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2802. EU security and defence - Core documents 2004
- Publication Date:
- 02-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- 1. On 8th December 2003, the Council mandated that the EU's military rapid response capability should be further developed. Separately, UK, France and Germany have considered how the Union can contribute further to conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations in close co-operation with the United Nations (UN). Together, we have proposed that the EU should aim to build upon the precedent set by Operation ARTEMIS in the DRC by developing a number of battle-group size forces available to undertake autonomous operations at short notice, principally in response to requests from the UN. These forces should be capable of operating under a Chapter VII mandate. 2. This paper aims to set out in more detail the battle-groups (BG) concept, to establish its context within the ongoing development of EU rapid response and EU-UN co-operation, and to propose a process of consultation (including with the UN) and implementation.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Defense Policy, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- United Kingdom, Europe, Turkey, and Ukraine
2803. Information security: A new challenge for the EU
- Author:
- Burkard Schmitt, Alain Esterle, and Hanno Ranck
- Publication Date:
- 03-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- Since the invention of the wheel, technical innovations have driven the history of mankind. Some of them have been particularly important and have changed profoundly the way societies work and individuals live. The Internet is a perfect example of such an innovation. Based on common protocols to send electronic messages and identify machines, it has opened up a new area of communication and information, enabling us to transfer vast amounts of digital data for a great variety of applications within fractions of a second around the globe. Moving into the new domain of cyberspace, the Internet has overcome the barriers of distance and time, and is therefore rightly considered to be the symbol of globalisation.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Civil Society, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2804. The War on Terror - Security Sector Governance and Military Implications
- Author:
- Karl-Heinz Rambke
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- The topic of this conference, “The War on Terror and its Impact on Security Sector Governance and Society”, gives us the opportunity to engage in an intensive dialogue with participants from various countries and with different expertise. Let me briefly introduce my approach to this session. Since June 2003 I have been working at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, currently responsible as the Co-Director of the International Training Course on Security Policy training 30 participants from 23 different countries, amongst them two Russian participants. As our objective is to prepare the participants for international and national assignments in security policy branches, we are trying to create a fruitful balance between academic debates, concepts, practitioners' views and experiences and practical hands-on training. I would like to follow this approach today.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Terrorism, War, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Russia
2805. Providing Security. The Division of Labour. Armed Forces, Gendarmerie, Police
- Author:
- Alain Faupin
- Publication Date:
- 02-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
- Abstract:
- This topic is quite uneasy as the security tasks of all three organizations, namely armed forces, police and gendarmerie, are either very different, or very intermingled. The only common point is the primacy of the civilian authority, a rule of good governance and of democracy scrupulously applied and overseen.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Government, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2806. The power of norms in the transposition of EU directives
- Author:
- Antoaneta Dimitrova and Mark Rhinard
- Publication Date:
- 11-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Research Papers Archive
- Abstract:
- Transposition research provides an excellent opportunity to bring new data to bear on two of the most dominant theoretical approaches to European Union studies: rational choice institutionalism and sociological institutionalism. Yet the goal of comparable testing is hampered by the underspecified nature of the sociological perspective. This paper takes some steps towards identifying and operationalising a sociological explanation of the transposition of EU directives. Examining an array of alternatives, we single out an approach that focuses on the transmission of norms as a way to explain transposition delay and content changes, and on persuasion to help explain norm change over time. To probe the validity of our explanation, we apply it to a case study of the transposition of two anti-discrimination directives from 2000 in Slovakia. In short, our paper aims to move forward the search for a testable sociological framework in EU studies, while offering an operational approach to studying the process of transposing EU directives.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Slovakia
2807. It's the Process Stupid! Process Tracing in the Study of European and International Politics
- Author:
- Jeffrey T. Checkel
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Research Papers Archive
- Abstract:
- Process tracing is in, acquiring near buzz-word status in certain circles. Europeanists do it; IR scholars do it – all with the goal of bringing theory closer to what really goes on in the world. This makes our scholarship more policy relevant and increases the reliability of our findings - non-trivial advantages, for sure. Yet, such benefits do not come without costs. In particular, proponents of process tracing should be wary of losing sight of the big picture, be aware of the method's significant data requirements, and recognize certain epistemological traps inherent in its application.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2808. After Hierarchy? Domestic Executive Governance and the Differentiated Impact of the European Commission and the Council of Ministers
- Author:
- Torbjorn Larsson and Jarle Trondal
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Research Papers Archive
- Abstract:
