.Protests andelections are alsoused by thepeople to keeptheir governmentin check.

Citizens have a low level of trust inthe government. Due to previousfalse promises, promises ofdemocracy usually are taken with agrain of salt. Most Nigerians believethat elections are not honest andfair.Most Nigerians are consideredcynical of their government.

All of the distrust of thegovernment originates from theoverwhelming amount of corruptionwithin the Nigerian Government.

-Moreliberalization,but less thanduringKhatami'spresidency

-Someofficialsappointed(esp byGuardianCouncil),thereforeloyal to theappointer

=

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Citizens,Society, andthe State

Great Britain Russia China Mexico Nigeria Iran

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Cleavages andPolitics Ethnic: only

about 7.1% arenot of EuropeanOrigin. Of the7.1%,

23% Undiain16% Pakistani12% Afro-Caribbean10% BlackAfrican

there are alsocleavagesbetweenEngland,Scotland, Wales,and NorthernIreland.

Social Class hasalways been andimportantcleavage inEngland

ReligiouscleavagesbetweenChristians andMuslims arepresent. In NI,the Catholics andProtestants reallydont get alongand there hasbeen a decentamount ofviolence betweenthe two sides

Ethnic- 80% are ethnicRussians. The northernMuslim region of Chechnyahas fought many years fortheir freedom.Racial- Russians tend to lookdown upon Muslim-Turkishpeople.Class-There is a big gapbetween the rich and thepoor because the rich arepolitical elites who havegained their wealth throughnomenklatura. Most citizensare middle class.Gender-There is no gendercleavage in Russia.Religious- Most Russiansdon't practice a religion.15-20% are RussianOrthodox. 10-15% areMuslim. and 2% are OtherChristian.Regional-City dwellers aremore likely to be welleducated and in touch withwestern culture. The northernregion of Caucaus hasconstantly been fighting forit'sfreedom.

Ethnic Cleavage: tensions between theHan, who are the majority with around90%, and the 55 other ethnic groups.Specific hostile tensions btween the

Han and Uigher and the Han andTibetans

Religious: the Chinese government isnonreligiousRegional Cleavage: very important;correlates with industry and wealth.Coastal region is better offeconomically than the Western portion

Ethnic cleavages: mestizo v. AmerindianClass: cleavage between social classes, the gapbetween the middle class and the poor is huge

Regional: north v. south cleavageurban v. ruralCleavages in Mexico are very coinciding, it is often theurban middle-class from the north v. the poor ruralsoutherners.

Ethnic CleavagesIgbo, TheYoruba and TheHausa-Fulani. Allthree of thesecultures hadpowerful, well-establishedcultures prior to cfocus around thethree main ethnicgroups: Theolonization. Theyhave remainedstrong and are themain forcesbehind manypolitical parties.

ReligiousCleavages can befound betweenthe mostly MuslimNorth and thepredominantlyChristian South.The greatestexamples of thetensions that thiscleavage createscan be found inthe use of ShariaLaw in Abuja, thefederal district,and any state thatwishes to use it,as well as theviolence that canbe found in suchMiddle Belt citiesas Jos.

RegionalCleavagesmostly fall alongthe same linesthat the Ethnicand ReligiousCleavages havealready created.The North Vs TheSouth can bedefined inReligiously(Muslim Vs.Christian,

Religion: Shia Muslims v Sunni,Christians, Jews, Zorastrian, andBaha'i

Ethnicity: Closely tied to religion,Mostly Persian

Social Class: Peasantry and Lowerclass support the regime and havebenefitted from the government'ssocial programs; Middle and upperclass people are more secular andare opposed to the regime

Reformers v Conservatives:Conservatives want to keep theregime as it is (under control ofclerics and sharia law), Reformerswant secularizationand democracyto be infused into the city

Pragmatic conservatives v. Radicalclerics: Pragmatic conservativesfavor liberal economic policies;Conservatives argue that privateproperty and economic inequalityare protected under Islamiclaw

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respectively),Ethnically (Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, andYoruba), or as thesplit between thePopulous NorthVs. Resource-filledSouth.

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Civil Society QUANGOS-(quasi-autonomousnongovernmentalorganizations)interest groupsthat togetherwith gov officialsdevelop publicpolicy

Political Parties:

Labour-generallysupported by theworking class

Tories-supported by theupper class

LiberalDemocrats-formed byLiberals andSocial Democratsalliance, headedby Nick Clegg

Russia has a relativelyundeveloped civil society. Forexample, most Russiansdon't attend church.Only 1%report to belonging to apolitical party. Any groupsthat do exist, thegovernment has placedsevere restrictions on theiractivities, especially ongroups that are openlycritical of the government'spolicies. Vladimir Putinheads a youth movementcalled Nashi who support thegovernment.

• very weak civil society• press censored• government opponents

suppresed• e.g. Tiannmen Square• Interest groups must register

with the government, thusundermining theirindepedence and utility

• regional groups onlynominally represented

There is a long history of a "lively" civil society inMexico which provided an atmosphere where publicprotests were acceptable. Under the PRI, interestgroups were controlled under state corporatism. PANwas created from an interest group that opposed thePRI's rule. Interest groups in Mexico are foundeverywhere, as the individual parties, unions, tradeorganizations like the Educational Workers' Union whichis Latin America's largest trade union.

