Bilateral Dialogue Research Articles

The US and China need to turn ongoing bilateral dialogue into immediate joint mitigation

The United States of America and the People’s Republic of China are responsible for over 40% of the world’s CO2 emissions annually and they will be able to effectively reduce global emissions if they fulfil their commitments jointly in climate change mitigation. Here we briefly summarize past climate collaborations between the two countries and compare their national climate policies. The major problems are the mutual distrust between the two countries and the priority of economic development over climate change mitigation within each of them. As atmospheric CO2 levels are still increasing at an accelerating rate, it is essential for the largest two emitters to turn ongoing bilateral dialogue into prompt mitigation action and maintain long-term joint efforts in reducing emissions. We suggest that the two countries should recognize and take advantage of their differences in socioeconomic, political, and technological conditions. Furthermore, the two countries need to share their experiences and technologies for safely utilizing relatively clean energy resources, especially shale gas. The success in climate cooperation between the USA and China is critical to sustainable development around the world.

Bessarabia – The Perennial Political Subject on the Romanian-Soviet Sensible Agenda

Aligned to the axiomatic premise that the Romanian-Soviet bilateral universe has always been marked by a corollary of sensible political topics, topics that have otherwise been, true points of divergence on the official talks between Romania and its Eastern Neighbor, in the present paper we have undertaken the bold engagement to examine the manner in which the Bessarabia problem, has represented such a sensible topic. In other words, the paper aims within an interdisciplinary research attempt, subsumed to an approach from the perspective of the historic semantics and hermeneutics, to highlight the manner in which the Bessarabia question has represented the true touchstone in the Romanian-Soviet bilateral dialogue, thus constituting one of the major historical difficulties that both states, involved in the process raised towards bilateralism, had to manage and implicitly to regulate in the early 90s. In this respect, our analytical horizon focuses particularly on the issue that regards Bessarabia’ s reunification with Romania, an issue that represented in the early 90s the real political challenge of the Romanian-Soviet bilateral dialogue as well as the main point on the Romanian-Soviet divergence map. Meanwhile, beyond the thorough approach regarding the controversial political topic of the Romanian-Soviet bilateral universe, the present research attempt tries to highlight the main causes that have led to the failure of the reunification Odyssey. Thus, in order to reveal the nodal vein of the paper, the present research attempt has a methodology configuration based on a diachronic, interpretive and comparative technique. Integrally, the research paper aims to reveal the manner in which the Bessarabia issue, namely the issue of a disputed territory, has represented since the early 90s, both a problematical political permanency of the Romanian-Soviet bilateral register as well as one of the most dominant, controversial and stringent themes of the Romanian-Soviet/Russian post-communist bilateral agenda.

(Creative Industries' Export and Internationalization Strategies of Selected Countries and Their Policy Implications)

