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43851. Corporate Welfare in the Federal Budget

Author:
Tad DeHaven
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Cato Institute
Abstract:
Rising federal spending and huge deficits are pushing the nation toward a financial and economic crisis. Policymakers should find and eliminate wasteful, damaging, and unneeded programs in the federal budget. One good way to save money would be to cut subsidies to businesses. Corporate welfare in the federal budget costs taxpayers almost $100 billion a year.
Topic:
Economics, Markets, Monetary Policy, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
United States

43852. Meeting the Cyber Security Challenge

Author:
Gustav Lindstrom
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Abstract:
While most policymakers agree that there are substantial risks in cyber space, there is disagreement on whether or not it poses a threat to national security. The divergence in opinions is most obvious when references are made to terms such as cyber war and cyber warfare. In spite of these differences, there are many reasons why policymakers should care about developments in cyber space. With society's growing reliance on cyber space, a disruption can have wide ranging implications and cascading effects.
Topic:
Security, Defense Policy, Crime, and Science and Technology

43853. Business and Human Rights: Proposals from the Research Group on Private International Law and Human Rights

Author:
Nicolás Zambrana Tévar
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre on Human Rights in Conflict
Abstract:
By means of Resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011, the UN Human Rights Council has created a Working Group with the mission of implementing the UN “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework and its Guiding Principles. As part of its activities, the Working Group asked for input from stakeholders and convened a meeting with them, which took place in Geneva on 20 January 2012.
Topic:
Economics, Human Rights, Human Welfare, International Trade and Finance, and Markets
Political Geography:
Geneva and United Nations

43854. Egypt: The Marriage of Islamism and the System

Author:
Dr. Cengi Günay
Publication Date:
05-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
Abstract:
The “January 25 Revolution” was not a classic revolution. President Mubarak's fall did not entail the overthrow of the regime, neither alter the elites or destroy their institutions, nor reverse the social situation. Although power structures and economic patterns were not removed, Mubarak's fall set an end to exclusive authoritarian despotism and initiated a process of power sharing; a so called passive revolution characterised by the absorption of the “enemies' elites” into the system. From this perspective, legalisation has been only a further step in the Islamists' long and rocky road of integration through moderation. Initially based on tactical considerations, shifts in methods and behaviour usually also evoke a shift in emphasis from ideological conceptions to political pragmatism. The absorption of the Islamist elites supported a process of embourgeoisement and de-­â€ ideologization. This did not entail a departure from Islamic tenets, but rather from ideological conceptions which seemed more and more unrealistic in a globalized world. The integration of de-­â€radicalised and moderated socially conservative Islamist groups with market economy and parliamentary democracy promises not only the prevention of political and economic turmoil, but also guarantees the reinforcement of the existing patterns of domination.
Topic:
Democratization, Islam, and Regime Change
Political Geography:
Africa and Arabia

43855. Turkey's Standing in Gas Pipeline Games

Author:
Olgu Okumus
Publication Date:
03-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
Abstract:
Since September 2011, the Eurasian gas market has been facing shocking bi-monthly announcements: on September 23, British Petroleum (BP) announced the South East Europe Pipeline (SEEP); on December 26, Turkish and Azeri authorities announced their joint agreement for the Trans-­Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP); and on February 26, the Shah Deniz II Consortium announced it was undertaking exclusive negotiations with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The shock wave intensified when the Turkish Energy Minister hinted that a new agreement allowing Russia to build its own South Stream pipeline under the Black Sea using Turkish territorial waters was in the works. Now the ultimate question of the Eurasian energy market is: “Which of these projects will be built?” This Policy Brief seeks to answer this question by analyzing Turkey's standing in Eurasian energy diplomacy in the perspective of energy transit projects competing for building the Southern Energy Corridor of gas transit from the Caspian zone to Europe. First, I present a short review of Turkish strategy in Eurasian energy diplomacy. Secondly, I detail the driving forces behind Turkish energy policy. I then conclude with some remarks about different scenarios of Turkish energy policy in the framework of the Southern Energy Corridor.
Topic:
Security, Diplomacy, Energy Policy, Markets, and Natural Resources
Political Geography:
Europe and Turkey

43856. Prospects for Global Growth in 2012

Author:
Onur Bayramoğlu
Publication Date:
03-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
Abstract:
The current concern among many is that what we are faced today is not a usual crisis that is part of the economic cycle, but an era of great stagnation with low growth and high unemployment, not witnessed since the Great Depression of the 1930's. One wonders which country will drive global growth while major actors such as the European Union are now financial casinos, the United States is continuously losing its dynamism, Japan is struggling under demographical problems, and the emerging markets are still too small and volatile. Once again, policy makers acknowledge that the problems of growth are global and systematic; such that if one faces an issue, all of them get contaminated. However, they still seek for solutions in mercantilist national policies.
Topic:
Economics, Globalization, International Trade and Finance, Markets, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
United States and Europe

43857. Lessons from a Divided Society: How to Deal with Party Factionalism

Author:
Alexandra Ionascu
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Romanian Journal of Political Science
Institution:
Romanian Academic Society
Abstract:
Despite the fact that party dissolutions and degenerative forms of factionalism, no major splits or internal divides shaded the image of the main ethnic based party: the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR). Similarly to other post communist countries, the minority representation in Romania constitutes an electoral success story. In a general framework of fragmentation and organisational instability, the DAHR's political performance and continuity were doubled by an exceptional organisational strength. Although the ethnic based parties do tend to manifest higher levels of external cohesion as a result of their single-issue nature, their organisational continuity constitutes rather a cas a part which deserves further investigation. Consequently, the following article focuses on highlighting the mechanisms conducive to the accommodation of different factions considering that the anatomy of such internal arrangements constitutes an important resource for the understanding of party organisational survival. The analysis will show that even if DAHR seems to describe a mixture of party types, with important elements of party centralisation and party discontent among elites and delegates, the internal party regulations, notably the party primary system, balanced the power struggles within the organisation, resulting thus in a general model of auto proclaimed party democracy.

43858. CONTENTS

Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
No abstract is available.

