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1661. A World in Flux

Author:
Johan Verbeke
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
EGMONT - The Royal Institute for International Relations
Abstract:
Scholars and pundits alike have been qualifying our times as of “transition and turbulence”, “disorder” and “strategic unease”. Other concepts that recur in discussions on the present state of the world are ‘uncertainty’ and ‘unpredictability’. They all seem to point to a world in flux. Let’s see what that means.
Topic:
International Security
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1662. Two ready to start gradual measures

Author:
Nilsu Gören
Publication Date:
10-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Abstract:
States in the Middle East/Gulf should consider practical, ready-to-start measures to address the technical and organisational aspects of regional security and bypass the political disagreements on a regional weapons-of-mass-destruction-free zone (WMDFZ). Firstly, establishing a comprehensive expert group on the verification of arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament would increase confidence in the ability to sustain the provisions of a zonal arrangement. Secondly, creating a regional security centre would provide an institutional mechanism that would facilitate the conversation from within the region and enhance cooperation.
Topic:
Nuclear Weapons and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1663. Bridging the most fundamental gap by simultaneously pursuing disarmament and regional security

Author:
Bernd W. Kubbig
Publication Date:
09-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Abstract:
This Policy Forum issue summarises the achievements and deficits of the Glion/Geneva informal consultation process and describes the currently held divergent positions of major players. With reference to several necessary conditions for success, the authors make concrete proposals for a compromise-oriented new NPT cycle that does not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1664. Women in mediation: Connecting the local and the global

Author:
Katherine Turner
Publication Date:
09-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Abstract:
Women’s representation in mediation remains persistently low despite normative commitments made to increase women’s roles in peace and security. There is a gap between the local peacebuilding work of women mediators and the representation of women in high-level peacemaking. Focusing exclusively on empowering women at the local level perpetuates a distinction between the “soft” work of peacebuilding conducted by women and the “hard” work of peacemaking that is the preserve of men. States and international organisations need to think more strategically about how to forge stronger links among local, national and international mediation practice. Greater clarity is needed on the definition of mediation and the distinction between mediation and advocacy. It is time to rethink the role and function of mediation in light of changing trends in conflict worldwide.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1665. Business and Private diplomacy: A potential catalyst for sustainable peace

Author:
Misha Nagelmackers-Voinov
Publication Date:
07-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Abstract:
Long considered a natural partner for peace through economic diplomacy and bilateral trade agreements, business has increasingly become ignored or demonised. The private sector comprises a wide diversity of organisations and is the part of the economy that is not run by a state, but by individuals and companies for profit. Small businesses/micro-companies serve as a good starting point for a conflict resolution process because they often constitute the only form of economic activity in a conflict zone. MNCs have a range of options to respond to conflict, but cannot openly take part in conflict resolution and peacebuilding initiatives, and rarely become involved officially. Track Two diplomacy is their more likely area of involvement. The United Nations has frequently supported the view that the private sector can be a powerful agent of change. However, the UN still engages only two players in conflict resolution and peacebuilding: civil society/NGOs and armed actors. UN peace operations have never been expressly mandated to consult with business or use its influence to build peace. Combining the resources, expertise and leverage of all possible actors would produce a more formidable force for peace. World affairs would benefit from integrating the private sector into a new UN system of governance; new routes are possible for a truly inclusive approach, recognising the business sector’s positive contribution to sustainable peace through informal mediation and collaborative engagement.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1666. Federalism and Foreign Direct Investment: How Political Affiliation Determines the Spatial Distribution of FDI – Evidence from India

Author:
Chanchal Kumar Sharma
Publication Date:
10-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
German Institute of Global and Area Studies
Abstract:
This paper links the foreign economic engagement of India’s states with the literature on federalism, thereby contributing to an understanding of the political economy of FDI in‐flows in a parliamentary federal system. More specifically, it studies subnational governments’ international engagements to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and investigates whether the political affiliations of states’ chief ministers and parliamentarians determine the spatial distribution of FDI across the Indian states, correcting for the influence of per capita income, population density, urbanisation, infrastructure, policy regime, and human development. Although the central government plays no direct role in determining the state to which FDI goes, the centre–state relations in a federal structure play a role in creating perceptions about the relative political risk involved in different investment destinations. Employing multiple linear regressions to analyse time‐series (2000–2013) cross‐sectional (12 states) data using the panel procedure, the study finds that affiliated states attract relatively more FDI per capita in comparison to states ruled by opposition parties or coalition partners. However, some exceptions do result, primarily due to two phenomena: first, the presence of a strong state leadership and, second, the presence of a significant share of members of parliament belonging to the prime minister’s party in the non‐affiliated states. Further, states ruled by outside supporters have been most successful in attracting FDI inflows during the coalition period.  
Topic:
International Political Economy and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1667. Transitional Justice, Recognition, and Authoritative Power

