Close Allies Research Articles

Extraordinary Renditions and Human Rights: Short Observations on the French Case

The collusion of many European states in the CIA’s notorious practice of extraordinary rendition during the Bush Administration is by now well-documented. Indeed, it was in the context of concerns about the potential involvement of the United Kingdom in the practice (one of the USA’s closest and most powerful allies on the continent) that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) first defined the phenomenon of extraordinary rendition as: ‘… the extra-judicial transfer of persons from one jurisdiction or State to another, for the purposes of detention and interrogation outside the normal legal system, where there is a real risk of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.’ This definition connects two important components, namely the extra-judicial nature of the transfer (i.e., involving a covert operation, including resort to ‘secret facilities’) and the use of torture. Those European States that connived with the practice of extraordinary rendition flights were close allies of the USA and/or had the facilities (i.e., NATO bases) which accommodated flight transfers. Not all allies were involved, however, and the notable absence of France from the list of high-profile, complicitous offending States is striking. Was France not involved at all in the practice of extraordinary rendition flights? Were the French authorities involved but the collaboration with the CIA was even more covert and investigations not pursued? The aim of this short article is not to provide definitive answers to these questions from an empirical point of view. Rather the object of this piece is to make observations about the French case in two related directions. First, the article seeks to describe and contextualize the wider role of France in counter-terrorism cooperation in the aftermath of 9/11, noting in particular the collaboration of the French intelligence services with their American counterparts (including as regards allegations of collusion in torture). Secondly, it outlines French law on State liability and demonstrates how, despite the latter’s broad scope, it still allows for limits where ‘secret defense’ and ‘actes de gouvernement’ are involved.

Trans-Tasman tensions over China

Australia and New Zealand are close allies but are responding differently to rising Chinese power and influence in the Asia-Pacific. This, in turn, has increased trans-Tasman tensions in several areas. Australia has emphasised its ideological differences with China and has remained critical of China even as the country has imposed economic sanctions on Australian exports. New Zealand’s approach has been ambiguous, with Wellington far less likely than Canberra to criticise China publicly, in part because it is more vulnerable to potential Chinese economic retaliation.

75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UN: HOPES AND REALITIES

Examining the history of the UN creation in the first part of the article, the author focuses on an exceptionally significant issue settled in 1945 during the Crimean Conference of the Heads of the Three Great Powers, namely: the order of voting in the UN Security Council. Various appeals to renounce the “veto” of permanent members of the UN Security Council enshrined in the UN Charter have become the main leitmotif of numerous attempts of the United States and their closest allies to revise the UN Charter. Reviewing such proposals, the author notes that populist ideas the essence of which constitutes the call to replace, based on the principles of equality of all States, an international Organization by a supranational structure whose activities would actually be based on the principle of “who has force, has power” have been disseminated in Western political and scientific circles.The author goes on to consider the crucial question: whether the Organization have been able to cope with its main mission: to maintain international peace and security?Listing the outstanding universal documents of our time developed in the bowels of the UN, the author calls the most notable, in his opinion, achievement of the Organization — a real liberation of dozens of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America from colonial oppression. Analyzing the activities of the UN, the author acknowledges that the Organization in many respects is still far from its unifying convergent essence: the US and its NATO allies lead the policy aiming at crashing the system of international relations, based on the central role of the UN in world politics; the US promote a concept that implies the creation of closed alliances to develop and implement measures bypassing the UN. Amid such realities, Russia, seeking to strengthen multilateral principles in international affairs, emphasizes the creation of a self-regulating international system, which requires collective leadership of the leading States that is represented geographically and civilizationally, and exercised with full respect for the central and coordinating role of the United Nations.The article also draws attention to the fact that modern reality identifies more and more intractable problems, which often lead to the “autonomization” of international law: “niches” that are not filled with legal material inevitably give rise to situations where the gaps concerned are governed by particular and special rules based on bilateral or regional foundations, The author sees the empowerment of international law in the approval of principles of intercivilizational communication, the pursuance of synthesis of various legal systems, ideologies, cultures, religions and other spiritual values, which would provide a reliable basis for strengthening the importance and influence of international law.