Most Civil societyis based aroundethnic lines, andinterest groupsthat have beenmade by suchethnic gatheringshave always triedto shape politicaldecisions. Thesegroups haveserved bothunifying anddivisive forces,and they havestrengethenedsince 1999. Somenon-ethnicallybased groupsinclude tradeunions andprofessionalorganizations,who work toprotect the rightsof their members.

Civil society has not been restoredunder the current regime.Ahmadinejad has closed downnewspapers, banned and censoredbooks and websites, and doesn'ttolerate protests. One indicationthat civil scoeity is alive can beseen among Iran's growing youthpopulation.

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Media Roles has a free press,governmentcontrolled newsagency, BBC,despite this lotsof transparency.Specific partieshave blatantnews agenciesthat provideparty rhetoric.

Under Soviet Rule, the officialnewspaper, Pravda, was onlyprinted when the governmentwanted it to. Now, media isprivately owned and is free tocriticize the government.

• The internet is limited bygovernment regulations. Forinstance, Google searches ofTiananmen Square in Chinaresult in no results about themassacre of 1989.

• in recent years, the media isgaining small steps forward,by gaining some ability tocriticize the government. in2010, 12 newspapers wrote ajoint crique of thegovernment.

• internet censored (GoogleScandal 2010)

Under the PRI media was controlled and any oppositionto the regime was not allowed. The media began tobecome more independent with the fall of the PRI. Nowthere are several major television networks in thecountry and foreign networks such as the BBC and CNNare accessible.

The Media inNigeria has almostalways beenrelatively free,despite militaryrulers. There areseveral nationwide Newspapers,but this issurprisingly not avery used form ofjournalism, asabout only twothirds ofNigerian's areliterate. Instead, amore importantnews source isfound in Radioand Television.The Governmenthas tried to turnthis use of Mediainto a unifyingforce, but theConstitutionalright of states tohave their ownStations makesthis difficult.These stationsinstead become adivisive forcebetween thestates of Nigeria.

Radio and TV are government-runby the IRIB, but many newspapersand magazines are privately own.Compared with other regimes inthe region, the Iranian press hasmore freedom to criticize thegovernment.

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PoliticalParticipation

high voterturnout, highpolitical efficacy:general partyallegiance forlabour andconservative,consistantfollowing.

Voter turnout is fairly high,higher than in the UnitedStates. Citizens can vote inthe presidential elections andin the Duma elections.

• Grassroots Village electionssince late 1980s

• voter turnout quite high inHong Kong

• voter turnout higher in urbanareas (more education)

Political participation has historically beencharacterized with protest and revolution. But nowcitizens through increasingly legitimate, regularelections. President, legislature and many localgovernment officials are directly elected.

Elections inNigeria have beenconsistentlyplagued by fraudand corruption,which has mademany Nigeriansunhappy withtheir government.There have beenmany protestsand ethnicviolence. Mostinterest groupshave beenorganized alongethnic lines, butthere have been afew that have notbeen, which giveshope for Nigeria.

While many vote, participation isreliatively limited, especially underAhmadinejad.

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SocialMovements

National HealthService- ratherleftist. ColletiveConsesus earlytwentiethcentury up to70's in theseventees therewas a radicalleftward shift andthis lead to thecountries swingto Thatcherism-veryconservativepolitics andcracking down onthe Unions.eventually therewas a third waywhen the LabourParty waselected withBlair.

There aren't many notablesocial movements in Russia,besides Nashi. A groupcreated by Putin to attemptto foster an acceptance forthe government within youngpeople. Also, Nashi has aprocreation day in which thekids are forced to procreate.

- Three reform protest movementssince Mao.----1978-79 = Democracy movement.*call for the fifth moderization(democracy) on the "democracy wall"*initially tolerated by Deng*reformist leader eventually sentencedto 15 years in prison*led to the CP's 4 principles of protest---- 1986-87---- 1989 Tiananmen Square---------------------Student led protestdemanding democracy, later leading toa disaster and many deaths*initiated in May '89 on the death ofousted reformer Hu Yaobang.*protest about openness of leadership/corruption*became well organized as studentsand workers coordinated outside CP*June 4th, 91989 = PLA sent in by LiPeng to end protests.

Urban popular movements concerned with socialwelfare spending, city services, feminism, neighborhoodimprovements, economic development and so on havegained strength. Now, government has been forced tonegotiate and bargain with the groups leading thesesocial movements.

Many socialMovements havesprung up sincethe 1999 election.Often basedaround religiousor ethnic groups,these movmenttry to pressurethe federalgovernment toreact to theirgreivances. Afavoite target hasbeen the foreignbased Oilcompanies thatdrill for oil aroundNigeria. Groupslike MEND andMOSOP try to getthe Oil companiesto promote fairbusiness practicesand adhere toenvironmentalstandards,through methodseither violent orpeaceful.

The Green Movement fordemocracy, as well as the growinginfluence of women in the politicalsystem, are the two main socialmovements in Iran.

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Citizenshipand socialrepresentation

autonomousinterest groupsyet neo-corporatism isexistant.quango's areunique to Britain, quasinongovernmentalorganizations."winner take all"Parliamentarysystem, and safedistricts for highmembers ofparty.

• less than 40 percent of partymembers come from thepeasantry, although peasantsstill make up the largestsingle group within the CCP.

• The fastest growingmembership categoryconsists of officials,intellectuals, technicians, andother professionals.

• Women make up only about20 percent of themembership and only about4 percent of the CentralCommittee.