43859. The Study of Terrorism 10 Years After 9/11: Successes, Issues, Challenges

Author:
Richard Jackson
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
This article surveys the field of terrorism studies since 9/11 and attempts to assess some of its main successes, perennial issues and future challenges. It suggests that terrorism studies has grown and matured in the decade since the attacks, in part through its rising popularity and institutionalization in new university teaching programs, a growing number of think tanks and research institutes, and scholarly activity in new networks and journals. While some of its successes include new dedicated scholars and researchers, improving standards of scholarship, and diversification of research and methodological approaches (including the rise of critical terrorism studies), a number of perennial issues continue to haunt the field. These include, among others: tendencies towards decontextualisation, de-historicisation and knowledge subjugation within the field; skewed research priorities; normative-political issues surrounding policy engagement and problem-solving; the lack of reflexivity and engagement with critical terrorism studies and other critical movements; and the low entry barriers to terrorism expertise and the rise of pseudo-experts. The article concludes with a discussion of some of the main challenges facing the field, such as avoiding a bifurcation into critical and orthodox intellectual ghettos, bridging the trans-Atlantic divide between scholars, negotiating the complex legal environment posed by domestic counter-terrorism legislation, developing standards and safeguards for primary research and integrating the relevant knowledge of cognate fields such as peace studies into the research and teaching of terrorism studies. Overall, the article concludes that it is an opportune time to be involved in terrorism studies and there reasons for being cautiously optimistic about the next decade of terrorism research.

43860. 'Old' vs. 'New' Terrorism: What's in a Name?

Author:
Andreas Gofas
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
The question of “old” versus “new” terrorism has been debated vigorously. Proponents of “new terrorism” point to a radical transformation in the character of terrorism, while skeptics point out that today's terrorism is not a fundamentally or qualitatively new phenomenon but grounded in an evolving historical context. In this paper I take stoke of the debate by means of juxtaposing ideal types of “traditional” and “new” terrorism along the axis of five distinguishing variables: organizational structure; operational range; motives; tactics; and attitude towards the Westphalian system. The analysis reveals several similarities, instead of rigid distinctions, that point in favour of evolution rather the revolution of terrorist activity. Article, thus, question both the analytical value and empirical veracity of “new terrorism”.

43861. Defining the "New Terrorism": Reconstruction of the Enemy in the Global Risk Society

Author:
Münevver cebeci
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Employing the conceptual frameworks provided by Ulrich Beck and Carl Schmitt; this article argues that the reconstruction of the enemy in the global risk society reflects a reincarnation of a “crude” form of “the political”. As the powerful –the US– determines our knowledge on global terrorism, the global risk society itself becomes political, through the reconstruction of the enemy as inhuman and, thus, right-less: an enemy who should be captured and punished severely. This also refers to a deconstruction of the classical conception of war and its reconstruction as a special kind of war which involves the use and legitimization of measures that violate all rules of war, international law and human rights. This article concludes that attempts to define the “new terrorism” on positivist lines risk contributing to such reconstruction of the enemy and war, and, therefore, critical and poststructuralist approaches might offer more insight into understanding the post-9/11 world.

43862. The Only Thing We Have to Fear: Post 9/11 Institutionalization of In-security

Author:
Mitat Çelikpala and Duygu Öztürk
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
During the last decade, billions of dollars have been spent to increase security measures in the United States. New institutions, including a department for homeland security, have been established, new security tools have been developed, and surveillance of Americans has been increased. However, despite the creation of 'safety zones,' neither the level of the Americans' feeling of security from further terrorist attacks, nor their confidence in the ability of US governments to prevent attacks, has seen an increase. According to Beck, who introduced the concepts of 'world risk society' and 'reflexive modernity', terrorism is one of the products of reflexive modernity which cannot be addressed by traditional security measures. Within this framework, this paper analyzes the case of the Americans since 9/11 attacks. In this vein, it is argued that the gap which has arisen as a result of addressing non-territory and non-state-based terrorism through state-based security measures has caused a continuation of a high level of insecurity, fear, and anxiety among the Americans. Public opinion surveys conducted in the United States since the 9/11 attacks by various institutions are used to analyze Americans' thoughts about security and the terror risk in the United States.
Political Geography:
United States

43863. 'War on Terror' and Hegemony: International Law-Making Regarding Terrorism After 9/11

Author:
Müge Kınacıoğ
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
The focus of analysis in this article is the process of hegemonic law-making regarding terrorism utilizing unilateral power and the collective legitimization function of the UN. In order to explore how hegemony influences the development of international legal norms concerning the use of force and terrorism, the article examines the ways in which the United States as a prevailing actor in the international system has sought to translate its political power to develop a new norm of preemption and to impose international legal obligations on states with regards to the suppression of terrorism through the United Nations Security Council's Chapter VII resolutions after September 11 terrorist attacks.

43864. Is Terrorism Still a Democratic Phenomenon?

Author:
Erica Chenoweth
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
In recent years, multiple studies have confirmed that terrorism occurs in democracies more often than in nondemocratic regimes. There are five primary groups of explanations for this phenomenon, including the openness of democratic systems, organizational pressures resulting from democratic competition, the problem of underreporting in authoritarian regimes, gridlock resulting from multiparty institutions, and the coercive effectiveness of terrorism against democracies. Most of these studies, however, examine the relationship only through 1997. In this article, I explore whether terrorism has continued to occur more in democratic countries through 2010. I find that while terrorism is still prevalent in democracies, it has increased in “anocracies,” countries that policymakers would often describe as “weak” or “failed” states. I offer a potential reason for this increase: the American-led occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. I conclude by offering some insights into how the rise of terrorism in anocracies affects the typical explanations for terrorism and democracy, and I suggest a few ways to improve on our current understanding.
Political Geography:
Afghanistan, Iraq, and America

43865. Democracy as Counter-Terrorism in the Middle East: A Red Herring?

Author:
Katerina dalacoura
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
The shock of the 9/11 attacks had complex and profound effects on US policy in the Middle East. One result was the decision of George W. Bush's administration to place the discourse of democracy promotion at centre stage in its policy towards the region. This decision was based on the notion that the spread of democracy would serve as antidote to the emergence of Islamist terrorism and enhance Western security. This paper challenges the assumption that the causes of Islamist terrorism can be solely or primarily reduced to the political factors of exclusion and repression. The paper then argues that, if authoritarianism is not the cause of Islamist terrorism, we must look elsewhere for an explanation. Economic and social causes are not the main issue at play here either. Far from seeing them as irrational actors driven by religious or millenarian motives, Islamist terrorists – similarly to most other terrorist organisations, with some exceptions - are rational and calculating in their choice of tactics. Promoting democracy as an antidote to terrorism must be replaced by alternative policies. If we accept that Islamist movements adopt terrorist tactics for instrumental or strategic reasons, effective counter-terrorism will start from the understanding that Islamist terrorists are rational actors, who will always make cost-benefit analyses with regards to the use of terrorist tactics.
Political Geography:
United States and Middle East

