*** INES TREPANT: L'évolution récente des relations transatlantiques. Centre de recherche et d'information socio-politiques (1A place Quetelet, B-1210 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2110180 - Fax: 2197934 - E-mail: crisp@cfwb.be - Internet: http://www.crisp.be ). "Courrier hebdomadaire" series, Nos. 1845-1846. 2004, 70 pp, 12.40 euros.
There have been innumerable conflicts in recent years between Europe and the United States on themes as varied as the application of international trade rules, the Common Foreign and Security Policy, or the rule of law and international institutions in the construction of a world order. The author of this research starts from the fact that the question of international relations these days, independently of the United States' agenda on the world stage, is 'eminently European'. Inès Trépant observes that the December 2003 European Council will go down in the history of the political European project because the heads of state approved a European security strategy for the first time. She believes this will be a document of capital importance since it is the counterpart of a document published in September 2002 by the National Security Council outlining the United States' security policy under the Bush Administration. The author considers transatlantic relations in the light of this new EU document.
The first part of this weekly newsletter from the Crisp sets out the sets the domain of transatlantic relations in the context of its economic, policy and security dimensions. Inès Trépant then attempts to define major elements of the dominant ideology in the United States in order to better understand current options for US foreign policy, dominated by neo-conservative thinking. She then reviews the justifications used by politician scientists to explain transatlantic disputes, considering changes in the geopolitical set-up since the end of the Cold War, the strategic decoupling of the United States and Europe in NATO, and American unilateralist. Most importantly, at the end she examines relations between the United States and Europe from the viewpoint of the emergence of an EU defence force within the framework of NATO and the definition of the European security strategy. Her research ends with an analysis of the positions taken on transatlantic relations by the political groups at the European Parliament in the 1999-2004 term of office.
Michel Theys
*** Les Etats-Unis à contre-courant. Critiques américaines à l'égard d'une politique étrangère unilatéraliste. Éditions GRIP (33 rue Van Hoorde, B-1030 Brussels, Tel.: (32-2) 2418420 - Fax: 2451933 - E-mail: admi@grip.org - Internet: http://www.grip.org ). "Les livres du GRIP", Nos. 271-272. 2004, 169 pp. ISBN 2-87027-974-4.
This book is written by twenty US intellectuals from a range of different ideologies and horizons, who have come together to denounce the unilateralist of the US foreign policy under the Bush Administration. After an introduction by Jean-Paul Marthoz, International Director of Information at Human Rights Watch, the authors take a systematic, detailed look at various aspects of the new neo-conservative crusade, highlighting the areas where it breaks down and denouncing its most flagrant contradictions. They predict the inevitable failure of this ideology, for which the attacks of 11 September were nothing but a catalyst. Faced with he implacable logic of the law of the jungle defended by the American President and his supporters, these opponents of unilateralist at all costs recommend returning to dialogue, not only at a national level, but also internationally. As the signatories of the "Lettre d'Amérique: les raisons d'un combat", published by "Le Monde" newspaper on 15 February 2002 (included in this book) write, "Frank, healthy criticism of the Bush Administration's war policy can only help ensure the voices of Americans opposed to the war are heard".
(VGi)
*** GEORGE SOROS: Pour l'Amérique, contre Bush. Dunod (Paris. Internet: http://www.dunod.com ). 2004, 221 pp. ISBN 2-10-007674-4.
This is the eighth book published by the legendary Hungarian-born US philanthropist and banker George Soros, in which he makes a true indictment of the domestic and international policies of the Bush government since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. Highly influenced by the ideas of the Open Society of philosopher Karl Popper, and founder of the Open Society Institute - a type of international organisation aiming to promote the rule of law, education, healthcare and the respect of human rights, particularly in countries of the former Eastern bloc, as well as in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the united States - George Soros has now thrown himself into an analysis of the errors committed by the Bush Administration. He describes the Administration as being made up of extremists, commenting that the current US government uses citizens' fear to impose repressive laws in the United States - by means of the Patriot Act - and war-mongering international action. Convinced that the hawks will not wait for another tragedy like the 11 September attacks to demonstrate the hegemony of the US military might in the world and reinforce its national interests (by attacking Iraq for example), George Soros denounces the government's ultra-conservative ideology, the lack of international cooperation, political falsehoods, exploitation of the phobia of terrorism, and more. The authors describes these as dangers for the United States and the whole world. He says that public opinion must become aware of this and hopes the upcoming elections in the United States (in November 2004) will put an end to this situation.
(NDy)
*** KARINE BANNELIER, THEODORE CHRISTAKIS, OLIVIER, CORTEN, PIERRE KLEIN (under supervision of): L'Intervention en Iraq et le droit international. Editions Pedone (13 rue Soufflot, F-75005 Paris). No 19.2004 in the series "Les cahiers internationaux", 378 pages, price 30 euros. ISBN 2-233-00448-5.
