From Barcelona Process to Neighbourhood Policy: Assessments and Open Issues. CEPS Working Documents No. 220, 1 March 2005

The Barcelona process so far has been a valuable systemic/institutional advance in Euro-Med relations and a confidence-building measure on a large scale. But it has not been a sufficient driving force to have created a momentum of economic, political and social advance in the partner states. It is therefore quite plausible that the EU should seek some new advance – through the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) – to build on the positive features of Barcelona and so try to introduce some new driving force. The Action Plans currently being adopted seek to make the often vague intentions of the Association Agreements of the Barcelona process more operational by linking them to either domestic policy programmes of the partner state or to EU policy norms and standards as an external anchor. In this paper we first crystallise alternative approaches for the ENP to become a real driving force under the headings of ‘conditionality’ and ‘socialisation’. The conditionality concept would mean that the EU sets out i) what incentives it offers, and ii) the conditions on which these incentives would be delivered. The socialisation concept relies essentially on a learning process that comes from the extensive interaction between actors in the partner states and the EU, which induces the partner states to engage in policy reforms that are to a degree modelled on EU norms or derive some inspiration from them. For the EU to become a driving force for reform in the region also requires that it does not have to face an uphill struggle against negative tendencies, for example in the widening and deepening of radical Islam – and here the issue of coherence in the approaches of the EU and US together is paramount

Global Citizenship Education and Heritage Preservation of Host National Students in GCC International Bilingual Schools

International private schools adopt Eurocentric accreditation and curriculum standards that aim at developing global citizens. However, global citizenship education is a problematic construct based on a colonial instrumentalist framework. Contextualized in Type C international schools for GCC host national students, the problem of practice is GIBS’s unmitigated adoption of international GCE accreditation and curriculum standards in a manner that erodes the students’ culture and heritage. Grounded in a transformative worldview, GIBS’s accreditation and curriculum coordinator is in a unique position to lead organizational improvement that restructures school systems in a way that prioritizes GCC host national students’ heritage while empowering teachers to enact equitable instructional change. To address the problem of practice, a framework of change was developed by integrating ISA’s (2017) accreditation framework with Schein’s (2017) model of change management and Cawsey et al.’s (2016) change path model while using transformative, instructional, and servant leadership approaches. Culturally responsive learning’s three dimensions of culturally responsive care, culturally responsive instruction, and curriculum indigenization and decolonization were identified as the key to solving the problem of practice. To monitor and evaluate GIBS’s embedding of CRL into formal school systems, organizational change management takes place at the macro and micro levels using the API Model and PDCA cycle respectively. Synchronous alignment of GIBS’s accreditation phases and strategic improvement cycle with the OIP’s change implementation plan leverages the school’s pre-existing systems to achieve successful transformation

The EU as a security actor in Africa

Instability and conflict in Africa create a range of security problems for Europe. Rapidly increasing migration via the Mediterranean Sea, extremism and terrorism, as well as cross-border crime, all have implications for security in Europe, but are spill-over effects of instability outside Europe. The European Union has a considerable interest in a stable Africa, and also seems willing to assume a special responsibility for the continent. This Clingendael report focuses on the European Union’s role as a security actor in Africa. It considers the use of all the policy instruments at the EU’s disposal. The authors concentrate mainly on the question how the integrated approach is evolving, and what consequences this has for the Common Security and Defence Policy

IRAN'S AND RUSSIA'S COUNTERBALANCE STRATEGY AGAINST THE UNITED STATES

Abstract. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the power of the country from a global level to the regional level has led the country's political elites to rethink their policies and focus their attention on the outside world.The Islamic Republic of Iran has also been an important part of its post-Cold War effort towards a policy of looking at the East by strengthening international alliances with the aim of undermining structural pressures. And the United States has tried to enforce its influence in the region, particularly in the Caucasus and the Middle East, and has caused some dangers. Therefore, the two countries of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia have decided to cooperate and balance the power towards the United States.The study aims to emphasize the importance of joint political, military-security and regional cooperation between Iran and Russia in search of the national interests of the two countries to achieve a balance of power towards the United States. The main theme of the article is what are the areas of strategic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia and what are the goals pursued? The hypothesis is that the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia are expanding their strategic ties in pursuit of coalition with the aim of reducingstructural pressures and balancing the ruling hegemonic system. Accordingly, the two-state balance-of-arms strategy will ultimately lead to national interests and a balance in the United States and reduce its influence in the region. The research method in this analytical-descriptive study is information library collection.Key words: Iran, Russia, Middle East, Strategic Alliance, America

Strategic Options for Iran: Balancing Pressure with Diplomacy

This third report from The Iran Project, considers the successes, shortfalls, and risks of strategies designed to pressure the Iranian government into changing its policies. It explores some of the advantages and disadvantages for U.S. interests in the Middle East that might flow from bilateral negotiations with Iran to achieve a nuclear deal, and propose steps that the President might take to establish a framework for direct talks with Iran's leadership that would build on the latest round of multilateral negotiations and proposals. Iran's actions -- particularly with regard to its nuclear program -- pose complex and dangerous challenges to U.S. interests and security, as well as to the security of Israel and possibly to stability in the Middle East. This paper sets out a response to these serious challenges. A strengthened U.S. diplomatic initiative would not replace the pressure track; rather, it would build on pressure already applied. Some measure of sanctions relief will have to be offered as part of a negotiated settlement; but pressure should not be eased without firm and verifiable Iranian commitments to greater transparency and agreed limits on Iran's nuclear program. The proposed bilateral discussions between the U.S. and Iran would not replace the multilateral negotiations that are now underway. Bilateral talks would have to proceed on a basis understood and ideally supported by the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany) and U.S. allies. This paper differs from earlier Iran Project publications in that it takes policy positions and makes recommendations for government action. The authors have sought to base these suggestions on factual, objective, nonpartisan analyses, consulting with nearly 20 former government officials and experts and seeking advice from a larger group of signatories

Challenges involved in evaluating the national training programme at the Ministry of Oman: an insider perspective.

