*** Politique étrangère. Institut français des relations internationales (Dif'Fop, 21 ter rue Voltaire, F-75011 Paris. Tel. (33-1) 40242131, fax: 43721577). Winter 1999-2000, No 4/99, FRF 115. ISBN 2-225-83876-3.
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the Institut français des relations internationales, directed by Thierry de Montbrial, lived up to its reputation, bringing together last November an impressive number of distinguished personalities to discuss the challenges of globalisation at the dawn of the 21st century. The result, recorded in this issue of Politique étrangère, is a flowering of prestigious signatures and top-level analysis. It begins with a paper by Jacques Chirac, a ringing plea for the construction of a multipolar world in which the European Union would play an eminent role because, as Montbrial states in his introduction, this is the "essential condition for avoiding the trap of American unilateralism". Welcoming his guests to the Elysée, the French Head of State expressed his conviction that, failing the establishment of a "balanced dialogue between regional poles", the world will one day or another become a dangerous place again. This dialogue can only exist, in his view, if the EU "itself becomes a major pole of world balance, developing all the instruments of a genuine power".
These themes -Washington's resistible (?) imperial ascension, the need for an irresistible (?) rise in Europe's political power- are also touched upon in many other contributions. First, in the paper by Hubert Védrine, who admits it is somewhat "iconoclastic". In his introduction, Thierry de Montbrial notes that this essay is marked by a "freedom of tone unusual for Foreign Ministers" (but doesn't intelligence always free itself from all frontiers when used advisedly?). Védrine writes that the United States is no longer a superpower but an unprecedented "hyperpower" that no longer knows how to act with its adversaries, or with its allies and partners. His starting point is the observation (debatable, assuredly, but should it be debated?) that, for two centuries, American officials and major analysts "have not doubted for an instant that the United States is chosen by Providence as the 'indispensable nation' and that, in the interest of humanity, it must remain dominant" (and the frankest among them do not hesitate to recall, points out the Minister, "that the contemporary world is a direct result of Europe's total failure in conducting its own affairs and those of the world in the first half of the 20th century", a judgement no honest European can dispute). Consequently, one of the problems of the world being forged today resides in the United States' ability, should the Europeans decide to become a major power, to accept "a partnership that is neither momentary nor partial, and to move from unilateralism to multilateralism". Another major problem "concerns the question of universality, (...) of relations between the 'West' and the others". With the lucidity and humility that is the stamp of the wise not blinded by their grandeur and/or responsibility (both of which pass, as the history of humans and humanity teaches), Hubert Védrine recognises that, nowadays, persons won over -sometimes at the risk of their lives or freedom- to the values we hold come to nurture the "feeling that the West makes an instrument, sometimes unconsciously, of genuine universal values so as to impose its system and its influence". In short, convinced -and rightly so- of the worth of their democratic values, the Western countries combine "generosity and cynicism" and impose on the rest of the world the model they themselves have taken two to three centuries to build, at the risk of thus keeping their heads under water. For Hubert Védrine, there is a need to "reason in terms of historical processes, of gradual consolidation and stages", and not -as in the case of Russia of 1992 that was brought down by "plans for ultra-liberal deregulation designed for strong and ultra-developed Western economies"- in "almost religious terms, as if one could convert the followers of tyranny into zealots of democracy overnight".
An easy turn of phrase, an idea smacking of the primary anti-Americanism of which France has always been accused? No, a truth that needs to be stated and that is a pleasure to hear expressed by a senior political official. Some will no doubt retort, in substance, that over the generations, France and those representing it have continued their combat. Really? Is France still the France of General de Gaulle? Is our world still that of the founder of the Fifth Republic? We prefer another question: What would de Gaulle do today, in line with his commitment but in the intensity of an intelligence no one denies (and which his heirs will not deny, even though some are seen as traitors to him)? The answer is no doubt to be found (and may the other prodigiously interesting contributors forgive us for not mentioning them, from the Presidents of Germany, Finland and Poland to Cardinal Lustiger, Christian Sautter, Javier Solana Lord Robertson, and others...) in the essay by an impartial and therefore particularly convincing contributor: the Vice-Admiral and Minister of Singapore, Teo Chee Hean, suggests that the EU has valuable experience from which other regions could benefit and "build a larger consensus in favour of world-wide action" in this age where "globalisation is in fact americanisation". And he explains with a sense of proportion that makes his judgment explosive for those prepared to understand it: "The United States today plays a pre-eminent role in international affairs. This role is for the most part exceptionally benevolent and constructive. But this unipolarity has engendered a malaise and given rise to negative reactions. The EU, which maintains close and positive relations with the United States, with which it agrees on a large range of issues, is in a position to blunt the cutting edges of the unilateralism of American policies". Is this not a sort of Appeal of 18 June demonstrating that the world has become a village like the one in the comic strip that resisted the Romans right down to the end ?
Michel Theys
*** AHMED SAYYAD: L'UNESCO: une vision pour le XXIe siècle. Editions Publisud (15 rue des Cinq-Diamants, F-75013 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45807850, fax: 45899415, PUBLISUD@compuserve. Com). 1999, 190 pages. ISBN 2-86600-809-X.
