Worldview

Constitutions Around the Globe

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Constitutions from around the globe have made news in recent months. In Serbia, Peru, and Venezuela, leaders have amended their constitutions to stretch out term limits. In Sri Lanka, constitutional amendments have been proposed in an attempt to end their civil war. Citizens at all ends of Zimbabwe's political spectrum want to scrap their constitution, which is largely a relic of its colonial past. And in Japan, committees have questioned the constitution written for them by the American occupation.

All this week on Worldview, host Jerome McDonnell looks at some of these cases and related questions about constitutional law; ranging from states with no constitution, to states with constitutions that reach over 200 pages-long, to ancient constitutions which were written in the form of poetry.

Constitutional Amendments as an Indoor Sport in Latin America
originally broadcast Monday, August 21, 2000 Audio*
Compared to Latin American constitutions, the U.S. Constitution is very short and vague, but very stable. Keith Rosenn, professor of Law at University of Miami School of Law, looks at why Latin American states opt for more inclusive documents and how this affects their political stability.

Making Constitutions Fit Their People
originally broadcast Tuesday, August 22, 2000 Audio*
What happens when someone else wrote your nation's constitution? We'll examine efforts to adjust constitutions in the post-colonial age. We'll look at the case of Zimbabwe with Brian Kagoro, spokesperson and attorney for the National Constitutional Assembly in Zimbabwe.

When Your Country Has No Constitution
Some countries have no constitution, but does this mean their civil liberties are less protected?

Part One: The British Case Audio*
originally broadcast Wednesday, August 23, 2000
Michael Foley, professor of International Politics at the University of Wales

Part Two: The Israeli Case Audio*
originally broadcast Thursday, August 24, 2000
Ruth Gavison, president of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel

South Africa's Progressive Post-Apatheid Constitution Audio*
originally broadcast Friday, August 25, 2000
David Unterhalters, professor at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, Wits University

Ireland: Ancient Constitutional Law as a Source for Laws of the Future Audio*
originally broadcast Monday, August 28, 2000
Brehon Law, ancient Irish law recorded in the form of poetry, has more progressive elements than its modern legal counterparts. M. Vincent Salafia Ua Tuathail, J.D., director of the Irish Brehon Law Project, writer and web developer, looks at how this law may be a source of ideas for more progressive laws for today and for the future on the Internet.

Making Constitutions Fit Their People
originally broadcast Tuesday, August 29, 2000 Audio*
Another look at what happens when someone else created your nation's constitution. This time, we'll look at the case of Japan with Ray Moore, professor of Japanese History at Amherst University.

A World Constitution? Audio*
originally broadcast Thursday, August 31, 2000
Philip Isely, Secretary General, World Constitution and Parliament Association

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