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4301. The Common Agricultural Policy Health Check: time to check the health of the theory of the reform?

Author:
Marko Lovec and Emil Erjavec
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of International Relations and Development
Institution:
Central and East European International Studies Association
Abstract:
In 2008, the ministers of agriculture of European Union member states made a political agreement on the Common Agricultural Policy reform, also known as the Health Check. The reform coincided with three things: the ongoing Doha round of the World Trade Organization negotiations; political pressures to limit the costs of the policy financed from the common budget; and various 'new' policy issues. Rational institutional and constructivist approaches, which are often viewed as theoretical alternatives with each explaining some aspects of the reform, have employed simplified and narrow abstractions in conceptualising the role of these policy contexts. In order to identify the mechanisms facilitating the Health Check, a critical realist approach is proposed here, arguing that the relationship among the trade negotiations, budget bargaining, new issues and the policy reform can be explained by theoretically endorsing the asymmetrical development of the agricultural production factors and of production relations. A qualitative analysis is used to determine which of these three approaches seems to be better able to explain the empirical evidence.
Topic:
Development and Reform
Political Geography:
Europe

4302. The feasibility of an expanded regime on the use of force: the case of the responsibility to protect

Author:
Douglas Brommesson and Henrik Friberg Fernros
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of International Relations and Development
Institution:
Central and East European International Studies Association
Abstract:
This article addresses the question of whether an expanded regime on the use of force, based on the report The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) of 2001, would be feasible. The formula of the R2P has since found its way into the United Nations machinery via the final resolution from the World Summit in 2005 and can be seen as an emerging and more permissive norm on the use of force in cases of humanitarian catastrophes. The question of whether or not the theoretical framework of the norm is feasible is therefore urgent. Our analysis of feasibility is based on three logics of human action: the logic of consequence, logic of appropriateness and logic of arguing. We argue that each of these logics contains aspects that must be observed before a regime can be considered feasible. These logics are coupled with three mechanisms of socialisation of norms: strategic calculation, role-playing and normative suasion. We construct a minimal standard for a feasible regime by deducing requirements from the logics and their mechanisms, and then apply that standard to the content of the ICISS report. The empirical results show that the report must address the fact that it lacks qualities in regard to all three logics, before the expanded regime can be considered feasible.

4303. When Do Rebels Become State-Builders?: A Comparative Case Study of Somaliland, Puntland, and South-Central Somalia

Author:
Andrew Scott Duffield
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
This essay is a contribution to the literature on Somali state formation by reviving Charles Tilly's concepts and insights explaining how warfare impacts state-building. It theorizes, analyzes, and explains how three Somali territories—Somaliland, Puntland, and South-Central Somalia—underwent such different state-building trajectories since the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. To that end, it demonstrates how Tilly's work may be applied in a modern context, such as to rebel groups, unrecognized states, and regional political systems operating within a state. It recognizes and overcomes gaps in Tilly's literature by incorporating recent scholarship on Limited Access Orders (LAO) by Douglass North. The essay demonstrates how the organization, financing, and use of violence, as well as qualities about the violent actors themselves, influence state-building trajectories.
Political Geography:
Somalia

4304. Migration Experiences, Employment Status and Psychological Distress among Somali Immigrants: a Mixed-Method International Study

Author:
Nasir Warfa, Kamaldeep Bhui, Sarah Curtis, Charles Watters, Ken Carswell, and David Ingleby
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Background: The discourse about mental health problems among migrants and refugees tends to focus on adverse pre-migration experiences; there is less investigation of the environmental conditions in which refugee migrants live, and the contrasts between these situations in different countries. This cross-national study of two samples of Somali refugees living in London (UK) and Minneapolis, Minnesota, (USA) helps to fill a gap in the literature, and is unusual in being able to compare information collected in the same way in two cities in different countries.
Political Geography:
United States, London, and Somalia

4305. History, Overview, Trends and Issues in Major Somali Refugee Displacements in the Near Region (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Yemen)

Author:
Laura Hammond
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
This paper was originally prepared for the High Level Panel on Somali Refugees convened by the High Commissioner for Refugees to take place in Geneva on 13 and 14 November 2013. The Panel is part of a Global Initiative the High Commissioner has launched to rally international support for creative, meaningful and transformative solutions for Somali refugees.
Political Geography:
Uganda, Kenya, Yemen, and Ethiopia