- This study offers an organisation theory approach that claims that the differentiated organisational constellation of the European Union contributes to a differentiated Europeanisation of domestic core-executives. It is argued that the European Commission mainly activates the lower echelons of the domestic government hierarchies, notably professional experts within sector ministries and agencies. Furthermore, the European Commission arguably weakens domestic politico-administrative leadership, the Foreign Office and the Prime Ministers Office. By contrast, the Council of Ministers arguably strengthens domestic politico-administrative leadership, the Foreign Office and the Prime Ministers Office. A comparative analysis of the decision-making processes within the central administrations of Norway and Sweden is offered. Based on a rich body of survey and interview data this analysis reveals that multi-level interaction of administrative systems between the European Commission and the Norwegian and Swedish central administrations occur largely outside the control of the domestic politico-administrative leadership, Prime Ministers Office and Foreign Office. In Sweden this tendency is to some extent counterbalanced by the inter-sectorally interlocking effect of the Council of Ministers.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Government, and Sovereignty
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2809. Synergies and Tradeoffs in International Cooperation: Broadening, Widening, and Deepening
- Author:
- Jörg Friedrichs, Jordan Mihov, and Maria Popova
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Research Papers Archive
- Abstract:
- International cooperation rests on state preferences with regard to the substantive scope, geographical range, and institutional depth of issue-specific devices to over-come collective action problems. Substantive broadening, geographical widening, and institutional deepening are the elixir of life of the European Union. As is familiar from international cooperation more in general, and not only from European integration, this rests upon a complex process of bargaining among states, each of which has its particular preferences. This paper explores two hypotheses about the relationship be-tween preferences on broadening, widening, and deepening. The first hypothesis as-sumes that the relationship is characterized by a virtuous cycle, while the second hy-pothesis assumes that there are tradeoffs rather than synergies. By looking at a sample of 24 distinct case studies from a specific policy field, namely international coopera-tion against drugs, the paper shows that, at least in this particular policy field, state preferences follow a synergetic pattern of broadening, widening, and deepening.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, and International Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Germany
2810. When and Why the Council of Ministers of the EU Votes Explicitly
- Author:
- Helen Wallace, Fiona Hayes-Renshaw, and Wim van Aken
- Publication Date:
- 09-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Research Papers Archive
- Abstract:
- This paper reports newly collected empirical data sets on explicitly contested voting at ministerial level in the Council of Ministers of the European Union. These data sets cover the period 1994-2004, with more detail for the years 1998-2004. They provide us with rather steady patterns of explicitly contested voting across the period in terms of: proportions of decisions taken where contested voting was recorded; the different levels of contestation by country; and the issue areas in which explicit voting occurred more often. The data sets draw on the material available on the Council's own website, but they have been supplemented by hand-collected data, in particular as regards issue areas and types of decision. Once arranged appropriately the data sets will be posted on the web, so that other researchers can have access to the material. The initial analysis of the data is reported in the second edition of Hayes-Renshaw and Wallace, The Council of Ministers, Palgrave, forthcoming, Chapter 10. The data show that explicit voting on agreed decisions at ministerial level is rather rare, that in nearly half the roll calls dissent is expressed only by singleton member states, that nearly half the cases concern 'technical' decisions on agriculture and fisheries, and that Germany more often votes 'no' or abstains than any other member state. The data confirm that ministers generally endorse collective decisions by consensus, even on the 70% or so cases where they could activate qualified majority voting (QMV). To the extent that voting takes place in these latter cases, it occurs implicitly rather than explicitly, operates mostly at the level of officials rather than ministers, and is not recorded systematically in publicly accessible form. These patterns are consistent with earlier accounts based on qualitative interview evidence.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Cooperation, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2811. Towards Statehood? The EU's move towards Constitutionalisation and Territorialisation
- Author:
- Thomas Christiansen
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Research Papers Archive
- Abstract:
- The recent period of Europe an integration has witnessed the attempt by elites to formalise the long-standing trend towards a constitutionalisation of the European Union. The paper asks whether this process of constitutionalisation, together with a twin process of territorialisation – the development of the EU as bounded political space – can be seen as a move towards state- building at the European level. In order to address these issues, the paper assesses in turn the significance and the impact each of the two processes may have on the 'remaking' of Europe. In this context, the EU's Nordic Dimension, the debate surrounding the Turkish application for EU membership and the evolving Neighbour Policy of the Union are looked at in more detail. By way of conclusion this paper argues that the discourses – rather than the decisions – which have dominated the integration process in recent years, mark something of a departure from the previous 'post-Westphalian' path of European integration, and instead point towards a more statist conception of the Europe an Union. It remains to be seen to what extent these discourses will subsequently have ramifications in normative, institutional and policy-terms, and what resistance to the choices implicit in these discourses will have to confront.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2812. The EU's fledgling society: From deafening silence to critical voice in European constitution making
- Author:
- John Erik Fossum and Hans-Jörg Trenz
- Publication Date:
- 07-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Research Papers Archive
- Abstract:
- The European Union is presently at a major crossroads. The Laeken process which launched the EU onto an explicit constitution-making process, has ground to a halt after the negative referendum results in France and the Netherlands. The European Council at its 16-17 June 2005 meeting decided to postpone the ratification process (by then 10 states had ratified and 2 had rejected) and instead issue a period of reflection. These events represent a significant re-politicization of the European integration process. From a research perspective they underline the need to study the dynamic interrelation between the emerging European polity and its social constituency. In this article we provide an analytical model of EU-constitutionalisation in terms of polity building and constituency building, a model that links institutional performance back to public voice and mobilisation. Our focus on determining the character of the EU's emerging social constituency goes beyond the contentious politics approach because it does not only focus on public voice but also provides a research framework for properly understanding the role of public silence. In empirical terms, this implies looking at the structure of public communication and claims-making in the EU and in the Member States. The European public sphere in relation to constitution making is then our object of analysis. More specifically, we present a research framework that will help us to shed light on the character of the EU's social constituency, as it emerges in dynamic interaction with the process of polity formation.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Politics, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2813. Two Variations on a Theme: Different Logics of Implementation Management in the EU and the ILO
- Author:
- Miriam Hartlapp
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- European Research Papers Archive
- Abstract:
- From the perspective of the concept of legalization, the European Union (EU) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) both have a high degree of implementation powers delegated to them by the Member States. Beyond this categorization there are substantial differences in how they use the powers delegated to them. To capture these differences this article analyses the different EU and ILO implementation policies along the lines of three logics of implementation (enforcement, management and persuasion). It provides new empirical data on the instruments and mechanisms used to change Member State behaviour. The relative importance of the three logics within the organization, as well as the absolute strength determined by formal and actual power, are assessed. I argue that within the EU implementation-policy enforcement is most developed, whereas the logic most widely employed in the ILO is management. The analysis shows that it is beneficial to go beyond the broad categorizations of 'high delegation' within the legalization concept in order to move towards an understanding of the success or failure of different implementation policies.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Law, and Politics
2814. CIAO: War Crimes: The Posse Gathers
- Author:
- Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith
- Publication Date:
- 12-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Diverse forces are assembling to bring Bush administration officials to account for war crimes. Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Mother for Peace, insists: “We cannot have these people pardoned. They need to be tried on war crimes and go to jail.” Paul Craig Roberts, Hoover Institution senior fellow and assistant secretary of the treasury under Ronald Reagan, charges Bush with “lies and an illegal war of aggression, with outing CIA agents, with war crimes against Iraqi civilians, with the horrors of the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo torture centers” and calls for the president's impeachment. Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton and former president of the American Society of International Law, declares: “These policies make a mockery of our claim to stand for the rule of law. [Americans] should be marching on Washington to reject inhumane techniques carried out in our name.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Government, Peace Studies, and War
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and Washington
2815. President Attempts to Show that Asia Matters to the United States
- Author:
- John Gershman
- Publication Date:
- 11-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- President Bush is in Asia this week for a series of meetings, including bilateral meetings in Japan, South Korea, China, and Mongolia and attending the economic leaders meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. This trip comes on the heels of a disastrous trip by President Bush to Latin America, but there is little sign this trip will do much to rescue the President's sinking foreign policy reputation.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States, Japan, China, Asia, and South Korea
2816. Beyond Bonn: Revisioning the International Compact for Afghanistan
- Author:
- Peter Middlebrook and Mark Sedra
- Publication Date:
- 11-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- The Bonn Agreement, signed on December 5, 2001, provided the road map for the transformation of the Afghan state, culminating in the September 18, 2005 legislative elections. The landmark polls, which proceeded largely peacefully, have elected an Afghan Parliament for the first time in more than three decades. Although the Bonn political process has made great strides toward facilitating Afghanistan's transition to democracy, the costs and challenges associated with the reform agenda are immense and continue to spiral. With a narrow revenue base, Afghanistan will remain dependent on support from the international community for many years to come, not just to cover the capital costs associated with reconstruction and poverty reduction but also to underwrite core operating expenditures. Once funding for Coalition military operations is factored in, the cost of maintaining relative peace and stability in Afghanistan could exceed the $16-18 billion per year currently being spent—a prohibitively high figure in light of creeping donor fatigue. With the security situation in the country still volatile, regional posturing intensifying, and the United States signaling that troop withdrawals are imminent, Afghanistan's transition remains fragile and uncertain. Senior Washington officials already quietly acknowledge that the reform process has failed to maintain the critical momentum that the Afghan government's landmark report, Securing Afghanistan's Future: Accomplishments and the Strategic Path Forward, appeared to generate when it was launched at the spring 2004 Berlin Donors Conference.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Politics, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Middle East
