Chapter 9: Russia’s Agri-Food Trade with the Middle East and North Africa

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the top destination for Russian food exports, grains in particular. Focusing on Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, this chapter shows that Russia’s food trade with MENA countries is strongly affected by bilateral political relations. Russia banned most food imports from Turkey over a political conflict in 2016. In the same year, improved intergovernmental cooperation with Saudi Arabia resulted in a diversification of Russia’s food exports to the Gulf country, and in 2019, Iran’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) led to increasing food trade with Russia. Food imports in MENA countries are usually managed by powerful state trading enterprises (STEs), which recurrently disapprove food products originating from Russia based on non-adherence to food quality standards. Our analysis shows that Russia is successfully working to open additional destination markets, while simultaneously impeding imports of food products that it aims to produce domestically.

A strategy for the seventies: Circular A-95 and US regional planning

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan issued Executive Order 12372, revoking a relatively obscure publication issued by the Office of Management and Budget in 1969, Circular No. A-95. One of many policy changes that were part of a broad effort to rebalance how power was shared between the federal government, the states, and municipalities, Reagan’s pen stroke ended what for many planners had been a critical piece of urban policy during the 1970s. Part of President Lyndon Johnson’s 1960s Great Society programs, an era when federal assistance to state and local governments in support of domestic policy increased significantly, A-95 had established a coordination and review process that local governments receiving federal funding for planning development projects would be required to follow. The program was designed to force local governments to engage in more comprehensive regional coordination. For the next 12 years, almost every planner across the country, at some point or another, worked within the A-95 process. But researchers who examined A-95 during its short life struggled to produce solid evidence of its effectiveness. Absent a clear metric of the program’s success or failure, the history and legacy of the A-95 program has since been largely neglected. This paper explores the history of Circular A-95, a booklet issued by the US Office of Management and Budget to guide the implementation of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968. We argue that the rules contained in the A-95 circular should be understood as an effort to create a framework for regional planning. Using primary documents and secondary literature, we conclude that the program deserves to be re-read as an important attempt to use federal power to establish a pragmatic national planning policy in the United States in the latter half of the 20th century.

Waste-to-wealth in ASEAN countries: A case on e-waste generation from mobile phone

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential economic value of e-waste generation in ASEAN countries. The data used in this study was based on various reports. As the reliable information on e-waste generation in ASEAN countries is scarce, the study only evaluated the potential economic value of e-waste generation from mobile phone. The results showed that the potential economic value of e-waste from mobile phone around the world was valued at US$ 18,545.27 million. For ASEAN countries, it was valued at US$ 2,019.06 million, higher than 27 developed countries in European Union that valued at US$ 1,286.59 million. Currently, apart from the ineffective implementation of e-waste regulation, the lack of reliable information and data to estimate e-waste generation and its future projection was a common problem faced by ASEAN countries that impending the development of sustainable e-waste management. Therefore, the potential economic value of e-waste generation in ASEAN countries could be higher, if various other products were included in the analysis with a reliable information and data. Finally, some recommendation was made that includes the need a thorough intergovernmental cooperation and collaboration among ASEAN countries in order to reap a potential economic benefit from continuously growing e-waste in this region.

The evolution of integration policy of Charles de Gaulle (mid 1950s – late 1960s)

This article traces the evolution of the Western European policy of the General Charles de Gaulle during his presidency. In the early 1950s, he willingly cooperated with the European countries in terms of creating the economic union; however, in the course of solution of decolonization issues and, namely the Algerian problem that constrained the implementation of the key vectors of state policy, the president began focused on advancing the concept of national mightiness of France and commitment to the principles of intergovernmental cooperation in the development of integration. Charles de Gaulle fought for the foundation of the political union “Europe of the Homelands”, in which France would be assigned a significant role. The article analyzes de Gaulle’s failures in negotiations with the “P5+1” countries, which once again demonstrated to the Europeans that building integration is a long and complex process that does not tolerate rapid decisions and requires the ability to compromise. Special attention is turned to the development of integration policy of the General Charles de Gaulle based on his formal speeches, correspondence, and memoirs. De Gaulle's efforts in the sphere of integration policy of the Fifth Republic yielded certain results. First and foremost, he was able to establish the superiority of national principles in addressing the general policy issues in the European Community. Secondly, he prevented the Great Britain from joining the Common Market, as from his opinion it was an economic and political competitor of France. Thirdly, de Gaulle strengthened the international reputation of France as the country that was at the dawn and in the lead of the integration processes in Europe.

Corporate Governance in EU Agencies: The Europol Case

There is a trend in government to establish semi-autonomous public organizations, “Agencies”, to carry out public tasks, implement policies, regulate markets and policy sectorsor deliver public services. Once an Agency is established, it is necessary to ensure proper governance. Object of this paper is to answer three Research Questions. RQ1: “Is EU Agencies governance subject to change over time”? If the answeris “Yes”, a second question (RQ2) pops up: ‘Why EU Agencies’ governance is subject to change?” Last but not least, change has to be implemented. The topic is developed in relation to the choice made by the European Union,the one-size-fits-all modelthat makes the work of controllers simple. Are we sure that such a model“is the best choice for EU Agencies’ governance?” (RQ3). If RQ1 is self-evident, more interesting are RQ2 and RQ3 because explain the nature of change (Why) and How change was introduced. In this quest, the tasks assigned to the Board of Directors and the Executive Directorare mapped against Agencies’ mission. In the case of the European Police Office, in eight years three founding acts-an international Convention, a Council decision and a Regulation - have changed the tasks of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Directorin line with the evolution of the political scenari: from intergovernmental cooperation to a policy assigned by the Lisbon Treatyto the European Union.