On the basis of a legal analysis of the recent war in Iraq, the authors of this work - all researchers and jurists who took part in a seminar organised by the Centre de droit international (CEDIN) at University Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne) and the Centre de droit international and sociology appliqué au droit international at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, an event recorded in the publication - raise the question of the precedent created by this war in so far as it was conducted from beginning to end in a way inconsistent with international law. From the first "pre-emptive" strikes to the post-war period which can be likened to a new form of protectorate, and the war itself which it was impossible to say would result in liberation or occupation, international law has each time been amended and adjusted, without ever causing much of a stir with the international community. The authors believe it is not a matter of making a moral or value judgement concerning US policy but rather of asking oneself what the deep legal consequences of such a conflict are as far as the value of the United Nations Charter, the legitimacy of the UN Security Council and the role of third countries in war situations are. Peeping through this new definition of international law one can see a question mark hanging over the specific role that Europe can play on the international scene.
(Sle)
*** ABDELLATIF LAROUI: Le futur du monde arabe a-t-il un avenir ? Editions Publisud (15 rue des Cinq-Diamants, F-75013 Paris. Tel.: (33-1) 45807850 - Fax 45899415 - E-mail: edipublisud@wanadoo.fr - Internet: http//http://www.publisud.fr ). "L'observatoire des sociétés" series. 2004, 134 pp, 20.85 euros. ISBN 2-86600-977-1.
This millennium opens to a new epoch - an age of "techno-globalism" - which the Arab world, with its "archaic" views, is not prepared to face. This is the thesis defended by Abdellatif Laroui, a psycho-sociologist and former researcher at the CNRS in France. He argues that first of all, an assessment of Arab culture from the inside has to be made, and then a comparison with other cultures. The Arab world is a slave to the scourges of coercion perpetuating a Pavlov submission, poverty leading to despair and ignorance leading to obscurantism. It is 'homo islamicus' who creates the cultural malaise in which the Arab world now lives, preaching nostalgia for a dead past and contenting itself with literal translations of sacred texts. The future has to be built against a backdrop of cultural schizophrenia, with Islamicists proposing to reconstruct the past and with modernists proposing to invest in the future. The author writes that the Arab world should focus on human capital and knowledge in order to smooth the path of the shock-wave of change. He describes a situation whereby a community, based on the model of the European Union, is required for the Arab world, which has a common language, culture and history, but whose leaders refuse to 'unite and rule'.
(ZEl)
*** LAHCEN BROUSKY: La mémoire du temps, Maroc, pays de l'inachevé. Editions Publisud (see above). "L'Observatoire des sociétés" series. 2004, 204 pp. ISBN 2-86600-976-2.
This book describes Morocco, a 'paradoxical country'. Doctor of public law and political science, specialising in town and country planning turned journalist, the author sheds a critical eye over changes in Moroccan society. Lahcen Brousky describes the country as losing a series of markers as a result of the latent contradictions in the country whereby the sacred is juxtaposed with the profane, freedom with a security-oriented spirit. Society is rapidly changing, but the institutions appear to be stagnating. The country is slowly trying to escape from an ancient order characterised by traditions, to take a new path and live in the modern world. As part of what he describes as his intellectual rebellion, the author presents snapshots of twenty-five years of political life to depict a country undergoing great change, where nothing is standing still.
(GBo)
*** MARIA-ANGELS ROQUE (Ed.): La Société Civile au Maroc. L'émergence de nouveaux acteurs de développement. Editions Publisud (see above). 2004, 325 pp. ISBN 2-86600-965-7.
"Does civil society exist in Morocco?", asks Maria-Angels Roque, Director of the Mediterranean Studies Research Department at the European Mediterranean Institute (IEMed) in Barcelona. Answering no would be one of the most pernicious theoretical amputations of the trend to simplify the Arab world to the point of caricaturing it, argues Andreu Claret, Director of the IEMed. Moroccan civil society exists and is developing thanks to the emergence of new development players acting across a dynamic network of associations. This is the case in the Souss region of southern Morocco, for example, where the specialists who compiled this book travelled to do research. The associations in the area are active in a series of domains, such as human rights, women's rights, freedom of enterprise, leisure activities for young people, and protection of cultural identity. The book provides some key political and sociological points to help understand Moroccan civil society at a time when agreements with Europe are multiplying and interest in the EU's southern neighbours is growing. In 1995, the Barcelona Conference outlined a vision of partnership between the EU and its Mediterranean neighbours, highlighting the vital role of civil society. All the same, notes Andreu Claret, cooperation between the EU and Mediterranean country governments has remained conventional and has not managed to give Mediterranean civil society the place it deserves.
(CSa)
*** ABDELKADER SID AHMED: Le développement asiatique: quels enseignements pour les économies arabes ? Eléments de stratégie et de développement: le cas de l'Algérie. Editions Publisud (see above) and Isprom (32 Piazza d'Italia, I-07100 Sassari. Tel: (39-079) 237364 - Fax.: 200083 - E-mail: lavleo@tiscalinet.it). 2004, 169 pp. ISBN 2-86600-980-1.