2817. Karen Hughes' Indonesia Visit Underscores Bush Administration's PR Problems
- Author:
- Stephen Zunes
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- It is doubtful that the Bush administration will be very successful advancing America's image in the Islamic world as long as its representatives have such trouble telling the truth. A case in point took place on October 21, when U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes was talking before a group of university students in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country. As she has found elsewhere in her visits in the Islamic world, there is enormous popular opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the ongoing U.S. counter-insurgency war.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Diplomacy
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, America, Indonesia, Middle East, and Southeast Asia
2818. Waiting to Exhale: The Six-Party Talks Agreement
- Author:
- Wade Huntley
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Nuclear nonproliferation advocates worldwide welcomed the joint agreement issued September 19 by the participants in the "Six-Party Talks" process aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula. The agreement evinces not only a commitment by North Korea to end all nuclear weapons development, but also a validation of a negotiated approach to the current Korean nuclear crisis which both North Korea and the United States have, at various times, resisted.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, International Relations, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- United States, Asia, and North Korea
2819. Uses of Ambiguity in North Korea Agreement
- Author:
- John Feffer
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- On September 19, North Korea agreed to give up its nuclear program. As part of the same agreement, which followed the latest round of the Six Party Talks, the United States pledged not to attack or invade North Korea, to coexist peacefully with the country, and to work toward normalized relations. The United States and other parties to the agreement — China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea — offered to put together an energy package for North Korea.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Diplomacy, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- Russia, China, Asia, South Korea, and North Korea
2820. Feeding the Nuclear Fire
- Author:
- Zia Mian and M.V. Ramana
- Publication Date:
- 09-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- The July 18 joint statement by U.S. President George Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has attracted a great deal of comment. The focus has been on the possible consequences of U.S. promises to support India's nuclear energy program in exchange for India clearly separating its military and civilian nuclear facilities and programs and opening the latter to international inspection.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Nuclear Weapons, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- United States, India, and Asia
2821. Giving Democracy a Bad Name: Afghanistan's Parliamentary Elections
- Author:
- Sonali Kolhatkar and Jim Ingalls
- Publication Date:
- 09-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- The United States has supposedly created new "democracies" in Afghanistan and Iraq, but these endeavors give democracy a bad name. Sure, the two countries have some ingredients of representative democracy, such as elected officials and a constitution. But both countries are still beset by grinding poverty, insurgencies, and entrenched militia forces that make the exercise of democracy either impractical or dangerous. Both countries have high numbers of foreign troops occupying their land and terrorizing the population while hunting "terrorists." And both countries' governments answer to their respective U.S. ambassador on most issues. In the midst of such a violent and coercive environment, Afghans are pressing ahead with the latest in a series of "democratic" exercises imposed by the United States: the first Afghan parliamentary elections in four decades will take place this Sunday, September 18. Even though many Afghans hope that the elections will empower them to end their troubles, the fear is that the elections will probably be as undemocratic in practice as every other U.S.-inflicted Afghan institution.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Democratization, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, and Asia
2822. U.S.-China Relations — Opportunities, Risks, and the Taiwan Issue
- Author:
- Thomas J. Bickford
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- China is primarily interested in concentrating on trade and economic development and therefore wants an international environment conducive to continued economic growth. Even with recent defense budget increases, China's ability to project power beyond its borders will be extremely limited for a long time to come. There is a real risk of conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan, and U.S. policy needs to be aimed at avoiding such a conflict.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and Development
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, and Taiwan
2823. August Around the World
- Author:
- Daniel Smith
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- The prevailing sentiment, less "laid back," refers to "the dog days of summer" from which the rich and well-connected have historically sought relief by getting out of town. Indeed, one can easily picture Caesar Augustus — in whose honor the Roman Senate renamed and lengthened the sixth month in the Julian calendar — abandoning Rome in the same way Congress and the president flee Washington.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and Development
- Political Geography:
- United States and Washington