Korean Abstract: 최근 노동, 자본, 토지와 같은 전통적인 생산요소 외에 지식이나 창의성과 같은 비가시적 생산요소의 중요성이 높아지고, 탈제조업화로 대표되는 경제구조의 변화가 진행되고 있다. 이에 따라 본 연구에서 검토한 영국, 핀란드, 독일, 일본을 비롯한 많은 국가들이 새로운 성장동력과, 일자리 창출원으로서 창조산업에 주목하고 있다. 창조산업은 중소기업이 밀집된 분야로 고용증대에 미치는 영향이 크며, 혁신적인 제품을 개발함으로써 새로운 소비자와 시장을 개척하는 첨병 역할을 한다. 또한 창조산업의 해외진출 확대는 국가간의 문화적 거리감을 완화하고 여타 분야의 수출 확대와 국가 브랜드 제고에 기여하는 효과가 있다. 본 연구는 상기 국가들의 정책 사례를 검토하였다. English Abstract: Along with the emergence of knowledge-based economy, importance of nonvisible production factors, such as knowledge and creativity is widely recognized. With the spread of such recognition, the concept of creative industries has been diffused over the world. Identifying creative industries as an individual industrial sector, countries have come to find that creative industries are new sources of job creation and have the potential to lead cross-industry innovation. As creative industries play a role of pioneering new markets by developing innovative goods and services, internationalization strategy takes a core position in the relevant policies. In this sense, it is necessary to develop a unique Korean concept of creative industries which expands the current category of cultural content industries by including design, architecture, and some ICT and R&D services. As creative industries have high concentration of SMEs and micro firms, it is necessary to exert efforts on supporting competent SMEs. It is also important to reinforce competitiveness of creative services, such as architecture, R&D, and design. Architecture and R&D service markets, which account for the largest share of creative services trade, expand rapidly in emerging countries. Creative firms give positive effects on identification of new consumer demands, provision of new solutions and concepts, creation of new approaches to known problems, joint development of innovative ideas, etc. The government needs to select competitive creative firms and help them link with domestic/foreign firms in various sectors, and give incentives for such activities. Compared to industrial sectors such as manufacturing, creative firms (especially SMEs) face bigger difficulties in exporting. Accordingly, the government needs to provide export funding and foreign market information specialized for creative industries, support creative firms' participation in international trade shows and formation of networks, and include competitive creative firms in business delegations. An important feature of strategies for creative industries’ internationalization is to expand the number of target countries. Such feature includes not only expansion of trade among developed countries but also diversification of target countries into emerging countries. Countries studied in this report select strategic target countries among emerging countries based on various factors, such as market size, growth potential, maturity of bilateral economic relationship, cultural intimacy, etc. MOU is an effective means of helping creative industries enter emerging counties in that it can contain various interests through inter-discipline and inter-department cooperation. Cooperative relationship through MOU can also contribute to building a basis for emerging countries' creative industries. As intellectual property right is a core of creative industries, it is needed to increase the level of intellectual property right protection of emerging countries through bilateral dialogue channels including FTA negotiations. As creative industries are important components of a country's soft power, they require utilization and attention on the government level. Especially, it is required to establish a comprehensive country brand marketing strategy that utilizes Korea's core assets including creative industries.

Citizen Chen: a challenging test for bilateral diplomacy

Subject area Diplomatic and consular policies; legal aspects of international relations and Asia regional scenario. Study level/applicability Undergraduate. Case overview In April 2012, high-level officials from China and the USA were about to meet in Beijing in the framework of the bilateral Strategic and Economic Dialogue, organized on a yearly basis. The event was always delicate, due to the ambiguous relationship existing between the two countries, which were at the same time rivals and dependent on one another. That time, the tension previous to the meeting increased significantly: a Chinese human rights activist had just sought and obtained diplomatic protection in the US Embassy in Beijing, thus creating an embarrassing situation for both States' foreign departments […] How could they possibly solve this contentious issue without affecting their already sensitive relationship? Expected learning outcomes Analytical: to be aware of the political nature of the current Chinese Government; to realize the concrete and practical implications of an Embassy's special status; to balance two contradictory objectives, in a specific situation where none of them can be fully discarded; to contrast and try to combine long-term goals (in this case, to maintain a functioning relationship between two main world powers) with short-term objectives (in this case, how to deal with a Chinese activist that required protection against his own country's security forces); to find a modus vivendi (conciliation) between values and interests; to get convinced that certain kinds of negotiations cannot be conceived through a “win or lose” approach: in this case, the only way out must be respectful of the two parties' core interests; and to take into account that image preservation (“face-saving”) must be included within any country's objectives in any situation involving diplomatic means. Conceptual: the purpose is to familiarize the students with specific concepts, such as: best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA), which is to be mentioned as part of the discussion (it is not included in the case study itself); interdependence; (purported) Group of Two; asylum and refuge; Immunity; and sending state/receiving state. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

