US Approach Research Articles

Intensification of depolymerization of polyacrylic acid solution using different approaches based on ultrasound and solar irradiation with intensification studies

Depolymerization of polyacrylic acid (PAA) as sodium salt has been investigated using ultrasonic and solar irradiations with process intensification studies based on combination with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and ozone (O3). Effect of solar intensity, ozone flow and ultrasonic power dissipation on the extent of viscosity reduction has been investigated for individual treatment approaches. The combined approaches such as US+solar, solar+O3, solar+H2O2, US+H2O2 and US+O3 have been subsequently investigated under optimum conditions and established to be more efficient as compared to individual approaches. Approach based on US (60W)+solar+H2O2 (0.01%) resulted in the maximum extent of viscosity reduction as 98.97% in 35min whereas operation of solar+H2O2 (0.01%), US (60W), H2O2 (0.3%) and solar irradiation resulted in about 98.08%, 90.13%, 8.91% and 90.77% intrinsic viscosity reduction in 60min respectively. Approach of US (60W)+solar+ozone (400mg/h flow rate) resulted in extent of viscosity reduction as 99.47% in 35min whereas only ozone (400mg/h flow rate), ozone (400mg/h flow rate)+US (60W) and ozone (400mg/h flow rate)+solar resulted in 69.04%, 98.97% and 98.51% reduction in 60min, 55min and 55min respectively. The chemical identity of the treated polymer using combined approaches was also characterized using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectra and it was established that no significant structural changes were obtained during the treatment. Overall, it can be said that the combination technique based on US and solar irradiations in the presence of hydrogen peroxide is the best approach for the depolymerization of PAA solution.

Modifying America's Forward Presence in Eastern Europe

ABSTRACT: Starting in 2017, Washington plans to begin rotations of an armored brigade from the United States to Eastern Europe. In some respects, this represents a significant improvement over the assurance and deterrence steps taken by the United States and several of its NATO allies over the last two years. Although the administration's plan is indeed a step in the right direction, it falls short of the hype ascribed by the media, not to mention Moscow. More broadly, the US approach to reassurance and deterrence still suffers from some strategic shortcomings. ********** Starting in 2017, Washington plans to begin heel-to-toe rotations of an armored brigade combat team from the United States to Eastern Europe, assuming the US Congress agrees to President Obama's funding request. This decision represents a significant improvement over the assurance and deterrence steps taken by the United States and several of its NATO allies over the last two years. The measures to date have included short-term rotational deployments of forces from North America and/or Western Europe for limited-duration exercises and other training events in Eastern Europe. From both temporal and qualitative perspectives such deployments leave much to be desired. For example, they lack the constancy of rotations, essentially creating gaps of weeks or months, which Russia could exploit to achieve a fait accompli. Additionally, the deployments to date have not always include armored units, which puts alliance defenses at a disadvantage relative to Russian military power in the region. Deploying an armored brigade combat team on a rotational basis starting in early 2017 will directly address these shortcomings. More broadly, the expanded European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) program signals a renewed American commitment to and leadership of the alliance. This is especially important at a time when Europeans have questioned whether and how their continent figures into Washington's strategic priorities. As the United States deepens its involvement in Iraq and the fight against ISIL, continues to consolidate stability in Afghanistan, and rebalances to the Asia-Pacific region, European allies may have some reason to think Washington's attention is focused elsewhere. The expansion of the ERI program--especially as seen through the media fanfare that greeted its announcement--should provide solace to those concerned about US leadership in NATO. Despite these and other strengths of the ERI expansion though, the program and its centerpiece--a rotationally deployed armored brigade--have several shortcomings. Although the ERI expansion is a step in the right direction, it appears unlikely to effectively or thoroughly address the security challenges confronting vital American interests in Europe. This article will address how and why that is the case, and what might be done to augment the ERI expansion. Ultimately, these steps could help to strengthen the broader US response to Russia's upending of the European security environment with its invasion and dismembering of Ukraine. Rotational Deployments to Date American forward-based military strength in Europe has dwindled dramatically in recent decades, both quantitatively and qualitatively. From roughly 122,000 soldiers in 1992, the US Army has seen its forward-based presence in Europe steadily decline to roughly 30,000 soldiers today. The largest American forward-based combat arms formations in Europe today include a Stryker cavalry regiment of roughly 5,000 troops and an airborne brigade of about 3,800 troops. Qualitatively, US force structure in Europe has also been decimated by cuts over the last 20 years. The only remaining US combat aviation brigade in Europe has been reduced significantly in the last two years (ironically, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine) to a single attack battalion, about a dozen heavy-lift CH-47 Chinook helicopters, ten general support UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, and a medical evacuation unit. …

Potential Utility of a Combined Approach with US and MR Arthrography to Image Medial Elbow Pain in Baseball Players.