Populism has always been a key theme w/ charasmaticleaders w/ a significant peasant base. Interest groupsrepresent citizens stemming from labor unions.Camarrilla patron client system is important indetermining the nature of politcalparticipation.

Most socialrepresentationoccurs throughthe patron clientsystem known asPrebendalism, inwhich all publicoffices are treatedlike PersonalFeifdoms.

Growing number of youth

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Political and EconomicChange

Great Britain Russia China Mexico Nigeria Iran

Revolution, coups, warGrEATBRITAINDKJFDK:LJFL

Magna Carta started trend towards democracyand legitimacy. Glorious Revolution of 1688started giving power to parliament. generallya gradualist approach to deomcracy andfreedom.

RUSSIARUSSIARUSSIAThe Decemberist

Revolt of 1825 tookplace Russianintellectuals andNicholas the first whoruthlessly crushed therevolt. The Revolutionof 1917 caused thestate to collapse. In1918 a civil war brokeout between the WhiteArmy, led by RussianMilitary leaders andfunded by the Alliepowers, and the RedArmy led by Lenin. TheReds won in 1920. In1991 theconservatives led acoup that tried toremove Gorbachevfrom office. The coupfailed when popularprotests broke out andsoldiers from themilitary deflectedrather than supporttheir leaders.

• 1644-1912:Qing Dynasty

• 1912: End ofdynastic rule,founding ofthe Republicof Chinaunder Sun YatSen.

• 1919: MayFourthMovementagainstEuropeanpresence andcontrol

• 1921:Founding oftheCommunistParty ofChina.

• 1927: Startof the ChineseCivil Warbetween theChineseNationalistParty,Kuomintang(KMT) and theChineseCommunistParty (CCP).

• 1937:Beginning ofthe SecondSino-Japanese Waraka WorldWar II

• 1949:Founding ofthe People’sRepublic ofChina underMao Zedongand theChineseCommunistParty; KMTretreats toTaiwan

Mexico uses therevolutions of1821 and 1921as sources ofpride andnationalidentity. Mexicohas had fewercoups incomparison toother latinamericancountriesbecause of PRIhampering ofmilitaryinfluence. Diazcoup broughtstablility, atradition ofauthoritarianism,economicgrowth, andeconomicdisparitybetween rich andpoor.

Nigeria has a longhistory of bouncingbetween MilitaryCoup d'etats andCivilianGovernments.There has been atotal of 4 civiliangovernments thatsince the country'sindependence in1960, and eightMilitary leaders, aswell as a secessionof Biafra.

The 1979revolutioninstituted atheocratic republicthat is currently inplace today, inwhich AyatollahKhomeini becamethe SupremeLeader and ShahReza Pahlavi wasoverthrown. Theshah's Father/Predecessor, RezaKhan, came topower in a 1921coup, withassisstance fromthe Britishgovernment. Hewas forced toabdicate in1941after Britainand the SovietUnion invadedIran, due to theShah's pro-nazileanings. In 1953,MuhammadMossaddeq, thePrime Minister ofIran, wasoverthrownthrough a CIA/British plot.

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• 1960:Chinese andSoviet Uniongovernmentssplit overcommunistpolicies.

• 1966: Startof the ChineseCulturalRevolution

• 1976: MaoZedong dies.

• 1979:Governmentbegins one-child policy.

• 1989:TiananmenSquare.

• 1997: HongKong returnsto Chineserule after 156years underthe BritishCrown.

Trends and types ofpolitical change(democratization)ComponentsPromoting or inhibitingfactorsConsequences

Gradualism, a steady movement towardsdemocracy, Nobles Oblisse or the social needfor the wealthy to take care of the power, whytop down change works.

Any regime changecreates legitimacyissues, but Russia'scase was extreme,with public policydirected at some verytough issues andseemingly intractableproblems. The abruptchange in leadershipgoals and stylebetween Yeltsin andPutin also has made itdifficult to followcontinuous threads inpolicy over the years,although alternatingbetween reform andauthoritarianism is anold theme that goesback to the days of thetsars. Russia has nottried to democratizeand has kept theircentralizedgovernment. Factorsinhibiting them fromdoing so is a lack oflegitimacy and trust in

• The nationalgovernment isstill very eliteand self-electing, butlocalprovinces arebecomingmore andmoredemocratic.

• economicliberalizationdoes notequate withpoliticalliberalization

PRI no longerholds completecontrol overgovernment dueto electoralreform a factorpromotingdemocratization.Recent judicialreform is alsonoteworthy as apanel, versus asingle judge,tries in law.

Nigeria has alwaystried to movetowards ademocracy, butthe fragmentednature, combinedwith the winnertakes all attitude ofpolitics and therampant corruptionby those in powerhas made suchmovements veryslow, with manysteps backwards.The political trendof Military Rule hasalso has had anadverse effectupondemocratization ofthe Nigeriansociety.

Under the Pahlavidynasty, bothShahs did nothingto aid democracy.Reza Khanestablished anauthoritarianstate. In 1975,Muhammad Rezaannounced theformation of theResurgence Partyand declared Iranto be a one-partystate with himselfas its head. Afterthe 1979revolution, alongwith the SupremeLeader, apresidential postwas created, whowas electedthrough popularvote. From 1979 to1989 there wasalso a PrimeMinister, butfollowing the 1989

23

their government,widespread corruptionwithin their politicalsystem, andcharismatic leaders.

constitutionalamendment thepost was removedand the PrimeMinister's powerswere divided.Following the 2009Iranian elections, itis believed

Trends and types ofeconomic change“”

mixed economy with quangos and recentdenationalization of industry, mostly in theservice sector, post industrial nation.

