Democracy Concepts of the Fundamentalist Parties of Algeria and Tunisia – Claim and Reality

This article discusses democratic elements in early Islamic sources and in the programs of the Algerian FIS (Front Islamique du Salut) and ANNAHDA in Tunesia. According to historic writings, Islam includes the principles of democratic consensus, consultation, and freedom of opinion, and an understanding that the sources of Islamic jurisdiction are subject to interpretation, that the sharia can be changed, and that religious authorities’ power to issue instructions on worldly matters is limited. These are the type of expectations that fundamentalist parties arouse when they speak of an Islamic caliphate as a state system. Against this background, an examination of the political system proposed until 1992 by the Algerian FIS shows that this system would have resulted in a very restrictive form of Islam. An investigation of the political system of the Tunisian fundamentalist leader Rached al-Ghannouchi reveals that the system he proposes may be designated as an Islamic democracy, since it takes into account separation of powers and pluralism of political parties. The head of state would be subject to the law in the same manner as the people. However, it is no liberal democracy, as he categorically rejects secularism, intends to punish apostates, and is only willing to allow political parties that are based on the religion of Islam. His state would only be a state of those citizens who follow Islam, completely neglecting secularist groups. Social conflicts and unrest are thus predetermined.

Contribution to the Energy Efficiency and Environmental Compatibility of Cranes for Inland Waterway/ Feeder Ship Handling

Basis for the economic efficiency of international supply chains rests on the efficiency of multimodal transport chains. Materials and products are transported along the edges of transport networks with the forwarder endeavouring to maximize the transport efficiency by using the effects of scale along the edges. The network nodes provide the means to have the goods transferred between the means of transport. Whilst purely economic criteria were initially the driving force for a change in the means of transport, ecological requirements are now becoming ever more relevant. The transportation chains should not only be economically presentable but also it makes sense for them to have a “green footprint”. In this context the following considerations will deal with the transfer processes within the network nodes, especially those within inland and feeder terminals. Replies are to be given to the questions as to how far the choice of the crane primary drive has an impact on energy consumption and environmental compatibility of handling the goods and which additional benefit does the recuperation of engrained energies bring during the handling process.

Comparing sensor-based and camera-based approaches to recognizing the occupancy status of the load handling device of forklift trucks

Real-time data of key performance enablers in logistics warehouses are of growing importance as they permit decision-makers to instantaneously react to alerts, deviations and damages. Several technologies appear as adequate data sources to collect the information required in order to achieve the goal. In the present re-search paper, the load status of the fork of a forklift is to be recognized with the help of a sensor-based and a camera-based solution approach. The comparison of initial experimentation results yields a statement about which direction to pursue for promising further research.