Purpose To evaluate a combined imaging approach with both ultrasonography (US; conventional US and valgus stress US) and magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography in baseball players with medial elbow pain. Materials and Methods Institutional review board approval was obtained and the requirement for informed consent was waived. The study is compliant with HIPAA. Baseball players with medial elbow pain underwent US in addition to MR arthrography. Findings were assessed with each modality alone and both combined in this retrospective investigation. For the evaluation of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears with stress US, the interval gapping of the medial elbow joint was measured between rest and valgus stress both at the injured and at the uninjured (contralateral) elbow. Surgical or arthroscopic correlation was available as the so-called gold standard. McNemar tests compared the accuracies of the imaging modalities. Results In this study, 144 baseball players had 191 findings of medial elbow pain, including 53 UCL tears. With stress US, joint gapping at the injured elbow greater than 1.0 mm compared with the contralateral elbow yielded a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 96%, 81%, and 87%, respectively, for diagnosing UCL tears. With MR arthrography, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for UCL tears were 81%, 91%, and 88%, respectively, and increased to 96% (P = .013, McNemar test), 99% (P = .023), and 98% (P < .001), respectively, when combined with US to a dual modality MR and US approach. For 31 patients with ulnar neuritis, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy increased from 74%, 92%, and 88%, respectively, with MR arthrography alone to 90% (P = .07, McNemar test), 100% (P < .001), and 98% (P < .001) combined with US. For the 59 myotendinous and the 48 osteochondral diagnoses, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy with MR arthrography alone were 93%, 93%, and 93%, and 94%, 98%, and 97%, respectively, with no additional diagnostic value from US. Conclusion The combined approach with both MR arthrography and US shows higher accuracy than each modality alone for the assessment of medial elbow pain. (©) RSNA, 2016.

Remembering for empire: The war with Tripoli and the battle of Derna in US memory

In 2004, the Smithsonian debuted “The Price of Freedom: Americans at War,” a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of American History in Washington DC. The exhibit occasioned strong criticism for its privatization of public memory and glorification of militarism. What has gone unexamined, however, is the curious absence of the 1801–1805 War with Tripoli from the exhibit. This war has long been invoked as an important lesson in US exceptionalism. The assault and short occupation of the coastal town of Derna by US-led forces in 1805 holds particular significance and commemorations of the battle during the twentieth century were important in the formation of attitudes that informed US approaches to empire before, during, and after the Cold War.

Transnational Feminism as a Paradigm for Decolonizing the Practice of Research: Identifying Feminist Principles and Methodology Criteria for US-Based Scholars