2824. Security Council Reform Debate Highlights Challenges Facing UN
- Author:
- Ian Williams
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Within a day of arriving at the United Nations John Bolton, the former lobbyist for Taiwan and advocate for one permanent seat on the Security Council, the United States, had cut a deal with the Chinese representative. China wants to stop an additional permanent Security Council seat for Japan. The United States had promised Japan its support in return for its loyalty over Iraq, but hated Germany more than it loves Japan. So the two agreed to thwart the attempt by the G-4 (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan), to secure permanent seats during the current reform proposals.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- United States, Japan, China, India, Taiwan, Asia, Brazil, and Germany
2825. Bolton Appointment Provides New Opportunities
- Author:
- John Gershman
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- President Bush's recess appointment of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations — the first time ever for the post — represents a sad irony in this year, the 60th anniversary of the signing of the San Francisco charter on June, 26 1945 and the ratification of the charter by the 5 permanent members of the Security Council and the majority of the signatories to the San Francisco Charter, on October 24, 1945.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Government, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- United States and San Francisco
2826. The U.S. and Iran: Democracy, Terrorism, and Nuclear Weapons
- Author:
- Stephen Zunes
- Publication Date:
- 07-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- The election of the hard-line Teheran mayor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, over former President Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani as the new head of Iran is undeniably a setback for those hoping to advance greater social and political freedom in that country. It should not necessarily be seen as a turn to the right by the Iranian electorate, however. The 70-year old Rafsanjani — a cleric and penultimate wheeler-dealer from the political establishment — was portrayed as the more moderate conservative. The fact that he had become a millionaire while in government was apparently seen as less important than his modest reform agenda. By contrast, the young Teheran mayor focused on the plight of the poor and cleaning up corruption.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Democratization, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iran, and Middle East
2827. South America's New Militarism
- Author:
- Raúl Zibechi
- Publication Date:
- 07-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- South American societies are militarizing as a result of the regional superpower's intervention, which is undoubtedly a crucial factor on the continent, but also as a consequence of the profound economic and political changes we have come to call neoliberalism.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Arms Control and Proliferation, and War
- Political Geography:
- South America
2828. A Strategy for Ending the Iraq War
- Author:
- Tom Hayden
- Publication Date:
- 07-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- In January 2005, a group of fifty peace activists from the Vietnam and Iraq eras issued a global appeal to end the war (online at http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/20996/). The appeal proposed undermining the pillars of war (public opinion, funding, troop recruitment, international allies) and building the pillars of peace and justice (an independent anti-war movement linked to justice issues, a progressive Democratic opposition, soldiers and families against the war, a global network to stop the US empire). This is an update on implementation of the strategy.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Peace Studies, and War
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, and Middle East
2829. Breaking the NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) Stalemate: Japan Could Help
- Author:
- Anthony DiFilippo
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Deterring attack is usually cited as the main motivation for states to keep or acquire nuclear weapons. Yet today's NPT stalemate involves both security and economic concerns. Nuclear and nonnuclear weapons states alike have associated nuclear-energy-generating capabilities with economic growth. By far the biggest problem that the NPT faces today is that nations have come to see and use it as a self-serving accord.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- Japan and Israel
2830. Fuelling Mistrust Between Iran and the United States
- Author:
- Roger Howard
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Imagine your reaction if, during last November's presidential contest, the mullahs of Iran had suddenly launched a tirade of criticism against the American system of democracy and beamed their message onto our television sets and radios for all of us to hear: democracy in the United States, the mullahs might perhaps have claimed, is a corrupt process that is determined largely by the influence of the wealthiest donors, and a process that wholly fails to address the religious needs of a secular, materialist culture.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Iran, and Middle East
2831. Undermining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty—It Didn't Start With the Bush Administration
- Author:
- Stephen Zunes
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Most of the international community and arms control advocates here in the United States have correctly blamed the Bush administration for the failure of the recently-completed review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In the course of the four-week meeting of representatives of the 188 countries which have signed and ratified the treaty, the United States refused to uphold its previous arms control pledges, blocked consideration of the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East, refused to rule out U.S. nuclear attacks against non-nuclear states, and demanded that Iran and North Korea—but not U.S. allies like Israel, Pakistan, and India—be singled out for UN sanctions for their nuclear programs. Thomas Graham, who served as a U.S. envoy to disarmament talks in the Clinton administration noted that the Bush administration's demands resulted in what appears to be "the most acute failure in the treaty's history."