ON LEARNING TO SPEAK: A SOUTH AFRICAN REFORMED PERSPECTIVE ON DIALOGUE

The paper makes a contribution to the official Roman Catholic-Reformed dialogue between the Vatican and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. After several years of reflection on the notion of “the kingdom of God” it became obvious to participants in the dialogue that different views of authority and of dialogue itself played a major role in the process. This paper was requested as an attempt to reflect on some of these differences from a Reformed perspective and from a South African experience. It therefore represents a case study of bilateral dialogue in which South African Reformed Christians have been participating. A first introductory section proves narrative background to the specific case study (par. 4-13). In four further sections four major clusters of crucial ecumenical issues that came to the fore in the dialogue are then discussed, namely questions concerning truth and community (par. 14-27), questions concerning doctrine and ethics (par. 28-46), questions concerning real reception (par. 47-56) and questions concerning speaking with authority in the church (par. 57-70). A final section offers some concluding reflections on the process of learning to speak when Reformed Christians and churches are involved. These concluding remarks are intended to contribute to this official bilateral dialogue. Key

India's Afghan Policy: Beyond Bilateralism

The India–Afghanistan relationship is not a simple bilateral engagement. India's Afghan policy is driven by, and is dependent on, many extraneous factors such as India's troubled relationship with Pakistan, its search for a land transit to Central Asia through Iran and Afghanistan and its concerns regarding use of Afghan territory by Pakistan to the detriment of Indian interests. Given the geographical constraints, India has relied on Iran for land access to Afghanistan. This has been complicated by Iran–US relations —the two countries with whom India shares common interests. India has also tried to address Pakistani apprehensions regarding its engagement in Afghanistan. Its decision to resume bilateral dialogue in spite of domestic pressures against any such initiative post-Mumbai and the inclusion of Balochistan in the joint statement issued at Sharm-al-Sheikh in 2009 are part of New Delhi's policy to build confidence with Islamabad. Simultaneously, India has gained enormous political capital through its economic engagement with other countries of the region. This is likely to help it to sustain its presence in Afghanistan after 2014, when the Taliban may well be a part of the government in Kabul.

Discrepancy between patients’ use of and health providers’ familiarity with CAM

ObjectiveTo compare patients’ complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and physicians’ familiarity with certain CAM modalities in the same setting and to assess patient–provider dialogue about patients’ CAM use. MethodsAn observational survey study with convenience sampling at ambulatory family medicine clinics in two Texas cities. A total of 69 healthcare providers and 468 patients completed the surveys. Patients’ surveys assessed use of 27 CAM therapies, perception of CAM use and interaction with providers. Providers’ survey assessed perception and attitude toward CAM use. ResultsCAM modalities most used by the patients are not those modalities that providers best understood. Of the 330 patients (70%) who responded to the relevant questions about discussing CAM, 44.5% reported never having discussed CAM use with their providers. Binomial logistic regression revealed no link between age, gender or ethnicity for discussing CAM with providers. College-educated patients (adjust OR=2.8, 95%CI=1.3–6.0) and US citizens were both about three times more likely to discuss CAM than their counterparts. ConclusionLack of knowledge and unfamiliarity with CAM modalities might prevent important patient–provider discussions. Practice implicationsProviders should use existing resources and encourage a bilateral dialogue that involves transferring of information and assisting patients in decisions making about CAM use and health care.

Россия и Германия перед вызовами XXI века

The state of Russia-Germany relations is examined in the article. In Moscow, Russia-Germany strategic partnership is regarded as one of the key factors in European and global politics. The bilateral dialogue is tonified by intensive, eventful contacts of the two countries' leaders. Today, in the bilateral relations there are no unsolvable problems, which could block the interaction across a broad range of international life issues.

Spiritless Lutheranism, Fatherless Pentecostalism, and a Proposed Baptismal-Christological Corrective

Abstract Though bilateral dialogue between Lutherans and Pentecostals at first glance looks unpromising, their already entangled histories suggest that the time is ripe to proceed. Doctrinal concerns also suggest mutual profit from dialogue. The Spirit has long since disappeared in Lutheran theology despite its importance in Luther’s theology, and the result has been the chronic Lutheran errors of scriptural inerrancy, rationalism, and moralism. Likewise, the absence of the Father in Pentecostalism has contributed to the loss of trinitarianism, the prosperity gospel, andjudgmentalism. The presence of the whole Trinity at Jesus’s baptism suggests a paradigm for Christian baptism and theology that could once again unite what the churches have allowed to fall apart.