43866. Review: Terror in Our Times by Ken Booth and Tim Dunnek

Author:
Çiğdem H. Benam
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Soğuk Savaş'ın sona ermesinden sonra, uluslararası sistemde yeni dönemi neyin şekillendireceğinin bilinemediği geçiş sürecini sonlandıran 11 Eylül 2001 saldırılarının üzerinden on yıl geçti. 11 Eylül saldırıları ile başlayan dönemin ve aradan geçen on yılın bir muhasebesini yapmak amacıyla Eleştirel Güvenlik Çalışmaları'nın önemli isimlerinden Ken Booth ve İngiliz Okulu temsilcilerinden Tim Dunn bir araya gelmiş. İki yazarın kuramsal yaklaşımlarının ustalıkla harmanlandığı Terror in Our Times (Çağımızda Terör) başlıklı çalışma, bugünün gittikçe karamsar bir görüntü arz eden ulusal güvenlik ve korumacılık odaklı uygulamalarını bir çerçeveye oturtuyor. Terör, tehdit, güvenlik ve dünya düzeni kavramlarını sorgulayarak, özellikle yaşanan süreçte gittikçe daha fazla ihtiyaç duyulan eleştirel ve alternatif bakış açılarını tartışıyor.
Topic:
Terrorism
Political Geography:
Global Focus

43867. Fahri TÜRK, Alman Silah Sanayii'nin 1871 - 1914 Arasında Türkiye'yle Ticari İlişkileri, Krupp Firması, Mauser Silah Fabrikası ve Alman Silah ve Mühimmat Fabrikaları

Author:
Birgül Demirtaş
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Alman halkının arka arkaya yaşanan savaşların ardından 1871'de, siyasi tarihçilerin deyimiyle “geç birleşme”yi gerçekleştirmesi, Viyana Kongresi'yle kurulan Avrupa Uyumu sisteminde büyük bir sarsıntıya yol açtı. Avrupa'nın yarım yüzyılı aşan güç dengesi sistemi tarihe karışırken, kıtanın kalbinde nüfus ve coğrafik alan bakımından en büyük, daha da önemlisi ekonomik ve askeri açıdan devasa güce sahip yeni bir imparatorluk doğmaktaydı. Aynı dönemde Osmanlı İmparatorluğu yöneticileri de, 600 yıllık imparatorluğun toprak kaybının önüne geçmeye ve zayıflamasını durdurmaya çalışıyordu. Avrupa'nın ortasında yeni yükselen bir imparatorlukla artık giderek zayıflayan, hatta çöküş sürecine giren bir diğeri arasında ne gibi bir bağlantı olabilirdi?

43868. CONTENTS

Author:
Akademik Dergi
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Uluslararsı İlişkiler Dergisi'nin elinizdeki 33. sayısıyla yeni bir cilde daha başlamış oluyoruz. Bu dokuzuncu cilt bizde 10 yıla doğru giderken yeni bir heyacan duygusunun doğmasına neden oluyor. Bu cilt tamamlandığında Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi 10. yaşına girmiş olacak. Vesileyle başta yazarlar ve hakemler olmak uzere, Dergi'nin bugune ulaşmasına katkı sağlayan siz okurlarımıza yeniden teşekkur ediyoruz.

43869. Ekonomik Bütünleşme/Siyasal Parçalanmışlık Paradoksu: Avro Krizi ve Avrupa Birliği'nin Geleceği

Author:
Ziya Öniş and Mustafa Kutlay
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
The Euro-zone project has been struggling for survival since it was hit hard by the global financial crisis in 2008. When the crisis first erupted, the member countries immediately plunged into a vicious cycle of 'blame-game' by trying to transfer the burden on the shoulders of other members. In this article, we argue that the structural problems pertaining to the very architecture of the Euro-zone rather than the individual policy choices of member states were at the heart of the deep crisis that the European Union is currently confronted with. Our central argument, therefore is that the 'economic integration/political fragmentation' paradox constitutes a central underlying element of the Euro-zone crisis. We claim that the future of the Euro-zone and thereby the European Union will mainly be shaped by the response of the European leaders to the economic integration/political fragmentation paradox. The mostlikely response of the EU to this paradox will be a La Carte Europe, which foresees different integration level among EU member countries. Finally, the type of European leaders' response to the paradox in question will closely affect the future of Turkey-EU relations. The emergence of a more flexible Europe may open up new avenues for Turkey-EU relations.
Political Geography:
Europe

43870. Birleşmiş Milletler Palmer (Mavi Marmara) Raporu ve Uluslararası Hukuk

Author:
Yusuf Aksar
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
31 Mayıs 2010 tarihinde, İsrail askerlerinin Mavi Marmara başta olmak uzere, Filistin'in Gazze topraklarına insani yardım goturmeyi ve Gazze'ye uygulanan ablukaya dunya kamuoyunun dikkatini cekmeyi hedefl eyen konvoya acık denizde gercekleştirdikleri saldırı ve neticesinde sivil insanların oldurulmesi ve yaralanması olayı uluslararası toplumu derinden etkilemiştir. Olayın her yonunun incelenmesi duşuncesiyle, Birleşmiş Milletler İnsan Hakları Konseyi bir Araştırma Komisyonu (fact-fi nding mission) kurarken, Birleşmiş Milletler Genel Sekreteri de ayrı bir Soruşturma Komisyonu (Panel of Inquiry) oluşturmuştur. Palmer Raporu olarak da bilinen Mavi Marmara olayına ilişkin eski Yeni Zelanda Başbakanı Geoff rey Palmer başkanlığında oluşturulan Birleşmiş Milletler Soruşturma Komisyonu tarafından hazırlanan rapor, Temmuz 2011'de kamuoyuna acıklanmıştır. Raporun en carpıcı bulgusu 4. sayfasında olup şu şekildedir; “deniz ablukası Gazze'den silah girişini onlemek icin konulan bir hukuki guvenlik onlemidir ve uygulanması uluslararası hukuk kurallarına uygundur. Ozellikle, Raporda, İsrail'in Gazze'ye uyguladığı deniz ablukasının ve İsrail askerlerinin yardım konvoyuna mudahalesinin, meşru mudafaa kapsamında uluslararası hukuka uygun olduğu sonucuna varılmış olması, uluslararası alanda buyuk tartışmalara sebep olmuştur. Bu calışmanın amacı, Raporun ulaştığı sonucların, uluslararası hukukta kuvvet kullanma, meşru mudafaa, deniz hukuku (ozellikle deniz ablukası) ve devletin sorumluluğuna yonelik kurallar ile ne kadar uyum icerisinde olduğunu tartışmaktır. Bu sebeple, ilk olarak olayın gelişimi ve Birleşmiş Milletlerin tepkisi kısaca ele alınacak, sonra, İsrail'in uyguladığı deniz ablukası ve hukuka uygunluğu tartışılacaktır. Calışma, tarafl ar arasındaki krize muhtemel cozum onerileri ile sonuclandırılacaktır.
Political Geography:
Israel and New Zealand

43871. Avrupa'daki Radikal Sağ Partiler ve Balkanlı Kuzenleri: Çanlar Türkiye İçin Çalıyor

Author:
Nazif Mandaci
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Avrupa'daki radikal sağ Balkanlı ortaklarına memnuniyetle kucak acmış gorunmektedir. Her ne kadar farklı coğrafyalarda, farklı etmenlerin etkisinde doğmuşlarsa da Avrupalı radikal sağ ailesi yeni uyelerin katılımıyla sesini daha gur cıkarmaya hazırlanmaktadır. Ote yandan hem Avrupa'da hem de bu bolgede radikal sağ hareketlerin yukselmesi Turkiye'nin Avrupa'ya dair dış politika hedefl eri acısından bazı sorunlar yaratacak gibidir. Bu calışma, bir bakıma tam uyelik muzakerelerini başarıyla sona erdirmesinin ardından, uyeliği artık AB uyesi ulkelerin referandumlarının sonuclarına ve Avrupa Parlamentosunun kararına kalmış bir Turkiye'ye Avrupa'daki radikal sağ hareketlerin ne tur engeller cıkarabileceğine dair bir fi kir vermeyi amaclamaktadır.
Political Geography:
Europe and Turkey

43872. Levant'ta Büyük Oyun: Doğu Akdeniz'in EnerjiJeopolitiği

Author:
Volkan Ş. Ediger, Balkan Devlen, and Deniz Bingöl Mcdonald
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Levant Bolgesi'ndeki ticaret sisteminden başlayarak bolgenin hidrokarbon jeopolitiğine geciş surecine kadar uzanan tarihsel gelişimin uzun erimli (longue duree) bakış acısıyla incelendiği bu calışmada, bolgenin gunumuzdeki durumu, petrol ve doğal gazın arama, uretim ve ihracı konusunda ozellikle 2000'li yıllardan bu yana yaşanan gelişmelerle değerlendirilmiştir. Bolgenin hidrokarbon jeopolitiğindeki catışma ve iş birliğinin sabit ve değişen boyutlarına, uluslararası ilişkilerin guc politikaları ve gucler dengesi gibi kavramları cercevesinde ozel bir yer verilmiştir. Bu calışma sonunda test edilerek doğrulanan iki temel hipotezden bir tanesi, zaman icinde ticaretten enerjiye evrimleşen Levant jeopolitiğinin, kuresel başat guc ve uluslararası devletler sistemindeki guc dengeleri icin onemini uzun tarihi boyunca koruduğudur. Buna bağlı olarak geliştirilen ikinci hipotez de, Levant jeopolitiğinin kontrolunun başat gucun elinde olduğu zamanlarda bolgesel ve kuresel captaki barış ve istikrarın arttığıdır. Guc dengelerindeki kaymalardan oturu Levant'taki jeopolitik kontrol tek bir gucun elinden cıkmaya başladığı zamanlarda catışmalar artmakta, iş birlikleri azalmaktadır. Doğu Akdeniz'in enerji konusunda gunumuzde karşı karşıya kaldığı tehdit ve fırsatların incelenmesinin ardından bolgedeki catışma ve iş birliği olanakları konusunda cıkarımlar yapılarak, bolgesel aktorlerin temel stratejileri değerlendirilmiştir. Levant'ta one cıkan yeni enerji jeopolitiğinin bolgenin onemli bir gucu olan Turkiye icin oluşturacağı tehdit ve fırsatlar tartışılmıştır.
Political Geography:
Turkey

43873. Çin'in Değişen Enerji Stratejisinin Dış Politikasına Etkileri (1990-2010)

Author:
R. Kutay Karaca
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Deng'in iktidara gelişiyle planlanan ve 1990'ların başında meyvesini vermeye başlayan ekonomik program, 1995 yılından itibaren enerji ithalatına ihtiyac duymaya başlamıştır. Bu ithalat surekli artış gostermiş ve 2009 yılında bağımlılık guvenlik sınırını aşmıştır. Dunyadaki digger guclerin aksine Cin icin enerjiyi sorunsuz elde etme yalnızca ekonomik gelişimin devamı anlamına gelmemektedir. Ekonomik gelişimin devamı halkın refahının artmasını, ordunun hızlı modernizasyonunu ve en onemlisi rejimin devamını sağlayacaktır. Bu durum Cin dış politikasını doğrudan etkilemeye başlamıştır. Cin enerji kaynaklarına sahip ulkeleri oncelikli ilişki kuracak ulkeler olarak gormektedir. Bu ulkelerin coğunun az gelişmiş ya da gelişmekte olan Orta Doğu ve Afrika ulkeleri olması da Cin'in ilişki kurmasını kolaylaştırmaktadır.
Topic:
Security and Foreign Policy
Political Geography:
Africa and China

43874. Bülent ARAS, Şule TOKTAŞ ve Ümit KURT, Araştırma Merkezlerinin Yükselişi, Türkiye'de Dış Politika ve Ulusal Güvenlik Kültürü

