Suchergebnisse

This article analyses the history and practice of the involvement of the us Congress in inter-parliamentary cooperation and diplomacy, with a specific case study of its members' involvement in the Parliamentary Assembly of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (nato pa), as a leading international parliamentary institution (ipi) in the field of international security. It argues that while members of Congress have participated in the activities of ipis in the past, they mostly focus on domestic affairs and are therefore less keen on engaging with ipis. Nevertheless, they do keep in close touch with transatlantic ipis. This is in line with us foreign policy, which places transatlantic relations at the top of the United States' strategic interests. The article focuses on Congressional participation in the work of the nato pa before and during nato's enlargement. It shows that Congress and its members can help the nato pa to play a visible role in transatlantic affairs.

This timely book appears after a decade of scant scholarly focus on Central Europe and its place in Europe and the world. Following the big themes of the 1990s (the EU and NATO enlargement), the recent political and economic developments such as the revival of the 'Visegrad Four' and the emerging tensions as a consequence of nationalist movements across Europe, this book addresses important and provocative issues surrounding Central Europe. Is Central Europe a region and does it have its own history? Are there more commonalities than dividing lines among Central European countries? Can Central Europe be a player in global politics? Is there a special role for Central Europe in Europe? These questions have brought together a group of experts whose interdisciplinary analysis with empirical research offers a fresh insight into Central Europe's position today.

Abstract. The Covid-19 crisis that hit the USA especially hard was accompanied by intensified anti-Chinese racism fuelled by the anti-Chinese rhetoric used by the Trump Administration. Although Trump's political opponents blamed him for having mismanaged the pandemic response, the anti-Chinese stance was a bipartisan issue. The article aims to analyse anti-Chinese racism in its systemic and historical dimensions. It examines the nature and strategic utility of antiChinese racism for past, the Trump, and future administrations as well as for America's elites generally. It is shown that anti-Chinese racism was substantially transformed during the pandemic and above all utilised to address the general destabilisation of the US-dominated socio-political and socio-economic order both at home and globally. China's growing importance around the world and the potential domestic destabilisation of the US mean that the strategic utility of anti-Chinese racism may well remain important for some time to come. Keywords: Covid-19 crisis, Trump's presidency, antiChinese racism, systemic racism, foreign policy

The article focuses on the interconnectedness of foreign policy environments to explain Slovenia's opportunities and constraints for foreign policy action. During the period of pre-independence para-diplomacy, the building of an internal and external domestic environment successfully turned constraints (no international recognition) into opportunities (applying for membership of European and global intergovernmental organizations). In the second period — post-recognition — considering the absence of a strategic foreign policy document, the Slovenian internal foreign policy environment became a major constraint to seize foreign environment opportunities. This affected Slovenia's accomplishments, notably after NATO and EU memberships were achieved in 2004. Although the Slovenian internal environment matured during the following period to adopt, in 2015, a comprehensive foreign policy strategy the recent turn in world politics (especially the European financial and economic crisis and the migration crisis) created for the first time a foreign environment for Slovenia that offered many fewer opportunities and far more constraints. ; The article focuses on the interconnectedness of foreign policy environments to explain Slovenia's opportunities and constraints for foreign policy action. During the period of pre-independence para-diplomacy, the building of an internal and external domestic environment successfully turned constraints (no international recognition) into opportunities (applying for membership of European and global intergovernmental organizations). In the second period — post-recognition — considering the absence of a strategic foreign policy document, the Slovenian internal foreign policy environment became a major constraint to seize foreign environment opportunities. This affected Slovenia's accomplishments, notably after NATO and EU memberships were achieved in 2004. Although the Slovenian internal environment matured during the following period to adopt, in 2015, a comprehensive foreign policy strategy the recent turn in world politics (especially the European financial and economic crisis and the migration crisis) created for the first time a foreign environment for Slovenia that offered many fewer opportunities and far more constraints.

Through a comparative perspective, and using evidence from the relations of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan with the US Congress and the European Parliament, this book assesses both the potentials and the constraints of parliamentary diplomacy for Taiwan.