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Volume XIV, No. 1: Spring 2005 Political parties, civil organizations and public institutions are in a state
of crisis in Belarus. President Alexander Lukashenka's grip on power has
destroyed the basis of democratic institutions by diminishing the influence
of political and social actors and by controlling all state institutions and
public resources. In addition to grave human rights abuses, Belarus's
ties with terrorist-harboring states make it one of the most serious threats
to peace and stability in Europe. Flawed parliamentary elections in 2004
impeded opposition forces dedicated to democracy from gaining seats in the
national assembly, and now there is an urgent need for action by the international
community. This paper explores both the internal and external
factors that account for Lukashenka's resilience, and provides a new policy
framework aimed at promoting democratic change in the Slavic country. [Full Text] One of the greatest geopolitical challenges – as well as opportunities – presented
to U.S. policy makers in the last .fteen years has been the prospect
of expanding U.S. in.uence, ideals and interests in the post-Soviet sphere.
Nowhere has this become more evident than in the case of Georgia, a
country that lies at the geostrategic heartland between the East and West.
Energy concerns, promotion of democracy, the war against terrorism, proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction and the larger strategic context of
U.S.-Russian relations are all factors shaping U.S. policy toward Georgia.
The challenge will be to formulate a coherent policy framework that best
supports U.S. economic, political and security interests in Georgia, all
while appreciating Russia’s role and interests in the region. [Full Text] The debate surrounding the use of biotechnology in agriculture has been
an increasing source of tension in transatlantic relations since the mid-
1990s. The production, use and sale of genetically modi.ed organisms
(GMOs) have presented many new challenges for the European Union
and the United States. Public concern regarding GMOs focuses on human
health, environmental protection and the ethical use of technology.
Debates on topics ranging from intellectual property rights to food aid now
include a discussion of GMOs and their related implications. Recently,
this dispute has culminated in a World Trade Organization (WTO) case
brought by the United States against an alleged EU moratorium on biotech
food and crops. However, the dispute over GMOs extends beyond the realm
of a traditional trade dispute to involve political and cultural differences.
The complex and diverse issues addressed in this dispute may be outside of
the mission of the WTO; therefore, potential alternatives to resolution by
the WTO will be considered. [Full Text] The Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court contains
an internal tension: the principle of complementarity. This principle
requires the court to admit a case only if the state that has jurisdiction over
the crimes involved is unable or unwilling to conduct a genuine investigation
or prosecution. Because states increasingly employ non-judicial or
quasi-prosecutorial alternatives to criminal prosecution when investigating
crimes committed by their nationals, whether the state has conducted a genuine
investigation or prosecution is an important question for the Court.
How it responds to challenges posed by answering this question will have
serious implications for the ICC. The Court must adopt a complementarity
test that neither arrogates to itself cases best addressed at the national level,
nor abdicates its duty. This article offers such a test, using .ve criteria
derived from a test originally proposed to resolve whether a truth and
reconciliation commission satis.es a state’s international legal obligations
with respect to its nationals’ international humanitarian law violations.
It then applies these criteria to three historical test cases to suggest when
complementarity should apply. This article concludes that non-prosecutorial
alternatives should satisfy complementarity. [Full Text] Since the fall of his government, there has been little question that a
judicial process would decide the .nal disposition of Saddam Hussein and
other regime leaders. Many see such a legal process as a key step in the
transition to a more open and stable Iraq. However, the lack of debate on
this issue is troubling, and the establishment of the Iraqi Special Tribunal
re.ects an unjusti.ed reverence for the criminal justice handed down by ad
hoc tribunals established following World War II and, more recently, following
violence in Rwanda and the Balkans. A review of these post-war
courts reveals that they have often failed to impart meaningful justice to
defendants or to provide any of their promised wider social bene.ts. This
paper argues that Iraq may be better served by drawing inspiration from
non-judicial means of addressing past abuses—such as those employed
to deal with past regimes in South Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin
America—which may prove more amenable to helping Iraq con.dently
emerge from its past and face its future. [Full Text] The Republic of Turkey’s emergence as a geopolitical and strategic actor
in world affairs is not a novel development. Historically, however, attention
imparted to Turkey has focused more on its Western orientation and
European af.liations than its Middle Eastern connections. This article
will attempt to address this imbalance by focusing on Turkey’s growing
importance to the Middle East. It will begin with a brief history of
Turkey’s relations with its Middle Eastern neighbors, particularly in light
of its former dominance as the Ottoman Empire. Second, the article will
examine Turkey’s contemporary relations with its neighbors, with special
attention paid to the effects of Turkey’s relationship with Israel on its other
Muslim neighbors. Third, this article will discuss the impact of recent
developments, such as the U.S.-proposed Greater Middle East Initiative,
and thus Turkey’s potentially larger regional role. Lastly, this article will
argue that recent developments in the Middle East require a rede.nition
of Turkish foreign policy and that Turkey’s former tendency to ignore its
Middle Eastern neighbors in favor of Western allies is no longer a viable
strategy. In conclusion, this article will offer several policy suggestions for
how Turkey can implement and coordinate its new role in the Middle East. [Full Text] On 10 December 2004, International Affairs Review’s Editor-in-Chief Katherine Tobin met with R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence (1993-1995) and current vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. They discussed recent changes to the U.S. intelligence community and emerging security threats facing an increasingly networked world. [Full Text] |
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