Author:
Nihat Çelik
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Turkiye gibi ulusal guvenlik olgusunun daima on planda olduğu bir ulkede guvenlik alanındaki calışmaların hak ettiği seviyeye geldiği soylenemez. Bu durum, diğer etkenlerin yanında, guvenlik konusunun devletin ilgili kurumlarının tekelinde bir alan olarak gorulmesinin kacınılmaz bir sonucudur. Bu yaklaşım, guvenlikle ilgili konuların dar bir cevre icinde tartışılmasına, bu konuda akademik kurumlarda yeterli sayıda uzman yetişmemesine ve karar alıcıların ve kamuoyunun politika seceneklerinden mahrum kalmasına yol acmıştır. Doğal olarak Turkiye'deki guvenlik kulturu tek yanlı olarak bicimlenmiştir. Turkiye; bu alanda bilgi uretecek, uzman yetiştirecek ve istihdam edecek ve kamuoyunu bilgilendirecek yapılara sahip olmamıştır. Bu işlevi ustlenmesi gereken araştırma merkezlerinin Turkiye'de yaygın şekilde ortaya cıkışı, ancak 1990 sonrasında mumkun olmuştur. Dunya siyasetinde onemli değişimlerin yaşandığı ve Turkiye'nin Soğuk Savaş sonrasında oluşan sistemdeki rolunun ne olacağının sıklıkla tartışıldığı bu donemde araştırma merkezleri; yayınları ve faaliyetleri ile farklı konuların gundeme gelmesinde ve dış politika tercihlerinin kamuoyu nezdinde tartışılmasında kuşkusuz onemli bir rol oynamışlardır. Buna rağmen, araştırma merkezlerinin bu rolunun yeteri kadar incelenip irdelenmediği ve bu konuda akademik calışmaların yapılmadığı gorulmektedir. Bu calışmanın en onemli ozelliği, bu alandaki boşluğu doldurmasıdır. Bunu yaparken, Turkiye'de faaliyet gosteren ceşitli araştırma merkezlerinde gorev yapan yonetici ve uzmanlarla yapılan goruşmelere dayalı bir saha araştırması yurutulmuştur. Bu saha araştırması; araştırma merkezlerinin yapıları, sorunları, faaliyetleri ve dış politika yapım surecine olan katkılarını nasıl algıladıklarının yanı sıra, araştırma merkezleri yoneticileri ve uzmanlarının, Turkiye'yi ilgilendiren hemen hemen tum dış politika alanlarındaki goruşlerini yansıtan değerli bir bilgi kaynağı sunmaktadır.

43875. Vamık D. VOLKAN, Kıbrıs: Savaş ve Uyum Çatışma İçindeki İki Etnik Grubun Psikanalitik Tarihi

Author:
Kenan Şahin
Publication Date:
04-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Institution:
Uluslararasi Iliskiler
Abstract:
Kıbrıs sorunu, 1950'li yıllardan gunumuze değin varlığını surdurmektedir. Bu yonuyle uzun sure Turk dış politikasını meşgul etmiştir. Bununla birlikte ozellikle son donemde Turkiye ve Avrupa Birliği ilişkilerinde de zaman zaman bir engel olmaya devam etmektedir. Kıbrıs, hala ikiye bolunmuş durumda ve siyasi bir cozumu bekleyerek belirsizliğini korumaktadır. Gunumuze kadar gelen surecte Uluslararası İlişkiler disipliniyle uğraşanların, tarihcilerin, sosyologların bu soruna ve adada yaşanan gelişmelere yonelik gereken ilgiyi gosterdikleri soylenebilir. Konuyla ilgili oluşmuş hacimli bir literatur de bunu kanıtlar niteliktedir. Bu literatur, genelde sorunun cozumune yonelik ceşitli yaklaşımlar uzerinde yoğunlaşmakta ve olaylara tarihsel bir cevreden bakılan analizleri kapsamaktadır. Konuya ilişkin ideolojik ve manipulatif değerlendirmelerin bolca yer aldığı da gorulmektedir. Bunlara karşın Kıbrıs'ta yaşayan toplulukların kimlik ve aidiyet duyguları, yaşananların bu topluluklar uzerindeki psikolojik etkileri ve bir arada yaşamın ortaya cıkardığı durumların psikolojisi bakımından yapılan bir analiz olması nedeniyle Prof. Dr. Vamık D. Volkan'ın calışması ayrı bir yerde durmaktadır. Başka bir ifadeyle Kıbrıslı Turkler ve Rumlar arasındaki ilişkilerinin psikolojik anlatımı ve yorumu Kıbrıs'la ilgili calışmalar acısından bu esere ozgunluk kazandırmaktadır.

43876. Indonesia: Dynamics of Violence in Papua

Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
A spate of violence in Papua in May and June 2012 exposed the lack of a coherent government strategy to address this multidimensional conflict. Shootings of non-Papuans in the provincial capital Jayapura in June, likely involving pro-independence militants, were followed by the death of one of those militants at police hands, highlighting the political dimension of the problem. In Wamena, a rampage by soldiers after the death of a comrade shows the depth of distrust between local communities and the army, and the absence of mechanisms to deal with crises. The shooting of five Papuans by newly arrived members of a paramilitary police unit (Brigade Mobile, Brimob) in a remote gold-mining area of Paniai highlights the violence linked to Papua's vast resource wealth and rent-seeking by the security apparatus with little oversight from Jakarta. While these events are still under investigation, they signal that unless the Yudhoyono government can address these very different aspects of the conflict, things may get worse. An overhaul of security policy would help.
Topic:
Security, Political Violence, Development, Ethnic Conflict, and Post Colonialism
Political Geography:
Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and Papua

43877. Ethiopia After Meles

Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
The death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who had not been seen in public for several months, was announced on 20 August 2012 by Ethiopian state television. The passing of the man who has been Ethiopia's epicentre for 21 years will have profound national and regional consequences. Meles engineered one-party rule in effect for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and his Tigrayan inner circle, with the complicity of other ethnic elites that were co-opted into the ruling alliance, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). The Front promised freedom, democracy and ethnic devolution but is highly centralised, tightly controls the economy and suppresses political, social, ethnic and religious liberties. In recent years, Meles had relied ever more on repression to quell growing dissent. His successor will lead a weaker regime that struggles to manage increasing unrest unless it truly implements ethnic federalism and institutes fundamental governance reform. The international community should seek to influence the transition actively because it has a major interest in the country's stability.
Topic:
Democratization, Ethnic Conflict, Politics, and Social Stratification
Political Geography:
Africa and Ethiopia

43878. Building Africa's Airlift Capacity: A Strategy for Enhancing Military Effectiveness

Author:
Birame Diop, David M. Peyton, and Gene McConville
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Abstract:
In April 2012, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) declared its readiness to deploy 3,000 troops to northern Mali in response to seizures of territory by Tuareg separatists and Islamist militias. Left unanswered was the question of how ECOWAS would transport these troops and their equipment to Mali. Only airlift resources would be able to deliver personnel and heavy equipment into the area of operations (AO) in a timely manner, provide operational mobility within the AO against dispersed and heavily armed irregular forces, monitor a geographic area larger than France, and sustain operations for months or years. The inability to respond to these challenges to territorial control, in turn, further emboldens such separatists and other spoilers.
Topic:
Security, Economics, Islam, Insurgency, and Narcotics Trafficking
Political Geography:
Africa and France

43879. Beyond Turf Wars in Coup-Hit Guinea-Bissau

Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
Guinea-Bissau took another dangerous turn on 12 April 2012, when the army arrested Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior, who was about to be elected president. A military junta accused him of conspiring with Angola to curtail the military's power and quickly installed transitional authorities, before officially stepping aside on 22 May. International condemnation was swift, but differences developed between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP). The former, pushed by Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, supports a year's transition, the latter, especially Portugal and Angola, immediate resumption of the presidential vote. Coup and transition may have opened a way for vital reforms, which must go beyond changes in the army and combating the drugs trade. But for that to happen, ECOWAS and CPLP must reach a consensus on working with international partners to mobilise resources for security, judicial and electoral reforms and refusing to validate Gomes Júnior's illegal exclusion from political life.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Security, Post Colonialism, Power Politics, and Regime Change
Political Geography:
Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Portugal, and Angola

43880. Dividing the Korean Peninsula: The Rhetoric of the George W. Bush Administration

Author:
Sarah Teo
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Abstract:
This paper suggests that an examination of the discourse and rhetoric of the George W. Bush administration offers a more comprehensive understanding of the developments that occurred during the years of South Korea's Sunshine policy (1998-2008). Such an approach supplements the traditional neorealist perspective and helps to account for the direction of certain policies. The paper argues that in its inter-Korean discourse, the Bush administration framed South Korea as an ally and partner against North Korea, while imagining the North as part of the “axis of evil” and a threat to international security. Since the US occupies an essential role in inter-Korean affairs, its framing of North and South Korea as unalterable opposites impeded inter-Korean reconciliation under the Sunshine policy. Rhetoric from two events will illustrate this point –the 2001 US-South Korea summit and the 2004 US Presidential Elections campaign.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Foreign Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Political Geography:
United States and Korea

43881. Tankers on the horizon: Australia's coming LNG boom

Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Economist Intelligence Unit
Abstract:
The International Energy Agency speculates that we could be entering a “golden age of gas.” If that is the case Australia is set to be a key contributor to it. While much attention has been paid to the shale gas boom in North America and prospects for the spread of the “shale gas revolution” elsewhere, Australia has been positioning itself to emerge as a leading player in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market by the end of this decade.
Topic:
Climate Change, Energy Policy, International Trade and Finance, and Natural Resources
Political Geography:
Australia, Australia/Pacific, and North America

43882. Implementing an arms trade treaty: mapping assistance to strengthen arms transfer controls

Author:
Mark Bromley and Paul Holtom
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Abstract:
It is widely recognized that many states parties to an arms trade treaty (ATT) will need assistance to fulfil their treaty obligations. The issue of international assistance has been consistently raised by United Nations member states throughout the UN process of negotiating an ATT.For example, states will need assistance to establish and strengthen their legislative and administrative frameworks as well as their licensing and enforcement capacities in order to enable them to exert greater control over international transfers of conventional arms. The creation of an ATT will require the expansion of existing assistance programmes as well as the development of new approaches and efforts specifically designed to assist states with treaty implementation. For example, the European Union (EU) already provides funds for technical and material assistance for states to develop or strengthen transfer control systems and is willing to expand these activities to help states implement an ATT. International assistance has been promoted as one of the positive outcomes for states parties to an ATT that are neither major exporters nor importers of conventional arms.
Topic:
Arms Control and Proliferation, International Cooperation, Peace Studies, and Treaties and Agreements
Political Geography:
Europe and United Nations

43883. The Arctic policies of Canada and the United States: domestic motives and international context

Author:
Kristofer Bergh
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Abstract:
The Arctic ice is melting. If current trends continue, there will be dramatic changes in the region, with far-reaching implications. At the same time, the receding ice opens the region to economic development, including through the exploitation of previously inaccessible hydrocarbons and minerals. In September 2011, both the Northern Sea Route (along Russia's north coast, formerly known as the Northeast Passage) and the Northwest Passage (along the northern coasts of Alaska and Canada) were open for some time, potentially creating shorter shipping routes between Asia, Europe and North America. Increased human activity in the sparsely populated and in hospitable Arctic requires new initiatives to achieve safety and security for the region's environment and its inhabitants and visitors.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Climate Change, Diplomacy, Political Economy, and Bilateral Relations
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, Canada, Asia, and North America

43884. Natural resources and conflict: a new security challenge for the European Union

Author:
Nicholas Garrett and Anna Piccinni
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Abstract:
Conflict over natural resources is likely to pose significant threats to European security, and the European Union therefore needs to elaborate a comprehensive strategy to meet and overcome these threats. This strategy should combine existing instruments and approaches more effectively, while also finding new ways to balance the imperatives of access to natural resources, regulation of markets and conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution. Such an approach requires a better understanding of natural resource-related security and conflict challenges, as well as an analysis of how current policies affect these challenges. The strategy should therefore be based on comprehensive research into the connection between natural resources and conflict financing; the shifting nature of state effectiveness in the context of natural resource agreements; the link between resource conflict and climate change; and the impact of conflict over natural resources on the multipolar global economy.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Security, Climate Change, Energy Policy, Globalization, Natural Resources, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe

43885. Military capabilities in the Arctic

Author:
Siemon T. Wezeman
Publication Date:
03-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Abstract:
In recent years the forecast of far-reaching climate change in the Arctic has led to fears of future conflict in the region. Such fears have been expressed in official documents, including defence policy documents, of the five Arctic littoral states—Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States. Three of them—Canada, Denmark and Russia—have recently adopted foreign and defence policies that have put a special emphasis on the Arctic. They have strengthened their military presence in the Arctic or increased military capabilities for Arctic use and have presented plans for additional military strengthening. Meanwhile, Norway has moved a substantial part of its operational forces to the north of the country. Of the five littoral states, only the USA has placed less focus on Arctic security.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Defense Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, Climate Change, Natural Resources, and Territorial Disputes
Political Geography:
Russia, United States, Canada, Norway, and Denmark

43886. Australia - China ties: in search of political trust

Author:
Linda Jakobson
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Lowy Institute for International Policy
Abstract:
How Canberra should manage its relations with Beijing, given the importance of China economically, politically and militarily, is a question which divides Australians. There is general agreement that the rise of China will have a profound effect on the well - being and security of Australia. The consensus ends there.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Economics, and Bilateral Relations
Political Geography:
China, Asia, and Australia

43887. Assessing the Quality of Aid for Agriculture

Author:
Kimberly Elliott and Edward Collins
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development
Abstract:
New international initiatives signal strong commitment to agriculture and food security in the face of growing demand and climate-change challenges. But aid to agriculture still represents just five percent of total official development assistance. With donor budgets under intense pressure, making aid effective is more important than ever, but we still know relatively little about the quality of aid in general and of agricultural aid in particular.
Topic:
Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, Foreign Aid, and Food

43888. A Commitment to Vaccination Index: Measuring Government Progress toward Global Immunization

Author:
Amanda Glassman, Denizhan Duran, and Juan Ignacio Zoloa
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development
Abstract:
Vaccination is among the most cost-effective health interventions and has attracted ever greater levels of investment from public and private funders. However, some countries, mainly populous lower-middle-income countries, are lagging behind in vaccination financing and performance.
Topic:
Development, Foreign Aid, and Health Care Policy

43889. The Evolution of India's UID Program: Lessons Learned and Implications for Other Developing Countries

Author:
Frances Zelazny
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development
Abstract:
India has embarked on an ambitious new program to provide its citizens and residents a unique, official identity. The UID (Universal ID) program aims to improve the delivery of government services, reduce fraud and corruption, facilitate robust voting processes, and improve security. It is by far the largest application of biometric identification technology to date and will have far-reaching implications for other developing countries that are looking to adopt national ID programs to further social and economic development. This paper discusses the evolution of the UID program, the innovative organization and pathbreaking technology behind it, how it is being rolled out, and how robust ID is beginning to be used.
Topic:
Corruption, Crime, Democratization, Development, and Science and Technology
Political Geography:
India

43890. Renewable Resource Shocks and Conflict in India's Maoist Belt

Author:
Devesh Kapur, Kishore Gawande, and Shanker Satyanath
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Global Development
Abstract:
Is there a causal relationship between shocks to renewable natural resources, such as agricultural and forest lands, and the intensity of conflict? In this paper, we conduct a rigorous econometric analysis of a civil conflict that the Indian Prime Minister has called the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by his country, the so-called Maoist conflict. We focus on over-time within-district variation in the intensity of conflict in the states where this conflict is primarily located. Using a novel data set of killings, we find that adverse renewable resource shocks have a robust, significant association with the intensity of conflict. A one standard deviation decrease in our measure of renewable resources increases killings by 12.5 percent contemporaneously, 9.7 percent after a year, and 42.2 percent after two years. Our instrumental variables strategy allows us to interpret these findings in a causal manner.
Topic:
Security, Agriculture, Economics, and Natural Resources
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

43891. Nepal's Constitution (I): Evolution not Revolution

Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
Nepal's peace process was to end with a new constitution. Yet, after four years of delays and disputes, the country's main political parties were unable to agree on federalism, a core demand of large constituencies. On 27 May 2012, the term of the Constituent Assembly, which also served as parliament, ended without the new constitution being completed. The parties must now decide what to do next: hold an election for a new assembly or revive the last one. This will be hard. Obduracy on federalism, bickering over a unity government, a changing political landscape and communal polarisation make for complex negotiations, amid a dangerous legislative vacuum. The parties must assess what went wrong and significantly revise the composition and design of negotiations, or risk positions hardening across the political spectrum. Talks and decision-making need to be transparent and inclusive, and leaders more accountable. The public needs much better information. None of this will necessarily mend the deep social rifts, but it would reduce space for extremists and provocateurs.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Democratization, Peace Studies, and Politics
Political Geography:
South Asia

43892. Nepal's Constitution (II): The Expanding Political Matrix

Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
The peace process and stalled constitution writing exercise, in particular the debate about federalism, have expanded Nepal's political matrix. Identity politics is a mainstream phenomenon and new ethnic-based and regional political forces are coalescing. Actors who want a federal structure that acknowledges Nepal's many identities have allied, overcoming other political differences. The Maoist party has split. Once centrist forces have moved to the right. All parties are grappling with factional and ideological divisions. Old monarchical forces are more visible. How these political shifts will settle depends on the parties' decisions on resuming constitution writing and future electoral calculations. The Constituent Assembly has been dissolved after failing to deliver the new constitution on the 27 May deadline. The constitution was to establish federalism and address the demands of marginalised groups. Social polarisation over these issues compounds constitutional uncertainty and the legislative vacuum. The tensions around federalism and fluid political equations threaten to provoke volatile confrontations.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Democratization, Peace Studies, and Politics
Political Geography:
South Asia