Mikail Gorbachevenacted hisperestroika reforms,primarily consideringof marker economyprograms inserted intothe traditionalcentralized stateownership design ofthe Soviet Union.Between 1997 and2007 the economysteadily improved.Today Russia'seconomy is fueled byit's huge oil and gasreserves.

FourModernizations: In1973 Zhou Enlai'sproposed a system ofgovernment thatfocused on developingindustry, military,agriculture, and sciencein China. It was mostnotably used by DengXiaoping. The FourModernizations havebeen the focus of thecountry's official policygoals every since.

Characterizedby PendelumTheory--shiftingpresidents whoset off a backand forth effectof socialistreform--likeprivitazation ofoil under PEMEXand importsubstitution--andchanges toentrepreneurshipand foreigninvestment withopen trade withamerica.

Nigeria in 1960took on a strategyof ImportSubstitution, thatlasted until 1999.However, theextended period ofImportsubstitution, alongwith brokenpromises by othergovernments andthe instableexchange rate ofthe Naira hasproduced theincredible statisticthat the NigerianTotal Debtincreased by about1,000 percentduring the last 20years of the 21stcentury.

Iran's nuclearenergy programhas led to it facinga variety ofsanctions fromcountries like theUS. Oil exportsaccount for a largeamount of theGov't revenue, andIran was a Rentierstate under thePahlavi Dynasty.Inflation is high,around 11%. 16thin terms of PPP.Risingunemploymentamong the youthrepresents a majorhurdle for thegov't. Taxes arekept low, as thegovernment earnsa large sum fromoil.

Relationships betweenpolitical and economicchange

Thathcher stopped negotiations with tradeunions. Clause 4-changed the political views oflabour party on the economic sector.

Between 1997 and2007 the Russianeconomy steadilyimproved, due torecent privitizations.Today Russia'seconomy is fueled byit's huge oil and gasreserves.

"I don't care if it's awhite cat or a black cat.It's a good cat so longas it catches mice." --Deng XiaopingThis quote from China'seconomic modernizerindicates his belief thatprogress is moreimportant thanfollowing specificallycommunist or capitalistbelief.With China's rapideconomic growth, it isnow said that Chinafunctions undercapitalism withCommunist tendencies.

w Since the newestregime change, inwhich the fourthrepublic wascreated, thechange to astructuraladjustment systemhas allowed formore economicdevelopment, butthe long termtraditions ofcorruption and newstyles of attackupon Foreign oilcompanies havemade thedevelopment

Under the Pahlavidynasty, Iran hadmuch economicsuccess, due totrade with the USand othercountries.Following the 1979revolution, Irancontinued to earnmoney from oil,but economicsanctions due tonuclear powerhave hurt its gdp.

24

slower than cannormally be found.

Globalization andFragmentationGlobal economiesInterlinked economiesGlobal cultureReaction againstglobalizationRegionalism

Increase in muslim minorities. EU's powerover economy and Euroskeptics fear of EUsovereignty. Northern Irelands independancemovement, no longer very violent./,,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,k,kbnb vgh-

Vladimir Putin set outto redefine Russia'splace in the world, atwo-dimensional taskthat requires a newinterpretation of thecountry's relationshipwith the west, as wellas it's role among theformer soviet states.

• promotedcapitalistspirit withinChina

• formation ofSpecialEconomicZones (SEZs)such as HongKong wherefree trade ispermitted.

• Because ofSEZs, Chinahas a mixedeconomy

• these zonesare mostly onthe port citiesor near them.Wealth isconcentratedin port cities

• Globalizationhas alsobroughtwealth to theentirecountry,predominantlythe portcities.

• Pressure fromforeigncountries onChina'senvironmentalissues

Mexico is highlydependent onAmericaeconomically asreflected withmaquilladorasand free tradew/ americathrough NAFTA.Mexicans havesome animosityto the strongAmericaninfluence.

The increased useof StructuralReadjustment inNigeria has madeglobalization anincreasinglyimportant part ofNigerianeconomics.

Iran has grownincreasinglyisolationist overthe years followingthe 1979revolution.Sanctions from theUN and othernations

Political Institutions Great Britain Russia China Mexico Nigeria Iran

Supranational OrganizationsEU economically

and NATO as far asmilitary isconcerned.

UN UN Member ofWTO andNAFTA

OPEC - Organization of PetroleumExporting CountriesECOWAS - Economic Communityof West African StatesAU-African UnionOATUU - Organization of AfricanTrade Union Unity-Commonwealth-Nonaligned Movement

OPEC - oil cartel

25

Unitary/FederalUnitary with

private educationand almost all oggovernmenthappening inlondon, in thesouthern part of thecountry causing anorth southcleavage.

Federal-Someregions arestronger thanothers, sopower isdevolvedunequallyacross thecountry(asymmetricfederalism).Current regimecontains 89regions/republics

Federal, butthe majority ofpower is in theparty, whichcontrols thenationalgovernment.Thegovernmentwas originallybased on theidea ofdemocraticcentralism, butit has becomemore federal inrecent years.

Federal butfed. gov has alarge influenceon regionaldecisions.

-- federal system- under militarygovernment federalism didn'twork b/c goverment didn't allowstates to have separatesovereignty

Unitary

Centralization/Decentralizationvery centralized a

compact country tobegin with.

