Examines the importance of game theory in analyzing foreign policy decision-making and outcomes and its compatibility with other foreign policy models and systems.
Abstract Game theory is the use of mathematical models to predict the outcome of a dispute or interaction between two or more independent actors. It has been applied in a wide range of contexts, including gambling, business and international relations. This essay examines the importance of game theory when analysing the foreign policy decision-making process. It argues that while simple games such as the Prisoner's Dilemma may not illuminate the process on their own, more complex models can offer a systemic device by which foreign policy can be analyzed more accurately.
From the Paper "Perhaps the most widely recognised game is the Prisoner's Dilemma, which examines the choices faced by two people arrested for the same crime, and observes the likelihood that they would both accuse the other one, and thus both go to jail. When used in foreign policy analysis, it is often used to describe the nature of arms races, or the possibility of nuclear fallout. This is a non-zero-sum game, a game where it is possible for both players to lose, or to win (as opposed to a zero-sum game, where one actor's gain is always equal to another actor's loss)."
Abstract This paper examines critically the disagreements over international trade issues which led to the failure of the trade negotiations at the November 30-December 3, 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle, Washington. It discusses how the 134 trade ministers who met in Seattle failed to agree on further liberalization of the global trading system because of substantive differences among the developed nations and between them and the less developed countries (LDCs) over a wide range of issues. It analyzes how the anti-WTO demonstrations, marches and sporadic violence outside the convention center where delegates to the WTO conference met did not cause those disagreements, but how the debacle in Seattle reflected the growing political strength of the forces of economic nationalism which has arrested progress toward further reduction in international trade barriers.
From the Paper "One reason the conference failed was that it was hastily arranged without pre-agreement among any of the participants even as to the items to be placed on the agenda of the conference. The term of the previous director general of WTO, an Italian, Renato Ruggiero, ended on April 30, 1999. Between then and September a debilitating struggle over his successor ensued. Japan and most Third World members supported the candidacy of Thai Supachai Pantichpakdi while the United States and the European Union (EU) favored Michael Moore, a former Prime Minister of New Zealand, who was ultimately selected, but did not take office until after September 1. The Economist said that "preparations for Seattle started later and little common ground was found." Barchefsky was preoccupied with the WTO negotiations with the PRC and other trade disputes."
Abstract This paper provides an overview of the history and structure of the United Nations. The writer explains the functions of the U.N. and present day membership and concludes with an analysis of its effectiveness and viability for future success or failure under the rubric of an international governmental system. The paper explores the six principal organs of the U.N., all of which were established under the dictum of collective security.
From the Paper "In April 1945, there was an organizational meeting held in San Francisco to discuss the initial structure and membership of the United Nations. This conference had many items on its agenda, but none more pressing than a discussion of some of the events that had recently taken place at the Yalta Conference between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. Most important, it was during the San Francisco Conference that the debating character of the United Nations first began."
Tags: government, politics, international, world, war, two, league, nations
Abstract A history or the conflict between Cuba and the United States. The paper presents the conflict as originating with American policy towards the communist state, beginning at the end of Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain. After presenting the causes of this "war", the paper offers a look at the effects, including economic, cultural, political and historical.
From the Paper "The U.S. began their direct involvement in Cuba at the end of Cuba's war for independence. Though there was little effort necessary to push the Spanish out of Cuba and its other possessions, the U.S. quickly used the opportunity to establish a significant military presence in Cuba after the end of the Spanish-American war. That position was quickly used to U.S. advantage when the addition of the Platt Amendment to Cuba's new constitution was made a condition to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Cuba."
Tags: fidel, castro, missile, crisis, communism, spain, revolution, carter
Abstract Bob Woodward's "Bush at War" depicts a confident, charismatic President Bush who knows what he wants and uses the resources of his cabinet to discover the best method for achieving his goal. This is not to say that he won't listen to his advisors, but his focus is on making reality conform to his vision rather than vice versa. The paper examines how some of Bush's advisors, such as George Tenet, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, are depicted in the book as taking a hard-line stance on America's war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, while others, such as Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell, voiced concerns about the U.S. war effort. Bush listened to both sides and, although he decided to invade Afghanistan in the wake of September 11, the plan was affected by the input of those who had concerns about the war. The paper shows that ultimately, Woodward paints the picture of an administration firmly controlled by the president, but also shows that the vibrant and sometimes heated debates within the administration do ultimately affect policy.
