In the debate about Turkish EU membership and free movement of labour it is often overlooked that the EU cannot exercise a zero migration policy even if permanent safeguards were used. Even under the currently prevailing strict regime, there is an annual net migration from Turkey to the EU-15 in the order of 35,000 people. Any slowdown or suspension in Turkey’s accession process is likely to lead lower growth and higher unemployment in Turkey.
With the publication of this edition, The Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom marks its 11th anniversary. The idea of producing a userfriendly “index of economic freedom” as a tool for policymakers and investors was first discussed at The Heritage Foundation in the late 1980s. The goal then, as it is today, was to develop a systematic, empirical measurement of economic freedom in countries throughout the world. To this end, the decision was made to establish a set of objective economic criteria that, since the inaugural 1995 edition, have been used to study and grade various countries for the annual publication of the Index of Economic Freedom
Mahmoud Abbas, whom Palestinians elected president, cannot ignore the opposition and boycotters. His victory in free elections gives him a clear authorization but it does not give him the right to cancel other forces; specifically, Hamas and its representation of a wide group of Palestinians. (Editorial published in Dar Al-Hayat)
The public accreditation acquired by Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) to take over the presidency of the Palestinian Authority (PA) isn't more extensive than that acquired by the late Yasser Arafat. Nevertheless, the expectations from Abbas's government exceed those related to the former stage, since the Palestinian political, security, economic, and social situation has reached a level of deterioration throughout the past years, which made it necessary for a complete reassessment and reconstruction in the basics and details. (Editorial published in Dar Al-Hayat)
The global war on terror is diverting the world's attention from the central causes of instability, reports the Worldwatch Institute in its annual State of the World 2005. Acts of terror and the dangerous reactions they provoke are symptomatic of underlying sources of global insecurity, including the perilous interplay among poverty, infectious disease, environmental degradation, and rising competition over oil and other resources
In the morning of December 26, 2004, an earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale hit the province of Aceh in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The seismic movement induced a tsunami or giant wave that shortly afterwards affected not only the Aceh area, but also some coastal areas in Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. Hours later the giant wave reached Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Again hours later, it reached the shores of Seychelles, and even those of Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania in Africa. However, it appears that despite the imprecedented scale of loss of human life, homlessness, and displaced populations, the macroeconomic impact of the disaster will be limited and marginal. The damage is largely confined to rural areas rather than key economic and densely populated urban centers and industrial hubs.
The essential purpose of this Report is to examine the functioning of the WTO and to consider how well equipped it is to carry the weight of future responsibilities and demands. Certainly, the conclusion of the current trade round will have implications for the future functioning of the organization but the reflection that this Report, elaborated by the Consultative Board to the Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, is intended to launch should go beyond the Doha Development Agenda
This report examines the European Union's multilateral engagement with the Arab world in the area of democracy promotion
In his Inaugural Address, President Bush said, "On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed."
Speech by Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. "While we have made significant progress in the last few years, it is also true that EU Foreign Policy remains a work in progress"
One of the universal weakness in the world economy continues to be the slow growth of employment and the persistence of high rates of unemployment and underemployment in most developing countries. Unless improved economic growth is reflected in increased employment, it will prove difficult to reduce poverty (Report published by United Nations)
As the community of global leaders from business, government, media, academic and civil society gathered for the 35 th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the second Global Governance Initiative report was presented. As it did last year, the Initiative provides an assessment, in the form of a numerical score, of the level of effort being made towards achieving the world's goals by all the actors on the international scene: governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society. This year, the text of the report pays particular attention to one actor: business
