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1021. Coming Home? A Political Settlement in Syria Must Focus on Refugees

Author:
Maha Yahya and Jean Kassir
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Abstract:
A sustainable political settlement to end the multiple conflicts in Syria will not be possible without a real focus on the challenges of refugee returns. The complexities of the Syrian wars as well as previous international experiences with similar conflicts underscore that ensuring long-term peace requires a more focused attention on the challenges for effective repatriation of refugees and internally displaced persons, including significant security and protection guarantees. Without these, and irrespective of the eventual shape of a political solution, their return may be neither possible nor sustainable—with significant repercussions for peace in Syria, neighboring countries, and states beyond.
Topic:
War, International Security, and Refugee Crisis
Political Geography:
Syria

1022. Policy Report: Rule of Law and Peace and Order in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea

Author:
Catherine S. Panaguiton
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
The judgment award rendered in the Republic of the Philippines vs. The People’s Republic of China was a significant development to the disputes in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea. Conflicting opinions from littoral and affected states on the legal issues abound the institution of the case and the conduct in these areas as a whole have been raised and a decision has been rendered on these issues. Provisions in the UNCLOS that were made to be deliberately vague because States at the UN Conference negotiating UNCLOS could not agree on more precise language have been clarified. The judgment not only has implications in the lawyering and judicial sphere. It also carries practical implications that are to be considered in lawmaking and formulation of government policies. All these implications will be discussed in this paper.
Topic:
Peace Studies and Law
Political Geography:
South China and West Philippines

1023. Expanded ambitions, shrinking achievements: How China sees the global order

Author:
François Godement
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
European Council On Foreign Relations
Abstract:
Xi Jinping took a bold stance at this year's Davos summit, claiming that China could be the leader and protector of global free trade. However, he fell short of pronouncing the same commitment to the international order. • While China finds little to criticise in globalisation, which has fuelled its rapid economic rise, it has an uneasy relationship with the international order, picking and choosing what parts of it to engage with. • China's governance model at home is fundamentally at odds with the liberal international order. Whether in climate talks, international arbitrations, or on the topic of open markets, China resists any parts of the order that infringe on its sovereignty. • Facing an increasingly interest-driven China, and a US in retreat from the international order, the EU must stand by its values if it wants to protect them. Faced with Donald Trump, Xi has sent a clear message about his country's commitment to internationalism. The EU should hold China to its word on this.
Topic:
International Relations and International Political Economy
Political Geography:
China

1024. Peripheral Vision: How Europe can help preserve Tunisia’s fragile democracy

Author:
Hamza Meddeb
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
European Council On Foreign Relations
Abstract:
Six years since the revolution, the success of democracy in Tunisia depends on those parts of the country where the popular uprising began: its ‘periphery’, whose regions lag far behind the country’s economically more developed coast. Tunisia’s periphery regions suffer from weak economic growth and high levels of poverty and unemployment – a legacy of decades of underinvestment. Regional conflict, terrorism and organised crime have led the government to crack down on security threats in the periphery regions. This has disrupted the informal and illegal economic networks on which much of the population relies and caused it to lose faith in the government. Tunisia has enjoyed extensive support from international partners since 2011 – money is not the problem. Instead, the country must strengthen its regional governance and address fragmentation at the heart of government. Europeans can radically alter the terms of debate by offering Tunisia membership of the European Economic Area, galvanising change in support of its journey towards democracy and stability.
Topic:
International Relations
Political Geography:
Europe

1025. After ISIS: How to Win the Peace in Iraq and Libya

Author:
Hayder al-Khoei, Ellie Geranmayeh, and Mattia Toaldo
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
European Council On Foreign Relations
Abstract:
ISIS has suffered significant setbacks in both Iraq and Libya with the battles for Mosul and Sirte representing potential turning-points. • Without a clear political strategy to guide post- ISIS efforts, these military gains could quickly be lost. Both countries could again become breeding grounds for conflict and extremism, exacerbating European security and migration challenges. This risk is especially high for Iraq given the conflict in neighbouring Syria. • The new US administration is likely to invest less energy than its predecessors in strengthening political orders which provide stability. European states must step up their own efforts
Topic:
International Relations and International Security
Political Geography:
Middle East and Global Focus

