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This is a reply to Jose Pedro Teixeira Fernandess article, Post-Positivism & Ideology in International Relations Theory, which appeared in the December, 2007 issue of the journal. Fernandes argued that the academic field of international relations is still dominated by a postmodern orthodoxy that arose as an academic trend in the 1980s, and which originally had nothing to do with international relations. The article argues that Fernandes has erred in several important respects. He tends to confuse post-positivism not only with postmodernism, but also with multiculturalism, & then employs these confusions to construct the major premise of his argument. Thus, Fernandess remedies, which are designed to address the negative consequences of the putative postmodern orthodoxy in the study of international relations, are not in fact necessary, & may indeed do substantial harm to the field. R. Young

This paper analyzes the recent behavior of the Brazilian direct investment abroad, as captured by an annual census conducted by the Central Bank of Brazil since 2001, by putting it in a broader perspective that includes international official data sources and early sample studies. Though the Central Bank has not been making available more disaggregated data than those analyzed here, it is intended to contribute to a better grasping of the perspectives of competitive internationalization of local firms, which is desirable not only as far as the external accounts are concerned, but also from the viewpoint of the technological capabilities of the local firms. (Rev Econ Polit/GIGA)

Since independence, as Georgia attempted to become closer to Western Europe & the Atlantic community, its relations with Russia have deteriorated. The Five Days War in August 2008 comes as a result of the mounting tensions between Russia & Georgia, after the Rose Revolution. Successive Russian provocations show clearly that Moscow was preparing for a showdown. However, Moscow may have made a mistake when it decided to recognize the unilateral declarations of independence of South Ossetia & Abkhazia. Adapted from the source document.

Considering the first decade of the 21st century, Brazil's foreign policy has been undergoing a significant evolution characterized by an assertive international stance & power projection, promoting an update & enlargement of strategic partnerships with developed & emerging countries. The aim of this paper is to analyze the main tenets of this agenda & the potentials linked to these efforts of horizontal & vertical bi & multilateral cooperation. References. Adapted from the source document.