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Scholars of human rights and constitutional law have described in great detail the abuses perpetrated by the armed forces and secret services of the United States in the context of the ‘war on terror’. There is copious literature explaining why these violations of fundamental human rights are not justifiable, and why they are not consistent with international treaties or that nation’s constitution. This thesis builds upon this research, but strikes out in a new direction. It does so by asking whether these abuses, combined with the changes to the legal order of the United States that made them possible, have produced a qualitative transformation of its constitutional structure. In particular, this thesis tracks the empowering of the executive. Increasingly, whenever it purports to act in the interests of national security, the executive claims the authority to act unilaterally in a manner that overrides even non-derogable rights. These novel constitutional reserve powers, which this thesis demonstrates were derived from President Nixon’s theory of the executive, were used to justify indefinite arbitrary detention, torture, mass surveillance without warrants, and extra-judicial execution. This thesis seeks to determine if the constitutional crisis inaugurated by this theory of executive supremacy over the laws has been terminated, or whether it has continued into the Obama Administration. If this theory is current within the executive branch, and especially if the violations of jus cogens norms has continued, it signifies a cross-party consensus about a paradigm shift in American constitutionalism. Accordingly, given the fact that the abuse of executive supremacy is what led to the development of the rule of law, this thesis will ask the question of whether the United States is being governed in accordance with its basic minimum norms. This thesis explores whether the executive is still subject to checks and balances from the legislature and the judiciary, such that it cannot violate non-derogable rights at will and with impunity. If the contrary proposition is true, it demonstrates that the crisis of the rule of law in the United States is ongoing, and this permanent state of exception demands significantly more scholarly attention. / Public, Constitutional, and International Law / LLD

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-08-15T12:21:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Samuel Alvarenga Gonçalves.pdf: 1661878 bytes, checksum: 769affec881a4b377e17c53a1b145e94 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T12:21:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Samuel Alvarenga Gonçalves.pdf: 1661878 bytes, checksum: 769affec881a4b377e17c53a1b145e94 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-25 / The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate some shortcomings and deficiencies involving the Brazilian procedural system of compliance and enforcement of judgments handed down in class actions that establish certain obligations to do before the Public Authorities, especially those dealing with the implementation of policies through the realization of diverse social rights. Moreover, it also intends to present some critical considerations about the ineffectiveness of some judicial measures that are traditionally applied in the face of the Executive Branch for the fulfillment of the order, which represents an authentic crisis of collective judicial protection. The premature and disorganized activation of the Judiciary by the various entities legitimized in the collective tutelage weakens the system of delivery of social rights foreseen in the Constitution. It is necessary the formal and pragmatic knowledge of the administrative activity to work on the public policy issue in the area of access to Justice. In fact, the political-administrative world is the area where the Executive Branch carries out its final activities in accordance with the constitutional panel provided for in the Charter of 1988. However, this political-administrative world has very peculiar specificities that end up representing (albeit involuntarily) authentic shields to the jurisdictional invests emanating from the legal world. Therefore, the Law operator must have the sensitivity to realize that sometimes there will be a real administrative encapsulation of the public entity, culminating in constitutional ditches in terms of non-implementation of the social rights envisaged. In the end, as one of the possible solutions to the procedural crisis in complying with complex sentences in the face of the public manager, who is either weak or unfit, this paper intends to suggest its removal due to the application of what we call breach of trust in the mandate theory, a differentiated kind of subrogation applicable to the collective process. In closing to this dissertation, it is to be concluded that there is still a marked legislative and jurisprudential lacuna to address the issue involving the resistance of the Brazilian public manager to comply with sentences handed down in collective actions / A presente dissertação tem por objetivo investigar algumas deficiências e carências envolvendo o sistema processual brasileiro de cumprimento e efetivação de