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1562. Addressing the Threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction: A moment of opportunity for the EU?
- Author:
- Ian Anthony
- Publication Date:
- 04-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- A free market that controlled the number and type of arms available to states and to non-state actors on the basis of their financial means and technological capacity would breed insecurity and stimulate un- necessary military spending. Rules are needed to regulate military capacities, but questions abound. What kinds of rules are needed? How should these rules be applied? As is the case with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), these rules could apply equally to all parties, and be universal and uniform in their application.
- Topic:
- Security, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Non State Actors
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Iraq, Europe, and Kuwait
1563. Turkey at the Crossroads on Iraq: A Test Case for US-Turkey Relations
- Author:
- Aysegul Sever
- Publication Date:
- 09-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- EastWest Institute
- Abstract:
- While the Iraqi crisis has served to help define America's position on the world's stage, especially pertaining to trans-Atlantic relations and the West-Islam axis, Turkey's position on Iraq will similarly have a lasting effect on that country's relations both with the West and with the Islamic world. The Turkish government's ambivalent stance towards the Iraqi crisis (first siding with the US position, then deciding to remain on the sidelines in accordance with a legislative decision based mainly on domestic concerns) seriously strained Turkish-American relations. This strain must be addressed, as it is now clear that neither side can take the decades-old, deep-seated ties for granted. As the Iraqi crisis proved, Turkey should not overestimate its strategic geographical location as a guarantee that will ensure America's continuing interest in Turkish concerns. On its part, the US should avoid the patronizing position that was evident in the run-up to the Iraq war. Especially, as the leading supporter of Turkey's fight against the PKK, America should be more attentive to its ally's special concerns and engage in consistent consultation with the Turkish government on Iraq while avoiding any “knee-jerk” reactions or unilateral acts. It is also important that Turkey's economic recovery program should continue to be backed by Washington. As a Middle Eastern country and a long time ally of the US, Turkey's views on the rebuilding of Iraq should be taken into account, especially while anti-Americanism in the area remains strong.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Security
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, Turkey, and Middle East
1564. Open Society Institute Calls for Vigilant Monitoring of Iraq Supplemental Spending
- Publication Date:
- 01-2003
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Open Society Foundations
- Abstract:
- The Iraq Supplemental bill President Bush signed October 17 goes far in addressing key concerns regarding transparency of U.S. governance in Iraq, but close scrutiny is required, says the Open Society Institute. Against a background of criticism over sole source contracts to Halliburton, allegations of price inflation by U.S. contractors, and the obstacles both Congress and outside observers have encountered in obtaining information about contracts for reconstruction, Congress demanded increased reporting on how U.S. funds to Iraq are spent.
- Topic:
- Governance, Budget, War on Terror, Fiscal Policy, Transparency, and Iraq War
- Political Geography:
- Iraq
1565. OSI Supports the Establishment of New Monitoring Board in Iraq; Calls for Vigilant Oversight
- Publication Date:
- 12-2003
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Open Society Foundations
- Abstract:
- Prospects for the independent oversight of how the Coalition Provisional Authority manages Iraqi oil revenues were improved Friday with the first meeting of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB), says Iraq Revenue Watch, a program of the Open Society Institute's Central Eurasia Project. The audit body, created in May under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483, consists of four members representing the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Arab Development Fund.
- Topic:
- Governance, World Bank, Transparency, Iraq War, and IMF
- Political Geography:
- Iraq
1566. Keeping Secrets: America and Iraq’s Public Finances
- Publication Date:
- 10-2003
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Open Society Foundations
- Abstract:
- Keeping Secrets, a report from the Open Society Iraq Revenue Watch project, concludes that Iraq’s public finances have so far fallen short of international standards of accountability. The report was released on the eve of an international donors’ conference for Iraq in Madrid, scheduled for October 23–24. It calls for greater transparency in the management of the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), the central repository for U.S. reconstruction assistance as well as Iraqi oil and gas revenues. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA)—the U.S.-established governing agency in Iraq—has delayed the establishment of a crucial oversight body and refused to disclose basic information about large purchase contracts and DFI expenditures, the report says. Keeping Secrets calls on the CPA to reverse these trends and offers a set of recommendations, including increased Iraqi involvement in the DFI, more substantial oversight authority for the United Nations’ International Advisory and Monitoring Board, and better public access to information.