From the Paper "The precipitating event, of course, for the invasion of Afghanistan was the September 11, 2001, attacks on America. Following a string of evidence which had mounted from previous attacks on American targets, including the previous attempt at bombing the World Trade Center, the administration decided that the terrorist force known as Al-Qaeda was responsible for the attacks and that much of the financial backing and overarching organizational structure of Al-Qaeda lay in the hands of Osama bin Laden. Since, bin Laden was known to be in Afghanistan, and since Afghanistan's ruling Islamic fundamentalist government, the Taliban, controlled the country and was known to support terrorists, the U.S. decided invasion was necessary to strike back at the terrorists in the heart of their organization."
Tags: 911, Dick, Cheney, Al-Qaeda, World, Trade, Center
Abstract This paper examines why the World Trade Organization is an important part of the international trade system. The paper discusses, why, since its inception, the WTO has been praised by its many supporters who feel that it protects and promotes free trade and vilified by its staunch detractors who feel that smaller countries are often under represented when it comes to matters involving world trade.
From the Paper "GATT, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, was formed in 1947 to regulate international trade. For forty years GATT members met from time to time to negotiate lower trade tariffs on goods. With the Uruguay Round negotiations (1986-92), GATT expanded to include other interests, such as the "harmonization" of standards, free global investment and intellectual property rights. (Hoekman et al., 1995) The so-called "new GATT" led to the creation of the of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 1995, to oversee many aspects of international trade. The result is assurance. Consumers and producers can enjoy secure supplies and a wider array of finished products, components, raw materials and services that they use. Producers and exporters know that foreign markets will remain open to them."
This paper explains what the trade deficit is, what causes it and how and why it is growing at the rate that it is. It discusses whether or not the trade deficit presents any kind of problem or risk to our economy as well as some possible solutions.
Abstract Hearing media reports of America's trade deficit most people are led to believe that it represents a drain on our economy and is caused by unfair trade practices of other nations. This paper explains why these notions are not entirely true. Both the upside and the downside of the trade deficit are discussed. It explains why foreign investments are the driving force behind the trade deficit, why protectionist policies are not effective in reducing it, and why it is part of a growing economy. It examines the potential risk inherent in an ongoing trade deficit and discusses what our government could do to bring it under control.
From the Paper "The United States' trade deficit, also known as the current account deficit, is a measure of the balance of the flow of goods, services, and investments between the United States and the rest of the world. In other words it is the difference between how much we are selling to the rest of the world and how much we are buying from the rest of the world. A country that is selling more than it is buying is said to have a trade surplus. A country that is buying more than it is selling is said to have a trade deficit. The United States has been running a trade deficit for many years and in recent years it has been rising rapidly."
Abstract International commercial arbitration has been helping the international trade and commerce by being mediator in the occurrence of disputes. This paper explains how knowing and learning of its powers, duties and jurisdiction is essential to parties concerned in arbitration in the event of resolving disagreements. This paper provides information on International Commercial Arbitration. It also examines the procedural aspects prevailing in the international arbitration, specific issues, as well as court proceedings. Part of which, being a judicial body, is the discussion of the basic and fundamental approach of laws of most governing arbitral institutions.
From the Paper "In events when business parties from different countries have disputes concerning commercial problems, litigation process often leaves them in expensive and frustrating procedures of finding international courts to resolve their cases. Unfortunate sometimes, the judgment imposed by courts is impossible to enforce. As a solution to this difficulty, arbitration was organized to facilitate the resolution of commercial disputes.
The International Commercial Arbitration flourished with the development and expansion of international trade and commerce. International methods of resolving disputes continuously develop and being nourished by the experience gathered from the various arbitration cases. Its purpose and function is to act as an arbitrator between parties from different nations with commercial disputes."
Abstract This paper discusses how the World Bank's central goal is to alleviate poverty in the Third World. It hopes to achieve this task by making low interest loans to the governments of developing countries. The writer discusses whether this aim has been achieved and various points of criticism the bank has been open to recently.
From the Paper "Recently, the World Bank has endured a barrage of criticisms. These come from many sources; not only has the Bank's headquarters in Washington, DC become the focus of anti-globalization agitators, environmentalists, neo-Marxists and the proponents of sustainable government but it has also fallen under the axe of conservatives and libertarian organizations such as the DC-based Cato Institute. Banner-wielding Marxists claim that the Bank is an agent of imperialism, and echo Lenin's criticism of British Imperialism: ?Imperialism has the tendency to create privileged sections also among the workers, and to detach them from the broad masses of the proletariat.? (Lenin, 1916) In an article written by Cato's former fiscal policy director, Stephen Moore, now with the Club for Growth, ?the protesters in front of the World Bank and IMF buildings were right: These institutions should be closed pronto.? (Moore, September 25th 2000) However, the organization has its backers, who believe that a well-funded international organization can cure poverty by lending to these countries? elected or appointed leaders."
Tags: third, world, globalization, developing, country
Abstract This paper examines how the North American Free Trade Agreement was put together in 1993 and provides agreed upon resolutions for its members when it comes to free trade boundaries and rules. It shows how NAFTA had a positive impact on Mexico's free trade industry because it strengthened an already strong relationship between the United States and Mexico. It looks at how NAFTA has allowed Mexico to increase in stature among world nations and how it has assisted in strengthening local Mexican economies, as well by providing more jobs as increased product and service continues. It also examines how it has boosted Mexico's trade business with Canada as well.
From the Paper "Because Mexico and the United States have the largest mutual trade relationship in the world the economic success of those in NAFTA becomes very important. Research and history points to a continued strengthening of the relationship shared because of NAFTA not only between Mexico and the US but Mexico and Canada as well. It is obviously helpful for the US and Mexico to trade through NAFTA because of their close boundaries but the Canadian-Mexico trade business is stronger than it has ever been according to the numbers and the NAFTA created the stage for that to happen. The trade with Canada and Mexico has increased more than eight billion over the last eight years."
Abstract North Korea has been intimidating the United States with a series of nuclear threats since October 2002, when U.S. officials stopped the supply of heavy oils to the North in retaliation of its confessed production of nuclear warheads, violating agreements signed in 1994. Shortly after, North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NTP) and agreements with the United Nations. The paper shows that while there is little proof that North Korea has nuclear weapons, it is strongly suspected that it does. The paper discusses the North Korean weapon issue.
From the Paper "Many world leaders are suspicious about North Korea's withdrawal from the NPT for many reasons. For one, it is a well-known fact that countries developing clandestine nuclear weapons programs take many measures to conceal information about these programs from the rest of the world (NTI, 2003). Therefore, without membership in the treaty, North Korea has made it difficult for world leaders to obtain information about the country's weapon capabilities."
Abstract There are two views, as with any conflict or issue, on the reasons and reactions of the major players in the Cuban Missile Crisis that took place at the end of October 1962. The crisis pitted two world powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, against each other in what many describe as the closest the world has come to World War III and a nuclear holocaust. This paper examines the background of the crisis from the Cuban/Soviet point of view in depth. Towards the end of the paper, the United States' perspective of the crisis is discussed.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Background
Upheaval in Cuba - the Bay of Pigs
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Beginning of Hostilities
The United States Perspective
From the Paper "The account from the Cuban point-of-view paints Kennedy as a man obsessed with removing Castro from Cuba. In Robert Kennedy's memoir, he portrays his brother as someone eager to get the missiles out in a peaceful fashion. Kennedy was in favor of the blockade, despite the advice that this was a weak response and that military action was in order. Among those dissenting was Senator J. William Fullbright of Arkansas. Schlesinger points out that the Soviets were no match for the United States, a point made continually from the Cuban point-of-view; however the take of the this fact is spun differently on the American side. If Kennedy had been completely set on ridding Cuba of Castro, he could have used the Soviet deployment to invade and overthrow Castro's regime. Instead the two Kennedy brothers led the fight against invasion in favor of a peaceful solution."
Tags: Fidel, Castro, General, Batista, Eisenhower, Khrushchev
Abstract For many years, the border between the United States and Mexico has been the scene of tens of thousands of illegal crossings. Some of those have resulted in the injury or deaths of both Mexicans and U.S. citizens and still strain relations between Mexico and the United States. We will look at this situation and see what has happened and what will likely happen in the future.
Abstract The debate over the phenomenon of globalization with respect to culture is comprised of a number of different arguments and perspectives. This paper will examine three of these arguments: (1) globalization of culture as technological imperialism; (2) globalization represents the "Americanization" of local cultures; and (3) globalization is inevitable.
Abstract The objective of this paper is to further explore the concept of human rights. A particular focus will be placed on the question of whether or not the imposition of western human rights values on non-western traditions constitutes a form of imperialism. At the root of the issue, it seems is the issue of what should weigh more, human rights or state sovereignty. In the end, of course, there is no definitive answer to this question. What it can, and will, do, however, is look at the dynamics of human rights in the international arena and comment on whether western rhetoric on human rights is in the sphere of imperialism, or neo-imperialism.