sentenças proferidas em sede de ações civis públicas que fixam certas obrigações de fazer em face do Poder Público, notadamente as que versam sobre a implantação de políticas públicas mediante a concretização de direitos sociais diversos. Mais que isso, tem igualmente a pretensão de apresentar algumas ponderações críticas sobre a inefetividade de algumas medidas judiciais que, tradicionalmente, são aplicadas contra o Poder Executivo para o cumprimento da ordem, o que representa uma autêntica crise da tutela jurisdicional coletiva. O acionamento prematuro e desorganizado do Judiciário pelos vários entes legitimados na tutela coletiva igualmente fragiliza o sistema de entrega de direitos sociais previstos na Constituição. É necessário o conhecimento formal e pragmático da atividade administrativa para trabalharmos o tema das políticas públicas no plano do acesso à Justiça. De fato, o mundo político-administrativo é a seara onde o Poder Executivo exerce suas atividades-fim de acordo com o painel constitucional previsto no Lei Maior de 1988. Contudo, esse mundo político-administrativo possui especificidades extremamente peculiares que acabam por representar (ainda que involuntariamente) autênticas blindagens às investidas jurisdicionais emanadas do mundo jurídico. Por isso, o operador do Direito deve ter a sensibilidade de perceber que, por vezes, haverá um verdadeiro encastelamento administrativo do ente público, culminando em fossos constitucionais em termos de não-implantação dos direitos sociais previstos. Ao final, como uma das possíveis soluções à crise processual no cumprimento de sentenças materialmente complexas em face do gestor omisso, resistente ou inapto, este trabalho se propôs a sugerir o seu afastamento em razão da aplicação ao que denominamos de teoria da quebra da confiança no mandato, uma espécie diferenciada de sub-rogação aplicável ao processo coletivo. Em fecho a esta dissertação, é de se concluir que ainda persiste acentuada lacuna legislativa e jurisprudencial para tratar do tema envolvendo a resistência do gestor público brasileiro no cumprimento de sentenças proferidas em ações coletivas

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:33:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabiano Stefanoni Redondo.pdf: 528934 bytes, checksum: 8c12328dd5aa339df2c262010954dc47 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-20 / Certain that has received a review Montesquieu adapting it to the aspirations and social dynamism, so that the division of powers can respond with greater agility and speed expectations of the Company, however, emphasize the need to maintain a fair balance between the powers, fundamental point, to ensure that national and perpetuate democracy; However, we are faced with the political scene, whose Democracy was built based on precepts and fears of a totalitarian recent past, whose effects were perpetuated during the Constituent Assembly and, consequently, the Constitution of 1988 which brought in its wake traces of control and concentration of power primarily to the Executive, with emphasis on the legislative process, and especially with the adaptation of the Institute of decree-Law, Constitutional Law, originating in Brazil in 1937, resumed in 1965 and resurfaced in the mold of Italian decree-law in Federal Brazilian Constitution dated 1988, identified an atrophy of the national legislative power in the legislature; Faced with this scenario, confronted the historical development of the country, both in the doctrinal, legal and social, highlighting the importance of the Legislature for Democracy and proposing, in an attempt at least to minimize the effects of the supremacy of the Executive time as can be observed during the study, this trend is over by proving inevitable media aimed at strengthening the Congress. / Certo que a teoria de Montesquieu tem merecido uma reanálise adequando-a aos anseios e ao dinamismo social, para que a divisão dos poderes consiga responder com maior agilidade e presteza as expectativas da sociedade, no entanto, ressalta-se a necessidade de manter um justo equilíbrio entre os poderes, fundamental ponto, para que garanta e perpetue a democracia nacional. Ao nos deparamos com o cenário político brasileiro, cuja democracia foi construída embasada em preceitos e receios de um passado recente totalitário, cujos efeitos se fizeram perpetuar no decorrer da assembleia constituinte e, consequentemente, na constituição de 1988 que trouxe no seu bojo resquícios de controle e concentração de poder primordialmente para o executivo, com ênfase no processo legislativo e, sobretudo, com a adaptação do instituto do decreto-lei, originário no direito constitucional brasileiro em 1937, retomado em 1965 e ressurgido nos moldes do decreto-legge italiano na constituição de 1988, identificamos uma atrofia do poder normativo no legislativo nacional. Diante de tal cenário, confrontou-se a evolução histórica do país, tanto na esfera doutrinária, legal e social, evidenciando a importância do poder legislativo para a democracia e propondo, na tentativa, ao menos, de minimizar os efeitos da supremacia do executivo, vez que conforme pode ser observado no decorrer do estudo, tal tendência acaba-se por provar inevitável, meios que visem o fortalecimento do congresso nacional.

Submitted by Gabriela de Brelàz (gbrelaz@gmail.com) on 2012-03-19T00:22:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_GDB_FINAL_05032012.pdf: 6182565 bytes, checksum: 528df48b0164cbd61f90b5df5e82326f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Gisele Isaura Hannickel (gisele.hannickel@fgv.br) on 2012-03-19T13:26:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_GDB_FINAL_05032012.pdf: 6182565 bytes, checksum: 528df48b0164cbd61f90b5df5e82326f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-03-19T13:27:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_GDB_FINAL_05032012.pdf: 6182565 bytes, checksum: 528df48b0164cbd61f90b5df5e82326f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-17 / The purpose of this research is to analyze the process of institutionalization of civil society participation at São Paulo city council through the analysis of the budget public hearings between 1990 and 2010. This research took into account the discussions regarding the limits of representative democracy and the importance of civil society participation as a mechanism to complement but not replace representative democracy. In terms of methodology, it is a qualitative analysis focused on the characteristics of the entities, processes and purposes. The case study methodology – largely used in topics with limited previous studies, as is the case of the civil society participation in the legislative branch - was applied together with the longitudinal field work. Regarding theoretical frame, this research was based on organizational studies institutionalism, with emphasis on micro foundations, focusing on cultural and cognitive explanations, very useful in the study of participation. In the review of the various participants involved in the institutionalization process and the different mechanics of participation, the contribution of Niklas Luhmann autopoietic system theory was of seminal importance. The study identifies four subsystems: legislative power, executive power, civil society, and the bureaucracy of the city council. The dynamics of each subsystem during the 20 year period reviewed in this research enables us to analyze the set of regulatory, normative and cultural-cognitive variables that influences the process of civil society participation institutionalization. This research concludes that, despite of being institutionalized, the participation at the legislative house faces limitations to be effectively exercised due to normative and cultural-cognitive constraints that exceeds each of the individual subsystem, specially the Legislative Power. It is problematical to institutionalize the participation at the São Paulo city council because the city representatives belong to an autopoietic subsystem with particular norms and values that poses challenges to the entrance of the civil society subsystem in the discussion of the annual budget. There is some opportunity for participation, but such participation is shaped by the existent behavior in the relationship between representatives and its constituents, including a strong clientelism, sedimenting what this research names as budgetary clientelism, a type of participation focused on supplying very specific demands of civil society that are fulfilled through amendments to the annual budget, and not a participation focused in discussing public policies and exercising a true social control over the annual budget. / Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar o processo de institucionalização da participação da sociedade civil na Câmara Municipal de São Paulo através de uma análise das audiências públicas do orçamento de 1990 a 2010. Levando em consideração o amplo debate sobre os limites da democracia representativa e a importância da participação da sociedade civil em suprir um suposto déficit democrático, este estudo analisa a participação da sociedade civil como parte e não como substituto de uma democracia representativa. Em termos de metodologia, trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa que visa enfatizar as características das entidades, dos processos e significados, usando os sentidos dados pelos atores sociais a fim de entender como a participação como experiência social é criada e seus sentidos produzidos. Utilizou-se a técnica de estudo de caso – amplamente adotada para a investigação de tópicos ainda pouco analisados, como é o caso da participação da sociedade civil no Legislativo –, incorporando-se elementos da técnica de estudo de campo longitudinal. Do ponto de vista teórico, esta tese foi guiada pelo institucionalismo na teoria das organizações, com ênfase nas suas microfundações, enfatizando as explicações culturais e cognitivas, muito ricas para o entendimento do fenômeno da participação. Na análise dos diferentes atores envolvidos no processo de institucionalização e suas diferentes lógicas de participação, as contribuições da teoria de sistemas autopoiéticos de Niklas Luhmann foram fundamentais, sendo possível identificar quatro subsistemas: poder legislativo, poder executivo, sociedade civil e burocracia da Câmara Municipal. A dinâmica dos diferentes subsistemas ao longo dos vinte anos de análise permite observar um conjunto de variáveis regulativas, normativas e cultural-cognitivas que influenciam o processo de institucionalização da participação. O estudo conclui que, apesar de institucionalizada, a participação na Câmara Municipal encontra obstáculos para ser exercida na prática, devido a limitações normativas e cultural-cognitivas que perpassam os diferentes subsistemas, principalmente o Poder Legislativo. Há dificuldade em institucionalizar a participação na Câmara Municipal de São Paulo, e isso ocorre porque os vereadores fazem parte de um subsistema autopoiético com valores e normas próprias e que dificulta a entrada do subsistema sociedade civil, que busca participar da discussão do orçamento. Existe certa abertura à participação, mas esta é moldada conforme padrões de conduta já existentes na interação entre parlamentar e sociedade civil, marcada por um forte clientelismo, sedimentando o que este estudo denomina de clientelismo orçamentário, uma participação voltada para o atendimento de demandas pontuais da sociedade civil que se realizam através de emendas, e não por uma participação voltada à discussão de políticas públicas e de um verdadeiro controle social do orçamento público.