Joseph Berke: counterculture revolutionary

Photo credit: Family photograph The American born doctor and psychotherapist Joseph (“Joe”) Berke was a close ally of R D Laing, one of the 20th century’s most controversial psychiatrists. Berke...

The Destruction of Statehood and the Color Revolutions under Russian International Law Doctrine

Has Russian international law doctrine changed in relation to the post-Soviet states since the annexation of Crimea? This paper analyses two interdependent concepts of the contemporary Russian international law doctrine - the ‘color revolutions’ and the ‘destruction of statehood’ - in the context of geopolitical competition over the post-Soviet space. In brief, the term color revolution is used by Russia to describe events that it categorizes as illegal regime-changes used to remove pro-Russian politicians from power under the guise of democracy. In the same context, Russia has developed another key concept, i.e. the ‘destruction of statehood’. First referred to in 2008, it has since 2014 become a more encompassing and innovative legal doctrine to counter color revolutions in Russia’s neighboring states. Under this doctrine, Russia reserves a right to ‘un-recognize’ a target state if it categorizes the situation as an illegal regime change that has destroyed the target’s statehood. Controversially, this results in Russia no longer being bound by its treaty obligations with this state. Especially since 2014, Russia has developed political and legal tools in multilateral documents to counter future color revolutions. While it has been unable to convince the international community to accept its new interpretations, it has been more successful within its closest allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and, to a lesser extent, in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This may have significant political consequences in the future.

The Influence of Pan-Slavic Ideologies on Kosovar School Texts: Implications for Diplomatic Relations with Turkey

Historical works produced by Kosovars are currently at the centre of diplomatic concerns. Today Turkey is one of Kosovo’s closest allies, but Turkish scholars and government officials are particularly critical of the way the history of the Ottoman Empire is being taught in Kosovo’s schools. In this article I consider how Pan-Slavic ideologies have influenced the writing of Kosovar Albanian histories, particularly during theYugoslav socialist era. I draw on research concerning the relationship between bias in historical textbooks and international conflict. Exploring examples of historical literature currently being taught in Kosovo’s primary and secondary schools, I analyse the discourses espoused by Kosovar historians in depicting the history of the Ottoman Empire. I argue that some of the Turkish criticisms are valid and hence there is need to revise historical texts used in Kosovo’s schools. In particular, there is a need to provide more objective accounts of Kosovar Albanian history in classrooms, especially as regards anti-Ottomanism and the Pan-Slavism. The amendment of Kosovar historical texts in schools would not only provide students with a more accurate and informed interpretation of the past, but also contribute to efforts seeking to improve diplomatic relations.

Optimizing Wave Overtopping Energy Converters by ANN Modelling: Evaluating the Overtopping Rate Forecasting as the First Step

Artificial neural networks (ANN) are extremely powerful analytical, parallel processing elements that can successfully approximate any complex non-linear process, and which form a key piece in Artificial Intelligence models. Its field of application, being very wide, is especially suitable for the field of prediction. In this article, its application for the prediction of the overtopping rate is presented, as part of a strategy for the sustainable optimization of coastal or harbor defense structures and their conversion into Waves Energy Converters (WEC). This would allow, among others benefits, reducing their initial high capital expenditure. For the construction of the predictive model, classical multivariate statistical techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), or unsupervised clustering methods like Self Organized Maps (SOM), are used, demonstrating that this close alliance is always methodologically beneficial. The specific application carried out, based on the data provided by the CLASH and EurOtop 2018 databases, involves the creation of a useful application to predict overtopping rates in both sloping breakwaters and seawalls, with good results both in terms of prediction error, such as correlation of the estimated variable.

