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China’s rapid rise as an aid donor in the past two decades is one of the most dramatic changes in the global development aid architecture. Today, the influence of China’s aid has been witnessed in many underdeveloped countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. There is little doubt that China’s aid has become indispensable in helping the world eradicate poverty and deal with challenges that all humankind faces, such as global warming and infectious diseases. China’s booming aid investment and its aid concepts and approaches that are different from traditional donors have triggered heated discussions. It seems that China is…
If there is one phenomenon that has drawn the attention of academics, analysts and specialised media so far this century, it has surely been the rise of China and its potential to transform the world as we know it. Nobody can deny that there is no shortage of arguments to describe the unstoppable rise of the Asian country as the process with the greatest capacity to transform the contemporary world. On the basis of a dynamic economy that is clearly on the rise and of greater political and diplomatic assertiveness, China is now a leading player on the international stage,…
For at least two decades, much of the academic literature in International Relations has been devoted to a detailed analysis of developments in the dynamics of structural change and power transition. Today, no one doubts China’s emergence as a major power. It is an established fact. Undoubtedly, the resilience demonstrated by the Asian giant in the face of the international financial crisis, first, and the COVID-19 health crisis, later, has convinced both enthusiasts and sceptics. This indisputable reality has been the fundamental driver –albeit not the only one– behind more diffuse and gradual alterations in what we have come to…
China’s new central position in the power structure of the international system and its increasingly assertive actions –a reflection of its greater self-confidence in global affairs– keeps its political and economic rivals on the watch for any moves that might alter the strategic competition being waged in different arenas and areas of international relations. Their caution turns into suspicion whenever China’s actions affect the US, its main strategic competitor. China, an energy powerhouse, a leader in renewable energies The energy sphere is no exception to this rule. Since 2009, China has been the world’s largest energy consumer, which has had…
The rise of China since 1978 has not only changed the global power balance as measurable in economic and security terms, but also in terms of its ability to define what is normal in the global political economy. In other words, to grasp the role of Global China today it is insufficient to only provide data on its economic growth, investment abroad, or the build-up of its military, illustrating the narrowing gap between Beijing and the West. The way China “extends the universe of what is thinkable, sayable and accepted as legitimate” on the world stage , thereby effectively pluralizing…
Over the past decades, China has significantly enhanced its national strength and arisen as the second largest economy in the world. Meanwhile, Beijing has become enthusiastic for developing South-South relations through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. China’s economic expansion across the Global South has gone parallel with the crisis of neoliberal model of development, which is incapable of generating new growth momentum. What are the strategic calculations and motivations behind Chinese engagement with the Global South? What are the domestic and international implications of the increasing Chinese presence in developing nations? This article tries to tackle these questions based on evidences…
How the rest of the world responds to what is happening in the People’s Republic of China, is in my view the critical question of our time. How we do so, will determine the future of liberal democracy, of independent legal systems, of free-thinking writers and free-spirited artists, of religious institutions. We must ask, what does China want, and what will it do? Its long-time former foreign minister Qian Qichen said that “diplomacy is the extension of domestic policy”. In order to learn why China is behaving as it is internationally, it is essential to understand what drives the communist…
What do we mean by inequality, what are its causes, and how is it related to democracy? These questions are so fundamental and far-reaching that demand an exploration of the intersection between economic processes, social phenomena and impacts on the political sphere. This topic is inextricably steeped in ideology, but it also seeks to shed light on issues such as the differing political itineraries of social or economic policies, the so-called decline of the middle class, the reasons behind the rise of populism, and why we are now talking about the decay of liberal democracy. What inequality are we talking…
When we wonder about the health or state of human rights around the world, we usually turn to studying the domestic or international regulations adopted and put in place by states in various geographic areas. While such analysis is essential, it is evident that these are purely formal and academic factors. Nowadays it is not enough just to note how drawing up regulations designed to safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms has come to a standstill. Instead, we should also look at the evident rollback of many of the gains made over decades of political and social struggles. From this…
The twenty-first century is definitely a multipolar century. The last few years have been characterized by a return to tensions between major regional powers, in particular between the United States and China, with Russia clamoring for the superpower status. China is very openly seeking to promote its political model and become the world’s leading economic power, while Russia seems rather interested in discrediting democracies and increasing its sphere of influence and the United States in maintaining its status as the world’s hegemon and economic leader. We could describe these three countries in terms of gradations, with China being an assumed…
Since the early 1990s, sub-Saharan Africa has been experiencing what some authors call the “third wave of democratisation in Africa” . This has gradually led to the consolidation of multi-party systems based on political plurality and the participation of civil society, with a slow move away from the single-party state systems that had progressively established themselves in most countries on the continent since the 1970s. Although the results are uneven, the countries on the continent have kept moving in this direction, equipping themselves with the tools and goals they need to continue progressing towards greater levels of democracy, political participation…
Asia’s importance globally is undeniable. The rise of China as a global player has led to an increase in competitiveness not only with the United States, but also with India and other regional powers. Among the characteristics that make contemporary Asia stand out are the growth of regional conflicts, competition between countries and exclusionary nationalism. The 21st century is becoming a particularly ominous moment for human rights (HR). The main trend is the criminalisation of its defenders, which increases the tension between civil society and the States. 1. Introduction Without constructing a ranking, the most attacked rights may be freedom…
Assessing the state of human rights in two regions the size of the Maghreb and Mashriq entails analysing disparate societies stretching from the Atlantic coast of Mauritania and Western Sahara to the Persian Gulf. While Israel is not considered part of the Mashriq on cultural grounds, our report would be incomplete if we omitted any reference to the impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Accordingly we have included Palestine in this section. 1. Human rights infringements Political regimes in the Maghreb and Mashriq are a relatively uniform collection of dictatorial governments or low-intensity democracies. Their very existence is in itself a…
This report is in the form of a summary, based on three documentary references, of the situation in the region of the Americas in terms of human rights and it gives an account of the political repression experienced over the last five years. The region of Latin America is considered one of the most dangerous in the world for its inhabitants, as documented by the most important academic output (Roniger, 2018; Gándara, 2019; Estepa, 2020; Estepa et al., 2020). This situation is also described in the 2020 preliminary reports of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human…
EIn Amnesty International’s yearly analysis on the human rights situation around the world, Europe has been gaining unprecedented attention in recent years, in relation to issues that not long ago aroused little or no concern. Some of the trends that have taken a turn for the worse relate to essential issues of political freedom, freedom of assembly, right to protest and freedom of expression, all of which are fundamental rights and pillars of democracy. 1. Political repression and human rights in Europe: main trends The outlook is concerning, with several trends arising. The first one is located at the heart…
Center-periphery cleavages have often re-emerged in different times. Although the waves of new states established after World War I, the de-colonisation period and the breakdown of the Soviet Union have declined in intensity, also in the 21st century non-state nations continue to assert demands for collective self-determination in vastly differing political contexts, from Scotland to Catalonia to Hong Kong and New Caledonia and Bougainville (della Porta, O’Connor and Portos 2019a and 2019b). Territorial conflicts of sovereignty in the 21st century Disputes on territorial sovereignty tended however –and will continue– to assume very different forms, going from cultural claims raised by…
Disputes over sovereignty –who governs, where and on whose behalf– have shaped Europe’s history since time immemorial, and the list of serious violations of rights that have accompanied these conflicts seems never-ending. Even today, well into the 21st century, one issue remains inaccessible to reasoned debate and democratic decision: modifying state borders. Sovereignty conflicts in the 21st century: an initiative for Europe. Why do we need a code of good practice to resolve them? The IDEES special issue “Catalonia – Spain: from conflict to political dialogue” analyses the various dimensions of this secular conflict in four interrelated axes, intending to…
How should the European Union (EU) respond to a secession process from a member state when the new state expresses its wish to obtain member status in the EU? The answer depends on the possibility of the EU changing the attitude it has adopted regarding secession from a member state, which was simultaneously revealed by its “non-immediate entry” attitude toward Scotland and not-so-veiled opposition toward Catalonia, and which conditions should be fulfilled for a secessionist state to be considered a new member state of the EU. Recent European secessionist movements Regarding the recent European secessionist movement, Scotland and Catalonia presented themselves…
La sobirania ha estat el pilar de l’ordre polític en el món modern: ha definit la font essencial de l’autoritat legítima dins dels estats i ha apuntalat l’ordre internacional. Tot i això, sempre ha estat una idea imprecisa. En l’era moderna, s’ha associat a l’estat nació fins al punt que els conceptes ‘estat nació’ i ‘estat sobirà’ han esdevingut sinònims en les relacions internacionals. En la seva forma més pura, la idea és que l’estat nació està dotat d’una sobirania absoluta i d’això no n’hi ha cap dubte. L’estat és sobirà perquè és sobirà per definició; o l’estat és sobirà…
A l’hora de pensar en la importància d’un codi de pràctiques sobre conflictes de sobirania territorial, val la pena recordar les seves verdaderes limitacions, que són polítiques. Els codis són tècnics, però depenen d’algun moment de decisió previ. Un codi, per detallat que sigui, no tindrà cap efecte si no s’implementa, i la seva implementació, encara que de vegades queda subjecta a procediments que poden ser tècnics, depèn de la voluntat política. Context polític A Europa, com al món en general, la sobirania territorial dels estats teòricament és una qüestió política i nacional. No obstant això, hi predomina un sentiment…
As the title of the present article suggests, the main intention of the author is to look at the nexus between the three main analytical categories: sovereignty, globalization, and minority rights. These connections (or lack thereof) are addressed in a wider context of territorial conflicts of sovereignty, usually involving regions and communities residing in them, trying to broaden the scope of their autonomy or to achieve the outright sovereignty on the one hand; and central governments of the states they are a part of, who are usually reluctant to positively respond to the aforementioned aspirations, on the other. The central…
When conflicts arise, the binary alternative is to either fight over them, or to (try to) accommodate them. The legal challenge is to find procedural ways in which conflicts can be channelled. The paper looks at such possible ways based on the comparative practice. It also argues that the EU, while not best suited to adopt such rules, should encourage their adoption in its function of promoting the rule of law The question and the legal answer Territorial conflicts do arise as a matter of fact and require a response as a matter of law. As experience shows, secession takes…
The European Union has assumed an active role in supporting those regions and nations in its near abroad as they emerge from sovereignty conflicts. However, faced with sovereignty conflicts à l’intérieur, especially when these are within, rather than between, member states, the EU response has been found wanting. Instead, EU spokespeople have insisted that these are internal matters for the member states. Article 4(2) of the Treaty on European Union provides a defence for such a stance, enshrining respect for the national identities of member states and ‘their essential State functions, including ensuring the territorial integrity of the State, maintaining…
The EU’s historical success as a peacemaker between France and Germany has inspired many to wonder whether the EU may also bring peace to other conflicts. It is true that historically speaking at least, the EU area itself has proved remarkably free of conflict. Having said that, the Union has not managed to play a significant role as an actor in the settlement of territorial sovereignty disputes that have taken place inside its borders, such as the ones in Northern Ireland, the Basque country or even Cyprus . Taking the cue from this somewhat paradoxical situation, the paper problematises the…
Democracies are quite paralyzed by the plea of nationality. There is no more effective way of attacking them than by admitting the right of the majority to govern, but denying that the majority so entitled is the particular majority which claims the rightWilliam Sumner Maine In 2017 a majority of the voters in Catalonia, the Spanish comunitat autònoma, voted overwhelmingly for independence in what supporters called a referendum –but which opponents called an illegal and unconstitutional act. The figures seemed impressive. Over 92 per cent voted for independence and just over seven percent voted no to the proposition, “do you…
Current debates about sovereignty should not be limited to issues of legality or legitimacy as is too often times witnessed on the terrain of politics. Time and again, we have seen political actors intervening on behalf of the majority nation – hiding behind the veil of legality – to undermine or seek to discredit claims made by minority groups and minority nations. The initiative led by the Eusko Ikaskuntza and the Institut d’Estudis Catalans comes at a crucial moment as several countries are facing internal tensions that are associated with a push in favour of centralization, symmetrisation, and performance. Unitary…
Els conflictes de sobirania són un tema tradicional en el dret internacional: dues entitats sobiranes (estats) entren en conflicte pel que fa a un dels seus elements constitutius —generalment un tros de territori— que totes dues reivindiquen com a seu. Tanmateix, en aquest article no discutim aquest tipus de casos; als casos que ens ocupen, una de les parts reivindica el seu dret d’accedir a la sobirania, mentre que l’altra ja gaudeix de drets sobirans, incloent-hi el territori i la població de la part reivindicant. Ens ocuparem, doncs, d’un conflicte asimètric en què una part reivindica la sobirania i l’altra…
This article considers why the European Union (EU) should intervene in territorial conflicts of sovereignty of its Member States from the perspective of the EU itself. The starting point for this article is the fact that the EU tends to adopt a pragmatic approach to taking new action in a specific area and will generally only do so if it considers there is a significant issue or problem to be addressed, which if not will become an obstacle to the integration process or the functioning of the Union. It will argue that the recent Scottish and Catalan processes and developments…
When the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by world leaders in 2015, Barack Obama was still the President of the USA, and only virologists had the effects of a global pandemic on their radar. In the beginning of 2021, the world looks very different. Are the SDGs still relevant in the COVID-19 context? The COVID-19 pandemic has spread to more than 89 million people and nearly 2 million corona-related deaths have been registered across the globe . Donald Trump, who during his presidency pulled the USA out of both the Human Rights Council and the Paris Agreement on…
Milton Friedman, Nobel laureate in economics and founder of the “Chicago school”, was the father of a commonly held management principle according to which “the only responsibility of a company is to maximise the profit of its shareholders” (1970). As if they were guided by some kind of underlying universal order (Adam Smith’s famous “invisible hand”), he believed that companies whose sole objective was to maximise profits would spontaneously propagate shared value to society. There was no need to worry about external effects, such as environmental impact or social responsibility. Nor about the equitable distribution of prosperity. Not even long-term…