4306. Contexts of Diaspora Citizenship: Citizenship and Civic Integration of Somalis in Finland and the United States

Author:
Paivi Harinen, Ville-Samuli Haverinen, Marko Kananen, and Jussi Ronkainen
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
With more than one million people scattered around the world, Somalis form a significant part of the world's diaspora population. Although Somalia has recently experienced a certain level of stability and encouraging developments, the diaspora community keeps growing. Due to security threats, drought, and famine, millions of Somalis still live in refugee camps. These problematic conditions imply that the Somali diaspora must remain the focus of transnational migration research generating new perspectives and insights. Furthermore, although return to Somalia might be an option for some of the Somalis living in diaspora, many of them will not return. That is why research should pay attention to their opportunities to live as equal citizens in their new home countries.
Political Geography:
United States and Somalia

4307. Stabilization and Common Identity: Reflections on the Islamic Courts Union and Al-Itihaad

Author:
Robrecht Deforche
Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
Portrayed as a failed state and characterized by years of conflict and disaster, Somalia has been the center of much research. Issues ranging from scarcity to piracy have been investigated and discussed. In the search for solutions some issues have been highlighted while others have not been adequately addressed. This intervention focuses on the question of identity because this issue negatively impacts the experience of the Somali people. The remarkable transition from clan rivalry toward relative stability under the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in 2006 should be examined in order to understand whether the emphasis on religious identity (Section VI) could potentially overcome the clan- based conflict. Before elaborating on ethnic and clan identity (Sections IV and V), some theoretical principles are introduced (Section II). Considering the failure of secular nationalism (Section V), the ICU umbrella successfully united the Somali people under the values of their shared religion. Unfortunately, this so-called Golden Age lasted for only six months. Hence, it is hard to say whether or not the common religious identity had gained ground against clan identity. Thus, the creation of a legitimate and representative government will only succeed when the question of identity can be appropriately approached.
Political Geography:
Somalia

4308. Editor's Note

Publication Date:
01-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:
Macalester College
Abstract:
I begin this briefest of notes to express my profoundest apology to all subscribers and the larger readers of Bildhaan. As many of you already know or will see now, this volume is for 2013. The reasons for the delay are a few but two stand out. The first concerns my own availability as the editor-in-chief. Some of you will remember that I have been on sabbatical leave for two years, until the autumn of 2013. During that period, I was fully engaged in either the political campaign for running for the presidency of Somalia or pre-occupied with the aftermath—the latter including my resignation of my parliamentary seat, the preparations to find a replacement, and my journeys to Somaliland. The second reason was due to the late arrival of some submissions and the extraordinary time it took to review and then communicate with the authors. Here, I want to send particular gratitude to the authors whose work now appears in the pages of the volume. Their patience has been exceptional.

4309. The Economics of Smart Defense

Author:
Keith Hartley
Publication Date:
06-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
NATO's "Smart Defense" proposal claims to be a new way of thinking about generating defense capabilities. It encourages allies to cooperate in developing, acquiring, and maintaining military capabilities. It means pooling and sharing capabilities, setting priorities, and coordinating efforts better. It involves member states not spending more but spending better; it is about specializing in what we do best and seeking multinational solutions to common problems. Smart Defense has economic dimensions that need to be clarified and assessed critically. We do not live in a world of "magic wand" economics, where declarations of intent miraculously lead to efficiency improvements in defense markets. Smart Defense cannot ignore the incentives and constraints that operate in defense markets at both the national and Alliance levels.

4310. How Do Social Media Affect Intra-State Conflicts other than War?

Author:
Thorsten Hochwald
Publication Date:
06-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
To look at social media in the context of conflict seems, at first glance, a stretch of the imagination. Before 2011, many would have argued that the Web 2.0 or social media was originally designed for business purposes and had little to do with conflict at all. However, following recent events, mainly in the Arab world, this view faces some serious challenges. Some would go so far as to claim that new media can be and actually have been "weaponized" in order to catalyze the transformation of existing authoritarian regimes in the Arab world. It has also been argued that social media was the single most important factor in bringing about the Arab Spring - leading to it being referred to as "Revolution 2.0." [1] Those who support the antithesis to this argument merely see social media as a set of new information exchange tools made available by the ever-advancing tide of technology. Whatever the truth may be, the events in the course of the Arab Spring, which swept the Region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since December 2010, took many by surprise. As these events are quite recent or still ongoing, factual data is fragmentary, and research on the connections between conflict and social media is incomplete at best. Although numerous books have been published, up-to-date information can be found mostly in think-tank research papers and articles on the Web. Much is still unresolved and in a state of change. Moreover, the nature of conflicts has changed after the end of the Cold War, from mainly inter-state to intra-state. Civil society's influence became a major and expanding factor within the conflict sphere. Last but not least, the nature and number of actors playing important roles in these struggles have also changed-not only in dimension but also in their scope of action.
Political Geography:
Middle East, Arabia, and North Africa