Following the end of colonisation, Arab economies were considered promising, but the expected boom has failed to materialise. Emerging economies in Asia and Latin America, on the other hand, which has far fewer resources at their disposal, have become newly industrialising countries (NICs) in a short period of time and the global chess game how has to take them seriously. The author of this book, a lecturer at the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, notes that the Arab Mediterranean countries must now learn lessons from economic development in Asia. This leads Abdelkader Sid Ahmed to distance himself from the ideas sketched out in the Barcelona Declaration of a EuroMed free trade zone from 2010 onwards. Progress to date is disappointing in his view, in the absence of any real economic, social and technological convergence. He believes that the liberal ideas implicit in the Barcelona Strategy are being challenged more and more for their favouring of an approach based on trade rather than development. He argues that analysis of Asian development and its multiple variants linked with different situations could provide useful aid for getting the EuroMed project out of stagnation.
(MMa)
*** SERGE-ALLAIN ROZENBLUM: Les événements de l'année 2003. Editions de la Revue Politique et Parlementaire (6 rue Labrouste, F-75015 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45315805 - Fax: 45311879). Supplement to issue 1030 of the Revue Politique et Parlementaire. 2004, 94 pp, 12 euros. ISBN 2-85702-144-5.
Every year, this review outlines major political, economic and cultural events of the proves year, making it a genuine reference book. On 25 November 2003, for example, the eurozone finance ministers decided to suspend the penalty proceedings against France and Germany for failing to respect the Stability Pact, and on 9 March 2003, a referendum in Malta saw a 53.9% yes vote for joining the EU. An excellent way of dealing with memory gaps.
(CSe)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following document:
*** Inforegio panorama. DG Regional Policy, Unit 01, Communications and Information, (41 av. de Tervuren, B-1040 Brussels. Fax: (32-2) 2966003 - E-mail: regio-info@cec.eu.int). September 2004, No. 14, 28 pp.
European Cohesion Policy has undergone a series of fundamental changes since the last issue of Inforegio so most of the review is given over to the Cohesion Fund and its predecessor in the new Member States, the pre-accession structural instrument. These funds for developing infrastructure in the less prosperous Member States are also important for cohesion between the regions of Europe. The review describes the use of the funds and how they are divided up among the various countries, together with an article focussing on certain beneficiaries, Poland, Ireland and Portugal.
*** Politica Exterior. Estudios de Politica Exterior SA (6 Padilla. E-28006 Madrid. Tel: (34-91) 4312628 - Fax: 5777252 - E-mail: revista@politicaexterior.com). September-October 2004, No. 101, 166 pp, 11 euros. Annual subscription: 89 euros.
The main subject of this issue is the possibility of Turkey joining the EU. The review considers the main aspects of this crucial question for the EU, but also looks at a series of other issues, like Spain and the Spanish vision of EuroMed cooperation, the relationship between Spain and Latin America and the importance for Spanish speakers of promoting the Spanish language in big international institutions. Other articles consider the Bush Kerry election duel, the EU's security and defence strategy and the renaissance of the secret services.
*** Paneuropa Intern. Paneuropa-Union Deutschland e.V. (17 Dachauer Straße, D-80335 Munich. Tel: (49-89) 554683 - Fax: 594768). September 2004, No. 10, 4 pp, annual subscription: 95 euros.
Paneuropa Intern looks at the right of self-determination and the strengthening of nationalism in the light of the shockwaves of the First World War and the events leading up to it. On articles considers the Serb province of Voyvodina which is rather like a mini-Europe in terms of the sheer wealth of nationalities living there but which has to deal with problems of ensuring the respect of the human rights of minorities. Other articles look at aid for Iraq, the stability of the euro and the winning of the Coudenhove-Kalergi Prize by Ibrahim Rugova.
*** EDFI Activities 2004. European Development Finance Institutions (81A Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels. Tel: (33-2) 2302369 - Fax: 2300405 - E-mail: edfi@edfi.be - Internet: http://www.edfi.be ). 2004, 8 pp.
The EDFI is a grouping of thirteen financial institutions aiming to promote development of the private sector in developing and transition countries. It mainly financial projects in Africa and ACP states. This brochure outlines the EDFI's work in various parts of the world, giving a break-down of investment and providing case studies of some investment projects.
*** Louvain. Université Catholique de Louvain (Halles Universitaires -1 Place de l'Université, B-1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium. Tel: (32-10) 479001 - Fax: 472431 - E-mail: roufosse@adcp.ucl.ac.be). September 2004, No. 149, 36 pp, annual subscription: 20 euros.
This publication describes life at the UCL university and university education in general. The central theme of this issue is reform of higher education at EU level with the implementation of the Bologna Process. The review gives an overview of the Process and its aims, along with the concrete consequences for UCL. Transposition of the Bologna Process will mean transformations going well beyond merely cosmetic changes, requiring serious reorganisation to meet, for example, the inter-disciplinary mobility targets and new forms of student-teacher relations.
Review in brief
*** Carrefour de l'Économie. SPF Economie, PME, Classes moyennes et Energie. 2004, Nos. 4-5A, Brussels. This issue includes a dossier on the impact of enlargement on macroeconomics and competition, and an outline of the Belgian law of 11 March 2003 concerning control measures and penalties for e-commerce.