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Begin New Search Topic International Affairs Publication Year within 10 Years

1451. Croatia’s First Year of EU Membership : Have the Expectations been Fulfilled?

Author:
Višnja Samardžija
Publication Date:
08-2014
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO)
Abstract:
The first anniversary of Croatia’s membership in the European Union revealed the experiences of the first country from a new wave of EU enlargement which joined the Union in economically different circumstances and passed through a more demanding negotiation process. In contrast to the EU 2004/2007 enlargements, Croatia acceded to the EU as a single country and the accession did not cause stronger impact on the EU institutions or policies, due to the fact that Croatia is a small state with some 4.3 million citizens and some 56,600 square km land area.[1] One year of the EU membership is too short period for a thorough evaluation of its impacts. Still this initial experience could be considered as a lessons learned for the political elites, citizens and the countries of the Western Balkan region who might be next in line for EU accession. These are the main issues covered by this paper.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Croatia

1452. Fiji’s election and Australia: the terms of re-engagement

Author:
Jenny Hayward- Jones
Publication Date:
09-2014
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Lowy Institute for International Policy
Abstract:
The election will only be the first step in Fiji’s transition to democracy after eight years of Voreqe Bainimarama’s military rule. Australia should use its influence to assist the workings of the Fiji Parliament, the development of an unfettered civil society and media and an independent judiciary.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Australia and Fiji

1453. Afghanistan: transition to transformation, National and external stakeholder interests

Author:
Ian Dudgeon
Publication Date:
02-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Australian Institute of International Affairs
Abstract:
On 31 December 2014 Afghanistan will move from a UN-led period of ‘transition’ (2001- 2014) to an Afghan-led and owned ‘transformation decade’ (2015-2024). During transition, the UN has sought to rebuild the basic political, security, economic and societal institutions and infrastructure of Afghanistan, which were all but destroyed by the previous Taliban government, but are essential prerequisites for the restoration of Afghanistan as a functional nation. Transformation will seek to consolidate and build on the outcomes of transition and ensure that Afghanistan achieves the goal of being not only a functional nation, but also a stable and durable nation.
Topic:
International Relations and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Afghanistan

1454. Emerging Scholars

Author:
Melissa Conley Tyler
Publication Date:
12-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Australian Institute of International Affairs
Abstract:
The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) was established in 1924 to promote public understanding and interest in international affairs. The AIIA works actively to engage younger people in its work by coordinating events such as careers fairs, school events, mentoring, internships and a Young Diplomats Program. As part of the AIIA’s commitment to engage young people, AIIA National Office launched an internship program in 2006 that has hosted more than 150 interns to date. Internship opportunities also exist in all AIIA state and territory offices. Anyone who has served as an intern at the AIIA is eligible to submit a paper for publication in Emerging Scholars.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Australia

1455. Ministers for Foreign Affairs 1960-72

Author:
Melissa Conley Tyler
Publication Date:
12-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Australian Institute of International Affairs
Abstract:
In February 2013 the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) held a one-day Forum to examine the achievements of Australia’s foreign ministers between 1960 and 1972. The Forum brought together some of Australia’s most eminent academics and experts in international relations, former senior diplomats and government officials to explore the major issues that confronted foreign ministers during this period.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Australia

1456. Beyond the Islamic state: Iraq's Sunni insurgency

Author:
Sinan Adnan and Aaron Reese
Publication Date:
10-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Institute for the Study of War
Abstract:
The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) is not the only violent group opposed to the government of Iraq. Groups ranging from Salafist-jihadist to Sunni nationalist have also been mobilized against Baghdad since at least 2013. They remain a threat to the government even if ISIS is removed, especially if the core concerns of Iraqi Sunnis remain unaddressed by the Iraqi government. The primary grievances of most Iraqi Sunnis include the integration of Shi‘a militias into the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), attacks by the ISF in Sunni civilian areas, and political exclusion in Baghdad
Topic:
International Security and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Iraq

1457. State Terrorism and Resistance in Kerdasa: Battle Zone Report

Author:
Sherif Mohy El Deen
Publication Date:
07-2014
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)
Abstract:
These two papers are the result of field investigations into the bloody events that have erupted in the region of Kerdasa on the outskirts of Cairo and in the Sinai peninsula in late 2013. The papers observe the mechanisms by which the Egyptian security forces are dealing with the protests of the citizens there, and shed light on their continuing activities and psychological repression more than two years after the outbreak of the revolution. This repression continues despite talk of the need to change the security institutions and the essential challenge of changing the relationship between the state and its citizens to allow for the construction of a democratic foundation.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Middle East

1458. From Apparatus State to War State

Author:
Dina El Khawaga
Publication Date:
09-2014
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)
Abstract:
On July 7, 2014, following the government’s announcement of its plan to reduce the fuel subsidy, President Abd al Fattah al Sisi stated that “Egypt is in a state of war, many are hostile to it within and outside the country who do not want this country to be saved.
Topic:
War and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Egypt

1459. Reforming Syria’s Security Sector in the Post-Assad Era

Author:
Murhaf Jouejati
Publication Date:
07-2014
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Arab Reform Initiative (ARI)
Abstract:
Under the Assad regime, Syria acquired a well-deserved reputation as a repressive mukhabarat state dominated by vast, overlapping internal security agencies that operated with near impunity, reporting directly to the president. Having presided over so much destruction and division, however, it is likely that the Assad regime will eventually be replaced by a government with a better claim to legitimacy. Security sector reform will be a key challenge for establishing the legitimacy of any post-Assad political order, but what would such a system look like and how could it be constructed?
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Syria

1460. Foreign Fighters in Syria

Author:
Richard Barrett
Publication Date:
06-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The Soufan Group
Abstract:
Over 12,000 fighters from at least 81 countries have joined the civil war in Syria, and the numbers continue to grow. Around 2,500 are from Western countries, including most members of the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. There are also several hundred from Russia. But the great majority are from the Arab World. Most are fighting with rebel groups, and increasingly with the most extreme among them; but many are also fighting with the Government, or with ethnic or faith communities that are trying to protect themselves from both sides. A lot are young, often teenagers, and a fair percentage of those arriving from non-Muslim majority countries are converts to Islam. These and others who share their faith commonly express their motivation as a religious obligation to protect fellow Muslims from attack. This sense of duty is captured by their loose use of the word ‘jihad’.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Syria