Greenland and Denmark: Arctic Secessionism in a Global Powerplay

Greenland, the biggest island in the world inhabited predominantly by Inuits, was a Danish colony before 1953 and has since then been a part of the Danish realm with a gradually increasing autonomy. Some 2/3 of its population favor a complete secession, but the heavy dependence upon Danish budget subsidies is the main challenge. The Chinese government and companies have since 2005 maintained a close dialogue with Greenland as an entry point to the Arctic and a rich base of natural resources (including rare earth elements), though there has not been major investments yet. The U.S. have lately tried to halt this cooperation for the reasons of foreign, security and resource policy, and to put Greenland under a tighter American control. President Trump’s purchase offer in 2019 was the most publicized initiative. Denmark, despite its close alliance with the United States, is worried by either American or Chinese involvement and tries to become a good patron for Greenland to prevent its secession. Meanwhile, the Greenlandic authorities confirm their political will to struggle for a complete independence from Denmark. The article suggests three medium-term scenarios, with Greenland remaining in an gradually looser union with Denmark, moving into the U.S. domain and acquiring a full statehood with a subsequent competition of great powers. Whatever the outcome, Russia shall monitor the development closely and play an active role in the Arctic, not taking a part in the US-China rivalry.

Money in the Twenty-First Century: From Rusty Coins to Digital Currencies

After the Global Financial Crisis, central banks became identified as banks’ closest allies, rescuing them from failure when things go wrong. Banks, in turn, emerged as complex and unstable institutions that privatize profits and socialize losses, to the despair of taxpayers. And regulation and regulators were seen as incapable of curbing financial excess. The coronavirus pandemic only exacerbated the generally negative sentiment, as governments lacked a fast and simple way to send relief money directly to their citizens. In the meantime, sovereign currencies have faced increased private competition, from Bitcoin to big tech global projects. At this point, some structural reform of the monetary system seems not only desirable but inevitable. It is about time to look again at the role of money in the modern economy and better understand its features and flaws. This Article thus offers a guide to the recent evolution of money and what its future might hold.

The International Criminal Court, preliminary examinations, and the Security Council: Kill or cure?

In March 2020, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) authorized the Prosecutor to open an investigation into the situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This was a significant milestone for the ICC, ending a lengthy and contentious preliminary examination (PE) and opening the possibility of investigation by the ICC of alleged crimes committed by US citizens. By December 2020, four other preliminary examinations were concluded, two of them (Ukraine, UK-Iraq) potentially involving investigation into the conduct of nationals of permanent members of the Security Council (Russia and the UK) and the third (Palestine) involving a close ally of the United States (Israel). While the conclusion of the examinations into the situations in Ukraine, Palestine, and Afghanistan resulted in requests to open full investigations, the outcome in the situation in Iraq-UK was to close the examination with no further steps. This article discusses the situations in UK-Iraq and Ukraine, setting the actions of the ICC Prosecutor and the responses of the P5 members involved in the context of the international and domestic politics of international justice. We argue that, while PEs were and remain highly significant for the future of the Court, they are not the cure to its current malaise.

Projects of the Gallican Church and the ‘Everyday Piety’ Reform on the Eve of the Wars of Religion

During the so-called ‘Gallican crisis’ between 1551 and 1552, Pope Julius III accused the French king of preparing an ecclesiastical schism, while the possibility of establishing a French patriarchate was discussed in the royal council. Before long, however, the conflict gave way to a close alliance between the Pope and King Henry II. Was the ‘Gallican crisis’ just a tool of political pressure on Julius III? To what extent were the plans of the king and his entourage to reform the Gallican Church serious? The lack of sources can be filled, at least in part, by turning to the work by Raoul Spifame, a lawyer of the Paris Parliament, titled Dicaearchiae Henrici Regis Christianissimi Progymnasmata (1556). In its essence, it is a collection of rhetorical exercises in the field of jurisprudence written in the form of royal decrees designed to reform everything in the kingdom. Surprisingly, some of these fictional measures later would be actually implemented. The reason for the author’s ‘clairvoyance’ lies in his contacts with the secretaries of state who were then preparing large-scale reforms, which would eventually be cancelled due to the unexpected death of the king and the outbreak of the Wars of Religion. A considerable part of the decrees is devoted to plans of the reform of the Gallican Church: from the elevation of the Bishopric of Paris to the rank of an archdiocese to tightening control over the morals of prelates. This article pays special attention to how the Dicaearchiae regulated the elements of ‘everyday piety’ — the rituals of blessing of the bridal chamber, purification after childbirth, and belief in the existence of limb. A limitation of ‘luxury’ was also to be introduced: refusal of precious ecclesiastical ornaments, redundant bells, and a reduction in the number of holidays associated with the veneration of saints. Without abandoning the cult of saints, Spifame undertakes a reform of the ecclesiastical calendar and creates a sort of national martyrology of warriors who died for their homeland and ‘are venerated as saints without a canonisation’.