Nehru once said that Unesco was the "conscience of the world". This book is a ringing plea for it to remain so. A former Yemenite diplomat and currently Deputy Director General of this organisation, part of the UN "family", Ahmed Sayyad notes that Unesco, given its "ethical and intellectual mission", is more necessary than ever in a "world reduced to a global village (...), fooled by disappointments and disillusions, where the community is in search of references, where the "affluent and the annihilated" continue to confront one another, where the poor become poorer with each passing day and the rich richer, where blind violence and fundamentalism attack the values and foundations of humanity, where the exclusion of entire strata of populations destroys hopes and confidence in our civilisation". But to remain equal to the moral mission with which it has been entrusted, Unesco must adapt. In the light of the challenges to be taken up at the start of this 21st century, Sayyad suggests avenues of reform (highlighting the absolute necessity of involving civil society in this debate that concerns it) after presenting a useful historical overlook.
(MT)
*** BEATRICE MARRE: De la mondialisation subie au développement durable. Les enjeux de la Conférence de Seattle. Assemblée nationale (Kiosque de l'Assemblée nationale, 4 rue Aristide-Briand, F-75007 Paris. Internet: http: //http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). Rapport d'information No 1824. 1999, 506 pages, FRF 80, EUR 12.20. ISBN 2-11-108366-6.
Though drafted prior to the World Trade Organisation conference held in Seattle from 30 November to 3 December last, this report is not outdated. Everyone is aware that the negotiations will have to be resumed to break the impasse, the question being under what conditions. The report by French MP Béatrice Marre, member of the European Union Delegation of the French National Assembly, pinpoints the problems that were the stumbling blocks in Seattle. For Marre, the WTO is irreplaceable as a framework for dispute settlement, but needs to be improved: In terms of transparency. In terms of its purpose: international trade has widened the gap between rich and poor nations. And especially in terms of a fair balance between all the countries concerned. In the face of the United States, which attributes its trade deficit to the EU and Japan, the Union must favour the emergence of a multipolar world, doing everything in its power to contribute to integrating the South in the world economy. The report studies various means of creating a balance satisfactory to all parties.
(LD)
*** JAMES GWARTNEY, ROBERT LAWSON: Economic Freedom of the World. 1998/1999 Interim Report. The Fraser Institute (Vancouver, B. C., Canada). 1998, 88 pages. ISBN 0-88975-188-9.
This interim report prepared under the responsibility of two professors of economics (Gwartney of Florida State University and Lawson of Capital University, Columbus, Ohio) is the follow-up of a project initiated over ten years ago, notably on the initiative of Nobel prize winner Milton Friedman. Bringing together some 50 research institutes from around the world, it endeavours to provide an objective measurement of economic freedom in more than 120 countries in the light of government action, the structure of the economy and the use of markets, monetary policy and price stability, freedom to use alternative currencies, legal structures (notably relating to property rights), freedom to trade with foreigners and freedom of exchange in capital and financial markets. According to the study, in 1997, the United Kingdom was one of the world's five economies with the greatest freedom (with Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and the United States), with Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands not far in its wake. Portugal's progress is also highlighted.
(MT)
*** Dialoghi Diplomatici. Conseguenze della globalizzazione (17 giugno 1999). Circolo di Studi diplomatici (Palazzetto Venezia, 3/AA Via degli Astalli, I-00186 Roma, Tel: (39-06) 6781148, fax: 6791052). No 163 (July-September 1999), 43 pages.
This brochure reproduces the papers presented by 11 Italian diplomats meeting in Rome in June 1999 for a Round Table discussion on the economic, financial, political and social consequences of globalisation.
(ED)
*** MARIO DEAGLIO: A quando la ripresa? Quarto rapporto sull'economia globale e l'Italia. Centro di Ricerca e Documentazione Luigi Einaudi (4 via Ponza, I-10121 Torino, Tel: (39-011) 5591611, fax: 5591691) -Lazard Vitale Borghesi & C. (2 via dell'Orso, I-20121 Milano, Tel: (39-02) 723121, fax: 860592) -Ed. Guarini e Associati (28 viale Filippetti, I-20122 Milano, guerini@iol.it). 1999, 178 pages, ITL 32,000. ISBN 88-8335-012-X.
For the fourth consecutive year, Mario Deaglio -journalist and Professor of Political Economics at the University of Turin- presents a detailed assessment of the health of the international and the Italian economy, this time for 1998. He particularly scrutinises the signs of recovery in the world economy in the wake of the Asian crisis and draws the first conclusions from the financial trends observed in the euro area. Professor Deaglio also deciphers the mechanisms of globalisation and highlights industrial and stock market activity in Italy.
(ED)
*** MARKUS FREITAG: Politik und Währung. Ein internationaler Vergleich. Verlag Paul Haupt (14 Falkenplatz, CH-3001 Bern). "Berner Studien zur Politikwissenschaft", No 8. 1999, 243 pages, DEM 65, EUR 33.23. ISBN 3-258-06097-5.
