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742. His Excellency Horacio Cartes, President of the Republic of Paraguay
- Author:
- Horacio Cartes
- Publication Date:
- 09-2013
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Columbia University World Leaders Forum
- Abstract:
- This World Leaders Forum program features an address by His Excellency Horacio Cartes, President of the Republic of Paraguay, titled Paraguay: Land of Opportunities, followed by a question and answer session with the audience.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, Poverty, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
743. Hooray for Global Justice? Emerging Democracies in a Multipolar World
- Author:
- Julian Culp and Johannes Plagemann
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- German Institute of Global and Area Studies
- Abstract:
- Rising powers are fundamentally shifting the relations of power in the global economic and political landscape. International political theory, however, has so far failed to evaluate this nascent multipolarity. This article fills this lacuna by synthesizing empirical and normative modes of inquiry. It examines the transformation of sovereignty exercised by emerging democracies and shows that – in stark contrast to emerging democracies' foreign policy rhetoric – the "softening" of sovereignty has become the norm. The present paper assesses this softening of sovereignty on the basis of a "democratic-internationalist" conception of global justice. This conception holds that global justice demands the establishment of reasonably democratic transnational relations that enable people themselves to determine what else justice requires. Because we find that the exercise of soft sovereignty by emerging democracies contributes to the realization of reasonably democratic transnational relations, we conclude that this nascent multipolarity ought to be welcomed from the democratic-internationalist view of global justice.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, Globalization, and Sovereignty
- Political Geography:
- Brazil
744. Iran and the Arab Spring: Between Expectations and Disillusion
- Author:
- Henner Fürtig
- Publication Date:
- 11-2013
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- German Institute of Global and Area Studies
- Abstract:
- The 1979 Iranian Revolution undoubtedly belongs to the "great" revolutions of modern times – all of which were characterized by universalistic efforts and the claim to have set new social, political and cultural norms with global validity. In this sense, the Iranian revolutionaries felt the obligation to actively reintroduce Islam as a revelation for the whole world, not only for Muslims. Yet, they soon became aware that most Muslims viewed their export strategy as either an attempt to enforce Shiism, or – even worse – to conceal mere national megalomania. Therefore, the current leadership argues that the revolution should no longer be exported actively, but that Iran should serve as an example. Consequently, Supreme Leader Khamenei called the events of the Arab Spring a "natural enlargement of Iran's Islamic revolution of 1979" and credited his country for being the catalyst of this "Islamic awakening." The present article will analyze selected regional reactions to the Islamic awakening concept, which did not altogether meet Iranian expectations.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Development, Islam, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Armed Struggle
- Political Geography:
- Iran and Middle East
745. The Norwegian Approach to Afghanistan: Civilian-Military Segregation
- Author:
- Karsten Friis
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- In a way, one could consider Norway a typical example of a small International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) partner in Afghanistan, with 400 troops at its disposal and responsible for one of the 26 provincial reconstruction teams (PRT). Norway is a signatory to the Atlantic Pact and a staunch North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member. At the same time, the people and the government of Norway — like those in many European countries — share reservations about the extraterritorial use of military force. They consider Norway to be a "peace-nation," a small state without strategic global interests. Norwegian foreign policy favors the multilateral institutional approach, providing stability and predictability through the United Nations (UN). The government of Norway has to balance military needs with civilian demands for humanitarian aid and the support of human rights — in particular women's rights. In Afghanistan, Norwegian civilian aid priorities included the strengthening of Afghan governance capacities, rule of law, education, and rural development.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, Humanitarian Aid, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Norway
746. Policy Strategies for Economic Development in Cuba: A Simulation Model Analysis
- Author:
- Fulvio Castellacci and Hamza Kanar
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The economic reforms recently implemented in Cuba do not adequately deal with the structural issues that hamper the country's economic development. The paper presents a system dynamics model to investigate Cuba's development process, and a simulation analysis to compare different policy scenarios that may be realized in the future as economic reforms will continue. The results indicate that the most effective development policy would be to combine active public policies to enhance the R sector, on the one hand, and foster the emergence of an efficient private sector that will develop the capital infrastructure of the economy, on the other.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- Latin America and Caribbean
747. Playbook for the Brisbane G20 summit
- Author:
- Mike Callaghan
- Publication Date:
- 10-2013
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Lowy Institute for International Policy
- Abstract:
- It is important that the Brisbane G20 Leaders' Summit be a success. It must help 'reenergise' the G20, because the world needs an effective G20. But there is more at stake for Australia. If the G20 is not effective, any alternative forum for international economic cooperation would likely exclude Australia.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Development, Economics, International Cooperation, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Australia
748. Saudi Aramco as a national development agent: recent shifts
- Author:
- Steffen Hertog
- Publication Date:
- 08-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution
- Abstract:
- Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Saudi Aramco, has been a critical agent for the social, economic and infrastructural development of Saudi Arabia; its managerial capacities are unrivalled in the Kingdom – and, indeed, the Gulf region. After it played a rather limited role outside the hydrocarbons sector in the 1980s and 1990s, its range of tasks and ambitions has recently again expanded drastically into a number of new policy sectors, including heavy industry, renewable energy, educational reform, infrastructure-building and general industrial development. This presents both opportunities and risks for Aramco, which has started to operate far outside its traditional politically insulated "turf" of running the upstream oil and gas infrastructure in the Kingdom. It is now involved in activities that are more political and more closely scrutinised by the Saudi public, and will have to build up new institutional and political capacities to maintain its reputation for clean and efficient management.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Industrial Policy, Oil, and Infrastructure
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Saudi Arabia
749. Brazil in the South Atlantic: growing protagonism and unintended consequences
- Author:
- Adriana Erthal Abdenur and Danilo Marcondes de Souza Neto
- Publication Date:
- 05-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution
- Abstract:
- For most of the twentieth century, the strategic importance of the North Atlantic outstripped that of the southern part of the ocean. However, the past decade has brought significant shifts in Atlantic dynamics, with regional and external actors developing new interests in the region. Brazil, in particular, has been working to reinforce its control and influence in the South Atlantic. To this end, over the last five years the Brazilian government has launched or intensified efforts meant to securitise the South Atlantic. This strategy combines unilateral initiatives – naval build-up, domestic military publicity efforts, and international legal moves – with a vastly expanded international defence cooperation programme that covers nearly the entire South Atlantic perimeter. This policy brief analyses key components of Brazil's strategy, situating them within the South Atlantic's changing ecology of actors and suggesting some of the potential tensions that may arise from Brazil's growing protagonism in the South Atlantic.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, Regional Cooperation, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Latin America
750. The lure of extractive natural resource development
- Author:
- Ole Therkildsen, Lars Buur, Anne Mette Kjær, and Michael W. Hansen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- This brief explores the opportunities offered by the new boom in natural resource extraction, and focuses on how foreign direct investment (FDI) by extractive multinational corporations (MNCs) can be harnessed for industrial development purposes. The brief argues that industrial policies are needed in order to unleash the development potentials provided by FDI in extractives.
- Topic:
- Development, Industrial Policy, Natural Resources, and Foreign Aid