43893. The Euro Area Crisis and Turkey in the First Half of 2012

Author:
Evrydiki Fotopoulou and Erdal Tanas Karagöl
Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
Abstract:
It has been almost four years since the global financial crisis started in 2008 and it has become an inherently European affair. One after another, weaker European economies seeing their growth plummeting have become unable to recover on their own and are resorting to loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Union (EU). Already, Ireland, Greece and Portugal have requested full bailouts with Southern Cyprus as the newcomer, still under negotiation, while Spain has requested only partial assistance not acknowledging it may soon need full support. Many experts predict that Italy will follow suit as it is quite possible that it will be the next which without any access to credit markets to finance its needs. This policy analysis sheds some light on the current status of these countries: how the crisis was brought about, what measures they took, how have they performed thus far and what are the prospects for them. The role of the European Union is also being discussed in reference to the hesitant way it has addressed the problem and the cracks that appeared in the European establishment due to lack of mutual understanding and cooperation. In contrast to the weaker European economies, neighboring Turkey has managed to recover fast and exhibit positive signs that the economy is moving towards more sustainable growth rates while dealing with domestic vulnerabilities. This comparison serves as a reminder to reconsider both the usefulness of the single currency as well as whether Turkey's economy would benefit from closer ties with it, given that Europe faces a continued slowdown at least until 2014.
Topic:
Markets, Global Recession, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe and Turkey

43894. Election Reform in Pakistan

Publication Date:
08-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
The stabilisation of Pakistan's democratic transition will depend to a considerable extent on the manner in which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) conducts the next general elections. These are due when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led coalition government ends its fiveyear term in March 2013, or earlier if it so decides. Rigged elections and distortions of the process by military regimes or military-controlled governments have left the ECP in an advanced state of institutional decay. If the next elections are to result in the smooth transfer of power from one elected government to another and be widely perceived as legitimate and democratic by all stakeholders, it is imperative that the ECP be truly independent, impartial and effective.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, Democratization, and Political Economy
Political Geography:
Pakistan and South Asia

43895. Arctic Sustainability: The Predicament of Energy and Environmental Security

Author:
Erica M. Dingman
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
Acquisition of Arctic hydrocarbon deposits is a strategic priority of Arctic states and numerous non-Arctic states alike. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the area north of the Arctic Circle holds 13 percent of undiscovered global oil reserves and 30 percent of undiscovered gas reserves, with the expectation that 84 percent of these reserves will be found offshore. Increasing global demand for energy, attributed primarily to population and income growth, alongside technical advancements and financial incentives will likely accelerate the rate at which stakeholders seek out these presumed Arctic hydrocarbons.
Topic:
Security
Political Geography:
United States

43896. Fergana as FATA? Central Asia after 2014 - Outcomes and Strategic Options

Author:
Ted Donnelly
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
After more than a decade at war, the world's most powerful military withdrew its combat forces from Afghanistan. Having variously pursued counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategies, the invading force had not been victorious, but neither had it been defeated. The superpower left behind a friendly Afghan government and reasonably well-trained and well-equipped Afghan security forces. It also left behind insurgents, including not only local Afghans but also foreign Islamists, whose capabilities had been disrupted and degraded but not defeated. The superpower continued to support its Afghan government allies, rendering financial support, military training, and technical assistance to address the insurgency. However, after two years, new political and fiscal realities forced the superpower to cease its support. Afghanistan descended into civil war, in which Islamic extremists prevailed. In return for their support, the new Islamist government repaid its foreign jihadist allies with safe haven, which they used to train and plan attacks against the United States, among others. They also destabilized Afghanistan's neighbors, creating conditions in which violent extremism thrived. To the north of Afghanistan, violent extremist organizations focused their attention on the Fergana Valley, a region that lies at the heart of Central Asia and is shared by three states.
Political Geography:
Afghanistan and Central Asia

43897. Strategic Thinking about Future Security

Author:
Marian Kozub
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
The reality that we face at the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century renders security issues, and in particular the ways of providing security, central to international attention, both in its present and future aspects. The reasons for this centrality are not only the revolutionary changes in science and technology, but also perhaps even more importantly the characteristics of the already diagnosed and existing threats and predicted challenges for the global security environment for which we have not yet found sufficient responses. This essay focuses on the notion of challenges and opportunities created by the world in transition that we undoubtedly face, instead of relying on the "language of threats" and the responsive, symptomatic approach towards them that has characterized the discourse of the strategic community in the past. Discussing a new security environment requires a new set of terms.
Topic:
Cold War
Political Geography:
Europe

43898. NATO's Cooperation with Others: A Comprehensive Challenge

Author:
Agata Szydelko
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
What defines NATO when it is compared to the United Nations and the European Union? Is NATO an "institution of doing" (task-oriented), or an "institution of being" (identity-based)? While trying to define the role and reasons for NATO's existence in comparison to the United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) and trying to answer whether NATO is an identity-based or task-oriented institution, it is worthwhile to reach out to the sources and find out when and why these three international institutions were established in the first place and what is the primary driver of their decision making.
Topic:
NATO
Political Geography:
Europe and United Nations

43899. Assessing the Arab Spring in Libya and Syria: A Compilation of Varying Statements from Key Actors

Author:
Charles Simpson
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
The situations in Syria in February 2012 and in Libya in 2011 have provided the two most recent case studies in assessing a wide variety of international topics including NATO's future role in global security, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as a normative guide, the role of the League of Arab States (LAS) in the post-Arab Spring world, and the role of emerging powers on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Given the rapid proliferation of academic and professional examinations of the 2011 Libya and 2012 Syria cases, there appears a need for a compilation of the varying policies, resolutions, actions, and statements made by all relevant actors in both scenarios. The table below attempts to provide such a compilation in a concise and clearly structured format.
Topic:
NATO
Political Geography:
Arabia, United Nations, and Syria

43900. Recent Trends in Security and Stability in the South Caucasus

Author:
Richard Giragosian and Sergey Minasyan
Publication Date:
01-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
After twenty years of independence, the three counties of the South Caucasus-Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia-continue to struggle with a daunting set of challenges. In light of several unresolved conflicts and profound deficiencies in efforts directed at democratic and economic reform, the South Caucasus continues to be a "region at risk." As if this rather bleak landscape was not enough, three more recent trends have emerged to further threaten the region's security and stability. The first trend, and one that is likely to have the most profound effects over the long term, is evident in a subtle shift in the already delicate balance of power in the region, driven largely by a steady surge in Azerbaijani defense spending and exacerbated by a lack of progress in the mediation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Since the 1994 ceasefire that resulted in the suspension of hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh (but that did not definitively end them), this unresolved or "frozen" conflict has been subject to an international mediation effort conducted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) so-called Minsk Group. This tripartite body co-chaired by France, Russia, and the United States seeks to engage and prod the parties to the conflict toward a negotiated resolution of the conflict.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution and Security
Political Geography:
Russia, United States, Europe, Caucasus, France, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia