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Recent world developments have created an opportune time for nations to vigorously pursue a policy of converting the huge portion of their economies that traditionally have been devoted to military expenditures to more socially productive uses. This paper outlines a strategy for such a conversion, and discusses the issues that must be confronted in such a process. Specific aspects of conversion include: (1) misconceptions about lessening military spending; (2) building a conversion coalition; (3) the paths forged by China and the Soviet Union; (4) upheaval in Eastern Europe; and (5) grassroots initiatives in the West. It is concluded that the gathering pressure for disarmament suggests that conversion will be a topic gaining importance during the 1990's. A number of statistical tables, charts, and maps appear throughout this paper, and 127 endnotes are provided. (DB)

This paper describes social and political education in the Netherlands ("maatschappijleer") since the introduction of the subject in 1968. Points discussed include historical developments, the national curriculum project for "maatschappijleer," goals and content, government educational policy, and the position of East-West relations in the curriculum. Political decisions recently taken in the Netherlands are crucial to the future development of the content and structure of education. This also is true for political education. In other European countries such as England and Scotland, there is a tendency in educational policy towards core curricula, national criteria, grade related criteria, and nationwide tests. This paper concludes with thoughts on the position and significance of East-West relations in the curriculum and suggestions for more international cooperation and coordination. (Author)

The importance of restructuring the discipline of geography and enhancing its role in the precollege curriculum as part of a global approach to education is emphasized in this paper. International education is seen as an essential part of high school and college education in an increasingly interdependent world. The oil crisis, the world economic recession, and the Iranian hostage crisis have made the U.S. public aware of the complex world situation and have increased the need to understand the complexities of global interdependence. A revitalization of regional geography or area studies with a global emphasis and a problems approach is suggested. In order to show how geography developed as a discipline and illustrate its placement in the curriculum of the United States and Europe, its history is traced from the eighteenth century to the present. Traditionally, geography has held a higher status in the curriculum in Europe than in the United States. By the time a global perspective was introduced into the United States curriculum, theoretical goegraphy prevailed at the university level, and geography was never introduced as a required and integral part of high school education as it was in Europe. (SM)

As an academic artefact constitutionalism offers a reference frame for research on constitutional quality beyond the nation-state. The challenge for this research is to avoid methodological nationalism while acknowledging the institutions, principles and norms as the derivatives of 'stateness' which are enduring cosmopolitan elements of constitutionalism at the same time. The paper advances two arguments. First, if we are to 'reconstruct democracy in Europe', it is important to find out whether core elements of constitutionalism are still shared. Second, if we are to understand the quality of 'European' constitutionalism from a pluralist cosmopolitan perspective, it matters how the normative structure of meaning-in-use is enacted in 21st century Europe. The empirical access point for this research is social practices in inter-national relations. The paper therefore investigates social practices in the area of foreign and security policy, it elaborates on the concept of constitutionalism as a reference frame for studies of constitutional quality beyond the state, and turns to the CFSP setting, proposing that transnationalisation needs to be demonstrated with reference to shared normative baggage or cultural validation of norms. In sum findings and implications for research on democratic constitutionalism are explicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing a cornerstone, a fundamental reference point in the new world order, human rights have been a very much cherished but very loosely adopted concept. Thus, in international relations, human rights emerged as a critical issue while the European Union appeared as a remarkable player. Correspondingly, within the European context, human rights stand not only as a defining principle of the EU but also as a tool of its foreign policy. However, parallel to the difficulties experienced in establishing a common foreign policy, the implication of human rights in the EU's relations with third countries remained problematic. In this regard, this paper aims to bring about a closer look at the function of human rights in EU's foreign policy by analyzing the Union's relations with Turkey in terms of human rights. Accordingly, the focus will be on major problematic areas in the EU's human rights policy towards Turkey, with a special emphasis on the discrepancies between the rhetoric and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the Turkish perceptions of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in an attempt to understand the EU's evolving character as a 'federal state' or an 'intergovernmental organization' or a 'cosmopolitan union'. The analysis of the Turkish perceptions of the EU's foreign policy is conducted through an investigation of the debates in the Turkish Parliament, the legislature in Turkish politics, from 2000 to 2010. We identified four different camps in Turkish politics, the right-wing nationalists, Islamists, liberals and the left-wing nationalists who are all politically represented in the Turkish Parliament in varying degrees. The proceedings in the Turkish Parliament enable us to analyze the different political camps' positions on the European foreign policy thoroughly. The different views of these groups vis-à-vis the EU's foreign policy is critical in mapping the Turkish perceptions, and in order to do so, we focused on these different deliberations in the Parliament. The contested development of the EU's foreign and security policy could also be reflected in the external assessments of this policy so the Turkish Parliamentarians' perceptions matter. Consequently, we expect to understand the Turkish perceptions of the EU in foreign and security policy - its CFSP and CESDP - as an outside assessment of the EU's direction towards any of the RECON models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on foreign relation of the country Uruguay with other democratic countries of the U.S. and Europe.

The article focuses on the foreign relation between Russia-West relations, which are strained, and how they may align to counterbalance China's position.

A country report for several nations in West Europe is presented from publisher PRS Group Inc., with topics including economic growth, political structure, and international relations.

The article offers information on the country report of Morocco. It states that for 2012-2016, it is expected that the contested territory of Western Sahara will remain a major foreign policy issue, and real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to weaken in 2012 due to poor agricultural performance and the economic slowdown in Europe. It mentions that even though the relationship of Morocco is improving with Algeria, the situation will remain tense due to dispute over Western Sahara.

Managing policy differences on a range of issues emanating from the Middle East poses serious challenges for the United States and its European allies and friends. The most vitriolic dispute has centered on the conflict in Iraq. However, divisions over how best to approach the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, manage Iran and Syria, and combat terrorism also persist. The Bush Administration and Members of Congress are concerned that continued disagreements between the two sides of the Atlantic could both constrain U.S. policy choices in the region and erode the broader transatlantic relationship and counterterrorism cooperation over the longer term. The U.S.-initiated Broader Middle East and North Africa partnership project seeks to encourage reforms in the region and U.S.-European cooperation in tackling Mideast problems. This initiative was welcomed by the 9/11 Commission, which recommended that the United States "should engage other nations in developing a comprehensive coalition strategy against Islamist terrorism." The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-458) contains elements that seek to promote Middle East development and reform and enhance international cooperation against terrorism. Many analysts assert that the United States and Europe share common vital interests in the Middle East: combating terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; promoting Middle East peace and stability; ensuring a reliable flow of oil; and curtailing Islamic extremism. U.S. and European policies to promote these goals often differ considerably. Although the European governments are not monolithic in their opinions on the Middle East, European perspectives have been shaped over time by common elements unique to Europe's history and geostrategic position. Many Europeans believe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be a priority. They view it as a key driver of terrorism, Islamic extremism, and political unrest among Europe's growing Muslim populations. In contrast, the U.S. Administration stresses that terrorism and weapons proliferation are the primary threats and must be pro-actively confronted; peace and stability in the region will not be possible until these twin threats are removed. A number of other factors, such as divergent perceptions of the appropriate role of the use of force and growing European Union (EU) ambitions to play a larger role on the world stage, also contribute to the policy gaps that have emerged. How deep and lasting the clash over Iraq and subsequent Middle East policies will be to transatlantic relations will likely depend on several factors, including whether Washington and European capitals can cooperate more robustly to rebuild Iraq; whether Europeans perceive a renewed U.S. commitment to revive the Middle East peace process; and whether differences over Mideast issues spill over into NATO or impede EU efforts to forge a deeper Union. This report will be updated as events warrant. For more information, see CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and post-Saddam Governance; CRS Issue Brief IB91137, The Middle East Peace Talks; CRS Report RL32048, Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses; CRS Issue Brief IB92075, Syria: U.S. Relations and Bilateral Issues; and CRS Report RL31612, European Counter-terrorist Efforts: Political Will and Diverse Responses in the First Year after September 11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]