Author:
Anika Oettler
Publication Date:
08-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
German Institute of Global and Area Studies
Abstract:
The legitimacy of transitional justice currently derives from the contribution it makes to the recognition of victims. Adding the aspect of authoritative power to ongoing debates on transitional justice, however, could significantly alter our views on recognition. Recognition is widely believed to be key to overcoming traumatic experiences. At the same time, however, it strengthens authoritative power. Seeking a more nuanced understanding of the recognition–power nexus, the paper provides a rough and critical account of various understandings of recognition and power on the part of authors such as Honneth, Fraser, Bertram and Celikates, Ikäheimo, Arendt, Foucault, Popitz, and Bourdieu. It then examines how these theoretical approaches intersect and speak to each other. To see recognition as a reciprocal interaction sensitive to power relations is to pave the way for a power‐sensitive turn in current debates on victim‐centred transitional justice. Multidirectional relationships of power exist, with varying forms of coercion, resistance, and struggle. This insight corresponds with the observation, seen from the other perspective, that truth and recognition are inside power. Placing theoretical approaches to power and recognition side by side has strong implications for politics. The paper therefore applies these theoretical insights to the Colombian peace process, showing the potential and pitfalls of putting recognition into practice.
Topic:
International Affairs and Political Power Sharing
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1668. The Anxious and the Climbers: Ambivalent Attitudes towards Democracy among South Africa’s Middle Class

Author:
Simone Schotte
Publication Date:
06-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
German Institute of Global and Area Studies
Abstract:
Beyond the hopes placed in Africa’s emergent middle class as an engine of economic growth, some analysts see this group as a bastion of political stability and enduring democratisation across the continent. This paper’s approach differs from that of most studies, which treat the middle class as a homogeneous group, through two key contributions. First, using cluster analysis, I propose a novel way of conceptualising social class that broadly draws on the Weberian idea of shared life chances. I apply this method to South Africa and identify five social classes characterised by their members’ living standards, overall life satisfaction, and self‐perceived upward mobility. Second, the empirical analysis reveals significant discrepancies in attitudes towards democracy between the downwardly and upwardly mobile strata of the middle class, which I term the “anxious” and the “climbers,” respectively. On the one hand, the “climbers” show the highest generic support for democracy as a form of government, whereas the “anxious” middle class displays feelings of resignation. On the other hand, I find indicative evidence of a status‐quo bias among the “climbers.” Rather than assuming a more demanding or critical stance in politics, they allow their political priorities to be at least partly shaped by an interest in securing and expanding attained living standards; being upwardly mobile is even associated with a higher tolerance for government attempts to constrain freedom of information, opinion, or expression.
Topic:
International Affairs and Democracy
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1669. Human Rights and Sustaining Peace

Author:
Aissata Athie and Youssef Mahmoud
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
Human rights violations and lack of accountability for such violations are often drivers of conflict. Monitoring human rights, therefore, could provide early warning of and help prevent destabilization of societies. Secretary-General António Guterres alluded to this in his April 2017 address to the Security Council, where he observed that “upholding human rights is a crucial element of prevention,” and “human rights are intrinsically linked to sustaining peace.”
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1670. Reframing the Protection of Civilians Paradigm for UN Peace Operations

Author:
Namie Di Razza
Publication Date:
11-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Peace Institute
Abstract:
Since the late 1990s, POC has continuously gained prominence, both as a concept and in practice, and has become the mandated priority for most UN peacekeeping operations. However, while POC has become a centerpiece of peacekeeping for many stakeholders, it has also become diluted as a consensual label used to justify diverse actions and approaches.
Topic:
Peace Studies and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus