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3941. Bosnia's Dual Crisis

Publication Date:
11-2009
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) post-war status quo has ended but the international community risks muddling the transition by delaying decisions on a new kind of engagement. Republika Srpska (RS), one of the state's two entities, has defied the High Representative, Bosnia's international governor, and the international community has not backed him up. Instead, the U.S. and the European Union (EU) launched in October 2009 on the Butmir military base outside Sarajevo a high-level effort to persuade the country's leaders to adopt far-reaching constitutional reforms and allow the mandate of the High Representative and his office (OHR) to end. Disagreements over the scope and content of reform make agreement uncertain. But Bosnia's leaders should adopt as much of the EU-U.S. proposal as possible, and the international community should end its protectorate in favour of a new, EU- and NATO-led approach including strong security guarantees.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Ethnic Conflict, and Sectarianism
Political Geography:
United States, Europe, and Balkans

3942. The Future of European Development Cooperation: Seeking Global Solutions or Retracing a Niche by 2020?

Author:
Sven Grimm and Erik Lundsgaarde
Publication Date:
11-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
This article discusses the future prospects for European Development Cooperation. The authors argue that the way EU policy for global development will look in the future will depend on how the organization manages two key challenges. The first challenge relates to the changing political dynamics within an enlarged EU and the need to accommodate a diverse set of preferences concerning development policy priorities. The second challenge stems from an evolving external environment characterized by an increasing emphasis on global public goods and the multiplication of global development players. While both of these challenges place pressure on the existing European development consensus, they also offer an impetus for strengthened coordination in the development policy sphere at the European level.
Topic:
Development and Globalization
Political Geography:
Europe

3943. España frente el referéndum europeo: o de la democracia y sus debilidades

Author:
Yanina Welp
Publication Date:
09-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
Abstract:
Spain facing the European referendum: or democracy and its weaknesses: One common criticism to the European integration process has been the deficit of democratic legitimacy. Direct consultation through referendum has been proposed as a mechanism to bridge this gap, however, there is a debate about the potentialities and risks of direct democracy. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this debate by analysing the Spanish experience of ratifying the European constitution (February 2005).
Topic:
Democratization and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe and Spain

3944. El desenvolvimiento de las relaciones de la Federación Rusa con la Unión Europea entre los años 2007 y 2009. Sus aciertos y desaciertos

Author:
Pablo Telman Sánchez Ramírez
Publication Date:
09-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
CONfines de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencia Política
Abstract:
En el presente artículo analizaremos el desenvolvimiento de las relaciones entre la Federación Rusa y los países europeos miembros de la Unión Europea (UE), haciendo hincapié en el análisis de las causas y escenarios que han provocado un auge en el clima de contradicciones y tensiones que se han registrado en los años más recientes. Asimismo, abordaremos el papel y la influencia que han ejercido los estados postsoviéticos europeos (Estados Bálticos, Ucrania, Georgia, Azerbaiyán) dentro del espectro de las relaciones bilaterales de Rusia con la UE, dada su importancia para la estabilidad y seguridad regional. Estos países ocupan un papel muy importante no solamente dentro del espectro de la política comunitaria de vecindad europea, sino también en la dinámica de los vínculos de Bruse¬las con Moscú. También analizaremos el papel que ha desempeñado el gobierno de Estados Unidos (EE.UU.), en el marco de las relaciones de la UE con Rusia, al colocar, tanto a la UE como a Rusia, en una posición de rehenes de los desacuerdos y fricciones mayores que se han suscitado entre Washington y Moscú durante los últimos dos años; expondremos, igualmente, las expectativas que se mantienen con la llegada del presidente Barack Obama a la Casa Blanca. Hasta el año 2008, Rusia se había fortalecido como potencia, fundamentalmente, a causa del aumento de los precios del petróleo, del gas y de recursos naturales, mientras que mantenía invariable su in ISSN tención de recuperar su posición como potencia regional y global, lo cual, incomodaba (e incomoda) a algunos gobiernos europeos, fundamentalmente a los países ex-socialistas. Para este año 2009, se pronostica un crecimiento de apenas un 3% a causa de la crisis mundial, que también los afecta.
Topic:
Bilateral Relations
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Georgia

