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982. EIU Oil Market Outlook
- Author:
- Caroline Bain
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- Global oil consumption grew by 3.4% in 2010, rebounding from a contraction of 1% in 2009. Consumption growth will slow in 2011-14 but remain relatively strong.
- Topic:
- Energy Policy, International Political Economy, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Oil
983. U.S. Trade and Investment Policy
- Author:
- Matthew J. Slaughter, Edward Alden, Andrew H. Card, and Thomas A. Daschle
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Abstract:
- The growth of global trade and investment has brought significant benefits to the United States and to the rest of the world. Freer trade and investment, facilitated by rules the United States led in negotiating and implementing, have alleviated poverty, raised average standards of living, and discouraged conflict.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, Labor Issues, and Financial Crisis
- Political Geography:
- United States
984. Decoupling Trade from Politics: The EU and Region-Building in the Andes
- Author:
- Miguel Haubrich Seco
- Publication Date:
- 07-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Istituto Affari Internazionali
- Abstract:
- In its external relations, the EU advances regional cooperation as a successful means of achieving peace and prosperity. In doing so, the EU promotes its own model as the most successful case of regional integration. A wide-reaching set of instruments, spanning from trade to political dialogue and aid, is used to promote regional cooperation and integration. Noneheless, regional organisations supported by the EU are far from accomplishing their set objectives. Using as a test case the Andean Community, the oldest Latin American regional organisation and a prominent case of EU support for regional integration, this paper examines the reasons behind the EU's lack of impact in promoting regional integration. Stemming from this analysis, the paper proposes a recalibration of EU policy by decoupling trade relations from political engagement and by increasing support for physical and visible integration as opposed to formal institutions detached from the perceived needs of the public.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Latin America
985. Striking a Balance Between Norms and Interests in Italian Foreign Policy: The Balkans and Libya
- Author:
- Valérie Vicky Miranda
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Istituto Affari Internazionali
- Abstract:
- To what extent is foreign policy driven by norms and/or by interests? Considering the main trends of Italian foreign policy after World War II and two case studies, the Balkans and Libya, this paper investigates the role played by norms and interests and the interconnection between the two in Italian foreign policy. In the Balkans, norms and interests have neatly dovetailed: supporting democratization and the rule of law has also meant furthering Italian security and economic interests in the region. By contrast, Libya was the theatre of an essentially interest-driven foreign policy. Nevertheless, the Italian government's response to the Libyan crisis between March and May 2011 has interestingly marked a rupture from the recent past.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, Economics, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- Bosnia, Libya, Kosovo, Balkans, North Africa, and Italy
986. Italy's Love Affair with the EU: Between Continuity and Change
- Author:
- Michele Comelli
- Publication Date:
- 04-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Istituto Affari Internazionali
- Abstract:
- Once a renowned Euro-enthusiastic country, Italy has experienced a decrease in public support for European integration. Many are the reasons, including the emergence of a less idealistic vision of the EU, a general disaffection vis-à-vis politics, particularly at the domestic level, and the increasingly more vocal Euroscepticism of some political forces within the centre-right ruling coalition. The current Berlusconi government does not show the same degree of interest for European integration as previous centrist and centre-left governments. This is not to say that Italy's love affair with Europe has come to a bitter end. Italians continue to trust European institutions significantly more than national ones and would like the EU to acquire more competences. In addition, the vocal anti-EU rhetoric of some political forces within the governing coalition, and especially the Northern League, is often not matched by deeds, largely because EU policy-making is generally used as a source of leverage to obtain concessions in other policy domains. Tellingly, the Treaty of Lisbon was speedily ratified by the Italian parliament by unanimous vote - something unthinkable in most EU countries.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Italy, and Lisbon
987. Partners in Preventive Action: The United States and International Institutions
- Author:
- Paul B. Stares and Micah Zenko
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Abstract:
- With the U.S. military overstretched after a decade of continuous combat operations and Washington facing acute fiscal pressures, the strategic logic of preventive action to reduce the number of foreign crises and conflicts that could embroil the United States in burdensome new commitments has never been more compelling.
- Topic:
- Globalization, International Organization, International Trade and Finance, Peace Studies, and United Nations
- Political Geography:
- United States, Europe, Washington, and Southeast Asia
988. Managing Instability on China's Periphery
- Author:
- Daniel Markey, Paul B. Stares, Evan A. Feigenbaum, Scott A. Snyder, John W. Vessey, and Joshua Kurlantzick
- Publication Date:
- 08-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Abstract:
- If past experience is any guide, the United States and China will find themselves embroiled in a serious crisis at some point in the future. Such crises have occurred with some regularity in recent years, and often with little or no warning. Relatively recent examples include the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1996, the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999, and the EP-3 reconnaissance plane incident in 2001, as well as several minor naval skirmishes since then. The ensuing tension has typically dissipated without major or lasting harm to U.S.-China relations. With China's rise as a global power, however, the next major crisis is likely to be freighted with greater significance for the relationship than in previous instances. Policymakers in both Washington and Beijing, not to mention their respective publics, have become more sensitive to each other's moves and intentions as the balance of power has shifted in recent years. As anxieties and uncertainties have grown, the level of mutual trust has inevitably diminished. How the two countries manage a future crisis or string of crises, therefore, could have profound and prolonged consequences for the U.S.-China relationship. Given the importance of this relationship to not only the future evolution of the Asia-Pacific region but also to the management of a host of international challenges, the stakes could not be higher.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Foreign Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, Diplomacy, and International Trade and Finance
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, Israel, and Asia
989. Human resources in China Prepare for opportunity
- Publication Date:
- 09-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Abstract:
- Foreign companies continue to be attracted by the opportunities offered by China's large and rapidly growing economy. China has a population of over 1.3bn, and the size of the economy is likely to grow to just under US$13trn a year at market exchange rates by 2015. Although GDP per head will still be relatively low by the end of the forecast period, at just under US$10,000 a year, this will represent a substantial improvement from just under US$4,500 in 2010. Significant regional disparities within China will persist. The provinces of the eastern seaboard enjoy standards of living well above the national average. However, there are also markets to be found in inland China, where many large cities are located. To some extent, the size of the population and the pace of economic growth belie the challenges of operating in China. Nationwide distribution networks will increasingly be put in place, but the Chinese market is likely still to be a fragmented one by 2015.
- Topic:
- Demographics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- China
990. Social Media in the Workplace
- Author:
- Rafiq Dossani
- Publication Date:
- 05-2011
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
- Abstract:
- Social media refers to the information and communication technology platforms designed for real-time social interaction, such as wikis, discussion forums and blogs. These platforms are available on public sites such as Facebook and private sites such as Jive and Yammer. Some sites are more specialized in their objectives than others, eg., Linked-In's objective is to enable professionals to create and share profiles and to enable HR professionals to interact with them, while Facebook's objective is to enable information creation and interaction for more general audiences. Hence, Facebook uses a large number of platforms, such as instant messaging, event planning and image-uploading. In general, more narrow objectives usually result in the use of fewer platforms: for instance, Twitter only contains a microblog platform and YouTube contains platforms for image sharing and comments, while enterprise social network Yammer contains wikis, discussion forums, blogs, text and multi-media content sharing and more.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Science and Technology