Submitted by Nikolay Henrique Bispo (nikolayhb@gmail.com) on 2016-04-29T10:49:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 BISPO (2016). O veto presidencial no STF um estado de caso de tensão entre os poderes.pdf: 2694325 bytes, checksum: 09cd7c7d9c831d32b6578a4c7afc1a4d (MD5) / Rejected by Letícia Monteiro de Souza (leticia.dsouza@fgv.br), reason: Prezado Nikolay, Favor alterar seu trabalho de acordo com as normas ABNT: 1 - Resumo e Abstract: Inserir as Palavras Chaves e Key-words. Atenciosamente, Letícia Monteiro 3799-3631 on 2016-05-02T12:17:16Z (GMT) / Submitted by Nikolay Henrique Bispo (nikolayhb@gmail.com) on 2016-05-02T12:52:42Z No. of bitstreams: 1 BISPO (2016). O veto presidencial no STF um estado de caso de tensão entre os poderes.pdf: 2692181 bytes, checksum: 02f5be1ab2c037769b005dd6d661bd22 (MD5) / Rejected by Letícia Monteiro de Souza (leticia.dsouza@fgv.br), reason: Prezado Nikolay, Favor verificar o título da dissertação pois há uma divergência entre o titulo protocolado. Atenciosamente, Letícia Monteiro 3799-3631 on 2016-05-02T13:11:32Z (GMT) / Submitted by Nikolay Henrique Bispo (nikolayhb@gmail.com) on 2016-05-03T17:31:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 BISPO (2016). O veto presidencial no STF um estado de caso de tensão entre os poderes.pdf: 2692181 bytes, checksum: 02f5be1ab2c037769b005dd6d661bd22 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Letícia Monteiro de Souza (leticia.dsouza@fgv.br) on 2016-05-03T17:33:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 BISPO (2016). O veto presidencial no STF um estado de caso de tensão entre os poderes.pdf: 2692181 bytes, checksum: 02f5be1ab2c037769b005dd6d661bd22 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-03T20:06:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BISPO (2016). O veto presidencial no STF um estado de caso de tensão entre os poderes.pdf: 2692181 bytes, checksum: 02f5be1ab2c037769b005dd6d661bd22 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-01 / Esta pesquisa tem como principal objetivo descrever e analisar a atuação do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) em casos que envolvam veto presidencial a projeto de lei (veto), a fim de identificar como se constrói a relação do STF com os poderes Legislativo e Executivo, nessas situações. Reflexamente, a partir disso, esta pesquisa também analisa quais são as regras criadas pelo STF na delimitação do papel do Executivo e do Legislativo ao decidir os casos sobre o veto presidencial a projeto de lei e para a sua própria competência para resolver esses casos. Para isso, esta pesquisa apresenta a construção do raciocínio teórico sobre o papel do Judiciário dentro dessa fase da separação dos poderes (veto) e a analisa cinquenta e cinco decisões do STF sobre o tema; diversos documentos do poder Legislativo quanto a projetos de leis e lei e; diversos documentos com justificativas quanto ao veto presidencial. Constatou-se que a forma de decisão do STF, nesses casos, é diversificada, sendo possível identificar perfis para cada um dos sete grupos de casos criados na pesquisa; também foi constatado que, por regra, os casos que chegam ao STF representam algum rompimento de entendimento quanto à tomada de decisão política entre os atores políticos envolvidos e fica a encargo do STF a resolução do conflito; constatou-se, também, que o STF é claro quanto ao limite da sua competência para o controle desse tipo de casos, reservando amplo espaço para esse seu poder, contudo, na prática, apenas em casos excepcionais este órgão decide julgar inválido (inconstitucional) o caso. Concluiu-se que, mesmo sendo excepcional, os casos em que o STF atua de maneira enfática as consequências que essas decisões podem causar são graves e, que, por isso, deveriam haver limites legais para a sua atuação e até mesmo responsabilização pelas suas