3945. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: PARSING THE OPTIONS

Author:
Michael Dziedzic and Megan Chabalowski
Publication Date:
09-2009
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
United States Institute of Peace
Abstract:
On June 25, 2009, USIP hosted a public forum, “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Parsing the Options,” where various courses of action for U.S. policy toward Bosnia and its unfinished state-building were debated. At issue are Bosnia's current conditions and what to do about them: Is the country on a trajectory toward instability and violence, or is it making hesitant progress? What is needed to overcome ethnic tensions between Bosnia's political leaders and how can the international community induce them into productive negotiations over reforms? What should the U.S.'s role be in Bosnia's integration process into the EU?
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Regional Cooperation, Treaties and Agreements, and War
Political Geography:
Europe and Balkans

3946. Who Cares?: How best to protect UK care workers employed through agencies and gangmasters from exploitation

Author:
Krisnah Poinasamy
Publication Date:
11-2009
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
There are an estimated 1.5 million workers in the adult social care workforce in the UK, working in residential care homes or providing care to people in their own homes. And with an ageing population the number of care workers is set to rise in the next two decades.
Topic:
Labor Issues and Sociology
Political Geography:
United Kingdom and Europe

3947. Funding for Media Development by Major Donors Outside the United States: A Report to the Center for International Media Assistance

Author:
Mary Myers
Publication Date:
12-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
National Endowment for Democracy
Abstract:
The main guiding questions for this research are: How much are European and other governments and donors spending on international media development? Where is the money going, for what sort of development (training, capacity building, infrastructure, legal or physical safety, etc.) and what are the trends in terms of donor priorities and approaches? The present study is an update of one produced for the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) by the author, with Emma Grant, in 2007 (see Grant and Myers in References). That study was, in one way, more limited in that it dealt only with media support when used by donors to enhance access to information and promote governmental accountability in developing countries. In another way it was broader in that it made recommendations about “what works” and “what are the gaps” in media support in order to guide DFID policy. The present study is less of a discussion document and more of a straight survey.
Topic:
Development, Mass Media, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:
United States, United Kingdom, and Europe

3948. Culture, Agency and Power: Theoretical Reflections on Informal Economic Networks and Political Process

Author:
Kate Meagher
Publication Date:
12-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
Do network theory really offer a suitable concept for the theorization of informal processes of economic regulation and institutional change? This working paper challenges both essentialist and skeptical attitudes to networks through an examination of the positive and negative effects of network governance in contemporary societies in a range of regional contexts. The analysis focuses on three broad principles of non-state organization – culture, agency and power – and their role in shaping processes of economic and political governance. It will be shown that the effective theorization of informal regulatory processes requires attention to the specific interaction of culture, agency and power in particular social contexts. Emphasizing a grounded theory approach, this article draws on cutting-edge network research from East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Western societies to develop theoretical tools for the comparative study of non-state governance and its impact on wider processes of institutional change.
Topic:
Political Theory, Sociology, Governance, and Culture
Political Geography:
Africa, Europe, and East Asia

3949. Belgian Country Report

Author:
Bryan Groves
Publication Date:
11-2009
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Department of Social Sciences at West Point, United States Military Academy
Abstract:
A number of important geopolitical events in the last three decades, Belgium's membership in the EU and its adoption of the Euro, along with its domestic responses have impacted recent developments in its economy. The nation has been marked by an increasing Real GDP, a balanced budget, a CA surplus, improved terms of trade, decreased openness, high unemployment, an ageing population, a pending social security crisis, and a contractionary fiscal and monetary policy meant to keep inflation low and increase national savings to avoid a social security disaster.
Topic:
Economics and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
Europe

3950. Combating illicit financial flows from poor countries. Estimating the possible gains

Author:
Jakob Vestergaard and Martin Højland
Publication Date:
11-2009
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
If the UN Millennium Development Goals are to be reached by 2015, development aid needs to be tripled – which is most unlikely. Instead, countries should unite in a concerted multilateral effort to combat illicit financial flows: for every dollar poor countries receive in development assistance, more than eight dollars are illegally transferred back to rich countries, most of it in order avoid local taxation. Effectively combating these illicit financial flows would generate more financial resources for development than foreign aid is likely to ever do – and help build a sustainable tax base in developing countries for the benefit of future development efforts.
Topic:
Corruption, Crime, and Economics
Political Geography:
United States, United Kingdom, Europe, London, Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, and Luxembourg