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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.

In this essay, the authors analyze the position terrorism has attained among the threats to security in the post-Cold War period. Hegemony in an interdependent world has made the concept of all violent conflicts obsolete, either between states with equally high levels of development or developing states, but it has also enabled barely significant groups to threat the security of everyone. These groups make use of violent actions to cause damage indiscriminately in order to get the attention of the media, thereby increasing the repercussions & scope of their actions. Consequently, international terrorism is now considered a violent political phenomenon characteristic of this new stage. Adapted from the source document.

This paper explores why international economic cooperation is both potentially beneficial & difficult to attain in practice. Taking nation states as unitary actors the paper uses game theory to explore the difficulties states face to sustain cooperation over time. Specifically, the analysis focuses on the incentives for following non-cooperative behavior, as well as on problems of time inconsistency. The paper also discusses how the existence of economic hegemones can facilitate cooperation, as well as how the existence of international regimes & institutions fosters cooperation by modifying the incentives different states face. Thus, cooperation can be facilitated but never ensured. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.

The effective autonomy of a State in the international system depends on different factors: the number of inhabitants, its economic weight and its capacity to resolve conflicts and avoid internal violence, the latter clearly related to the degree of social equality. In the contemporary world, there are only a few States or integrated Blocks that comply with these conditions: the United States, the European Union, China and India. Taking this into account, in South America, with the possible exception of Brazil, the achievement of full autonomy is very difficult. It is precisely for this reason that regional integration -by way of articulating markets, building supra-national institutions and a monetary integration- constitutes the only possibility. (Nueva Soc/GIGA)

En diciembre de 2007, los presidentes de Argentina, Brasil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Uruguay y Paraguay anunciaron la creación del Banco del Sur, con un capital inicial de 10.000 millones de dólares. La iniciativa forma parte de los esfuerzos para avanzar en la construcción de una arquitectura financiera sudamericana que, además, incluya una unidad monetaria. El artículo analiza los problemas que ya han comenzado a aparecer, vinculados a las asimetrías entre los diferentes países de la región, y sugiere mirar los ejemplos de Asia y Europa para encontrar un camino adecuado que permita avanzar en la articulación financiera de la región. (Nueva Soc/GIGA)

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.