Anti-Americanism in Spain: The Weight of History

William Chislett . WP47-2005 - 7.11.2005.

Spain’s feelings toward the United States are the coldest in Europe after Turkey, according to a poll by the German Marshall Fund. And they have been that way for a very long time. The country’s thermometer reading on a scale of 0-100 was 42º in 2005, only surpassed by Turkey’s 28º and compared with an average of 50º for the 10 countries surveyed (see Figure 1). The same degree of coldness towards the United States was brought out in the 16-country Pew Global Attitudes Project where only 41% of Spaniards said they had a very or somewhat favourable view of the United States. This surprises many people. After all, Spain has become a vibrant democracy and a successful market economy since the right-wing dictatorship of General Franco ended in 1975 with the death of the Generalísimo. Why are Spaniards so cool towards the United States?

Is International Terrorism What We Thought It Was? An Empirical Study of the Global Neosalafist Jihad in 2004

Fernando Reinares. WP33-2005 - 3.11.2005 (Translated from Spanish, Revised & Extended Version) .

The current form of international terrorism is often characterised as a particularly new phenomenon. However, an empirical study of its main actors, scenarios, consequences and targets during the year 2004 indicates that international terrorism is to a greater extent a paradigm of conflicts inherent in the Islamic world itself than of a clash between civilisations

China and the Geopolitics of Oil in the Asian Pacific Region

Pablo Bustelo. WP38-2005 - 5.9.2005 (Translated from Spanish) .

China’s growing demand for oil is significantly changing international energy geopolitics, especially in the Asia Pacific region. The recent growth in oil consumption, combined with forecasts of increased oil imports (especially from the Middle East), have led to deep concern among Chinese leaders regarding their country’s energy security. They are responding in a number of different ways. In particular, they are determined to increase the security and reliability of oil imports by searching for new sources of supply, and to control purchases and transport routes, while boosting national production at any cost. This is already causing tension and could lead to further disputes with the US and other big oil consumers, such as Japan and India, as well as with other Asia Pacific countries. However, enhanced cooperation among the big East Asian economies (China, Japan and South Korea) is also a possibility.

Left to its Domestic Devices: How the Syrian Regime Boxed Itself In

Bassam Haddad [1] . WP43-2005 - 3.10.2005.

Seasoned observers of Syria’s political economy have learned not to make much of apparent political changes there. This lesson holds today, but with a twist. Five years after the death of al-Asad senior, hopes, proclamations, and a series of promised ‘springs’ have gone unrealised. Economically, Syria’s growth has been lagging, with an increasingly narrowing window of opportunity in terms of its dwindling (known) oil reserves and the dearth of higher skills within the labour market. While stable, Syria’s political institutions are stagnant, including the slightly refurbished ruling Baath party, which continues to rule by reshuffling elites, not by restructuring the polity. Perhaps the most troubling part of Syria’s predicament is the seemingly invisible but actually growing wave of unprecedented social poverty in its recent history.

Africa’s last ‘Last Chance’? Reflections on the Commission for Africa and the Millennium Project Reports

Andrew Mold. WP42-2005 - 19.9.2005.

It will only have escaped the attention of died-in-the-grain recluses that Africa has recently been firmly placed on the international agenda in a way that was perhaps unthinkable a couple of years ago. Music concerts, television documentaries and, above all, political meetings have all been carried out recently in support of African ‘development’. Two particular proposals have claimed the limelight: first, the Commission for Africa (CFA) set up last year by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, compromising 18 commissioners, and whose report was published in the month before the G8 Summit in Gleneagles in July 2005, with the clear intention of getting at least some of the report’s recommendations endorsed by the G8 leaders

CBMs in Latin America and the effect of arms acquisitions by Venezuela

Mark Bromley and Catalina Perdomo. WP41-2005 - 22.9.2005.

The acquisition of military technology need not be a threat to regional stability and security. Nevertheless, the diffusion of military technology brings risks, and certain weapon systems acquired in certain contexts can have an adverse effect on regional stability. In addition, in certain regions of the world, particularly Africa and Latin America, illegal flows of small arms and light weapons from one country can pose a threat to the national security of another

Can Reform Save the United Nations? Opportunities for Creating an Effective Multilateral Body for the 21st Century

Johanna Mendelson Forman. WP40-2005 - 20.9.2005.

At a time of crisis in the international system and of particular ferment among those who support multilateralism, it is useful to recall the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: ‘the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of dreams’. A United Nations advocate from its inception, Eleanor Roosevelt might have been on to something when she referred to the beauty of dreams. Indeed, the concept of a world membership organization created to end the scourge of wars and to promote peace is still an illusive mission as the UN enters its 60th year. The dream of a world where nation-states could be the sole arbiters of international relations is also a relic of a bygone era as non-governmental organizations, individuals and non-state actors have become key players in a world of diplomacy, international politics and conflict. Perhaps it is this dream that we talk about when approaching the subject of UN reform.

The symbolic Power of Nations

Javier Noya . WP35-2005 - 24.8.2005 (Translation from Spanish) .

The US’s hegemony as a superpower and its unilateralist reaction to international terrorism after 9/11 has reopened the debate on one of the key concepts of international relations: power. In this context, Joseph Nye’s theory of ‘soft power’ has become one of the most hotly debated in academic and political forums. Although this controversy dates back to before the war in Iraq, it has heated up considerably as a result of the damage the war has done to the image of the United States in the world. The question is: can soft power be as effective a resource as hard power to achieve foreign policy objectives?

Europeanisation without Europe? A critical reflection on the Neighbourhood Policy for the Mediterranean

Gonzalo Escribano. WP23-2005 - 6.6.2005 (Translation from Spanish) .

The Neighbourhood Policy is the European Union (EU) approach towards its new geographical borders in the wake of enlargement. This new focus is global in nature and aims to integrate EU foreign policies with its various neighbours under a common and coherent strategic umbrella

Years of Living Dangerously: From the Twin Deficits to the Balance of Financial Terror?

Paul Isbell . WP28-2005 - 1.6.2005.

The US’s large and growing current account (or ‘external’) deficit, together with its significant government budget (or ‘internal’) deficit, has begun to place real limits on future US growth. Is current US growth sustainable in light of these ‘twin’ current account and government budget deficits? (Derived from, and based upon, a presentation given at the Casa de América in Madrid on 28 February 2005 in the Seminar ‘Tendencies in US Policies for the Next Four Years’)