Suchergebnisse

In his speech at the conference "Buitenlandse politiek in Belgie" (The Foreign Policy in Belgium), organized by the U of Ghent & the Catholic U of Louvain & held in Ghent, 27 March 2002, the country's foreign minister outlines the principles governing the foreign policies of the current government led by prime minister Guy Verhofstadt since the summer of 1999. He stresses the importance of vision, trust, & morality in Belgian foreign policy & mentions his country's unblemished stand on human rights, unwavering championship of the European Union (EU), & efforts to construct durable peace in Central Africa. The effectiveness of multilateral & bilateral approaches is pointed out. The active position of the EU, under its Belgian chairmanship, in addressing issues pertaining to the Balkan & Middle East conflicts is noted. The new challenges posed by the events of September 11 & the future enlargement of the EU with states from Central & Southern Europe are recognized. Z. Dubiel

The question whether the Belgian foreign policy is marked by a continuity or break between the first & second turns of Guy Verhofstadt as a prime minister of this country's governments is addressed, surveying developments in the 1999-2004 period & scrutinizing the rhetorical declarations & concrete initiatives "on the ground" by the foreign minister Louis Michel. The diplomatic style of the first & second administrations are compared, & the principles & directions of Belgian foreign policy in 2004 are assessed in the context of the state of political affairs on the global arena, with special attention to the split between the EU & US on the war in Iraq, the division inside the former vis-a-vis supporting or opposing US intervention in this Middle Eastern country, & the recent troubles the EU experiences with greater degree of political integration, projecting also into a lack of coherent, uniform foreign policy on the supranational level. Some of the major issues the Belgian foreign policy must deal in 2004 & beyond are identified: securing democratic & peaceful governance in Central Africa, responding to the anti-Belgian campaign conducted by the US, & supporting the process of strengthening the EU position as a relevant actor on the geopolitical stage. Z. Dubiel

An attempt to give a classification of internal violence, occurring in 40 developing countries, in order to provide a 'structure of violence' for each country in the period 1950-67, & to r this structure to the changes in the real per capita income of these countries. For the collection of the various items of internal violence, Keesings Historical Archives (Dutch version) was used. They were classified as follows: (1) Diffuse SP unrest (strikes, demonstrations, riots, etc, in which people were wounded, killed &/or property was destroyed). (2) Coup d'etat-like activities. (3) Small guerrillas in the countryside & clusters of (anticolonial) violent actions in the towns. (4) Limited civil or anti-colonial war. (5) 'Endemic' guerrillas. (6) Situation of serious anarchy. (7) .1Pol'al' pogroms of total civil or anticolonial war. A 'profile of violence' for each country was constructed. In the Latin Amer couutries coup d'etat activities prevailed; in several African countries these activities became numerous some yrs after independence was obtained; in the Middle Eastern countries all types of violence occurred; & in the ethnically complicated Asian countries, small & endemic guerrillas frequently arose. A relation between types & extent of internal violence, & level of nat'l income & its yr'ly per capita growth could not be proved. The material suggests that nat'l income & changes therein as such, may not be very interesting variables. Distribution of income & changes therein might be more relevant. The difficulty, however, is to obtain reliable data on these variables. A number of suggestions are made. Modified IPSA.

The Opening Address at the Sch of War, Brussels, for the Academic yr 1968-69. The role of a military academy is discussed. Then major contemporary theories on war & pol are examined. Special attention is given to the problem of military responsibility, psychol'al warfare, & the influence of PO on military strategy. It is noted that military & pol'al sci has become a sci of 'crisis manag.' Reference is made to the recent military conflicts in Korea, the Middle East, & Vietnam. Crisis management in modern days has become a power play among the big countries. The military strategy of the communist world is reviewed on the basis of the principles laid down by K. Marx & F. Engels. L. Trotsky's theories on war & poi are compared with the Marxist-Leninist pol'al & strategic doctrine. Brief mention is made of the military writings of Mao Tse Tung & their influence on Che Guevara &others. The development of pol'al sci in the US is traced. Instruction at such Sch's as the Nat'l War Coll & the Industr Coll of the Armed Forces is compared with the teaching of pol'al & military sci at US U's. It is noted that pol'al & military sci has come to recognize the internat'l aspects of its problems. Belgium, by its geographical situation, is tied to the changes going on in the European continent. Military sci in Belgium therefore orients itself towards that of other European countries, eg, as taught at the U's of Aberdeen, London, Oxford, the Centre d'Etudes de Politique Etrangere (Center for the Study of Foreign Policy), Paris, etc. The Netherlands has the 'Defensie Studiecentrum' (Center for Defense Studies), in which students are instructed in the pol'al, psychol'al, econ, & military aspects of defense. It is concluded that military sci has come of age & fulfills an important role in training the responsible pol'al leaders needed in the modern world. M. Maxfield.