Global Rehabilitation – Addressing the Need for Early, Safe, Continuous and Widespread Rehabilitation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

<i>Background:</i> Scaling-up surgical care is one of the most important goals in improving global health and long-term development, where specific attention is directed towards diagnosis and treatment of traumatic injuries, as well as to certain conditions, with varying frequencies between continents and countries. Successful outcome after surgery depends also on safe, efficient and widespread rehabilitation, including both short- and long-term engagement of physiotherapists and occupational therapists. However, relatively little attention has been paid to rehabilitation after trauma and surgery for injuries and various conditions in a global perspective. In fact, the access to rehabilitation in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is believed to be enormous. <i>Objective:</i> Through a shared project between two University Hospitals in Zimbabwe and Sweden, our objective was to create an academic partnership with the goal of improving rehabilitation after hand injuries in Zimbabwe. <i>Results:</i> Except geographical, political and patient-related factors, we found that prolonged or inadequate immobilisation after hand injuries and poor teamwork between surgeons and therapists were important factors that complicated the patient care. We give examples on how educational programs in rehabilitation could be organized with focus on creating a close alliance between surgeons and therapists. <i>Conclusion:</i> Creating academic partnerships between universities and hospitals can be of mutual benefit and may be a model for spreading knowledge and strengthen health care systems. Collaboration between therapists and surgeons can be strengthened through integrated courses adapted to existing local circumstances, exchange programs and on-line education, which can be organized between specific departments in different countries. We launch the concept of Global Rehabilitation and give examples of how teaching posttraumatic and postoperative management of hand surgical injuries and common conditions could be structured.

Evolution of the activities of states as reflected in legal and political Teachings

Evolution of the activities of states as reflected in legal and political Teachings

GREAT POWERPLAY IN THE INDIAN OCEAN: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE REGION

The Indian Ocean is important due to its strategic location, geopolitical significance and trade activities being performed through it. The United States of America is attaining energy, and other resources have a deep interest in the region. China, through its "string of pearls strategy", is encountering the American goals in the regional by the promotion of its economic activities, securing its dominance in the region, thus posing a constant challenge to the later as well as a regional power i.e. India. Contending interests of regional and international powers in the Indian Ocean Region has led to power projection, affected the security environment, fuelling the issues. The necessity to preserve the available energy resources for survival and to meet future needs is attracting great powers to the Indian Ocean Region. The close alliance between the US and India and dwindling relations between the US and Pakistan are leading towards close ties between Pakistan and China.

Unblurring the Lines of Responsibility: The Puzzle of Veteran Service Provision and its Gendered Implications

The ever-increasing representation of women in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has sparked discussion about the gendered implications of military-to-civilian transition. Women are now the fastest growing cohort of veterans in Canada and represent nearly 16% of the military. As the demographics of the military change in Canada and elsewhere, so too will the face of veterans. Despite the Government of Canada’s clear mandate to include gender-based analysis in all policies and programs, has this really been accomplished in the field of veteran service provision? We grapple with this challenge by problematizing the division of labour in veteran services and programs, examining whether programs have been responsive to gender mainstreaming commitments from the federal government. Finally, we demonstrate how a gender-based analysis can enhance services. We conduct a comprehensive environmental scan and create an original database for veteran services and programs in Ontario. A total of 211 individual programs and service offerings were examined and coded, with 5 found to integrate gender considerations into their program delivery. Our analysis is further supported by focus group data from 52 veterans. In addition to generating important recommendations for veteran service providers and employers tied to our data analysis, we also provide further best practices drawn from the experiences of two close allies, the United States, and Australia.

