Suchergebnisse

An interview with NATO General Ray Henault, Chairman of the Military Committee explores the most important decisions of the Riga Summit for military follow-up, current operations, how the Allies managed to fill the shortfalls necessary to be able to declare full operational capability of the NATO Response Force (NRF) at Riga, possible future missions, solutions to the airlift problem, the capabilities of the Active Layered Theatre Missile Defence, meeting the requirements of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and the challenges that ISAF faces. Figures. Adapted from the source document.

The South American presidents meeting held in Brasilia (September 2000) has been an important step in Brazil's effort to consolidate its long standing policy of asserting its South American identity as a means of furthering the ties whith its geographic neighbors. That identity has been gradually imposing itself upon a country whose own traits threatened to perpetuate a culture of exclusion and of isolationism towards the subcontinent. Considering the growing force of this South American identity, the Brasilia summit symbolizes the culmination of a long history of converging paths, still in progress. (Polit Externa/DÜI)

FOLLOWING THE CREATION OF THE FAO COMMISSION ON PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES -AND ITS FIRST THREE TUMULTUOUS (BUT SUCCESSFUL) MEETINGS -- THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT SEEMED TO BE WORSENING EVEN THOUGH SOME INSTITUTIONAL PROGRESS WAS BEING MADE. WHEN IN THE LATE 1980'S THE KEYSTONE INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE ON PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES CAME ALONG, EXPERTS ALL GRASPED IT, NERVOUSLY, IN THE HOPE THAT A DIFFERENT STYLE OF NEGOTIATION MIGHT MEAN REAL PROGRESS. THE KEYSTONE SCORECARD WAS AN INTELLECTUAL VICTORY BUT NEGOTIATORS WERE STILL IN THE POLITICAL WILDERNESS, BEATING THEIR WAY TO THE EARTH SUMMIT (UNCED) IN RIO AND TRYING TO BYPASS GATT IN GENEVA.

At the end of August 2014, scientists and policymakers from forty-eight countries gathered at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand to debate the science and art of scientific advice. Jointly hosted by Sir Peter Gluckman, chief scientific advisor to the PrimeMinister of NewZealand, and the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Auckland summit was the largest ever meeting of its kind, attracting science advisors, advisory bodies and academic experts fromAlbania to Zimbabwe, and a host of countries in between.Over two days of intense discussion, participants debated structures and methods for the provision of scientific advice in emergency situations, across national and disciplinary boundaries, and on contested topics,where science, values and politics collide. The meeting ended with a call to strengthen collaboration between advisory systems, an agreement to formalize the network, and a commitment tomeet again in 2016. As Sir Peter Gluckman said afterwards: "Our goal was to start a global conversation on the practices and challenges of conveying science advice to governments…The meeting has highlighted a real thirst among practitioners to share models and lessons."

The author describes the mass protests in Quebec City, which took place during the Apr 2001 meeting of the Summit of the Americas, a meeting designed to create a free-trade area of the Americas by 2005. This meeting included 34 heads of state from the Americas, & it was heavily protected from the anticipated protesters with a wall of cement blocks & chain-link fencing that created a 3-mile barrier from the conference site. Policemen used tear gas, rifles, rubber bullets, water cannons, & concussion grenades in their efforts to keep the protesters excluded from their democratic right to protest. Participants in this protest showed stronger affiliation to the Left than in the previous protests in Seattle, & stronger positions were taken by the popular organizations, which came together in the Hemispheric Social Alliance. The protesters demonstrated their support for anticapitalistic ideas as they fought through the barrier of the wall against tear-gas & rubber bullets & other tactics used by the riot police. The experience of over 50,000 to 60,000 people making a stand gave hope for a new radical Left & an activist movement. L. A. Hoffman

This article analyzes the ASEAN-based regional climate change and protection policy from the April 2010 Summit in Hanoi. The authors examine the overall meaning of this environmental phenomenon for Southeast Asia, a breakdown of the per capita emissions; referencing regional data, such as the National Climate Change Strategy from Singapore, Business as Usual Scenario (BAU), and figures from the Indonesian Ministry of Finance. Next, the authors study the road map of past group-structured meetings since Kuala Lumpur in 1997, as the group turns toward a joint climate policy; looking at the past platforms of the Kyoto Protocol, UNFCCC, and Conference of Parties (COP13), (COP15), and (COP16). Then the article provides the groups' points from the April meeting; examining the meaning of the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on Joint Response to Climate Change, including the corresponding actions, and mechanisms therein. M. Diem