1026. Rule of Law and Peace and Order in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea

Author:
Catherine S. Panaguiton
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
Chinese incursions in disputed waters in the SCS and WPS started from as early as the 1950s. However, they were scant and far in between. As decades passed, Chinese surveillance and incursions and the incidents between PRC, RP and Vietnam have increased in these areas. Rapid reclamation activities by PRC and the construction of installations on them (many of which are of a military nature)7, amidst protests by its neighbors (including the Philippines) and claimant states, have likewise increased the tensions.
Topic:
International Law and Peace Studies
Political Geography:
China and Philippines

1027. Closing the financing gap for African energy infrastructure: Trends, challenges, and opportunities

Author:
Amadou Sy and Amy Copley
Publication Date:
04-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Brookings Institution
Abstract:
Lack of energy access presents a formidable, but not insurmountable, challenge to African development. Energy poverty afflicts nearly 620 million people in Africa, limiting economic opportunities and creating health risks through the use of low-cost, alternative energy sources, such as wood fuel (IEA 2014). Without access to secure, reliable sources of electricity, households, businesses, schools, and hospitals cannot operate effectively, reducing quality of life and restricting human capital. As acknowledged in the global sustainable development agenda, addressing these energy needs is fundamental to achieving economic and human development objectives. African governments and their partners in the private sector and international development community have taken this to heart as can be seen by the growing policy attention and resources they are allocating to the continent’s energy sector.
Topic:
International Political Economy, Global Markets, and International Development
Political Geography:
Africa

1028. Why trade facilitation matters now more than ever

Author:
Antoni Estevadeordal
Publication Date:
04-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Brookings Institution
Abstract:
On February 22, 2017, the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) entered into force. The TFA was concluded at the WTO Bali Ministerial Conference in 2013. Since then, countries have been working on implementing the agreement in their domestic markets to reach the two-thirds requirement for implementation.[1] As of March 2017, 113 members (or 69 percent of WTO members) have ratified the agreement—including 19 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries—and another 93 countries have notified the WTO of their timeline for each TFA provision, giving a comprehensive picture of the state of the agreement.
Topic:
International Political Economy and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1029. Addressing the accelerating labor market dislocation from digitalization

Author:
Roger Burkhardt and Colin I. Bradford Jr.
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Brookings Institution
Abstract:
In this policy brief, we highlight the impact of the speed and the scale that digital innovation will have in disrupting labor markets in the future, which requires anticipating policy responses now. We advocate for the formation of new social partnerships between business, labor, governments, financial institutions, and social stakeholders to forge comprehensive policy responses to address the coming social impact of technological change. This brief was used at the VISION 20 Workshop held at the Brookings Institution on February 27, 2017 to help generate new “big picture” policy approaches for the German G-20 Summit in Hamburg in July. The workshop was sponsored by the University of British Columbia Institute for Asia Research, the Munk School at the University of Toronto, the Boell Foundation, and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung with the participation of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the German Development Institute.
Topic:
International Political Economy and International Development
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1030. Proposal to accelerate social mobility: Incentivizing greater private investment in the skill development of 21st century workers

Author:
Colin I. Bradford and Roger Burkhardt
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Brookings Institution
Abstract:
In this policy brief, we discuss the importance of accelerated private investment in skill development of labor as a means to increase the competitiveness of firms, to create value added by workers, and to boost wages and social mobility. This brief was used at the VISION 20 Workshop held at the Brookings Institution on February 27, 2017, to help generate new “big picture” policy approaches for the German G-20 Summit in Hamburg in July. The workshop was sponsored by the University of British Columbia Institute for Asia Research, the Munk School at the University of Toronto, the Boell Foundation, and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung with the participation of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the German Development Institute.
Topic:
International Trade and Finance, Social Movement, and International Development
Political Geography:
Global Focus