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10101. The Long Path from Recognition to Representation of Muslims in Italy

Author:
Andrea Coppi and Andrea Spreafico
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
The Muslim community in Italy does not benefit from official recognition, which could, among other things, provide it with access to state funding. Nor does its fragmented nature favour a process of aggregation leading to the formation of a single representative body delegated to dialogue with the institutions. The government initiative establishing the Council of Italian Islam (Consulta) sought to encourage an original course in this direction, but it seems that the body is unlikely to solve the problem. The solutions adopted in various European countries and the proposals put forward by experts suggest that legal recognition cannot sidestep the question of representation and therefore calls for a process of cultural mediation.
Topic:
Islam
Political Geography:
Europe and Italy

10102. Muslim Diversity in Italy: An Unacknowledged Reality

Author:
Antonella Guarneri
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
Immigration towards Italy is on the increase and, as a part of it, the Muslim presence is too. The range of countries of origin of Muslim immigrants in Italy is very broad and this multi-ethnicity, along with the divisions in the Muslim faith itself make the Muslim presence difficult to understand and quantify. In addition, this fragmentation poses a dilemma for the state between considering immigrants an unicum or devising different policies for specific immigrant groups or communities. It also makes it easier for the uninformed Italian public, with the help of the media, to equate all Muslims with fundamentalism, terrorism and crime, spawning ungrounded fears. While waiting for a comprehensive bill on freedom of worship that would facilitate official recognition of Islam, Italian society will have to become more knowledgeable and open towards the Muslims in its midst.
Topic:
Terrorism
Political Geography:
Italy

10103. Beyond Wiring Diagrams? ESDP Explained and Assessed

Author:
Sonia Lucarelli
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
Review of: Security and defence policy in the European Union, Jolyon Howorth, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007
Political Geography:
Europe

10104. Experimenting Leadership

Author:
Cesare Merlini
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
Review of: The great experiment, Strobe Talbott, Simon Schuster, 2008

10105. China and the World: Rethinking Security in a Multipolar System

Author:
Gerald Chan
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
Review of: China stands up, David Scott, Routledge, 2007; Human security and the Chinese, Robert E. Bedeski, Routledge, 2007; Chinese strategic culture and foreign policy decision-making, Huiyun Feng, Routledge, 2007; China turns to multilateralism, edited by Guoguang Wu and Helen Lansdowne, Routledge, 2008; and China factors, Gordon C. K. Cheung, Transaction Publishers, 2007
Political Geography:
China

10106. Whither Missile Defence?

Author:
F. Stephen Larrabee
Publication Date:
06-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
In the last eighteen months, missile defence has emerged as a controversial issue between the United States and its European allies. The administration's plans have provoked a major debate in Europe and the United States. Since the spring of 2007, however, the Bush administration has begun to develop a much more effective public outreach campaign designed to address public concerns. It has also sought to strengthen the link between its bilateral efforts at missile defence and those of NATO and made a number of important proposals designed to reduce Russian concerns.
Political Geography:
Russia, United States, and Europe

10107. Medvedev's Russia and the Social Dimension

Author:
Paolo Calzini
Publication Date:
06-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
In recent years Russia has, thanks to the action of President Putin, witnessed a significant strengthening politically and economically. After years of crisis, this has finally ensured a condition of stability functional to the compromise that has arisen between the regime and society. The election of a new president, Medvedev, in March 2008, marks the beginning of a development phase that will be no less fraught with unknowns than the previous period and destined to create new challenges for the authorities, especially as concerns the social question, long kept on the margins of official policy. The operational plan for the social dimension envisaging a series of interventions aimed at solving the relative problems represents a commitment that could turn out to be crucial for the country's future.
Political Geography:
Russia

10108. New Man in the Kremlin: What Future for Russian Foreign Policy?

Author:
Nazrin Mehdiyeva
Publication Date:
06-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
The landslide victory of Dmitry Medvedev in the presidential election of 2 March was accompanied by discussions, particularly in Western analytical and media circles, of whether Vladimir Putin's successor is a democrat or nationalist, aWesterniser or a Slavophile. His pre-electoral policy statements and family life came under scrutiny and were weighed against Putin's warnings that for the West, Medvedev would be ''no easier'' to do business with than himself. While some did not hesitate to dub Medvedev a ''liberal'', others revelled in reports that suggested that the president-elect had been taking coaching lessons to imitate Putin's speech and gait, concluding with enviable confidence that he was ''less a pope than a popelet''.
Topic:
Foreign Policy
Political Geography:
Russia

10109. The Russian Challenge to EU Normative Power: The Case of European Neighbourhood Policy

Author:
Hiski Haukkala
Publication Date:
06-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
The Russian attitude towards the European Neighbourhood Policy constitutes a serious obstacle to the realisation of the Union's agenda in its neighbourhood. The Russian challenge takes three main forms: 1) with Russia not a part of the EU's overall approach involving the principle of conditionality, the Union's legitimacy and international actorness in general is in danger of being undermined; 2) Russia is increasingly starting to put forward its own model of operation, thus hampering the realisation of the Union's goals in the neighbourhood; 3) Russia is engaging in business activities that are in effect undoing the ENP's energy component. There are no easy fixes to these problems. What the Union must do is believe in its own values and visions: it is only by example that it can promote its ideals outside its institutional boundaries
Political Geography:
Russia and Europe

10110. Russia's Search for International Identity Through the Sovereign Democracy Concept

Author:
Andrey S. Makarychev
Publication Date:
06-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The International Spectator
Institution:
Istituto Affari Internazionali
Abstract:
The search for common language has become a demanding issues in the Russia-EU relationship. One of the strongest messages contained in Russia's "sovereign democracy" concept is its desire to be regarded as a "normal" country, a full-fledged member of the international community. The concept embodies a search for its own subjectivity, which is ultimately felt to be a pre-condition for its self-assertion vis-agrave-vis Europe. Russia does not question any of the basic European norms; instead it seeks to offer an alternative version of each of them. For the Western audience, analysis of these concepts is essential for a better comprehension of Russia's foreign policy arguments.
Topic:
Foreign Policy
Political Geography:
Russia and Europe