Suchergebnisse

The authors first present a historical background and then give their explanations for the failure of the Swiss political sphere to mirror the huge and successful foreign engagement of the Swiss economy. Although this is unusual, it is not unique. The reasons given for Swiss political isolationism are: Swiss direct democracy and an indirectly elected government based upon consensus can both act as indirect restraints to shifts in foreign policy; Swiss federalism accords disproportionate influence to small, rural, conservative cantons; neutrality has outlived its purpose and become a goal in itself; only 0.7% of the militia-style army are full-time professionals. Particular emphasis is placed on these factors' effects upon Swiss lack of involvement in the process of European integration. A prognosis for the future is given. The authors favour the "renewal" over "persistence" of Swiss foreign policy regarding a Switzerland in the EU as preferable and also better able to remain relatively unchanged, as political power shifts from Berne to Brussels. (IFSH-Pll)

The article provides an account of where Swiss foreign policy currently stands. The Swiss Government's 1993 Foreign Policy Report represented a radical break with Switzerland's history and presents a new constellation of means to ends which values international co-operation over neutrality and foreign policy objectives over independence. Dividing Swiss foreign policy into four areas - security policy, European integration policy, foreign economic policy and development assistance, the authors discuss the issues and challenges that this new era presents to Switzerland's policy in each of these areas. Presenting a brief history of each foreign policy area in Switzerland and discussing the major actors involved in each one, the authors identify the trends emerging in Swiss foreign policy. (IFSH-Pll)

Zweck: Die Zusammenstellung beschränkt sich somit im wesentlichen auf die Forschungsfelder der drei Institute und erhebt nicht den Anspruch auf eine vollständige Erfassung von Kongress-Materialien. Dieses Arbeitshilfsmittel - notwendig aufgrund der Fülle und gleichzeitigen Unübersichtlichkeit des Materials - wird erschlossen durch ein Sach-, Regionen und Institutionenregister. Jeder Einzelband repräsentiert zeitlich den Bibliothekseingang im Anschluß an den vorausgehenden Band

"The article inquires into the conditions of effective leadership of states in international politics, and develops a framework for the study of so-called (new) regional powers such as Brazil, China, India, and South Africa in processes of regional institution-building. Various theoretical strands will be discussed as to the requirements of effective leadership in international affairs. Most importantly, the relationship between power, leadership and hegemony will be outlined. It is argued that the connection between leadership and hegemony is one of co-constitution. Leadership is necessarily based on hegemony, while hegemony can only be sustained through leadership. Furthermore, it will be shown that both leadership and hegemony are essentially political in character, whereas power has no such insinuation but has to be translated into leadership and hegemony through discursive means. Finally, the analysis asks for the preconditions of leadership in East Asia, using China's and Japan's roles in East Asian regionalism as an illustration." (author's abstract)