Purpose: This paper contributes to bridging the gap between academic research and practice by proposing an evaluation framework, which will be tested in the real world of practice. The practice context is an insider evaluation of the National Training Programme (NTP) in Oman. The paper presents a culturally sensitive evaluation framework inspired by a Critical Human Resource Development (CHRD) agenda. Approach: This is a theoretical paper based on a review of the evaluation literature, examining various frameworks of training evaluation, in particular at the national level. The literature is extended to include insights from an insider research perspective in order to explore the tensions and contradictions within evaluation processes and practices at the national level. Practical implications:This paper presents a framework for evaluating national training programmes, which will be extended to evaluate different policies and governmental activities. Concomitantly, it demonstrates the challenges encountered by the researcher as an insider evaluator. Originality/value:This paper considers the challenges of insider public sector evaluators, while providing a culturally sensitive evaluation framework

Using the water-energy-food nexus to enhance Egypt’s cooperation with Nile Basin countries

In the coming decades, the World will be facing severe challenges in terms of water, energy and food through increased water use, increased energy demand and increased food demand and shifting diets. Those challenges are foreseen to be amplified due to climate change effects. Egypt is a country struggling to achieve water, energy and food security, which are key issues in achieving national security. Egypt is facing another major challenge regarding its main water resource Nile River. Ethiopia is currently undergoing the construction of a huge dam on the Blue Nile which is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The purpose of the research is to attempt to mitigate the effect of the GERD on Egypt through cooperation with the Nile Basin countries on their Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF Nexus). The grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam (GERD) is a mega hydro-electric project currently under construction on the Blue Nile. It is planned to have a 74 BCM capacity reservoir and a power generation capacity of 6,000 MW. If not agreed appropriately, the filling of the GERD reservoir might have significant impacts on the Aswan High Dam. A policy framework was developed for the water-energy-food nexus for Egypt and the Nile Basin. In Egypt, it is suggested to create a Supreme Council for Water, Energy and Food which includes all the relevant ministries. For the Nile Basin, a Nile Basin WEF is suggested, whose decisions should be legally binding for Nile Basin countries. Examples were provided on the project/programme level that could have benefited from the WEF synergy, like the reclamation of 1.5 million feddans and the expansion of the electricity generation sector. An institutional arrangement was developed, which is applicable for Egypt and the Nile Basin countries. The arrangement is done through a methodology which encourages the prioritization of projects that take into consideration the WEF nexus. On the Nile Basin level, examples were given for potential projects that could benefit from the WEF synergy if the basin is thought of as one unit. Examples provided included the expansion of green water utilization and integration of electricity grids. The policy framework showed that the GERD itself can be viewed as an opportunity for cooperation if the right policy framework is developed among the basin countries

Comparison of Approaches to Management of Large Marine Areas

In order to learn more about the different approaches to managing large-scale marine areas, their comparative merits, and the synergies and overlaps between them, Conservation International (CI) commissioned this independent analysis of several widely applied models. Since 2004, CI, together with a multitude of partners, has been developing the Seascapes model to manage large, multiple-use marine areas in which government authorities, private organizations, and other stakeholders cooperate to conserve the diversity and abundance of marine life and to promote human well-being. The definition of the Seascapes approach and the identification of the essential elements of a functioning Seascape were built from the ground up, informed by the extensive field experience of numerous marine management practitioners. Although the report was commissioned by CI, the views expressed in this report are those of the authors; they were charged with providing a critical examination of all the assessed approaches, including the Seascapes approach. This analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. This will help us -- and, we hope, other readers -- to identify ways to work together to achieve even greater results through synergistic efforts

Relevance and Rigour in Management Education – Gulf Universities and Information on Standards

International accreditation is becoming an important priority for many universities. In Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, internationalisation is increasingly becoming an issue of concern, with international accreditation considered a strategic objective that is expected to help higher education institutions (HEIs) cope with increasing competition from both public and private counterparts. Within the context of business schools, accreditation is also expected to drive impact on the wider Gulf economies, particularly in the post-oil era. HEIs are faced with a question as to whether they should adopt international standards outright, as proposed by accreditation bodies such as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), or whether they should focus on the adoption of an education management approach based on their own views as to the requirements of their respective countries. This article uses a case study of the Kingdom of Bahrain to explore possible ways forward. This paper utilises a combination of academic literature, published practices of AACSB accredited business schools, in addition to research into standards information. It also draws on the authors’ experiences of interaction with HEI leaders who are considered key decision makers that lead the development of their respective school missions, strategies, operational planning and implementation. The article argues that GCC HEIs should reconsider their approach to decision-making on management education, taking into account research that suggests that mere compliance with international standards such as those proposed by AACSB may not adequately support GCC economies to develop in ways desired by their governments. It also suggests that centralised decision-making in higher education, favoured by GCC governments, may not be optimal with regard to the intended impact. Lastly, the paper offers suggestions for aligning national QA systems and other related regulatory requirements, with international accreditation standards, towards establishing unified and rigorous frameworks that streamline higher education development