India, Pakistan and Dialogue under the Shadow of Terror

In the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US and the subsequent war on terror, the Afghanistan–Pakistan region has emerged as a safe sanctuary for various terror groups like Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba. This article focuses upon the close linkages between the legacy of the anti-Soviet jihad inside Afghanistan in the 1980s and the insurgency that later began in the Indian-administered part of Jammu and Kashmir, which from its inception has been aided and abetted by the Pakistan army and its Inter-Service Intelligence Directorate (ISI). Despite international pressure, the infrastructure of terrorism directed against India from Pakistan-controlled territory remains intact due to inaction of the Pakistan government for political and strategic reasons. So long as the symbiotic relationship between sections of the Pakistan government (particularly the army and the ISI) and the various anti-India terrorist groups remains intact, there will be no meaningful progress in any kind of bilateral dialogue between the estranged neighbours.

The European Union as a Bilateral ‘Norm Leader’ on Climate Change vis-à-vis China

The Copenhagen climate summit was widely reported as ‘another failure for EU climate diplomacy’, focusing in particular on its failure to persuade China to commit to binding emission reduction targets. To balance this narrative, this article focuses on the bilateral dialogue between the EU and China on energy and environmental issues, in particular, their 2005 ‘Partnership on Climate Change’. Using constructivism as overall theoretical framework, it draws specifically on the literature on norms and the socialization processes leading to normative change in international politics. In particular, this article explores the EU’s contribution to the process of ‘social learning’ among Chinese policy makers on climate change. Its main finding is that the EU helped to overcome the traditional understanding in China of the environment and the economy as competing concerns and enabled the diffusion of the ‘business case’ for a low-carbon economy.

Canada and bilateral human rights dialogues

Human rights have been asserted rhetorically as a goal of Canadian foreign policy for several decades. Beginning in 1997, Canada, along with other countries, began to turn towards the use of bilateral human rights dialogues (HRD) with countries considered to have poor human rights records. A study of these dialogues sheds light on the place of human rights in Canadian foreign policy, and on Canadian relations with Asia. Canada opened three dialogues, with China, Cuba, and Indonesia. This article positions those HRDs within the history of Canadian foreign policy on human rights and considers the origin of Canada's FIRDs as a way to demonstrate some action on rights, while avoiding any linkage between rights and the promotion of trade. It then examines the course of the failed I{RD with Cuba, the suspended dialogue with China, and the ongoing Canada-Indonesia HRD. HRDs became an end in their own right, showing few measurable results, and freezing out meaningful participation by civil society, while serving as an excuse to avoid multilateral action-a substitute rather than an addition to multilateral forums. The article proposes some conditions that should be met if HRIDs are to be continued, and suggests that effective rights advocacy would require a return to multilateral rather than bilateral forums, the integration of human rights into all aspects of Canadian foreign policy, and a willingness to accept the flaws in Canada's own human rights record.

Unworking paperde Tillard à l'origine du document de Ravenne

Jean-Marie R. Tillard (1927-2000) is one of the most brilliant catholic ecumenists of the xx th century. Expert at Vatican II, he was aware very soon of the great openings made by the Council in matters of ecumenism. During all his life, he tried to describe and develope energetically and persistently the many implications of the new orientation of Vatican II, particularly in the field of the international bilateral and multilateral dialogues he was engaged in. Within these dialogues, he delivered a great deal of working papers to initiate or stimulate the commissions' discussions on the subjects dealt with and was excellent in offering ecumenical perspectives for the future. His influence on the mixed commissions cannot be denied. Many of the agreed statements are marked by his work, even after his death. This is the case with the Ravenna document. In this article, documentary evidence is given to prove this thesis.

