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Transnational companies are the key drivers of foreign direct investments & major actors in international trade. They are involved in more than two-third of international trade & determine its direction, composition & volume. The relationship between transnational companies & international trade is complex & interwoven, raising the following question: are transnational companies substitutes or complements of international trade? The author explores this relationship. She studies the role of these companies in international trade as a whole & in foreign trade of domestic & host countries. Tables, Figures, References. Adapted from the source document.

The author analyses the development of EU in the new international surroundings during the last decade, also exploring the development of the European Security & Defence Policy (ESDP). The first part treats the changes in international relations, the role of USA & the NATO evolution. With the changes in international relations that are characterized by the relative weakening of USA, the rise of the powers such as China & Russia as well as the process of globalization within the multipolar frameworks, the European Union & its members states are facing the problem of adjusting to the new conditions. The second part of the article overviews the EU development, its geostrategic priorities as well as the development of ESDP. In the last dozen of years, the Common Foreign & Security Policy & the ESDP development have gone through a dynamic evolution. The attempts of the EU countries to emancipate from USA & become a serious factor in international relations imply that it should strengthen its international identity, & the political & military components, in particular. References. Adapted from the source document.

The author analyses the role of services in the international market. Services sector has significant influence on economic growth & efficiency. Share of services in the world market is in contrast with the great role they play in the domestic market. Because of their intangible nature, trade in services is subject to larger limitations than trade in goods. Insufficient data or incomparable data on international trade in services makes this sector hard to analyze. Brought together to solve those problems, a few international organizations have made a Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services. This & many others are ongoing efforts to set internationally comparable data for future analysis. Tables, Figures, References. Adapted from the source document.

Resource management by a national economy is of great significance for every country. If they are deficient then they should be purchased abroad. Oil & oil derivatives are the energy resources that are in shortest supply in Serbia. The statistical data on its foreign trade in the period January-July 2008 show that Serbia recorded the greatest foreign deficit in its trade with the Russian Federation. This primarily results from its energy resources imports. Russia is Serbia's most important partner in strategic commodities supply. For this reason the measures for abolishing or decreasing the oil export duties would considerably reduce the production costs in our economy. This would lead to an improvement in a large number of our economic branches. References. Adapted from the source document.

The author explores the evolution, functioning, similarities & differences between the original Bretton Woods international monetary system that operated from 1945 to 1973 & the present modified institution, which is symbolically called Bretton Woods 2 System. The existing international financial architecture keeps on being based on the hegemony of the US dollar, as a dominant reserve currency. However, in spite of the fact that in most cases the present international monetary system implies the regime of flexible foreign exchanges rates, a characteristic of this system is that many countries in different degrees refuse to accept the appreciation of their national currencies to the US dollar. At the same time, the domination of the USA, the most indebted country in the world, is becoming a very serious threat to its sustainability. However, as the author concludes, the creators of the international monetary system, being aware how serious could be the consequences of its cessation, endeavor to extend its operation accepting less expensive consequences of keeping it alive. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.

The continuity with the former federal & republic nationality in the successor states of former SFRY confirms that it has kept on being regulated by their internal laws. However, not in all cases regulations of citizenship have been implemented in accordance with the provisions that are defined by international law. The basic nationality principles have not been applied to the citizens of different ethnic origin. For their own political interests the states did not take measures to duly grant citizenship to the persons that at the time of succession were nationals of the predecessor state. The delay in passing & implementing the laws, non-respect of the right of option, the exclusiveness of domestic citizenship & the absence of solutions for the protection of family unity had a negative reflection on the achievement of rights of citizens. The problems have gradually been overcome by introducing novelties in laws, by adopting administrative legislation & jurisprudence of the successor states, but as far as equality before the law is concerned some issues have remained unsolved. References. Adapted from the source document.

The article deals with the phenomenon of the so-called New American Unilateralism. The author searches for the causes, genesis & sources of such a behavior of the current American administration, especially emphasizing the importance of the neoconservative group, which has been creating, justifying & implementing this kind of unilateral strategy. Criticism of this politics is presented, coming from different directions. The author concludes that it is more the new discourse than the new politics, since the politics of George W. Bush does not substantially differ from the politics of previous American presidents. Having that in mind, it seems possible to predict that the strategy of the next president will probably go along the same lines & unilateralism will keep on being practiced as long as the world functions according to the unipolar model, with US as a global hegemon. References. Adapted from the source document.

Responding to criticisms & discussions about the non-existence of European Union's human rights policy, the article claims that this policy exists although it has been developing inconsistently both at the level of the Union's internal affairs & at the level of its relations with third countries. The second key hypothesis of the article refers to the institutional implementation mechanisms of the Union's human rights policy which, according to the author, require new positioning & better coordination. The article firstly analyses the development of the human rights policy in the Union's internal affairs from the Stauder Case in 1969 to recent discussions on the legal force of the Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights & the accession of the Union to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights & Fundamental Freedoms. The second part of the article gives an overview of human rights policy development in the Union's external relations from the Fourth Lome Convention to the European Neighbourhood Policy. The paper ends with an analysis of the features common to the Union's human rights policy implementation mechanisms focusing on the role of the Commission, the Parliament & the Council of the Union. The article points to the lack of institutional harmonization using the European Instrument for Democracy & Human Rights as an example & sees in the establishment of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights the need to introduce changes in the implementation of the human rights policy. In a conclusion, the author identifies the complexity & fragmentation of the Union as a system on the one hand and, on the other hand, the omnipresence of human rights protection & promotion in the Union's public policies as the key factors encumbering the control over the human rights policy implementation & the cause of its perceived deficit. Adapted from the source document.