Die Geschichte des interkulturellen Vergleichs befaßt sich nicht so sehr mit der Erläuterung spezieller Merkmale, die eine bestimmte Kultur charakterisieren, als mit der Betonung von Wechselwirkungen und wechselseitiger Befruchtung zwischen den Kulturen. In der Vergangenheit wie auch in der Gegenwart haben Übersetzungen eine wichtige Rolle zwischen den Kulturen als verständliche Wiedergabe des Fremden und Unbekannten gespielt. Jede Nation, Region oder Kultur hat in diesem Prozeß eine doppelte Rolle gespielt, jeweils als kultureller Erzeuger und Empfänger. Die eigene Forschung trägt zur Geschichte der Übersetzung während des 20. Jahrhunderts als interkultureller Geschichte der internationalen Beziehungen bei. Die interkulturell - historische Untersuchung von Übersetzungen hat die Aufmerksamkeit auf die wechselnden Merkmale gelenkt, die die kulturellen und wissenschaftlichen Neigungen verschiedener Völker und Nationen vereinen oder unterscheiden. Allgemeine Merkmale sind z. B. die auffallend wachsende Gesamtzahl von Übersetzungen in diesem Jahrhundert, das steigende Interesse an den kulturellen Anstrengungen der englischsprechenden Welt, die geographische Ausdehnung von Übersetzungen aus und in außereuropäische Kontinente und Veränderungen in der Thematik von Übersetzungen mit einer Tendenz zu anderen Themen als Literatur (z. B. Wissenschaften, Kunst, Sport). Die Geschichte der Übersetzung wird als stellare Konstellation gesehen, in der die Schöpfungen verschwundener Welten weiterfunkeln, so wie erloschene Sterne ihr Licht weiter auf entfernte Himmelskörper im Universum werfen. Wird die Entwicklung von Zivilisationen auf diese Weise betrachtet, wird nicht länger an Begriffe wie kulturelle Beherrschung und Unterordnung gedacht. Vielmehr wird die Dauer der Geschichte die Bewegungen der Gezeiten wachrufen. ; Cross-cultural history is concerned not so much with illuminating particular features that characterize a given culture, as with emphasizing reciprocal impacts and cross-fertilization among cultures. In the past, as in the present, translations have played an important cross-cultural role in rendering intelligible the strange and the unknown. Every nation, region, or culture has played a dual role in this process, both as cultural producer and as recipient. My own research attempts to contribute to the history of translations during the twentieth centuryas a cross-cultural history of international relations. Cross-cultural historical investigation of translations has drawn attention tothe changing features that both unite and differentiate cultural and scientific tastes of various peoples and nations. Common features include the striking growth in the total number of translations during the present century: the increasing interest in the cultural achievements of the English-speaking world; the geographical extension of translations from and toward continents other than Europe; and changes in the subject matter of translations, with a shift to themes other than literature (such as sciences, arts, and sports). This study attempts to view the history of translations as a stellar constellation in which the creations of vanished worlds continue to sparkle, just as extinct stars go on casting their light on distant heavenly bodies in the universe. If we consider the development of civilizations in this fashion, we shall no longer think in terms of cultural dominance and subordination, or in terms of rising and falling civilizations; instead the longue duration of history will recall the movements of low tide and high tide.

"NATO needs to define its global purpose if it wishes to address global threats. What is the prospect of NATO going global and how will it affect NATO's future course? In the run-up to the NATO Summit in Riga in November 2006, a debate on both sides of the Atlantic has now evolved over NATO's global engagement that touches on the very foundations of NATO's original purpose and definition. Critically, the debate is no longer about wether NATO should go 'out of area or out of business' but whether the Alliance should enlarge on a global level from Vancouver to Tokyo and Wellington. In order to place this debate into the recent historical context of the Alliance, this article examines U.S.-European security relations since September 11 within the institutional framework of NATO and, subsequently, draws conclusions for the future role of the Alliance. As the transatlantic community faces security threats of inherently global nature such as internationally organized terrorism and crime, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, collapse or lack of state structures in certain regions, and ruptures in the stable supply of energy resources, NATO will have to define its role as a global security actor if it wishes to avoid becoming a mere service provider of security." (author's abstract)

"Regional integration in- and outside Europe is a theoretical and empirical puzzle for Political Scientists. After 50 years of integration studies, there is still a gap in the academic discussion. On the one hand, New Institutionalism mainly discusses the successful example of European integration and argues about the influence of supranational vs. intergovernmental institutions. On the other hand, International Political Economy debates the emergence of more and more preferential trade agreements around the world, but neglects the dynamic of regional integration. In order to overcome these deficits, this paper proposes a new approach to regional economic integration, which simultaneously overcomes the Eurocentrism of Institutionalism and the static nature of Political Economy approaches. According to this view, regional economic integration results from demand and supply factors. Thereby, demand and supply of regional integration needs not be the same as in Europe. Whereas comparative cost advantages and economies of scale are important factors for the demand for regional integration in Europe and North America, the attraction of foreign direct investments and development aid may be more important for regions of the South. And whereas common institutions are a driving force behind integration in Europe and South America, regional integration in North America and Southern Africa may be more supplied by regional hegemony. Integration dynamic may evolve if feedback effects occur and one or more of the demand and supply factors are reinforced due to previous integration steps. But such 'spill-over' may also look different than the European example, as the economic and institutional preconditions differ. After developing such a theoretical approach, the proposed paper will illustrate its hypotheses using the example of the EU, the NAFTA, the MERCOSUR, the SADC and the ASEAN." (author's abstract)