Because ofYeltsin's weakleadership inthe Federation'searly stages,many republicsruledthemselvesalmostindependently.This has led tosomedecentralization.However,Russia'sprevious regimeof a highlycentralizedgovernment hascreated acentrallyoriented statetoday.

China beganas a centralizedstate, but hasmoved towardsdecentralizationin recent years.There has beena push to givelocalgovernments alittle morepower becauseit gives thegovernmentmorelegitimacy.

Under PRIhighlycentralized w/legislaturerubberstampingexecutivedecisions.Recentlymexcio hasbecome moredecentralized(gridlock nowexists inlegislature) butb/c of a weakand corruptbureacracy theexecutive is stillprettycentralized.

- centralized under military rule- decentralized in new regime-

state governments have beengetting more power.

Executives Prime Minister:Gordon Brown

President-DimitryMedvedev-Headof State-Appoints PrimeMinister andCabinet, issuesdecreesPrime Minister-Vladimir Putin-Head ofGovernment

Premier- WenJubioPresident- HuJintao

President whoserves asexenio--6 yearterm for thosenon spanishspeakers outthere.Incumbentused to choosethe succesor.Felipe Calderon

- (acting) president- GoodluckJonathan- vice president- currently noneb/c Jonathan was vice pres butafter Yar'Adua stepped down dueto health problems, Jonathanbecame pres.

Supreme Leader:

Ali Khamenei

President:

Mahmoud

Ahmadinejad

26

Legislatures house of commonsis their legislature

they mostly debateand vote alongparty lines becausea vote of noconfidence wouldmean thatparliament wouldhave to be brokenup,and therewouldneedtobeanewprime minister

house of lords canonly delay passingof bills so not realpower there

Bicameral

Duma-LowerHouse-450Deputiesselected byproportionalrepresentation(as of 2007)-technicallypasses bills,approvesbudget, andconfirmspoliticalappointments.Really serves asa rubber stampfor President'sactions

FederationCouncil-UpperHouse-Consistsof two membersfrom each ofthe 89republics. Since2002 one rep isselected by thegovernor ofeach region andanother isselected byregionallegislature.Power to delaylegislation

NationalPeople'sCongress-2,591members.Elections arefirst past thepost. THecongress has astandingcommittee,similar to thepolitburostandingcommittee,which contains159 members.The congressalso picks thepremier, statecouncil andboth maincourts.

Bicameral w/500 Chamberof deputies anda 128 membersenate. alllegislators aredirectlyelected. 300deputies aredirectly elected,200 areproportionaland 4 senatorscome fromeach of the 31states andmexico city.

- Senate has 109 senators- threefrom each of the 36 sts and onefrom the capital (Abuja)- Senators are elected by popularvote- House of Representativescontains 360 members, who comefrom single-member districts-Representatives are elected byplurality and are of variousethnicities

Majilis: 290 seatsSingle MemberDistrict - Approved byGuardian Council torun

Parliamentary/Presidential paliamentary Mixed-stronglypresidential

Presidential Presidential - presidential Presidential

Elections§ Presidential§ Parliamentary§     Referendum§ Noncompetitive

free and fair

mainly party basedvoting

President-Directly electedfor a four yearterm. Twoconsecutiveterm limit. Tworound votingsystem

Prime Minister-Appointed byPresident

For most ofthe elections,especiallypresidential,the CCPcontrols whothe citizens canvote for. Non-partymembers,includingcapitalists, cannow be electedto thelegislature, and

Elections havebecomecompetitiveafter 71 yearsof PRI controlthroughbribery, andballot stuffing.With electionreform, and anindependentvoting agencyin charge ofimplementingfair elections,

- mostly competitive elections- asseen w/ ballot box stuffing inYar'Adua's election, corruption isever present (especially high in2007)

All elected officialsmust be approved bythe Guardian Council.-Majilis-President-Assembly ofReligious Expertsare all directlyelected.

-Supreme Leader-Judiciary-Expediency Council-Guardian Council-Cabinet

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Duma-electedby proportionalrepresentation

President cancall for anationalreferenda bypopular vote onimportantissues

TechnicallyRussia is amultipartysystem, butPutin's parties,mainly UnitedRussia,dominate theKremlin.

the localelections areeven lessrestricted. Thelocal electionsarecompetitive,while thenationalelections arenot.

mexico nowdirectly electstheirgovernment ina fair way.

Are all appointed.

Electoral System§ Proportional§ FPTP

single memberdidtrcit andproportional

plurality

FPTP

Proportional inthe lowerlegislativehouse (Duma)

Executive-Tworounds

The electionsystem ishighlycompetitiveand first pastthe post inrural areas,however it isnot competitivein nationalelections. Theparty controlsalmost allelections, butthere are signsthat theelections aregetting morecompetitiveand fair. This isshown by thefact thatcapitalists arebeginning to beelected to thenationalpeoplescongress.

The presidentis directlyelected viapopular vote.The legislatureis elected in acombination ofproportionaland directelection.

- elections are first-past-the-post- if none of the candidates obtaina majority of votes, a 2nd electionis conducted (this has yet tooccur)- presidents must receive at least25% of the votes in 2/3 of thestates so that the president ispopular among differentethnicities and religions

Single MemberDistrict

Political Parties§ Organization, membership,institutionalization, ideological position

three main parties

Labour- moreliberal appeal tomiddle class

United Russia-Putin's Party.Sponsors Nashi(Political youthgroup)-Dominant

The CCP, orChineseCommunistParty, is themain party,and has a

PRI- used tocontrol gov. for71 years. rural,less educated,old thinkingpopulace.

