Suchergebnisse

The Defiant Border explores why the Afghan-Pakistan borderlands have remained largely independent of state controls from the colonial period into the twenty-first century. This book looks at local Pashtun tribes' modes for evading first British colonial, then Pakistani, governance; the ongoing border dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan; and continuing interest in the region from Indian, US, British, and Soviet actors. It reveals active attempts by first British, then Pakistani, agents to integrate the tribal region, ranging from development initiatives to violent suppression. The Defiant Border also considers the area's influence on relations between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India, as well as its role in the United States' increasingly global Cold War policies. Ultimately, the book considers how a region so peripheral to major centers of power has had such an impact on political choices throughout the eras of empire, decolonization, and superpower competition, up to the so-called 'war on terror'

This comparative study examines the processes of development and the configurations of export industries in northern Morocco and on the northern border of Mexico. As the contributors explore the similar characteristics of these two borders, they also examine how the global economy circulates around "places of production"--Sites advantageous to the development of export industries. Focusing on transnational firms and the working conditions, settlement processes, and migratory flows they engender, this volume considers if a convergence toward a global culture is inevitable in places of production, or if local resistance emerges in response to the impact of the global.--

Since the 1990s, several Vietnamese state policies have focused on whole-heartedly integrating upland ethnic minority farmers into the market economy. These policies revolve around interventions related to natural resource use, agricultural intensification, and cash-cropping, in a quest to produce 'ideal farmers.' Simultaneously, the growing frequency of extreme weather extremes has been impacting upland livelihoods in important ways. Consequently, farmers must now navigate an increasingly complex socio-political and natural environment when making livelihood decisions. This study focuses on a mountainous district in the Sino-Vietnamese borderlands. Through in-depth qualitative fieldwork with ethnic minority semi-subsistence farmers and local officials, we delve into the ways in which farmers respond to the unpredictable interplay of state interventions and extreme weather events. Rooted in contemporary political ecology debates, we adopt a multi-scalar approach while drawing on actor-oriented livelihood conceptualizations. Our findings show that the Vietnamese state has failed to convince upland farmers to fully commit to state-endorsed cash-cropping schemes. Yet, farmers do not necessarily reject such opportunities outright. Rather, they navigate and rework state-supported opportunities, all while remaining acutely attuned to local physical environment limits, important social networks, and cultural norms and expectations.

Article first published online: 30 JUN 2015 ; Focusing on the EU's relations with its periphery, this paper takes issue both with persistent 'normative' conceptions of the EU's international role in the European Studies literature and with the constructivist–rationalist divide in IR theory. The conceptualization of the EU – a vast, composite and ever-expanding entity with 'fuzzy' borders – as an empire of sorts bridges the theoretical divide and offers a powerful explanation of the EU's behaviour vis-à-vis its vicinity. Through the transfer of rules and practices beyond its borders, the EU is indeed engaged in 'normative' policies, which however primarily serve the security and economic interests of the EU and its Member States. Thus, the EU's (allegedly) norm-based behaviour is in itself a utility-maximizing strategy, which also serves the construction of a normative identity. The EU's response to the Arab uprisings serves to illustrate the argument, with the concept of 'empire' resolving the puzzle of seemingly inconsistent EU policies. ; Funded by the European Research Council (ERC) within the 7th Framework Programme, the BORDERLANDS project is hosted at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, and directed by Professor Raffaella A. Del Sarto.

This article examines the development of tourism and recreation in the Finnish-Russian borderland as a new promising area of regional growth. The unique natural, historical, and cultural resources, and a favourable economic and geographical position are basic prerequisites for the development of tourism in the region. Historically, the barriers of state borders hampered the development of tourism; and tourism was seen as an activity bringing no economic benefits to regions since most Soviet citizens travelled as beneficiaries of social programs. As a result of the socioeconomic transformations in the Russian Federation, the openness of border regions under the influence of integration process taking place in the world community facilitates tourist mobility between neighbouring countries. The article describes an approach that considers the border regions of Northwest Russia as attractive destinations for tourists from neighboring countries. The author presents an approach that interprets cross-border tourist routes as an instrument for the conservation, reproduction, and promotion of natural, cultural, and historical heritage and as a means to boost business activities in border regions. The author analyses statistical and analytical data and does the content analysis of regional strategies for tourism and socioeconomic development. The article explores the practices of tourism and recreation development in a historical perspective and examines the effect of barrier and contact functions of state borders on tourism. The article identifies factors hindering tourism development and suggests measures to stimulate tourism as a regional economic activity.

"Throughout this book, it is expected to collect a robust set of contributions from renowned academicians and technicians working on the issue of Border Territories dynamics and Geopolitics in the actual and future context. Therefore, bearing in mind the enormous scope of the book's subjects, the final result will give the reader a deep understanding, from several perspectives, of the dynamics, challenges, and opportunities ongoing on the above-mentioned topics"--