decisões. Concluiu-se, também, que os estudiosos da separação dos poderes, mais especificamente quanto ao veto, não analisam a importância que o Judiciário tem nesse processo. / This study aims at describing and analyzing how the Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) rules the cases that deal with presidential veto, in order to identify how the STF's relationship with the legislative and executive branches is built. Through the cases, this research focus on the rules established by the STF in defining the role of the executive and legislative to decide cases on the presidential veto and in limiting its own jurisdiction. To this, the author develops a theoretical reasoning about the judiciary's role in this phase of the separation of powers (veto); and analyzes fifty-five decisions of the Supreme Court on the subject, several legislative branch documents on bills and laws and, finally, presidential documents that have reasoning for the presidential veto. The cases studied showed that the form of the Supreme Court decision in such cases is diverse, since it is possible to identify profiles for each of the seven groups of cases created in the research. Secondly, I found that the cases analyzed, as a rule, represent a breach of understanding about the political decision-making among political actors involved and STF is demanded to solve the conflicts. The cases also showed that the Supreme Court is clear on the scope of their responsibilities for the control of such cases, allowing ample space for its own power, however, in practice only in exceptional cases this body decides invalid (unconstitutional) the case. I also concluded that, even if exceptional cases where the Supreme Court acts in an emphatic manner, the consequences of these decisions can cause are serious and that therefore there should be legal limits to its performance and even accountability for their decisions. Finally, the scholars of separation of powers, more specifically the veto, do not analyze the importance that the judiciary has in this process.

The thesis explores the nature of executive leadership in international organisation. Executive leadership is often praised or blamed for outcomes in international agencies, and yet, the disciplinary literature fails to incorporate the executive head into institutional analyses of politics, power, and change over time. The thesis aims to address this lacuna and the role of executive leadership by analysing if and how it matters in international politics. The thesis draws on a composite literature from other areas of political research to establish what is known. A review of the literature and prevailing approaches to leadership studies reveals that an overwhelming majority of scholarship relies on exclusively structural or agential accounts of leadership. This somewhat determinist literature has distorted the limited knowledge on the nature of executive leadership in international organisation. Approaches that focus on agency-based explanations argue that executive heads matter greatly. Approaches that utilise structure to interpret executive leadership find that it matters little, if at all. Rejecting these narrow frameworks, the thesis uses a dialectical approach, supported by critical realism, to analyse four cases of executive leadership in the World Trade Organization to address the research questions and lacuna. The case studies draw on over 70 years of multilateral trade governance to reveal a set of core and subsidiary findings about politics, power, executive leadership, and change over time. The thesis argues that executive leadership matters, but that how it matters is contingent on the executive head and the circumstances of their term. By incorporating the executive head into the disciplinary literature, the thesis argues politics, power, and change over time can be more accurately understood.

Scholars of human rights and constitutional law have described in great detail the abuses perpetrated by the armed forces and secret services of the United States in the context of the ‘war on terror’. There is copious literature explaining why these violations of fundamental human rights are not justifiable, and why they are not consistent with international treaties or that nation’s constitution. This thesis builds upon this research, but strikes out in a new direction. It does so by asking whether these abuses, combined with the changes to the legal order of the United States that made them possible, have produced a qualitative transformation of its constitutional structure. In particular, this thesis tracks the empowering of the executive. Increasingly, whenever it purports to act in the interests of national security, the executive claims the authority to act unilaterally in a manner that overrides even non-derogable rights. These novel constitutional reserve powers, which this thesis demonstrates were derived from President Nixon’s theory of the executive, were used to justify indefinite arbitrary detention, torture, mass surveillance without warrants, and extra-judicial execution. This thesis seeks to determine if the constitutional crisis inaugurated by this theory of executive supremacy over the laws has been terminated, or whether it has continued into the Obama Administration. If this theory is current within the executive branch, and especially if the violations of jus cogens norms has continued, it signifies a cross-party consensus about a paradigm shift in American constitutionalism. Accordingly, given the fact that the abuse of executive supremacy is what led to the development of the rule of law, this thesis will ask the question of whether the United States is being governed in accordance with its basic minimum norms. This thesis explores whether the executive is still subject to checks and balances from the legislature and the judiciary, such that it cannot violate non-derogable rights at will and with impunity. If the contrary proposition is true, it demonstrates that the crisis of the rule of law in the United States is ongoing, and this permanent state of exception demands significantly more scholarly attention. / Public, Constitutional, and International Law / LLD

Text in Afrikaans / The broad focus of the thesis is an analysis of the meaning and the modern development of the doctrine of the separation of power (trias politica) and the application thereof in the constitutional development in South Africa. The first chapter outlines the historical restrictions that were placed on governmental authority by the trias politica doctrine. In the following chapter the application of the trias politica doctrine in different governmental systems (parliamentary, presidential and semipresidential) are analysed. In the third chapter an analysis is made of the constitutions of the former Boer republics, chronologically followed by an analysis of the 1909, 1961 and 1983 Constitutions, to establish to which extent the trias politica doctrine was incorporated in the respective constitutions. In the subsequent chapters, the focus shifts to the constitutions in the post democratic era, namely the 1993 interim Constitution and the 1996 (final) Constitution. It is evident that the new supreme Constitution and an independent judiciary yielded to a stronger adherence to the separation of power principle. It is also evident that the retainment of the parliamentary system, with a fused legislature and executive authority, inhibited a stronger separation of power. The inclusion of sosioeconomic rights in the Constitution resulted in a more direct involvement in governmental policy. However, the Constitutional Court managed to maintain a fine balance between reviewing policy and the formulation of policy. In the closing chapter a short summary is provided, followed by comments on possible alternatives to the existing system to ensure a stronger separation of powers. / Public, Constitutional and International Law / LL. D. (Constitutional, International and Indigenous Law)

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As a wave of political uprisings swept across North Africa since January 2011, ridding the region of longstanding autocratic leaders, presidents in Sub-Saharan Africa were still imprisoning opposition leaders, deploying military and police to clamp down on protest, and promising their citizens change - all this in a bid to avoid being ousted by their own people. Leadership has long been the main constraint on political and economic progress in Africa. This study analyses African leadership and especially the role of the presidency as a cause of conflict and instability in Africa. The modern-day African president might no longer be the absolute autocrat from yesteryear, but he still rules with awesome power and vast state resources at his disposal. African leaders have assumed an imperial character; many regard themselves as largely above the law; accountable to no one and entitled to remain in power or to pass the sceptre to their offspring. Due to this rather imperial character, conflict has been inevitable in Africa. As a theoretical basis the study proposes a framework for analysing leaders’ behavioural patterns that contribute to conflict and instability domestically as well as regionally. Six relevant behavioural patterns are identified: political deprivation, patronage and clientelism, personalisation of power, use of the military, staying to office, underdevelopment and conflict. Additionally, and as a case study, this framework is applied to Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni. Each of the six behavioural patterns are analysed and evaluated in relation to Museveni’s rule of the past 25 years. Applying the framework demonstrates how Museveni contributed to conflict across the region in Somalia, Sudan, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Museveni is found to be a power point man in the region and his imperial nature is likely to contribute to future instability and conflict in Uganda and the Great Lakes region. The study also addresses the genesis of the imperial African leader and investigates why, despite waves of democratisation and the expulsion of a few autocratic rulers in Africa in the late 1990s, the imperial character still persist today. Constitutional limitations are found to be one of the major reasons why absolute powers end up being vested in the hands of the president. Lack of proper separation of powers, and a culture conducive to suppressing the legislature and parliamentary role, provides additional reasons for this phenomenon. Furthermore, both internationally and locally, the leadership deficit in Africa is drawing continuing attention and even funding. However, in order for Africa to make progress in eradicating poor and unaccountable leadership, local initiatives should be further encouraged. The African Union Peer Review Mechanism and the African Charter on Elections, Democracy and Governance are discussed as two African initiatives; also the Mo Ibrahim Index and Prize are evaluated. Although all three these initiatives are admirable in theory, they have failed to deliver because real commitment to action is lacking in most African countries. A speedy and conclusive solution to the problem seems unlikely because of the complex nature of humans and their environment. Thus, the aim of this study is to make a contribution to the scholarly body of work regarding the causes of African conflict, focusing on the African presidency as one cause of such conflict in Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vanaf Januarie 2011 het ’n vlaag politieke opstande Noord-Afrika getref waartydens weggedoen is met langdurige outokratiese leiers. In Afrika Suid van die Sahara het heersers egter steeds opposisieleiers opgesluit en militêre- en polisiemagte ontplooi om opstande die hoof te bied, terwyl vae beloftes aan die bevolking gemaak word oor moontlike veranderinge. Swak Afrika-leierskap word dikwels beskou as ‘n belangrike faktor wat politieke en ekonomiese vooruitgang op die vasteland strem. Hierdie studie analiseer leierskap in Afrika, veral die rol wat die president speel in die skepping van konflik en onstabiliteit. Die hedendaagse Afrika-leier mag dalk nie meer voorkom as die absolutistiese outokraat van die verlede nie, maar hy regeer steeds met oorweldigende mag en ekstensiewe staatshulpbronne tot sy beskikking. Dit is duidelik dat die Afrika-leier dikwels ‘n imperiale karakter aanneem en homself verhewe ag bo die wet. In welke geval hy dus geen verantwoording hoef te doen aan enige ander party nie. Die hoofdoelwit blyk dikwels te wees om beheer te behou. Die gevolgtrekking wat gemaak kan word, is dat die imperiale karakter van die Afrika-president tot konflik kan lei. Die teoretiese basis van hierdie studie bied ’n raamwerk om die leiers van Afrika se gedragspatrone te bestudeer wat aanleiding kon gee tot onstabilitiet asook interne-en streekskonflik. Ses gedragspatrone is geïdentifiseer om hierdie proefskrif te illustreer: politieke vervreemding; beskermheerskap en kliëntilisme; personalisering van mag; gebruik van militêre mag om aan bewind te bly; gebrek aan ontwikkeling en konflik. In besonder word hierdie raamwerk toegepas op die president van Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, as ‘n gevallestudie. Hierdeur word aangedui hoe Museveni bygedra het tot konflik, nie net in Uganda nie, maar inderwaarheid ook in Somalië, Sudan, Kenia en die Demokratiese Republiek van die Kongo (DRK) tydens sy bewind van die afgelope 25 jaar. Museveni word allerweë beskou as die “sterkman” in die streek en sy imperiale karakter sal heel waarskynlik ook in die toekoms bydra tot onstabiliteit en konflik in Uganda en die Groot- Merestreek. Hierdie studie spreek ook die oorsprong van die imperiale Afrika-leier aan en ondersoek waarom, ten spyte van die sterk strewe na demokrasie en die omverwerping van outokratiese leiers in Afrika in die laat 1990s, die imperiale karakter van sodanige leiers steeds kan voortbestaan. Konstitusionele beperkings word beskou as een van die hoofredes waarom totale mag in die hande van ‘n president beland. Gebrek aan behoorlike verdeling van mag en ‘n kultuur bevorderlik vir die onderdrukking van die wetgewende en parlementêre funksies, is bydraende redes vir hierdie verskynsel. Verder ontlok die tekortkominge van Afrikaleierskap plaaslik en internasionaal heelwat aandag en selfs befondsing. Die ideaal sou egter wees dat Afrika aangemoedig moet word om tot ‘n groter hoogte plaaslike inisiatiewe te gebruik om swak en onbevoegde leierskap te verwerp. Die African Union Peer Review Mechanism en die African Charter on Elections, Democracy and Governance word gesien as twee nuttige Afrikainisiatiewe. Ook die Mo Ibrahim Index and Prize word geëvalueer. Alhoewel al drie inisiatiewe in teorie goed blyk te wees, het dit misluk as gevolg daarvan dat ‘n verbintenis tot aksie ontbreek in die meeste Afrika lande. Waarskynlik is geen spoedige of permanente oplossing vir die konflik moontlik nie – grotendeels weens die kompleksiteit van mense en hulle omgewing. Dus is die doel van hierdie studie om ‘n bydrae te maak tot akademiese navorsing betreffende die oorsake van konflik in Afrika en dan spesifiek hoe die institusionele aard van leierskap in Afrika fungeer as ‘n bydraende oorsaak.