Politics 3 Essay, Research Paper

A. Short essays.

2. I believe that Nigeria is most definitely an Unfinished State, I feel this way due to the fact that the people can work their whole lives often funding other cities that they do not live in but their government cannot seem to pull their people together so that they may trust one another, even for the simple task of electing a mutually respected president. We as Americans have never had rejoicing in the streets due to one of our Presidents death. The sheer facts of Nigeria s history tell a tale itself, take for instance the fact that since Nigeria has won her independence from the British in the 1960 they have everything from democratic governments to autocratic regimes both military and civilian. For this reason it is obvious that the name Unfinished State fits Nigeria.

5. The effects of Clientelism on other countrys has had several effects. In Japan, the Koenkai was succesful in basically buying off voters by procurring their office spaces, paying salaries and the like. But this was only due to the patron-client relationships. These same basic types of relationships evolved in Brazil to further the ideology of trading favors and demanding action. In Mexico, clientelism allowed the party to amass far-reaching political control and limit opportunities for organizing independently of the PRI. And then there is the other side of the good effects. Finally, in Nigeria it is believed by the authors of Intro to Comp. Polotics that clientelism along with corruption and authoritarian governing structures hindered economic potential. Clientelism is the practice by which a particular group receives disproportionate policy benefits or political favors from the political patron, which was usually encured by the larger society.

B. Long essay

3. I will look at Japan and Iran to compare why one is more stable than the next.

Up until the MacArthur talks, Japan has had an other than stable but somewhat functional political system. Japan has been headed by many different leaders in a dictatorship type roles. After World War II, General MacArthur and his advisors drafted a new Constitution for the Japanese. This Constitution, which is still used today, transformed Japan into a fundamental democratic government. The Japanese Liberal Party (LPD) rose to power in 1955 and remained as the leading ruling power until just recently in our past, 1993. The LPD lost power in 1993 ending the one party rule. Due to the severe corruption of the LPD, this in fact began the demise of Japans political ability to be considered Politically Stable. The Japanese political system is based on a parliamentary structure in which the ruling party builds consensus with smaller parties to form a majority. The leader of the Diet (Parliament) and the executive branches are the same members. Japan then looks to one powerful ruler to reside as the President figure. The Prime Minister, who resides at the very top of this political ladder, was looked to as the final say in most matters. The Political corruption among the government caused the citizen s to loose faith and confidence in their government s. The Japanese people as a whole are depicted as a classless society in which class distinctions have virtually disappeared in terms of income, wealth, consumption habits, life styles, levels of education, and basic values. So in my opinion it seems obvious that Japan is definitely Politically Stable.

The Political environment in Iran has been extremely unstable, especially to foreigners, since the Revolution of 1979. There has been at least 4 significant events per year concerning political change. This is main reason that Iran is extremely unstable. The political system for Iran is officially a theocracy, which means that the clergy rules, and is headed by the chief cleric with the title of Supreme Leader and the clergy rule by divine right. Their system of government is called the Islamic Republic and has been in place since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which replaced the 1906 Constitution. Iran s executive branch consists of the President and his cabinet, with the president elected every four years. The president chooses his cabinet, which must be approved by their parliament (Majles), due to a clerically dominated Guardian Council determines who can and cannot run in these elections. The clerical (Theologians) role in the government is that of final say, that is to say that they hold primary control of the government, and as a result can enforce extreme influence on those organizations within their domain. Iran s society per capita regional product in the richest provinces was 5 to 1, making on of the worst in the world. These inequalities created a dual society. It is obvious if one only looks at the facts that the Iranian government is not meeting the needs of its people. In my opinion I believe that Iran is well with in the lines of being very strongly an Unstable Government.