-People's Democratic Party(PDP)

- has had candidates since 1998- noregional ties- pres and vice

pres "switch off", w/one Christianand one Muslim

-The Alliance ofBuilders of IslamicIran: Conservativeand MahmoudAhmadinejad

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Tories-moreconservative, somesay morepragmatic, upperclass

liberal dems- acompromise of thetwo major parties,it falls near thecenter

because of singlemember pluralitysmaller parties dontget a lot of rep

The CommunistParty of theRussianFederation(CPRF)-Remnant ofSovietCommunistParty. Secondstrongest party.Opposedreforms,emphasizesnationalism andcentralizedplanning.

LiberalDemocrats-Radical partyheaded byVladimirZhirinovsky.Sexist, anti-Semitic, pronuclear warfare.Branch ofPutin's party

Fair Russia-Ledby Speaker ofthe FederationCouncil SergeiMironov. Branchof Putin's Party.

Yabloko(Apple!)-Reformist party.Pro democracy.Does bestamongintellectualswho supportedGorbachev. Lostall of its Dumarepresentationwith 2007electoralreforms

structure thatmimics that ofthegovernment.Most of thepower is reallyfocused in theparty. TheGeneralSecretaryis HuJintao, he isfollowed by thePolitburostandingcommittee- 9members, frompolitburo-made up ofcentralcommitteemembers, whocome from thenational partycongress.

PAN-northern,middle class,better educatedMexicanssupport thisparty.

PRD- younger,politicallyactive,populace frommiddle states.these are abunch of rebelsand thank godthis is my lastentry because iam going crazy.

- Obesanjo ('03) and Yar'Adua('08) have been elected president- All Nigeria People's Party

(ANPP)- party of former military general

Muhammadu Buhari- got 32% votes in '03 and 19%

votes in '07- Action Congress (AC)- merger of several political

parties- ran Atiku Abubakar as pres

candidate in '07- initially disqualified by

Independent Nat'l ElectionCommission (at Obesanjo'srequest) but Supreme Courtoverturned it

- received 7% votes

-The Iranian ReformMovement: HosseinMousavi

Party Systems ideological andsocial differences

Mostly gainpower throughrelationship toPutin. Reformistparties are

The only partyallowed inChina is theCCP except fora few members

- parties usually form onregional/ethnic bases and arecentered around leaders, so theyare not permanent

Conservative vsReformer parties

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mainlyideological

of capitalistparties.

Leadership and Elite Recruitment pretty much likeU.S. political parties

Recruit fromyouth groups(Nashi, YouthGuard, Locals)

Encouragesstrong andwidespreadparty loyalty

Mostrecruitment isthrough thenomenklatura,and the idea ofguanxi, whichis the Chineseversion of apatron-clientrelationship.Many of theelites arereferred to as"technocrats,"because theparty wantsbetter educatedpeople.Recruitment isno longerbased on classor ideology.Currently, theleaders of thegovernmentare allengineers ofsome type.

- technically anyone can joinpolitics, but people really advanceup the ranks through joining themilitary

Religion plays a largerole in politics. Mostpoliticians are clerics.Revolutionary Guardis also a power base.

Interest Groups and Interest Group systems Quangos

interest groupshave about thesame amount ofpull that they dohere

same types ofissues

Oligarchs-Maybe defined asinterest groupbecause theyhave had majorinfluence inpolicymakingdue to economicpower.

StateCorporatism-statedetermineswhich groupshave input intopolicymaking

No interestgroups areallowed, thereare no groupsfor workersrights, andmost groupsget broken upif thegovernmentdoesn’t likewhat they aredoing. Ifprotests getout of hand,the leadingprotesters getarrested. TheChinesegovernmentcompletelycontrolls thevast majority ofall civil society.

- interest groups have had impacton politics even under military rule- examples

- labor unions- business interests- human rights groups- religious-based groups

Revolutionary Guardreally has most of theinfluence

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Falun Gong-Started as aspiritual group,grew too large,and thegovernmenttried to destroyit, however afew membersstill remain.

Bureaucracies stable and powerful Huge, butinefficient,bureaucracy.Corrupt

Merit based,members owetheir job to theperson abovethem. Theparty’sstructure isvery similar tothebureaucracythat has beencarried overfrom the olddynasties.

-British established bureaucracysystem during colonial rule- people obtain jobs throughbribery and prebendalism(rewards system for obtainingjobs)- are mostly parastatals(companies owned by thestate that provide social/commercial welfare)- seen as corrupt and inefficient

Clergy dominated it.Nepotism common.Plays a large role inmaintainingconservative Islamicvalues.

Military and other coercive institutions The army wasa veryimportantsource ofstrength duringthe cold war erafrom 1945 to1991. Themilitary did notusually take alead in politics,and generalsdid notchallenge thepower of thepolitburo. Underthe RussianFederation, thearmy shows noreal signs ofbecoming apolitical force.The Russianmilitary is oftenknown for poorperformance.Recently,militaryspending hasincreased and

PLA- manyparty leadershave been atthe top of themilitaryhierarchy. It isseen as astepping stoneinto the upperparty. Thepolice are usedto violentlysuppressdemonstrationsalong with themilitary. TheTiananmenSquareprotests wereput down bythe military.

During Mao's"CulturalRevolution" theRed Guard wasused to stopanyone whoopposed Mao.

The military the“military ingovernment” andthe “military inbarracks”

Military in thebarracks is a strongforce behindpolicymaking inNigeria. By becomingso active in politicalaffairs, it lost itscredibility as atemporary, objectiveorganization thatmaintains order

Distinction betweenfulfills traditionalroles of the military,an their leaders havebeen critical ofmilitary control ofpolitical power

One of the fewinstitutions in thecountry that is trulynational in character

-Army is forconventional warfare-Revolutionary Guardis to protect theSupreme Leader andis also a politcalpower base-Basij malitia are thepolitical thugs withsome distancebetween them andthe Supreme Leader

31

has becomemore active inareas such asGeorgia andChechnya.

Able to transcend thedeep ethnic andreligious cleavages ofthe country

Many of the brightestand most ambitiousNigerians make theirway up through theechelons of themilitary

Judiciaries§ Degrees of autonomy§ Judicial review (including EU inrelation to states, citizens)§ Types of law

parliamentarysovereignty haslimited judicialreview

common law

law lords is highestcourt in the land

In 1993 aconstitutionalcourt wascreated in aneffort to build ajudicial systemthat is notcontrolled bythe executive.The court has19 membersappointed bythe presidentand approvedby thefederationcouncil. Thecourts haveboth beenactive in policy-making,however theirindependencefrom theexecutive isquestionable.Putin regimeput a lot ofmoney intolegal reform.There is still alot of corruptionin the system.

The Chinesejudicial systemis notautonomous,and they donot havejudicial review.The judges arepicked by theNationalPeople’sCongress.There is aSupremePeople’s Court,and a SupremePeople’sProcuratorate.The legalsystem is beingused bycitizens toincrease theirpower, and totry to makesure the lawsare beingapplied fairly.Because thejudiciary is nottrulyindependent,these attemptsare not verysuccessful.

Nigerian courts originally had agreat deal of autonomy in theearly years of their independence.

However, military rule underminedthe judiciary by establishingmilitary decrees. Under thispolitical system, judicial reviewwas suspended.

Presently, the strength of thejudiciary has grown, as proven bythe tribunals established to hearaccusations of voter fraud in 2007

States now have the option ofcreating sharia law courts to dealwith Islamic cases

-Sharia law: Islamiclaw courts-Qanun: law made bythe legistlator

Final interpretation ofthe law is by theSupreme Leader,Guardian Council andthe Assembly ofReligious Experts

32

Public Policy Great Britain Russia China Mexico Nigeria Iran

Common Policy Issues GREATBRITAINUKpost blair policy onminorities, terrorism, EUnegotiations onsovereignty,

Uncertainty in theregimes future.Legitimacy issues. Trendsin policy issues havebeen difficult to followdue to abrupt changes inleadership. Thealternation betweenreform andauthoritarianism,however, has been atrend since the days ofthe czars.

Policy issues can bebroken up into fourgroups: democracy/human rights issues,population issues,economic issues, andforeign policy/international trade issues.

Democracy/humanrights: ethnic cleavagescause uprisings which areoften stifled in anundemocratic way, suchas military force. Also,the struggle fordemocracy has alsocaused the governmentto engage in questionablestrategies for restoringstability.

Population issues: onechild policy, now facing adepletion of populationthat will not be able tosustain larger oldergeneration; lack offemales

Economic issues:Unemployment andinequality, inefficiency ofthe state sector, pollution

Foreign policy: tensionswith Japan and Taiwan,

Military rule in Nigeriahas resulted in top-downpolicy making. Power isconcentrated in thePresidency, and muchinput comes from thechannels of patronclientelism."Loyaltypyramid" involves seniorgovernment officials whoare supported by abroader base of loyaljunior officials. Elitesmake policies out of selfinterests frequently.

-Power struggle betweenorthodox and moderatefactions-Nuclear energy/weapons-Hate of Israel, theUnited States, and theWest

33

international protest overTibet, US-China relations

Economic Performance conservative or Keynsianview points oneconomics, dealing withgloabl recession.

The heart of the demiseof the Soviet Union waseconomic problems.Gorbachev enactedperestroika reforms butthey never actuallyfollowed through.Yeltsin’s shock therapy,and abrupt shift awayfrom the centrallyplanned economy,created chaos. Thegovernment defaulted onbillions of dollars indebts. From 1997 to2007, the economysteadily improved, but ittook a sharp fall in 2008when oil priced declined.The rubble fell in value,unemployment grew andproduction dropped. TheRussian economy isfueled by its huge oil andgas reserves. In 2009,Medvedev outlinedeconomic priorities forRussia to improve anddiversify their economy.

What we know aboutChina's economy comesdirectly from them and issuspect. However, theirrecent numbers areshowing that they havebeen performing quitewell, and have notsuffered during therecession.

Nigeria's economy isstrongly tied to a singlecommodity -- oil. Due tothis, their recenteconomic performancehas been poor, as theprice of oil has beenrelatively low. In recentdecades, Nigeria hasattempted to reform theireconomy, as in the caseof Babengide's economicprogram of "structuraladjustment." This soughtto restructure anddiversify the Nigerianeconomy.

-Largely based on oil;economy fluctuates withoil prices-Largest manufacturer inthe region, makes ofcars, appliances, andmore-subsidies

34

Social Welfare standard of living is high

some social problems arelack of integration byminorities, minority/majority cleavages, socialclass differences(muslims)

Government has giventhe responsibility of socialwelfare mainly tosubnationalorganizations. Socialsecurity and welfareprograms provide modestsupport for the mostvulnerable segments ofRussia's population. Manyhave begun to rely onthese sources.

There is some inequalityand unemployment, andthe government isundoubtedly repressive.However, literacy isabove 90%, remarkablyhigh for such a populouscountry, the lifeexpectancy is high for anAsian country, and thestandard of living is highin the cities(comparatively.) Ofcourse, rural areas facethe issues of poverty anddeprivation that the citiesdo not.

-Almost 60% of Nigerianslive beneath the povertyline.-Similar to Mexico in theway that both have ahuge disparity betweenthe wealthy andimpoverished-Government requiresonly minimal taxes, in aneffort to relieve theburden-Social services areprovided for a portion ofthe population

-High subsidies, charitiesrun by religiousinstitutions

Civil Liberties, Rights,Freedoms

have extensive liberties The Russian Constitutiongrants citizens civilliberties very similar tothe ones stated in theU.S. constitution. Civilliberties in Russia areshrinking as freedoms arebeing restricted.

Very limited. Some civilrights are moreprominent in rural areasoutside of Beijing'scontrol, but as a whole,civil liberties are quiterestricted in comparisonwith first world nations.

-Has extensive interestgroups that engageactively with politicalparties-Labor unions haverecently regained theirstrength-Most basic rightsguaranteed under thefourth republic-Media is surprisinglyindependent (was soeven under military rule)

-Media is controlled-Government runs radioand TV-Civil rights and libertiesare heavily restricted-Sharia Law-Women heavilyrestricted

Environment Air pollution from heavyemissions, transportationin major cities.Agricultural pollution,deforestation, radioactivecontamination, groundwater contamination.Russia has a great wealthof natural resources. Oiland gas extractions arehard on the environment.Pollution, especiallyradioactivecontamination, hasresulted in many healthdefects.

The environment is interrible condition inChina, Beijing is often sopolluted that it is not safefor the citizens to be onthe streets. However, inrecent years the Chinesegovernment has made ita priority to reduceemissions (especially inpreparation for the 2008Beijing Olympics.) Chinacurrently is the leader inwind turbine usage. Still,16 of the 20 mostpolluted cities in theworld are in China.

-Major environmentalissues are occurring inthe Niger Delta, wherefrequent oil spills haveresulted in the death ofthe fishing industry-Has the highestdeforestation rates in theworld-In late 1995, Nigeria'sexecution of eightenvironmental activists,notably Nobel Peace Prizenominee Ken Saro-Wiwa,made internationalheadlines

-polution, possiblynuclear waste, oil spills,etc.

35

Population and Migration Many immigrants to theUK come from India.

Muslim immigrants seemto have the hardest timeassimilating into theBritish population.

Pop.- roughly 61 million

In recent years, Russiahas suffered a dramaticdrop in overallpopulation, nowaveraging at about an18% decline. Economichardship has notencouraged largefamilies, and healthissues have created ahigh death rate. Tocombat this, Russia isencouraging Russianswho live abroad to returnto their homeland,however the financialcrisis has lessened theappeal.

Population: 1.3 billion

Most migration occurs inChinese emigrating toother countries (mostlyUnited States.) Manymigrants to Hong Kong

Very slim minorities ofimmigrants who havemoved for business

-The most populouscountry in Africa (about140 million)-As of 1999, there weresome 6,000 refugees inNigeria-The net migration rate in2000 was negative 0.2migrants per 1,000population

-Persians-Azeris-Kurds-Arabs

Economic Development UK has yet to adopt theeuro

Liberalism: emphasizespolitical and economicfreedoms for theindividuals and themarket

In 2009, Medvedevoutlined economicpriorities for Russia toimprove and diversifytheir economy.

Has recently encouragedprivatizing industry andcapitalism; has tried todevelop economic sectorsbesides manufacturing(companies such asLenovo expandingquaternary sector)

Has booming serviceindustry

In 1985, Babangidaregime developed aneconomic structuraladjustment program withthe support of the WorldBank and theInternational MonetaryFund.This program has hadmixed results, but Nigeriaremains heavily in debt.Para-statals remain stateowned, and the privateeconomic sector has notgrown significantly.

-Moving to nationalizeindustry and expandeconomy-Increasing militaryspending and "spaceprograms"-Increasing inmanufacturing and self-reliance

36

Factors influencing publicpolicymaking andimplementation

§ Domestic§International

British relationship withthe EU

Terrorism and cohesion

upcoming elections

devolution andconstitutional reform

Relations with the US &EU.

Economy

Minority regions such asChechnya

Corruption

-Population, pollution,corruption, ethniccleavages-Political image,economic tradingpartners

-Cleavages:-Ethnicity: Hausa-Fulani(north), Igbo (southeast),Yoruba (west)

Religion: north isprimarily Muslim, whilesouth is predominantlyChristian

Other factors:-Corruption amongst highlevel officials-Violence in Niger Delta(causes foreigninvestment to pull out ofthe country)-Lack of governmentallegitimacy-International price of oil-Human developmentindex

-Bad relations with theU.S.

-Sharia law-Strong sense ofnationalism-Shiite and Persiancultural influences

37