A comparison between nations following discontinuation of the Bretton Woods fixed exchange-rate system reveals that countries whose currencies were considerably appreciated stand side-by-side with nations whose currencies were depreciated. The object of this work -which essentially concerns the OECD countries- is to pinpoint the economic and political causes of these diverging developments. The author chooses to analyse the political and institutional "causes" of a credible economic and monetary policy rather than the more traditional economic principles that focus on fundamental economic factors.
(CB)
*** Transnational Corporations. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Genève 10, Tel: (41-22) 9172615, fax: 9170027, unpubli@unog.ch). December 1998, Vol. 7, No 3, 213 pages. Annual subscription (3 issues): USD 45.
The role of accounting practices in the Asian financial crisis, industrial relocation and the protection of investment, relations between States and international organisations in the negotiation of investment rules, highlights of the United Nations report on investment trends and determinants in 1998, and the business, macroeconomic and political aspects of mergers and acquisitions in the global market are discussed in this issue, which also contains book reviews and brief details on new publications.
(ED)
*** Eureka News. Secrétariat: 107 rue Neerveld, B-1200 Bruxelles, Tel: (32) 027770950, fax: 77074 95, nicola.vatthauer@es.eureka.be, http: ///wxww.eureka.be. No 45 of this quarterly discusses a colloquium on SMEs held in Stuttgart in October 1999.
*** The EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (DG for Research, L-2929, Luxembourg) has recently published the following:
- Glossary of the Common Fisheries Policy. Fisheries series, FISH 105 EN. 59 pages. This glossary, which does not claim to be exhaustive, lists the principal terms used in the common fisheries policy. It outlines the history and objectives of this policy, along with its instruments and institutional aspects and reproduces all existing Community fisheries legislation and fishing agreements between the EU and third countries in force in 1999.
- The Common Agricultural Policy and the Euro. Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development series, AGRI 105 REV/A, 22 pages. This document describes the history of the European Community's agrimonetary scheme, explains why reform of this scheme was made necessary by the start of stage three of EMU and analyses the euro's perspectives and its internationalisation.
- The Monetary Policy of the ECB under Treaty Article 105. Summary and conclusions. Economic Affairs series, ECON 112a XX, 27 pages. Presented in the 11 languages (two pages each), this brochure summarises the European Central Bank's monetary policy, highlighting improvements and clarifications that could be made on several points.
- Public and Private Investment in the European Union. Economic Affairs series, ECON 113 EN, 46 pages. This study assesses the role of public and private investment in promoting economic and employment growth. Comparisons are made between the EU and the United States and between several EU Member States.
- Options for the Exchange Rate Management of the ECB. Economic Affairs series, ECON 115 FR, 34 pages. This study describes the European Central Bank's approach to the euro/dollar exchange rate policy in terms of both depreciation and appreciation.
*** La banque dans la société. Rapport annuel 1999 de l'Association Belge des Banques (36 rue Ravenstein, bte5, B-1000 Bruxelles. Tel: (32) 025076900, fax: 025125861, abb-bvb@abb-bvb.be). 1999, 40 pages.
This study reviews the principal challenges facing the banking sector and its likely evolution. It discusses the sector's preparation for the final stage of EMU, the decrease in exchanges of banknotes and cross-border transfers, the problem of supplemental pensions, European fiscal harmonisation and specific mechanisms, changes to be introduced in the code of conduct for credit brokers, and legal aspects and consumer protection in electronic commerce and Internet banking.
*** The Impact of EIB Borrowing Operations on the Integration of New Capital Markets. Evaluation report. European Investment Bank (100 Bld K. Adenauer, L-2950 Luxembourg, tel: (352) 4379-1, fax: 4377-04, http://www.bei.org ). 1999, 20 pages. + annexes.
This report analyses the impact of European Investment Bank borrowing operations on the development of the bond markets of Spain, Portugal and Greece. Its objective is to assess whether these operations and those of other multilateral development banks contribute to the successful evolution of these markets and to explore what lessons could be learned to assist authorities in integrating their bond markets into the international market.
*** The European Central Bank as Lender of Last Resort. European Financial Forum (125 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5EA, UK, tel: (44-207) 8397565, fax: 8397339, financialforum@epfltd.org, http://www.epfltd.org ). 1999, 14 pages.
In this study, Professor Rosa Maria Lastra criticises the ambiguity of European treaties about responsibilities in financial crises, stressing the need for a clear division of responsibilities between the ECB and national supervisors, before any crisis arises in the market. For Lastra, such clarification does not require amendment of the Treaty.
*** Annual Report, 1999. International Monetary Fund (700 19th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20431, USA, tel: (1-202) 623-7430, fax: 623-7201, publications@imf.org, http: //http://www.imf.org ). 1999, 259 pages. ISBN 1-55775-843-3.
This annual report describes the state of the global economy in 1998/99, the action of the IMF and the specific situation in different countries of the world.