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921. Ukraine Legislates Extractives Sector Transparency and Accountability

Author:
Natural Resource Governance Institute
Publication Date:
09-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Natural Resource Governance Institute
Abstract:
In September 2018, Ukraine passed milestone legislation setting out principles for the collection, disclosure and dissemination of extractive industry data. The law mandates project-level payments and beneficial ownership data disclosure. It also mandates the release of “material” elements of extractive industry-related contracts. The law was bolstered by a government-approved reform action plan, incorporating measures proposed by a Ukrainian civil society organization with NRGI support. DiXi Group contributed to data on Ukraine in the Resource Governance Index, and the organization’s experience informed an important public debate in the parliament’s energy committee. This is the beginning of an era of transparency and accountability in Ukraine. NRGI will continue to provide assistance so that the laws and roadmap are implemented.
Topic:
International Affairs and Natural Resources
Political Geography:
Ukraine

922. Civil Society Playing Key Role in Extractive Sector Reform in OnceAutocratic Tunisia

Author:
Natural Resource Governance Institute
Publication Date:
04-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Natural Resource Governance Institute
Abstract:
A central challenge of Tunisia’s transition out of dictatorship has been finding a way to implement democratic reforms in a country where citizens place little trust in the volatile, post-authoritarian institutions. One pre-requisite for trust is dialogue; if civil society actors don’t have a forum for exchange with the government, they can’t be heard, and trust remains elusive. Social tensions (sometimes manifesting as protests) are high in Tunisia, and the government’s responses have been mostly ineffective.
Topic:
International Affairs and Natural Resources
Political Geography:
Tunisia

923. Discussion of Guyana’s Green Paper

Author:
Andrew Bauer, David Mihalyi, and Fernando Patzy
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Natural Resource Governance Institute
Abstract:
Guyana is on the verge of becoming an oil-rich country. In absolute terms, Guyana’s petroleum wealth is modest, representing approximately 0.2 percent of global reserves, which places the country 26th globally. However, it possesses the world’s seventh-largest oil reserves per capita, second-largest in Latin America behind Venezuela. If revenue estimates from the Liza field prove to be accurate, Guyana could become one of the world’s largest per capita oil producers over the course of several years in the mid-2020s. According to independent projections, fiscal revenues from the petroleum sector could range between USD 7 and 27 billion over the next 30 years. Between 2025 and 2028, revenues could peak at between USD 800 million and 2.5 billion in a given year, at least doubling Guyana’s national budget in some years. That said, delays on these types of megaprojects are common and some revenue estimates may be optimistic.
Topic:
Natural Resources
Political Geography:
Global Focus

924. Addressing China's Coercion in the Taiwan Strait

Author:
Ted Yoho
Publication Date:
02-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Project 2049 Institute
Abstract:
The Project 2049 Institute is pleased to announce the publication of remarks made by Congressman Ted Yoho [R-FL] at our event, “Addressing China’s Coercive Air Power in the Taiwan Strait.” Congressman Yoho, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Asia and the Pacific, asserts his commitment to protecting the interests of Taiwan despite the recent growing aggressive actions and coercive language of Beijing, directed under General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. In addition, Congressman Yoho addressed the fact that China’s declaration of the new M503 flight path is just one part of their larger strategic plan to quell Taiwan, which motivates him to continue to push the U.S. administration and Congress to prioritize Taiwan and to work to meet the mounting challenges with which China presents us.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

925. The US Withdrawal from Syria: Causes, Contexts and Consequences

Author:
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Abstract:
Trump’s decision leaves the Kurdish nationalists of the KDP defenceless and, with their patron gone, will likely cause splits among Arab forces allied with Kurdish militiamen. Regionally, it sends a message to US allies in the Gulf about the Trump’s commitment to the Iran-containment strategy.
Topic:
International Security and International Affairs
Political Geography:
America and Syria

926. The Internationalisation of the Khashoggi Case: Prospects and Possibilities

Author:
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Abstract:
So far, Turkey has been successful in its pursuit of internationalising the Khashoggi case and playing its cards strategically to keep the attention of international media and appeal to the morality of peoples and governments while also avoiding a direct clash with Saudi Arabia.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Turkey

927. The Khashoggi assassination remains in the spotlight

Author:
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Al Jazeera Center for Studies
Abstract:
Saudi Arabia is working overtime at damage control, seeking to put the assassination to rest. Despite these efforts, the crisis persists as the biggest that has ever faced the kingdom. The killing has seriously eroded KSA’s moral standing and has already had tangible political costs.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Saudi Arabia

928. Permanent Deterrence: Enhancements to the US Military Presence in North Central Europe

Author:
Philip Breedlove
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Atlantic Council
Abstract:
In September 2018, the Atlantic Council established a Task Force on US Force Posture in Europe to assess the adequacy of current US deployments, with a focus on North Central Europe. The Task Force is co-chaired by General Philip Breedlove, former supreme allied commander Europe, and Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, former NATO deputy secretary general. A full report will be completed in January 2019. This paper is a summary of the task force’s conclusions and recommendations.
Topic:
International Organization, International Political Economy, and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

929. Global Magnitsky Sanctions: Raising the Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Bar

Author:
Samantha Sultoon
Publication Date:
12-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Atlantic Council
Abstract:
Economic sanctions have become a policy tool-of-choice for the US government. Yet sanctions and their potential pitfalls are often misunderstood. The Economic Sanctions Initiative (ESI) seeks to build a better understanding of the role sanctions can and cannot play in advancing policy objectives and of the impact of sanctions on the private sector, which bears many of the implementation costs.
Topic:
Human Rights, International Political Economy, and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

930. Cooperation and Competition: Russia and China in Central Asia, the Russian Far East, and the Arctic

Author:
Paul Stronski
Publication Date:
03-2018
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Abstract:
Since the collapse of Russia’s relationship with the West over Ukraine, the Sino-Russian strategic partnership has become more of a reality. Russia and China share a common desire to challenge principles of the Western-dominated international system. But their relationship is complex, with lingering mistrust on both sides. The balance of competition and cooperation is most evident in Central Asia, the Russian Far East, and the Arctic. Engagement in these theaters has tested Russia’s and China’s abilities to manage their differences and translate the rhetoric of partnership into tangible gains
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus