Purpose: In terms of UN peacekeeping deployments, the African region has received the most, just as it has contributed the most in terms of military personnel. The Liberian UN-ECOWAS joint peace operations are acknowledged by many as one of the most successful, globally. The study argues that experiences from these operations can enrich this global effort. Hence, the study sought to establish lessons from the operations that could guide future peacekeeping operations. Methodology: The study adopted a research approach that was analytical, descriptive, legal, historical and sociological; where data was mainly gathered from secondary and tertiary sources. To this end, scholarly books, edited works, articles and periodicals (duly acknowledged in the reference list) within the study area of international peacekeeping and the Liberian Civil War, were reviewed. Policy and legal documents by the United Nations (UN) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), media stories, reports from non-governmental organizations, research reports and reports from the Liberian government in relation to the multi-functional peacekeeping operations in that country; were not left out when data was gathered for this write-up. Additionally, in terms of secondary sources, dictionaries, bibliographies, encyclopedia, databases, abstracts and indexing sources were used. Findings: Main findings were that the joint operations brought lasting peace to Liberia and that lessons from those experiences have the potential of guiding future peacekeeping operations across the globe. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study which is useful for academic, policy-formulation and implementation purposes, recommends: that the UN Security Council institutes prompt, appropriate and adequately funded interventions that have clear, effective and purposeful mandates at the start of conflicts; ‘spoilers’, ‘trouble makers’ and warlords should be heavily sanctioned; and effective coordinative measures be put in place by the UN so as to regulate activities of Non-UN peacekeeping actors.
Since becoming a constitutional democracy in 1993, many electoral disputes have arisen in Ghana following elections, with both state and non-state agencies playing key roles in the resolution of these disputes at the levels of general elections, bye-elections, assembly elections, inter alia. The focus of this paper, however, is an examination of the effectiveness of the electoral dispute resolution role of the judiciary arm of state, as mandated under Articles 64(1) and 99(1) of the 1992 Fourth Republican Ghanaian Constitution. Additionally, this paper seeks to identify the underlining causes of electoral disputes in Ghana, as well as, assess the potency of the electoral structure of the country. The study adapted the qualitative research approach in gathering data from 120 respondents that were purposively selected across 16 administrative regions in the country, in addition to the use of secondary and tertiary data. The study argues that the Apex Court namely, the Supreme Court of Ghana has been largely effective in terms of electoral disputes resolution, with a bigger chunk of the credit, however, going to the citizens who are law abiding and peace loving. Furthermore, actions and inactions of the Electoral Commission (EC) as well as political parties in Ghana, have gravely contributed to the spate of electoral disputes in Ghana. Against the backdrop of these findings, it is recommended amongst others that, judges of the Superior Court of Judicature dispense justice fairly and impartially and devoid of material and political underpinnings; whilst electoral officials are urged to play the role of impartial umpires throughout election processes. The researcher argues further that, should stakeholders carefully implement recommendations of this study; the confidence of the electorate in the Ghanaian electoral system will soar once more.
Purpose: The exploitative tendencies of human activities have hugely hampered the environment, diversely. To that end, the international community has adopted several devices that are mainly anchored on law, ethics and religious doctrines to address the challenges. This paper looks at the relevance of religion towards environmental conservatism. In that regard, the main objective of the study was to ascertain how Traditional African Religious practices, in particular totemism and deity worship, do enhance the sustainable utilization of natural resources and the preservation of ecosystems. Methodology: This study which was guided by qualitative methods using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and participant-observations; purposively selected 45 participants based on their knowledge on the subject area across three ethnic groups in Ghana. Findings: Findings showed that even though practices of totemism and deity worship by African Traditional Regions (ATRs) have aided environmental protection throughout the centuries, it is only coincidental as reasons behind the practices are spiritual and not born out of environmental consciousness or pragmatism. And that, practices of totemsim and deity worship are widely spread in Ghana and observed by all clans in the country. Recommendations: For effective environmental protectionism, it is recommended amongst other things that in addressing current ecological challenges, both modern scientific methods and indigenous traditional modes be synchronized efficiently. Findings in this article call for the festering of ideas amongst religious environmentalists, environmental institutions, governments and policy makers, towards the efficient management of environmental resources in the given circumstances.
Purpose: The 2013 version of the International Day of Peace was dedicated to peace education, by way of drawing the attention of the international community to the pre-eminence of peace education as that channel of achieving the much sort for global culture of peace. Before then, many countries notably Ghana, had long been in the process of cultivating the culture of peace via the practices of peace education within the traditional setting, even if in its remotest form. In large part, Ghanaians are peace-loving people, attributable to the traditional peace education lessons that children receive from parents and the society at their formative stages. This study in examining this assertion, also seeks to determine to what extent peace educational practices in both the traditional and global senses, have shaped the Ghanaian peace-loving nature. Methodology: The study adopted the quantitative approach where semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 1450 randomly selected respondents across Ghana. The age range of respondents which are between 10 and 60 and above, comprise 1019 (70.3 %) males and 431 (29.7 %) females from all walks of life. Findings: The study while empirically evidencing that Ghanaians are peace-loving people, also established a link between this peace culture and the basic lessons children receive from parents and the society at their formative stages, about peace. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The paper calls on the government of Ghana in particular and other peace education actors in general, to work assiduously towards the effective blending of traditional (informal) and global (formal) peace educational practices within Ghana, as well as, enhance peace education in the country by building the capacity of communities and schools in financial, technical, and logistical terms. Indeed, this paper which is the first-ever study into traditional peace education in Ghana, uniquely adds to academic literature and serves as a useful guide for practitioners and policy makers in the study area.
IntroductionThe term, democracy which is derived from two Greek words, 'demos', meaning people and 'kratein' meaning to govern or to rule is steep in history; tracing its roots to the ancient Greek City-States in the Fifth Century BC. In literal terms, democracy encompasses the rule of the people by the people themselves and it is a government of the majority (Khan, 2005). In a similar vein, Abraham Lincoln defines democracy as, "…. a government of the people, by the people and for the people". Furthermore, as Becker (Khan, 2005) strongly posits, democracy entails a government of the people and one that is composed by the majority. In its widest meaning, therefore, the term democracy, refers to a system of governance in which rulers are held accountable for their actions within the public realm, by the indirect action of citizens and through the cooperation of their elected representatives (Dahl, 1971; Friedrich, 1968).In essence therefore, the term that is linked with the best practices of constitutional rule and good governance in modern times, refers to a system of government wherein; supreme power of a state is vested in the citizens that can either be exercised directly by themselves or indirectly through representatives that are elected or appointed by the citizens. Thus, the concepts of democracy and good governance have come to be the basic requirements for sustainable development worldwide (Grindle, 2004;Khan, 2005). The concept though, goes beyond a set of constitutional rules and procedures that determine how a government functions, since government, is only a subset of the democratic society that contains other elements such as complex institutions, political parties, organizations and associations. It is an undeniable fact that, democratic governance enhances transparency, accountability, rule of law, adherence to fundamental human
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