Transnational Feminism as a Paradigm for Decolonizing the Practice of ResearchIdentifying Feminist Principles and Methodology Criteria for US-Based Scholars Sylvanna M. Falcón (bio) Scholars have written persuasively about shifting away from multiple “imperial contexts” when it comes to feminist thought, developing methodologies, and recognizing knowledge predominantly through academic scholarship.1 As transnational feminist scholars actively seek to shift epistemology away from an imperialist model of knowledge extraction and instead collaboratively shape it, the tenets of transnational feminism offer a paradigm in which to cultivate a methodology to practice decolonizing forms of research. This article offers feminist principles and a set of working criteria to undergird the development of a critical transnational feminist methodology. I arrived at this moment of methodological reflection following a series of encounters since the early 2000s with antiracist activists based in the Américas region and with transnational family members from Perú. When I asked an Afro-Peruvian activist about challenges to transnational solidarity across the Américas, she raised specific concerns about solidarity with US people of color, who she felt based on her personal experiences lacked an explicit anti-capitalist politics. When I spoke with a Peruvian lesbian activist about the US response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, she initially expressed hesitation about being completely forthright in her answer because, as she stated, “you are an American.” After the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission report officially revealed the egregious levels of violence and human rights atrocities committed by the state (as well as leftist terrorist groups) between 1980 and 2000, Peruvian family members were quick to remind me, when I raised serious concerns about these findings, that I did not live there during those years of terrorism, and the government did what it had to do to fight terrorism. And when I have talked to US activists of color about their experiences in transnational activist forums, many have been taken aback at how conservative they appear in relation to other activists and furthermore at being labeled “complicit” in the promotion of devastating US foreign policies. [End Page 174] My desire to propose principles and methodological criteria is then based on the quandary US scholars experience when geopolitical realities enter the realm of research. This article is divided into two primary sections. In the first section I discuss feminist research principles. These principles are derived from my research field experiences and based on transnational feminist scholarship grappling with multi-directional dynamics of power, the permeability and rigidity of borders, the divide between secularism and spirituality, engaging in political solidarity, and identifying the links, relationships, intersections, and connections regarding various social issues and struggles. These principles serve as a guide for our research practices as we make important situational decisions. Second, drawing on specific research experiences as a point of departure, I propose a working set of four criteria as a response to calls to “consider more systematic discussions of the methods and practices that are used to produce transnational feminist knowledge.”2 As Linda Tuhiwai Smith states, researchers have to be “concerned with having a more critical understanding of the underlying assumptions, motivations and values which inform research practices.”3 This point sheds light on the epistemological foundations of methodological practice in the production of knowledge. I specifically offer applied research strategies, which are ones I have used during different stages of research. These feminist principles and methodology criteria can decolonize knowledge production. Feminist scholars remain committed to the idea that human agency is powerful and transformative. Therefore, exploring research strategies for social transformation and justice, even within institutions and contexts that are oppressive, remains a vitally important undertaking. The feminist principles and methodology criteria discussed in this article are representative of longtime collective conversations with other feminist scholar-activists and with research collaborators. Academia will not recognize these feminist research endeavors as meritorious, even though they are time-consuming and arduous to practice, yet this reality does not diminish their importance for engaging in a decolonial approach to the practice of research. entering the geopolitical research field: guiding principles for a decolonial approach to research practice The US approach to transnational feminism can be overly determined as “the search...

On The North American Road

On The North American Road Hassan Melehy (bio) At the End of the Road: Jack Kerouac in Mexico Jorge García-Robles Daniel C. Schecter, trans. University of Minnesota Press http://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division 132 Pages; Print, $17.95 Following shortly on the publication of The Stray Bullet (2013), Daniel Schecter’s translation of Jorge García-Robles’s book about William S. Burroughs in Mexico, the University of Minnesota Press has issued At the End of the Road, the author’s companion volume on Jack Kerouac. One of the great values of this book, as is the case for the earlier one, is to place Kerouac in the context of transnational phenomena, hence to broaden the conception of him that prevails in the United States. As I wrote about The Stray Bullet a last year in these pages (36.3), understanding Beat Generation authors in this way, rather than as limited in their perceptions to a few roughly strewn sand piles in the landscape of US culture, is essential to grasping their contributions to literature. In response to depictions in their work of encounters with marginalized cultures and subcultures both in the United States and abroad, critical treatments have generated occasions for smugness about racism in American literature. Beginning with literary bully Kenneth Rexroth in the late 1950s, a steady stream of critics have done their best to pound the Beat Generation into a picture of overgrown adolescents giggling at shapes and colors different from what they knew back home. For their fascination with zones of cultural ferment that manage to elude the smother of dominant culture (African-American neighborhoods, farmworker encampments, impoverished districts in Third World countries), Burroughs and Kerouac have been corralled into characterizations as sexual tourists or “hipster racists.” It is, of course, entirely appropriate to question their participation in imperial white privilege—their work proposes such questioning on a regular basis—but restricting them to this dimension effaces the major challenge their writing brought to the mechanisms of domination. In the preface to At the End of the Road, written for the US edition, García-Robles considers the paradoxical complexity that pervades Kerouac’s perceptions of Mexico. García-Robles begins: “After his own, Mexico was perhaps the single most important country in Jack Kerouac’s life.” Proceeding to a detailed exposition of this importance based on both literary and biographical sources, García-Robles never shies away from the fact that Kerouac “invented and embellished Mexico with his literary designs.” This imaginative treatment is one part of a literary project in which “all the places, situations, and people he re-created in his novels were inventions, too.” These observations are a refreshing inversion of the typical US approach to Kerouac that sears the skin of his books for their supposed distortions of nonwhite persons and cultures, viewing him as a thinly disguised memoirist rather than the novelist he was and preposterously holding him to the journalistic standards that García-Robles explicitly rejects. The strongest parts of At the End of the Road occur when García-Robles considers the nature of Kerouac’s relationship to Mexico, focusing on the aspects of the country’s reality that interested him and the fictions he produced about them. Noting the flimsy, pseudo-ethnographic imagery that Kerouac sometimes employs, García-Robles pushes further to see dynamic literary machinery at work. He cuts through the cemented image of Kerouac as a mere purveyor of US stereotypes: the Beat author’s “racializations,” rather, are encounters with the deep insecurities of a dominant culture and opportunities to discover what it fails to capture. “In his mind, Jack was beginning to concoct the mythic face of Mexico, whose immediate, apparent freshness contrasted with the hypercivilized, pragmatic civilization of America.” Offering comparisons with reactions to Mexico by other foreign writers—Vladimir Mayakovsky’s disillusionment that the Indians weren’t James Fenimore Cooper’s, Jack London’s ideologically crystallizing statement on the degeneracy of Mexicans stemming from their “various commingled bloods,” those of D. H. Lawrence, Jerzy Grotowski, Carlos Castaneda, and even Burroughs for other reasons—García-Robles focuses on Kerouac...

Artificial Intelligence and the 'Good Society': The US, EU, and UK Approach

In October 2016, the White House, the European Parliament, and the UK House of Commons each issued a report outlining their visions on how to prepare society for the widespread use of AI. In this article, we provide a comparative assessment of these three reports in order to facilitate the design of policies favourable to the development of a ‘good AI society’. To do so, we examine how each report addresses the following three topics: (a) the development of a ‘good AI society’; (b) the role and responsibility of the government, the private sector, and the research community (including academia) in pursuing such a development; and (c) where the recommendations to support such a development may be in need of improvement. Our analysis concludes that the reports address adequately various ethical, social, and economic topics, but come short of providing an overarching political vision and long-term strategy for the development of a ‘good AI society’. In order to contribute to fill this gap, in the conclusion we suggest a two-pronged approach.

Insiders' perspectives on project based learning: A comparison of US and Israeli approaches

High school students and teachers in two countries (US and Israel) were interviewed to ascertain their perspectives about their Project Based Learning (PBL) experiences. Perspectives were evaluated to determine to what degree PBL approaches were based on the eight essential elements of PBL and whether PBL courses contributed effectively to workplace preparedness. Differences between teachers and students and between countries were identified. Results revealed that PBL programs incorporating the eight essential elements are more effective in preparing students to enter today’s work environment. Students perceive stronger benefits from their PBL experiences than teachers perceive. Additionally, the perspectives of Israeli teachers and students were more similar to each other than the perspectives of US teachers and students.

Benign and pathological electrocardiographic changes in athletesBenign and pathological electrocardiographic changes in athletes

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death in athletes during sport. It is a tragic event that generates significant media attention and discussion throughout society as to whether everything possible had been done to prevent it. Regular physical exercise causes cardiac remodeling at both the mechanical and electrical level, known as athlete's heart, resulting in an electrocardiogram (ECG) considered abnormal compared with the ECGs of the general population. Some of these electrocardiographic changes are considered normal or physiological in athletes, while others suggest underlying cardiac disease with the potential to cause sudden cardiac death. There is thus an urgent need to define the electrocardiographic patterns that allow or prohibit participation in sports, and to differentiate them in terms of gender, ethnicity and age. The purpose of this review is to present the latest data on the electrocardiographic changes considered benign or pathological that are typically found in athletes and to critically analyze the most recent criteria for classifying ECGs in this population (the Seattle criteria), comparing them with previous guidelines and with the latest studies on the subject. This article also examines the question of including ECGs in preparticipation screening programs, the US and European approaches to the subject, and the most up-to-date data on the sensitivity, specificity and cost-effectiveness of the ECG in athletes.

Alterações eletrocardiográficas benignas e patológicas em atletas

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death in athletes during sport. It is a tragic event that generates significant media attention and discussion throughout society as to whether everything possible had been done to prevent it. Regular physical exercise causes cardiac remodeling at both the mechanical and electrical level, known as athlete's heart, resulting in an electrocardiogram (ECG) considered abnormal compared with the ECGs of the general population. Some of these electrocardiographic changes are considered normal or physiological in athletes, while others suggest underlying cardiac disease with the potential to cause sudden cardiac death. There is thus an urgent need to define the electrocardiographic patterns that allow or prohibit participation in sports, and to differentiate them in terms of gender, ethnicity and age. The purpose of this review is to present the latest data on the electrocardiographic changes considered benign or pathological that are typically found in athletes and to critically analyze the most recent criteria for classifying ECGs in this population (the Seattle criteria), comparing them with previous guidelines and with the latest studies on the subject. This article also examines the question of including ECGs in preparticipation screening programs, the US and European approaches to the subject, and the most up‐to‐date data on the sensitivity, specificity and cost‐effectiveness of the ECG in athletes.

Use of Reserve Forces in Support of Cyber-Resilience for Critical National Infrastructure: US and UK Approaches

Critical National Infrastructure in the UK and US faces a series of cyber-threats and vulnerabilities. Noel K Hannan examines the US resources available to combat the problem, in particular the concept of cyber-reserves, and looks at the detail of the Cyberguard series of exercises. He then assesses UK doctrine, methodology and involvement in these exercises as well as the problems facing the use of cyber-reserves under the current operating model. The conclusion provides some thoughts on future deployment scenarios.

Disruptive Innovation in Laboratory Medicine

Over the last 5 decades, laboratory medicine has witnessed a remarkable wave of innovations that transformed the field from a peripheral to a central player in healthcare delivery. These advances enabled the introduction and performance of new tests on a large scale, some in a decentralized setting, in an accurate and a precise manner, thus leading to better diagnosis, more accurate prediction of disease prognosis, and improved patient management. This evolution was the result of both sustaining and disruptive innovation, the latter being a new concept, technology, product, or process that is at first inferior to an existing one but with time it improves, becomes superior to it, and eventually replaces it. Some examples of disruptive innovation in laboratory medicine include continuous flow analysis, dry reagents on dipsticks, pregnancy home testing, PCR, point-of-care testing, and use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for pathogen identification. Although sustaining innovation steadily drives progress, paradigm shifts usually occur only with disruptive thinking. With the escalating cost of healthcare and the prediction that it will soon reach 20% of the annual GDP in the US, bold measures and disruptive approaches in delivering effective and economical clinical laboratory testing are more needed than ever. In this Q&A, a group of inventors, entrepreneurs, and cutting-edge scientists share their views on sustaining and disruptive innovation in laboratory medicine. Describe briefly the core technology or concept of your innovation. Eric Topol: Smartphones as the hub of medicine going forward, capable of performing routine laboratories (with suitable hardware additions), real-time, real-world biosensor data of most physiologic metrics, capability of doing a substantial part of the physical examination, and ultimately, assembly of a virtual medical assistant to process these multilayered medical data for each individual. All of this data collection and analytics would be supported by cloud computing and validated algorithms. Image Courtesy of XPRIZE Eugene …

Comparative perspectives on concepts of gender, ethnicity, and race

This essay examines, with broad strokes, the ways in which different historical experiences have given rise to varied understandings of equality based on gender, ethnicity, and race, contrasting concepts that have emerged in Liberia and other African contexts with US approaches. The essay evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the different conceptualizations for mobilization around women's rights, political power, and peace and shows that approaches that work in some contexts may fail in others because of the varied societal and historical orientations. More specifically, the essay argues that, in general, women's movements in societies that have emphasized “equality” over “difference” in gender relations have also tended to emphasize diversity and the importance of identity when it comes to racial and ethnic difference as well as other forms of difference. Conversely, women's movements in societies that have adopted a “difference” frame for understanding gender – understood here in the narrow sense of gendered binary thinking – have been more likely to focus on commonalities between various identities, particularly similarities between women of different ethnicities. This is because those orientations which emphasize the ways in which women ought to be equal to men (equality feminism) are more likely to focus on individual and group differences between women, whereas those approaches which focus on the similarities among women as a group as distinct from men as a group (difference feminism), are more likely to downplay differences among women.

When competition law meets telecom regulation: the Chinese context

The liberalized telecom sector propagates a dynamic ecosystem mixed prominently with three forces: the market mechanism, sector-specific regulation and competition rules. While the tension between the market force and sector-specific regulation has been well studied, the conflicts between sector-specific regulation and competition rules have attracted less attention in particular in China. The 2012 China Telecom/China Unicom case indicates that such conflicts are not moot issues any more. This leads to a question whether it is better to let the two instruments compete or complement. The comparative study on the different practices of the EU and the US suggests that China may better apply the US case-by-case approach, i.e. to evaluate whether antitrust intervention can bring added value to effective competition. Subsequently, a substantive analysis based on the US approach arrives at a conclusion that the EU outcome is nonetheless better suited for the Chinese context, namely to establish the supremacy of competition rules over sector-specific regulation and to allow the former to intervene in the latter whenever necessary.