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), two United Nations-sponsored conferences about information, communication and the establishment of a 21st century 'information society', took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis, setting the foundations for a 'multi-stakeholder' approach to global governance of information and communication technologies (ICTs). In February 2013, the Paris WSIS+10 review meeting has provided an occasion for scholars of internet governance actors to assess the present state of what was ten years ago – and still is – a set of experimental formats, procedures and processes for the governance of ICTs, seeking to reunite the private sector, governments and inter-governmental institutions and, civil society, under the auspices of 'multi-stakeholderism'. This article provides such an assessment and calls for a realistic and thorough assessment of multi-stakeholderism in ICT governance.

The NATO Riga summit of November 2006 was initially supposed to be part of a three-summit package to set the agenda for transformation, to build on it and complete NATO work of the Bush administration, and a third scheduled for April 2009 to complete transformation regarding 21st century challenges. But agenda-setting in Riga has not been what was hoped, and especially disillusions surrounding the NATO-led military operations left the table bare of future planning and schemes for responsibility devising, risking to turn the 2008 and 2009 summits into hollow shells. Which is not to say that the International Security Assistance Force ISAF is not performing its military tasks well in Afghanistan; it is a testimony to nearly 60 years of NATO cooperation that the processes and procedures, the training of troops and interoperability of equipments, have paid off in Afghanistan. An analysis of the Riga meeting and national caveats of individual allies, second thoughts under increased fire and the US-Afghanistan vs. US-Iraq dilemma and Afghanistan's realm "beyond military". The text suggests that the EU assumes its responsibilities for the critical and failing third leg of the ISAF-Afghan government triangle, which will be the coordination of external aid to Afghanistan. Not only will this help proceedings in Afghanistan, it will also be a demonstration of willingness to assume a major share of responsibility for overall success in Afghanistan. References. O. van Zijl

Little is known about cooperation between nations engaged in a regional economic association. This study investigates cooperation and closure between Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies engaged in negotiating five bilateral free trade agreements (FTA), including the Australia-Singapore FTA 2003, United States-Singapore FTA 2003, Chile-United States FTA 2003, Australia-United States FTA 2004, and Korea-Australia FTA 2014. This study found that a number of factors bring about or interfere with cooperation at the closure stage. Negotiation closure occurs within FTAs when discussions shift from trade diplomats focused on technical matters to senior national leaders focused on political decisions. Creditable deadline, party stability and instability, and linkage dynamics were also found to support or interfere with cooperation at the closure stage in FTA negotiations. Often FTA negotiations are concluded on the sidelines of meetings sponsored by international organizations including APEC Leaders' Summit and Ministerial meetings.

Little is known about cooperation between nations engaged in a regional economic association. This study investigates cooperation and closure between Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies engaged in negotiating five bilateral free trade agreements (FTA), including the Australia-Singapore FTA 2003, United States-Singapore FTA 2003, Chile-United States FTA 2003, Australia-United States FTA 2004, and Korea-Australia FTA 2014. This study found that a number of factors bring about or interfere with cooperation at the closure stage. Negotiation closure occurs within FTAs when discussions shift from trade diplomats focused on technical matters to senior national leaders focused on political decisions. Creditable deadline, party stability and instability, and linkage dynamics were also found to support or interfere with cooperation at the closure stage in FTA negotiations. Often FTA negotiations are concluded on the sidelines of meetings sponsored by international organizations including APEC Leaders' Summit and Ministerial meetings.

Examines the current global education deficit, & the failure to achieve the international commitments made at Jomtien (Thailand) to universal primary education & a halving of illiteracy by 2000. Educational targets set at the World Summit held in Copenhagen (Denmark) in 1995 will similarly be missed unless they are linked to finance needs. Assessed here are the resource implications of meeting these commitments for governments in the North & South, & the international & domestic policy changes needed. Trends in development finance that militate against the commitments being achieved include constraints on government revenue raising capacity (the impact of liberalization on trade taxes, & volatile & declining receipts from commodity exports), falling overseas development aid, & indebtedness. Policy proposals are offered for international tax reform that could help meet the costs of education for all; renewed donor & recipient government commitment to meeting the 2015 targets through aid compacts; & a comprehensive dept reduction strategy. 1 Photograph, 14 References. Adapted from the source document.