Suchergebnisse

THIS ARTICLE ARGUES THAT THE THREE VOLUMES OF THE MACDONALD COMMISSION RESEARCH OUTPUT DEVOTED TO INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY (VOLS. 28 TO 30) DEMONSTRATE A BIAS TOWARD WHAT MIGHT BE LABELED "NEO-REALIST" ANALYSIS. AS A RESULT, THEY NEARLY ALL ARE STEEPED IN A DEGREE OF PESSIMISM REGARDING CANADA'S PLACE IN THE EVOLVING INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY- A PESSIMISM THAT EXTENDS NOT ONLY TO FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM, BUT FOR THE BILATERAL CANADA-US ONE AS WELL. WHILE THIS SENSE OF LIMITED OPTIONS MIGHT INDEED BE JUSTIFIED, THIS ARTICLE ARGUES THAT A SERIOUS OMISSION FROM THE SET OF STUDIES WAS THE RELATIVE LACK OF ATTENTION ACCORDED TO THE SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS UNDERPINNING THE POSTWAR TRADE AND MONETARY ORDER. THAT BEING SAID, THE AUTHOR FINDS THAT THE VOLUMES WILL LIKELY HAVE A LASTING SIGNIFICANCE FOR SCHOLARS, EVEN THOUGH THEIR RELEVANCE FOR PUBLIC POLICY MAY NOT BE SO GREAT OR LASTING.

THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES CHANGES IN THE INTERNATIONS POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF 'STRATEGIC MINERALS' OVER THE PAST HALF-CENTURY. THE METHOD OF ANALYSIS IS COMPARATIVE-HISTORICAL, OR 'DIACHRONIC', AND THE MAJOR ISSUES EXAMINED ARE: MINERALS AS A CAUSE OF INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT; MINERALS AS A FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE MILITARY POTENTIAL OF STATES; AND THE QUESTION OF MINERAL SCARCITY. IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE ISSUES, THE AUTHOR ANALYSES TWO CENTRAL CONCEPTS, 'GEOPOLITICS' AND 'STRATEGIC MINERALS'. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES THAT WHILE IT DOES MAKE SENSE TO SPEAK OF A 'NEW GEOPOLITICS OF MINERALS' IN THE POST-1973 ERA, THERE ARE NEVERTHELESS IMPORTANT WAYS IN WHICH RECENT STRATEGIC-MINERALS ISSUES RESEMBLE THOSE OF THE EARLIER PERIOD UNDER EXAMINATION, THE INTERWAR YEARS (AND, IN PARTICULAR, THE 1930S).