The All-China Federation of Trade Unions’ first and second allegiances are to the government and the employer respectively, as it is in these organisations that the power and funding is to be found. Employees in the future will likely find ways in which to find greater representation, either through alternative foreign trade unions, or through employee formed trade unions, as has already been seen in Shanghai.
The ‘give war a chance’ argument is one which argues against disinterested and frivolous motives. Whereas most would likely agree that disinterested interventions are undesirable, Luttwak’s extension of this to include all interventions is inappropriate. The key assumptions of his argument simply do not stand up to logical analysis
The ethno-national, colonial and paramilitary conflicts of the extremists within Northern Ireland are the key issues for development and the Northern Ireland Peace Process. Until their full decommissioning on both sides of the divide, Northern Irish politics struggles to find resolution, in spite of the framework of power-sharing being in place.
It is now widely recognised that climate change is affecting the earth’s atmosphere and that governments must act quickly and efficiently in order to halt this. The EU Emissions Trading Scheme has been held up as the centrepiece of EU legislation, allowing the EU to perform a leadership role globally by initiating the world’s largest multi-country, multi-sector greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme ever seen.
Callaghan cannot take the blame for the economic instability he inherited. Callaghan held successes throughout his term in office, inflation fell from 16% and 24% the two previous years before he took office, down to nearly 8% in 1978. Whilst he was successful to an extent, there were clear failings; his premiership is tainted by the decision not to go to the polls in the autumn of 1978, and the IMF crisis which is seen to be a blot on his economic record
Today we know China as the new form of communism which came about after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 and the further solidification of Deng Xiaoping as paramount leader of the Chinese communist party. China has come a long way since 1978, growing at more than 20% a year. However, it is still relatively young power in the international arena, lacking the maturity and reputation of America
There are several actors within the Union that have a hand in processing policies and legislation, all of them demonstrating elements of leadership. However, there is no one individual or group whose powers extend above the rest to lead and have final say on both design and execution of a particular policy. The Union works in the form of both supranational institutions, and through liberal intergovernmentalism in the form of cooperation and teamwork from the member states
Wæver claims that security is indivisible, that security on the European level equates to security on the state level. Therefore the state-level definition of security must be similar, if not the same, as the European-level definition. This mitigates the validity of his concepts. Europe may not yet be a true, or complete, referent object because state interests have to be satisfied to keep Spaceship Europe in orbit
Situated at a crossroad between Russia and the European Union, Ukraine was never able to cohesively decide and act with a foreign policy that was not chaotic or unsynchronized. Applying neutrality in practice to the case of Ukraine implies a serious step in foreign policy, for the country itself as well as for the region. Passing and implementing the needed legislation would imply finally taking a decisive step towards a much needed coherent foreign policy.
Can Russia’s mistrust of NATO enlargement finally be left behind, as the former foes move towards a new strategic partnership? It is obvious that the introduction of a system including Russia as a strategic partner with weighted voting rights will lead to diplomatic horse trading and lobbying. But it is preferable that any “conflict” in this new relationship be conducted in the back corridors and board rooms of Brussels, rather than in Georgia, the road to Pristina or the skies over Sarajevo.
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