Automatisierte Ungleichheit

AbstractThis paper sets out the notion of a current “biopolitical turn of digital capitalism” resulting from the increasing deployment of AI and data analytics technologies in the public sector. With applications of AI-based automated decisions currently shifting from the domain of business to customer (B2C) relations to government to citizen (G2C) relations, a new form of governance arises that operates through “algorithmic social selection”. Moreover, the paper describes how the ethics of AI is at an impasse concerning these larger societal and socioeconomic trends and calls for an ethics of AI that includes, and acts in close alliance with, social and political philosophy. As an example, the problem of Predictive Analytics is debated to make the point that data-driven AI (Machine Learning) is currently one of the main ethical challenges in the ethics of AI.

Gramsci a la luz de Marx: sobre ideología y hegemonía

Este trabajo se propone analizar la reivindicación política del concepto de hegemonía en la obra de Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) en su aplicación no sólo a la descripción de los mecanismos que sustentan la actual preponderancia del ideario neoliberal, sino también a la pretensión de la izquierda política de construir un nuevo proyecto hegemónico que contrarreste sus efectos. Para ello, examina la concepción gramsciana de la ideología en confrontación con el sentido que este término adquiere en el legado de Karl Marx (1818-1883), con el objetivo de evidenciar las discrepancias existentes entre ambos. Sobre esta base, la estrecha alianza que Gramsci establece entre ideología y hegemonía conducirá a mostrar que, desde la perspectiva marxiana, resulta problemático ligar el concepto de hegemonía a las estrategias de la izquierda política para llegar al gobierno e introducir cambios en el funcionamiento del capitalismo que corrijan la situación de injusticia social que éste genera.

COVID-19: A time of heightened uncertainty for cancer patients and increased need for psychosocial support

COVID-19: A time of heightened uncertainty for cancer patients and increased need for psychosocial support

States of ambivalence: Recovering the concept of ‘the Stranger’ in International Relations

AbstractThis article revisits and revives the concept of ‘the Stranger’ in theorising international relations by discussing how this figure appears and what role it plays in the politics of (collective) identity. It shows that this concept is central to poststructuralist logic discussing the political production of discourses of danger and to scholarship on ontological security but remains subdued in their analytical narratives. Making the concept of the Stranger explicit is important, we argue, because it directs attention to ambivalence as a source of anxiety and grasps the unsettling experiences that political strategies of conquest or conversion, including practices of securitisation, respond to. Against this backdrop, the article provides a nuanced reading of the Stanger as a form of otherness that captures ambiguity as a threat to modern conceptions of identity, and outlines three scenarios of how it may be encountered in interstate relations: the phenomenon of ‘rising powers’ from the perspective of the hegemon, the dissolution of enmity (overcoming an antagonistic relationship), and the dissolution of friendship (close allies drifting apart). Aware that recovering the concept is not simply an academic exercise but may feed into how the term is used in political discourse and how practitioners deal with ‘strange encounters’, we conclude by pointing to alternative readings of the Stranger/strangeness and the value of doing so.

AN OVERVIEW OF INDIA-BAHRAIN TRADE RELATIONS

Indian-Bahrain relations go back centuries and both are close allies. The Monarchy, along with its GCC allies, is one of the world's most influential advocates of India's candidacy for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, according to Indian officials. In 2019-20, trade between India and Bahrain was USD 980.59 million. The wide Indian Diaspora in Bahrain is also the focus of debate as it is the foundation of India-Bahrain relationship. An effort has been made in this paper to examine the India’s trade relationship with Bahrain between 2011-2020. The study shows that India and Bahrain both have tremendous cooperation potential and therefore need to improve their trade diplomacy in order to establish a favourable trade facilitation climate. KEY WORDS: Indo-Bahrain relations, Trade relations, Foreign Trade, International Relations, Foreign Relations, International Trade