- Topic:
- Finance, Accountability, Public Sector, Fiscal Policy, Transparency, and Public Spending
- Political Geography:
- United States and Iraq
1567. Iraq’s Reconstruction Contracts: Telecommunications
- Publication Date:
- 09-2003
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Open Society Foundations
- Abstract:
- In late July 2003, Iraq’s Coalition Provisional Authority announced a tender to provide wireless telecommunications services for two years to Iraq. Expanding telephone access is a critical step toward improving Iraqis’ lives. Telecommunications contracts also provide lucrative opportunities for providers. If the United States is to succeed in its goal of building a capable and transparent public administration in Iraq, it is important that Iraqis are included in the contracting process and that the terms of the tender are not designed to preference U.S. companies. This report from the Iraq Revenue Watch project of the Open Society Central Eurasia Project describes some concerns with the mobile phone tender, and provides recommendations on how to improve the transparency and inclusiveness of subsequent tenders.
- Topic:
- Communications, Iraq War, and Revenue Management
- Political Geography:
- Iraq
1568. From Yugoslavia to Iraq: Russia's Foreign Policy and the Effects of Multipolarity
- Author:
- Vadim Kononenko
- Publication Date:
- 06-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)
- Abstract:
- The aim of this study is to analyze the evolution and political implications of Russia's doctrine of multipolarity. Multipolarity emerged as one of the earliest doctrinal solutions to the post-Soviet Russian foreign policy dilemma, and has remained essential for Russia's strategic behavior since the early 1990s. The multipolarity doctrine describes the post-Cold War world and Russia's place in it. As I argue in this study, Russian “multipolarity” – (the idea of the multipolar world; the vision of Russia as one of its 'poles'; and the understanding of the principles of international politics in the strict terms of realpolitik) is not an ideological resource for Russia's foreign policy but rather, a result of learning how to secure the country' s international status given the scarcity of foreign policy resources available, and the drastic change in the international institutional position of Russia. To sum up the central argument of this study: the multipolarity of Russian foreign policy – both a doctrinal strategy and foreign policy practice – has evolved as a template-like foreign policy approach to solve Russia's strategic dilemma since the demise of the Soviet Union: how to secure its place in the new international structure and compensate for the loss of the international arrangements that disappeared with Soviet might and the bipolar international system as a whole.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and Diplomacy
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, Russia, Iraq, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Soviet Union, and Balkans
1569. The emperor has some clothes on: fairy tales, scary tales and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Author:
- Toby Archer
- Publication Date:
- 07-2003
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)
- Abstract:
- The debate on the invasion of Iraq revolved around so-called “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (WMD). Thousands of lives were lost, hundreds of billions of dollars spent, alliances fractured, and international relations thrown into turmoil. The debates raged over whether WMD were there or not; whether the UN inspectors should have more time to find them or not; whether Iraq having or seeking WMD justified invasion or not, amongst other issues. There were a myriad of differing positions on the value of the war, but the idea that WMD are a distinct and special class of weapons has remained essentially uncontested.
- Topic:
- Politics, United Nations, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and Middle East
1570. American Francophobia Takes a New Turn
- Author:
- Justin Vaïsse
- Publication Date:
- 06-2003
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- French Politics, Culture Society
- Institution:
- Conference Group on French Politics Society
- Abstract:
- Francophobia, a set of stereotypes, insults, and ready-made judgments designed to prove one's patriotism and score political points, is based primarily in diplomatic and conservative circles. The war in Iraq was a moment of special mobilization of Francophobia by the administration and a large share of the media, and may prove to have been a crystallizing moment for the discourse.
- Topic:
- War
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and America