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CIAO DATE: 03/05/07
Volume 18, Number 2, June 2006
Contributors
Pacific engaged, or washed away? Implications of Australia's new activism in Oceania by Eric Y. Shibuya
A multilateral regional intervention into the Solomon Islands in 2003 was led and staffed primarily by Australia. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands signals a sea change in the way Australia views its place in the region, and its subsequent activities (enhanced cooperation in Papua New Guinea, and the unprecedented election of an Australian as Secretary General of the Forum) suggest that Australia may now be willing to play a more active (and activist) role in Oceania. Much of the drive for this activism, however, is being driven by events and perceptions of threats from outside of Oceania, especially from Southeast Asia. Rather than reifying conceptualizations of what a region is, policy-makers would do better to understand how events from one region can drive policy in another. This in fact makes the effectiveness of regional institutions even more important to build multilateral agreements that extend even further than before.
Regional peacekeeping operations: Complementing or undermining the united nations security council? by Oldrich Bures
This article provides an analysis of the perils and benefits of regional peacekeeping operations (PKOs), with a special focus on their ability to serve as a complement to and/or enhancement of their United Nations (UN) counterparts. The author contends that there are two sides to the debate about the regionalization of peacekeeping. On one hand, regional PKOs offer a number of advantages to their purely UN counterparts, primarily due to their proximity to conflict zones, common culture, and greater legitimacy. On the other hand, past experience with regional PKOs suggests that there are significant problems with the idea of regionalization as an optimum mechanism for organizing PKOs. Serious doubts remain about whether the need and desire for cooperation between the UN and regional arrangements (RAs) will ultimately translate into a workable and efficient system.
The new imperialism: Using critical discourse analysis and articulation theory to study George W. Bush's freedom doctrine by Tina Sikka
In this paper, I examine how Articulation Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis can be used to examine the Bush administration's Freedom Doctrine as it appears in official speeches, press releases, and interviews. I also look at possible alternatives to the dominant militaristic interpretation of international events and foreign policy, and recommend other areas of research and study related to the Bush doctrine and the discursive practices that surround it. My overall argument, however, is that this particular doctrine has nothing to do with freedom, liberty, or justice as claimed by the Bush government. Rather, I argue that this doctrine is actually a veiled attempt to exert and extend America's economic, military, and political hegemony globally. We need a new approach to national securitya bold, progressive internationalism that stands in stark contrast to the too often belligerent and myopic unilateralism of the Bush Administration.(John F. Kerry)
From globalization to the global village by Carol Dalglish
The concept of a global village has been brought about by the rapid development of information technology, the global media and faster lower cost travel. We now know what is happening on the other side of the world. But does that make us a village.? There are few shared values and limited intercultural understanding in today's business world. One of the challenges confronting business is how to succeed in a culturally diverse, interdependent business environment. This paper explores the significance of cultural diversity for business success and provides a framework for bringing about the necessary changes.
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