Progress In Regional Cooperation Research Articles

ХРУПКОЕ СПОКОЙСТВИЕ АРКТИКИ

Despite the current crisis in relations between Russia and the West, the Arctic agenda remains cooperative and constructive. There are numerous examples of progress in regional cooperation over the past few years achieved not least due to cooperation between Russia and the U.S. However, one should not take it for granted that the region can remain immune to the effects of wider politics indefinitely. The longer the current confrontation between Russia and the West persists, the more likely the space of cooperation in the Arctic would begin shrinking rather than further growing. There already are visible signs that the situation can aggravate in the not-so-distant prospective. A sense of increasing political uncertainty spreads among the Arctic countries. This pertains specifically to prospects of a cooperative management of overlapping claims over the continental shelf in the central Arctic Ocean. Particularly in Denmark, concerns are raised that Russia may abandon its previous commitments in that regard and, instead, turn to unilateral action in order to maximize its portion of the shelf through the North Pole. The Russian military build-up, although so far seen as non-threatening by the defence establishment of other Arctic states, also raises concerns as the focus increasingly shifts from assessing Russian intentions towards its capabilities. The suspension of military-political cooperation with Russia in the Arctic does not only arrest the formation of an inclusive security architecture but cements old division lines. Worst case scenarios project spill-over effects from eventual Russia-West confrontation in the Baltics or in the North Atlantic into the Arctic. The danger of unintended escalation of such developments should inform the Arctic countries to take urgent steps in order to arrest further securitization of the region and increase the predictability of their policies and conventional postures there.

ASEAN regional cooperation on competition policy

ASEAN member states intend to establish the ASEAN Community by 2015. A key component of this goal is the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The AEC Blueprint was initiated to facilitate and monitor the implementation of the AEC during the period 2008–2015. Competition policy will play an important role in the achievement of the AEC. There has been significant progress in regional cooperation to achieve the competition policy targets listed in the AEC Blueprint. Even though only half of ASEAN member states (AMSs) have implemented competition laws, regional cooperation in this area has been fairly strong. The main emphasis has been on publishing regional guidelines and a handbook on competition policy in ASEAN as well as capacity building activities. There needs to be a renewed impetus to implement national competition laws in AMSs that have not done so. There also remain significant opportunities for enforcement cooperation and pooling of resources for capacity building in competition policy in the region.

Making sense of the Southern African Development Community

SADC has a poor record in advancing peace and security in Southern Africa. Many identify poor policy frameworks and weak technical capacities as the major obstacles. Laurie Nathan goes beyond these easy explanations in his important new book on SADC. Absence of common democratic values and reluctance to surrender state sovereignty are key factors preventing SADC from making progress according to this book. This article argues that Nathan overstates the case and that there are real prospects and potentials for making further progress in regional cooperation. The lessons from the history of European integration also points to the important role of regional leadership. South Africa, in coalition with other likeminded countries, may still be in a position to move the SADC project forward.

South Asian Free Trade Agreement and the Possibility of Regional Integration within the SAARC: A Historical, Legal and Economic Analysis

Preferential trading exchanges have been a very common phenomenon in today's world. FTAs and RTAs are growing so fast that many academics are arguing that they are creating obstacles towards WTO's multilateral trade liberalization. Although seven nations in the South Asian region have recently executed an FTA, the progress of regional cooperation in this region is rather dismal. The purpose of this paper is to analyze SAFTA and discuss the prospect of more meaningful cooperation within the SAARC.

South Asian Free Trade Agreement and the Possibility of Regional Integration within the SAARC: A Historical, Legal and Economic Analysis

AbstractPreferential trading exchanges have been a very common phenomenon in today's world. FTAs and RTAs are growing so fast that many academics are arguing that they are creating obstacles towards WTO's multilateral trade liberalization. Although seven nations in the South Asian region have recently executed an FTA, the progress of regional cooperation in this region is rather dismal. The purpose of this paper is to analyze SAFTA and discuss the prospect of more meaningful cooperation within the SAARC.

Regional and international cooperation in tackling transnational crime, terrorism and the problems of disrupted states

Describes transnational terrorist groups in the Asia‐Pacific region. Outlines the general problems facing cooperation within the East Asia and Oceania region because of its huge size and diversity, and explores regional cooperation in dealing with these criminal and terrorist networks; the Australian government has taken a leading role in combating both, although it has incurred distrust because of its close alliance with the USA. Contends that in fact there has been real progress in regional cooperation, especially if it is considered that awareness of the concept of transnational crime and terrorism was alien to the region until the mid‐1990s; and further, the notion of intervening to assist a disrupted state would not have been countenanced a decade ago. Outlines two specific initiatives involving regional intervention in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

The Politics of Regional Cooperation on Acid Rain Control in East Asia

Several multilateral initiatives on acid rain control were advocated in the 1990s, and extended through multiple channels in East Asia. There is, however, little coordination between those initiatives. The geopolitical make-up of the region has also hampered further progress in regional cooperation on the issue.