- Topic:
- International Relations, Arms Control and Proliferation, Nuclear Weapons, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, United States, India, Israel, and Korea
2832. The Me Too Club
- Author:
- Tad Daley
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- The "nuclear option" may have receded in the U.S. Senate for the time being. Unfortunately, it's still very much on the table for the two newest aspirants to the nuclear club. Not to mention those who already have their membership cards.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- United States and Middle East
2833. Reflections on Vietnam and the Iraq War
- Author:
- Daniel Ellsberg
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- I'm often asked whether there aren't big differences between the Iraq War and Vietnam. And I'm always quick to say, of course, there are differences. In Iraq, it's a dry heat. And the language that none of our troops or diplomats speak is Arabic rather than Vietnamese.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Democratization, Human Rights, and War
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Vietnam, and Arabia
2834. The Iglesias Legacy and the IDB's Future
- Author:
- Nadia Martinez
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- After 17 years at the helm of Latin America's largest source of development financing, the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is stepping down. Enrique Iglesias is slated to pass the reins to his successor in September. Like the recent fight over the leadership position at the Organization of American States, this contest promises to be a long and arduous process of political negotiation. As the United States attempts to maintain its traditionally hegemonic role in Latin America, Brazil is more boldly gaining some of that ground. And with annual lending to Latin American countries surpassing $8 billion annually, the IDB has significant influence over the region's economies.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Brazil, South America, and Latin America
2835. The Network Paradigm of Strategic Public Diplomacy
- Author:
- R. S. Zaharna
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- With the nomination of Karen Hughes as the new undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, the United States has the potential to embark on a new and more effective phase in its communication with the international community, particularly with the Arab and Islamic world. Hughes' close working relationship with President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and other advisers in the administration's inner circle qualifies her as a communication heavyweight. If she uses this asset, she can transform the old model of public diplomacy used during the Cold War into a more strategic approach.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
2836. A Unified Security Budget for the United States, 2006
- Author:
- Miriam Pemberton and Marcus Corbin
- Publication Date:
- 05-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- During the last year, the ground under the security debate has begun to shift. A diverse and growing universe of voices, including former national security advisors, representatives of the business community, and the Bush administration itself, now recognizes that expanding the role of nonmilitary tools in our portfolio of security spending is necessary to keep Americans and the rest of the world safe. In the federal budget, though, where the debate takes concrete form, this shift barely registers. Small increases planned by the administration for some nonmilitary security programs would still leave the overall proportion of resources severely unbalanced.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States
2837. The Dragon the Chrysanthemum
- Author:
- Conn Hallinan
- Publication Date:
- 05-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- At first glance, the growing tension between China and Japan seems almost inexplicable. Massive anti-Japanese demonstrations in China over events that took place more than half a century ago? A heated exchange filled with mutual threats over an offshore petroleum field that western oil companies think is not worth exploiting? Has a Shinto shrine and slanted textbooks really driven the two great Asian powers to the edge of a Cold War or worse?
- Topic:
- International Relations and War
- Political Geography:
- Japan, China, Israel, and Asia
2838. How to End the Occupation of Iraq: Outmaneuver the War Proponents
- Author:
- Gareth Porter
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- For an anti-war activist of the Vietnam era, the current search for a political strategy for ending the U.S. occupation of Iraq brings to mind the very similar problems facing the movement to end the Vietnam War in 1968-69. In fact, a review of the strategy that the anti-war movement pursued at that juncture of the Vietnam War helps clarify the choices before the present movement and their likely consequences. It should serve as a warning against ignoring the possibility of embracing the negotiation of a compromise peace agreement with those resisting the U.S. occupation as an anti-war strategy.
- Topic:
- International Relations and War
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, Middle East, and Vietnam
2839. GCSP UN Dialogue Series
- Author:
- Derek Lutterbeck (ed.)
- Publication Date:
- 10-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- During the summer of 2005, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), with the generous financial support of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Political Division III, organised a series of public presentations by distinguished personalities, focusing on the changing role of the UN system in the rapidly evolving international security landscape. The objective of these events was to provide a forum to discuss the most-pressing current challenges facing the UN, as well as other key players in the international system, and to chart possible ways forward in adapting the UN system to the demands of the contemporary security environment.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Development, and United Nations
2840. Three Years of the Global Partnership. A View by Russia
- Author:
- V. Semin
- Publication Date:
- 07-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- Three years have passed since June 2002, when G8 Leaders, in the Canadian town of Kananaskis, launched the Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP), and committed to support projects initially in Russia.After the end of the Cold War and demise of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited a large number of strategic nuclear missiles, means of their delivery (including strategic and generalpurpose submarines) and huge arsenals of chemical weapons. In 1991-1992 we had to consolidate urgently and put into secure storage all nuclear weapons from the Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Byelorussia, which became non-nuclear states under the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Soviet Union
2841. The G8 Global Partnership on Weapons of Mass Destruction: What Next?
- Author:
- Daniil Kobyakov and Vladimir Orlov
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- Since the inception of the G8 Global Partnership (GP) program in Kananaskis on June 27 2002, the program has passed through different stages. Initially, it was just a loud political declaration, adopted by the leaders of the G8 following the attacks of 9/11. A Russian participant of the Kananaskis Summit later recalled with some surprise how smoothly and, to some extent, unexpectedly for the Russians involved the "$20 billion" pledge was shaped in that Canadian village. Interviewed on a major European GP-related conference a year after the Kananaskis summit, he was frank to exclaim: "Arriving in Kananaskis, we [Russians] could hardly even expect that this whole giant wave now called Global Partnership would be born from our discussions of non-proliferation and counter-terrorism".
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Russia
2842. Preventing the Brain Drain: Russia and Beyond
- Author:
- Vitaly Fedchenko
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- As Lao-Tzu once said, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime'. This sentence expresses the essence of effective assistance. If you want to provide somebody with food, there are two options: either to supply him during all his lifetime or to teach him how to earn a living. Similarly, if you want a state to get rid of WMD capabilities, there is always an option to blow up some facilities, but the next day it would be necessary to check whether no new WMD capabilities have developed. Another option is to make the process self-sustaining on the ground, ensuring that the state itself is looking after it.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Russia
2843. The G8 Global Partnership: Background and Current Status
- Author:
- Cristina Chuen
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- The Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction is nearly three years old. While the initiative—launched on June 27, 2002, at the G8 annual summit in Kananaskis, Canadai—brought new donors to the table and added a new sense of urgency to nonproliferation projects in Russia, to date the programs have yielded mixed results. There is much that remains to be done if the next seven years are going to fulfill the promise of Kananaskis.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Russia
2844. Rational Learning and Bounded Learning in the Diffusion of Policy Innovations
- Author:
- Covadonga Meseguer
- Publication Date:
- 01-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Kellogg Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- In political science, rational learning and bounded learning are commonly studied as two opposing theories of policy choice. In this paper, I use a rational-learning approach to reach conclusions about bounded learning, showing that the two theories are not necessarily incompatible. By examining a rational-learning model and the decisions of a set of developing countries to open up their trade regimes, I show that countries are particularly influenced by the choices of neighbouring countries and by particularly successful policy experiences. These are two typical contentions of the bounded-learning literature. I argue that bounded learning and rational learning yield the same results as soon as one drops the rational-learning assumption that there are zero costs to gathering new information. I use the discussion on rational learning versus bounded learning as a basis for exploring more general issues concerning the diffusion of policy innovations.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Development, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2845. Is Cybersecurity a Public Good? Evidence from the Financial Services Industry
- Author:
- Benjamin Powell
- Publication Date:
- 03-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Independent Institute
- Abstract:
- The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States heightened concerns about vulnerabilities to future attacks. One new area of concern is cyberterrorism: the possibility of terrorists using computers to attack our critical infrastructure electronically. The government has made efforts to better secure its own computer networks to prevent terrorists from hacking into computer systems in the Pentagon, FBI, and other government agencies. Increasingly, however, the government has been concerned that the private sector is vulnerable to cyberterrorism. The private sector owns approximately 85 percent of the critical infrastructure in the U.S. (Deloitte 2004 p. 15). There are concerns that a cyber attack on dams, trains, electrical grids, pipeline pumps, communications networks, or the financial services industry could cause significant physical or economic damage to the U.S. The policy question being asked is whether private businesses, when left to their own devices, provide enough cybersecurity or if some form of government involvement is justified.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, Industrial Policy, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- United States and United Nations