The EU-China Agreement on Maritime Transport

For Europe, shipping has always been a key factor for its economic growth. The EU has a longstanding commitment to open and fair competition in shipping and also to quality shipping, hence its support for specialized international organizations and its strong and growing network of bilateral maritime agreements and dialogues with key shipping and trading partners, which purport to the maturing of its comprehensive strategic partnership with third states. The maritime transport agreement of 2002 between the Commission, the Member States, and China and the various ongoing EU bilateral negotiations at regional level are good examples of such agreements, which – whether implicitly or explicitly characterized as mixed – bear features of mixity.

Япония выполнила исторический долг

The article deals with solution of a longstanding problem of compensation payment to former Kwantung Army military servants for working as war prisoners in Soviet and Mongol camps. This problem has got over its social and national framework long ago, and has acquired an international legal character having become one of the most painful issues in Japan–Russia relations. By adoption of the compensation payment bill, another important and delicate issue in Russia–Japan relations is removed from the agenda, which has for many years been hindering the development of bilateral public dialogue in a good-neighborly way and mutual understanding.

Bringing Latin America into US Debates on Latino Immigration: Views from El Salvador

Joseph Wiltberger proposes that US immigration policies should incorporate emerging perspectives on migration and development coming from Latin America. He reviews the ways Salvadoran organizations, communities, and migrants understand how migration impacts their livelihoods and development. Salvadoran perspectives emphasize the importance of building sustainable livelihoods in places of origin and the role that migrant mobility and cross-border flows and networks play. This alternative view of migration challenges mainstream US assumptions about Latinos and undocumented immigration, and it calls attention to the need for bi-lateral dialogues and strategies about migration and development.

Where rivers and boundaries meet: building the international river boundaries database

Rivers have been a popular choice for international boundary-makers throughout history for a variety of reasons. However, defining a jurisdictional limit in a dynamic natural feature continues to pose challenges for neighbouring states. At the same time, rivers which form international boundaries are natural resources which are simultaneously shared and divided, requiring bilateral (and sometimes multilateral) cooperation on border management. With all their complexities, how well do we understand the scope of river boundaries around the world? Challenging previous studies whose perspective has tended to generalise the extent of river boundaries, this article examines the development of the International River Boundaries Database (IRBD) which represents the most comprehensive collection of information concerning the lengths and definitions of river boundaries worldwide. Emphasising an accurate image of river boundaries on the ground, the IRBD reveals that the true magnitude of river boundaries worldwide has been underestimated, and likewise the true magnitude of management challenges inherent to river boundaries has been underestimated. In doing so, the IRBD helps to engage inter-disciplinary and bilateral dialogue on the under-researched link between boundary definition and transboundary water management.

Not Without the World Council of Churches: a contribution to the history of the Catholic‐Reformed international bilateral dialogue

Not Without the World Council of Churches: a contribution to the history of the Catholic‐Reformed international bilateral dialogue

Capital Market Openness After Financial Turmoil

After a brief period during the financial crisis when countries appeared to be lurching towards economic nationalism, the international community has reaffirmed its commitment to open markets that are regulated in balanced ways that promote innovation while discouraging abuse. Hence, it remains important to look closely at market-opening regulatory strategies. Before the crisis a lot of momentum had built up behind flagship market-opening projects in financial reporting and international mutual recognition. This article looks at those projects through a post-crisis lens and finds that much has changed. Considerations that have led US authorities to step back from ambitious proposals are reviewed, as are efforts by European Community bodies to maintain momentum.International standard setting and bilateral regulatory dialogues are the two key routes that lead to international regulatory convergence towards a consistent set of rules. Post crisis, global solutions worked out by international standard-setting bodies have assumed particular prominence but the review in this article indicates that bilateral exchanges still have an important role to play and that the two routes complement each other rather than being entirely separate parallel tracks.

Відносини України з Великою Британією в контексті європейської інтеграції

This article addresses the problems of the relations between Ukraine and Great Britain from the time of renewing the Ukraine’s independence till now. The whole complex of bilateral dialogue between the two states is under scrutiny of the author. Basic attention is paid to the aspect of Ukraine’s integration to Europe.