Deng Xiaoping’s Views on Science and Technology: Origins of the Sino-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation, 1977–1979

In the late 1970s, after the tumultuous period of the Cultural Revolution, the policy of the government of the People’s Republic of China (prc) in terms of scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation with the United States changed from rejection and exclusion to active participation and promotion. In this process, ideas and views played an important role. The outlook of the Chinese leadership and particularly Deng Xiaoping on science redefined China’s national interests, turning the promotion of Sino-U.S. science and technology cooperation into an active policy of the Chinese government. During the 1970s, the two countries conducted large-scale intergovernmental cooperation in the field of civil science and technology, signed the agreement on scientific and technological cooperation and dozens of memorandums of understanding and protocols, and finally, in 1979, established a long-term scientific and technological cooperation system. The article explores Sino-American relations through the prism of scientific and technological cooperation, showing how this contributed to creating long-term friendly relations beyond other high politics issues.

A Study on International Cooperation in APTERR for Food Security

This study is aimed at explicating the phenomenon of international cooperation and regional integration in case of a global crisis. To achieve the aim of this study, a well-structured questionnaire was conducted to participants at two different events. First, this study examines the relationship between food crises and the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with them. Second, it examines the key determining factors for the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises. This study focuses on the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) as a successful case of the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises, and examines the above two issues by administering questionnaires to two groups of individuals: agricultural officials of the ASEAN member states who attended a seminar in Thailand (23 participants) and officials and scholars of the ASEAN member states who attended a seminar in Vietnam (22 participants) in 2018. The results show the relationship between food crises and institutionalized international cooperation, such as APTERR, among the Asian countries. First, this study reveals that certain circumstances, such as food crises, can stimulate institutionalized international cooperation, by providing a more profound insight into the complex interplays among the governments of nation-states. Second, when nations share an understanding of a common policy alternative or solution, the institutionalization of intergovernmental cooperation to deal with food crises is more likely to develop successfully. It is also confirmed that 'institutionalization of international cooperation' is possible through the sharing ofcommon policy solution under the situation of repeated and serious crises. These conditions tell us that intergovernmental cooperation such as APTERR is an exceptional phenomenon for nation-states that emphasize autonomy and independence. This study highlighted the key issues of the relationship between food crises and institutionalization of cooperation while trying to identify key determining factors in establishing an internationally coordinated mechanism for food security.

Interpretation of China’s Global Advocacy for Renewable Energy through Lenses of Liberalism as an International Relations Theory

There has been numerous literature analysing the international expansion of renewable energy utilizing realism as an International Relations theory from both For and Against perspectives, such as casting doubt on fair cooperation or urging individual states to catch up with the global competition. This paper attempts to offer an alternative explanation to the international cooperation between China and the world in the field of renewable energy through the lenses of liberalism. The role and influence of liberalism in explaining this phenomenon will be presented in the form of compare and contrast between liberalism and realism, with secondary theories included such as institutional liberalism, idealism and democratic peace theory. The rapid growth of renewable energy globally in recent decades could be attributed to individual states’ policies, intergovernmental cooperation and advocacy by international organizations. The paper demonstrates that China’s ability to develop renewable energy can be correspondingly attributed to its willingness to cooperate under the framework of liberalism. It actively participates in international agreements, works with international organizations, and trades with other countries. With cooperative efforts, it succeeds in mitigating the traditional energy crisis and further promoting energy transition. In conclusion, liberalism provides a more accurate and innovative explanation to China`s advocacy for renewable energy compared to realism, and it can be argued that China’s model of energy transformation could be learned by the international community to tackle climate change.

'Small Gold Mine of Talent': Integrating Prague Spring Refugee Professionals in Canada, 1968-1969

Following the August 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, 11,200 Prague Spring refugees were resettled in Canada. This movement included many experienced professionals and skilled tradespeople. This article examines how these refugees navigated language training and barriers to employment, including professional accreditation, and examines how this experience shaped bureaucratic and public views of refugee integration. The focus of this article is primarily on resettlement and integration efforts in Ontario, since roughly half of the Prague Spring refugees were permanently resettled in the province. The article outlines how, as part of its efforts to help the refu- gees with their economic and social integration, Canadian officials provided assisted passage, initial accommodations, help with securing Canadian employment, and English- or French-language training. Prague Spring refugees navigated professional obstacles, including securing accreditation of their foreign credentials and underemployment in their respective fields. Their successful resettlement and integration depended on intergovernmental cooperation between Canada and its provinces, and the assistance provided by local Czech and Slovak communities across the country.