2846. The European Constitution: How to Proceed if France or the Netherlands Votes "No"
- Author:
- E. Greco and G.L. Tosato
- Publication Date:
- 03-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Istituto Affari Internazionali
- Abstract:
- What would happen if France and the Netherlands voted "no" in the coming referendums on the Constitutional Treaty of the European Union? What would be the most effective strategy for finding a solution to the crisis that this would inevitably precipitate? Would it be best to suspend or continue the ratification process? What kind of initiatives should the member states and the European institutions undertake? This paper ponders what road should be taken to deal with a crisis that would be serious and complex. In particular, it discusses the question that is bound to come up first, and that is whether - in the event hypothesised - the ratification process in the other countries should be continued or stopped.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Security
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Netherlands
2847. Engaging Putin's Russia: Challenges and Opportunities for the West
- Author:
- Jason R. Wisniewski
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
- Abstract:
- The small and medium-sized states in Southeast Asia have undergone significant geostrategic changes with the end of the Cold War and the rise of China. There has been a lively debate over the last decade about whether these countries would balance against or bandwagon with China, and how their relations with the other major powers in the region would change. Recent works that argue against the simple dichotomy of balancing versus bandwangoning are correct in asserting that Southeast Asian countries do not want to choose between the two major powers, the U.S. and China. But this paper goes further to present the results of an empirical study that fleshes out the conceptual thinking that underlies this avoidance strategy. It finds that instead of merely adopting tactical or time-buying policies, key Southeast Asian states have actively tried to influence the shaping of the new regional order. It argues that key Southeast Asian states in fact have (a) distinct coneptualisations of two main pathways to order in the region omni-enmeshment of major powers and complex balance of influence; and (b) a concrete vision of the preferred power distribution outcome, which is a hierarchical regional order.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Government
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, China, and Southeast Asia
2848. America's Interests in the United Nations: A U.S. Response to the Report of the UN Secretary-General's High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change
- Author:
- Donald F. McHenry, Thomas R. Pickering, Peter Burleigh, James Cunningham, Jeanne J. Kirkpatrick, and Edward Perkins
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
- Abstract:
- During the UN General Assembly meeting in September 2003, Secretary-General Kofi Annan created a High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change to provide him and the member states of the United Nations with ideas about the policies and institutions required for the United Nations to be effective in the twenty-first century. The panel submitted to him in December 2004 a report entitled "A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibilities," an analysis of how to improve the collective institutionalized response to the most pressing threats and challenges to global peace and security. The report also presented more than one hundred specific recommendations to the secretary-general and the member states.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- United States
2849. Unequal Prospects: Disparities in the Quantity and Quality of Labour Supply in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Author:
- Christopher Cramer and John Sender
- Publication Date:
- 03-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- School of Oriental and African Studies - University of London
- Abstract:
- The issue of labour supply in Sub-Sahara n Africa, like so many other economic and social issues in the region, is often discussed as if the whole sub-continent faced essentially similar, overwhelming and intractable problem s. This pessimistic and over-generalised literature has been criticized elsewhere (Sender, 1999). By contrast, this paper stresses the importance of differences between and within Sub-Saharan African economies in the quantity and quality of labour supplies, and highlights the scope for policies to overcome constraints on employment prospects. The paper also points to the dangers of one-size-fits-all policy recommendations for the labour market, while at the same time identifying certain similarities in the characteristics of the most disadvantaged labour market entrants in many Sub-Saharan African economies. The aim is to begin to isolate the sub-set of policies that might be most relevant for these entrants, if donors and governments wish to re-allocate resources to improve prospects for the poorest Africans.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, Economics, and International Political Economy
2850. The Role of the Wider Black Sea Area in a Future European Security Space, Volume 1
- Author:
- Jean Dufourcq(ed.) and Lionel Ponsard(ed.)
- Publication Date:
- 12-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- NATO Defense College
- Abstract:
- The Black Sea is at the forefront of the strategic agenda for 2 005, though its ordinary geographical name tends to conceal the dynamic geopolitical realities of an area where a transformation is in full swing.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, and Development
- Political Geography:
- Europe