Spies, advisors, and grunts: Film portrayals of counterinsurgency in Vietnam

Vietnam was a complex conflict, which historians and political scientists have struggled to understand. Some of the bitterest disputes in the historiography revolve around the US approach to counterinsurgency in Vietnam. Many different facets of the war have received the attention of filmmakers, and an examination of their work suggests new ways of thinking about the conflict. This article considers film portrayals of three phases of the Vietnam War – firstly, the early period of ‘political action’, then the advisory period, and finally the Americanization of the war after 1965. It suggests that by examining the experiences of participants in each of these phases, Vietnam War cinema helps to illustrate the problems that faced various American approaches to counterinsurgency in the conflict. Combined with the importance of films in determining popular perceptions of both historical conflicts and counterinsurgency in general, it suggests that they are worthy subjects of study and critique.

European Union Competition Policy in Light of Modern Theories of Economic Growth: A Necessary Review to Support the Private Sector's Contribution to Growth Through Investment in Technology

Competition policy in the European Union is built on the principle that the exercise of market power is a source of inefficiency and as such should be prevented or eliminated. According to this doctrine, effective competition exempt from market power is the source of economic growth. Observation shows that the objective of the European competition policy is to unconditionally increase or at least maintain static competition intensity, irrespective of the market situation and the characteristics of industries, notably in terms of technological evolution. The European Commission acknowledges that the low productivity in the Union is mainly due to insufficient investment and innovation. However to restore investment it strives to increase competition to eliminate mark-ups over competitive prices. This interpretation of competition policy is specific to the European Union. Following the influence of the Chicago School, the US competition authorities consider that market power is both a necessary incentive to invest and a fair return on investment. It is well-established in economic theory that investment in innovation is endogenous to the market structure and that it might decrease when static competition exceeds an optimal level, a fact that European competition policy fails to take into account in its unconditional quest for the maximum static efficiency. A review of this policy, taking into account the outcome of the US approach and the lessons of economic growth theories appears necessary in order to tackle the structural weakness of productivity growth in the Union.

Net Neutrality 2.0 – The New US Approach and the Evolving EU Single Market Regulation

Net Neutrality 2.0 – The New US Approach and the Evolving EU Single Market Regulation

China’s Dual Enforcement System regarding Resale Price Maintenance Agreements

RPM can be both beneficial and harmful to competition in various circumstances. RPM has been scrutinized with the subject of private litigation in the US, the EU and China regarding whether RPM is per se illegal or subject to the rule of reason. China's dual-mode regulatory scheme provokes more challenges and further complicates foreign companies' global expansion strategies. Following a review of the US and EU approaches to RPM, the article examines the landmark case of Ruibang v. J&amp;J, which provides clarity and in-depth guidance on the unique Chinese system. It is argued that these administrative and legal uncertainties may not be addressed until a new judicial interpretation is provided by the Supreme People's Court.

Involving Civil Society in the Implementation of Social Provisions in Trade Agreements: Comparing the US and EU Approach in the Case of South Korea

The last few years have seen an increase of both free trade agreements (FTAs) and social provisions therein, such as the standards from the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The US and the European Union (EU) are two of the biggest proponents of the trade-labour linkage. While the US practice is characterized by a ‘conditional’ approach, the EU’s approach is seen as ‘promotional’. Nonetheless, both foresee the possibility for civil society – such as unions, business organisations and academics - to monitor the implementation of social provisions. By focusing on the trade agreements of the US and the EU with South Korea, this paper assesses to what extent these civil society monitoring mechanisms differ and to what extent they can be effective in the long run. Methodologically the paper combines an analysis of the legislative texts of the trade agreement and of official documents produced by the mechanisms on the one hand and expert interviews on the other hand. The explorative study shows that the following factors are important for long term impact: fixed participants, funding, feedback of the governments on the advice of the mechanisms and strong institutionalisation.

Tweeting the pivot? The United States and PD 2.0 in Northeast Asia

This study considers US public diplomacy efforts in Northeast Asia in the context of the country’s foreign policy ‘pivot’ toward the region. Focused specifically on American efforts to communicate online with publics in China, Japan and South Korea, this research examines embassy social media feeds in order to characterize the most visible aspects of American PD 2.0 in the region. Findings indicate that despite the interactive potential of these online tools, the US approach to public diplomacy in the online context remains overwhelmingly unilateral, with one-way messaging the norm and instances of engagement with the target publics exceedingly rare. Implications of these findings are discussed.