From Isolationism to Interventionism in Maine, 1939-1941

In 1939, with world war looming in Europe, Maine’s all Republican delegation in Congress remained predominantly isolationist, with Representative James C. Oliver the state ’s leading critic of pro-British internationalism. Over the course of a few months in 1941, the delegation made a remarkable turnabout, leaving Oliver to face the winds of political change. While the decisions made by the Maine delegates were shaped by unfolding events in Europe, they also reflected, as the author points out, the perception that preparedness would benefit Maine economically. Mr. Cooley is the Lecturer-in Academic-Studies at Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, and teaches at Hebrew High School of New England in West Hartford

Artificial Intelligence: Socio-Political Challenges of Delegating Human Decision-Making to Machines

Artificial intelligence is at the heart of current debates related to ethical, social and political issues of technological innovation. This briefing refocuses attention from the techno-ethical challenges of AI to artificial decision-making (ADM) and the questions related to delegating human decisions to ADM. It is argued that (a) from a socio-ethical point of view the delegation is more relevant than the actual ethical problems of AI systems; (b) instead of traditional responsible AI approaches focusing on accountability, responsibility and transparency (ART) we should direct our attention to trustworthiness in the delegation process; and (c) trustworthiness as a socio-communicational challenge leads to questions that may be guided by a responsible research and innovation framework of anticipation, reflexivity, inclusion, and responsiveness. This may lead to different questions policymakers and other interested publics may ask as well as novel approaches, including regulatory sandboxes and other measures to foster a more inclusive, open and democratic culture of human-ADM relations

The Globalization of Health and Safety Standards: Delegation of Regulatory Authority in the SPS Agreement of the 1994 Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization

Buthe examines why states delegated regulatory authority in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures, an integral part of the founding treaty of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Buthe argues that, to explain this case of international delegation, principal-agent theory must be complemented by an analysis of cost-benefit calculations of the relevant domestic interest groups. Given these domestic interests, governments decided to institutionalize international cooperation on SPS measures outside of the WTO because they believed that such delegation would minimize the political costs of the loss of policymaking autonomy. Buthe notes, however, that in retrospect it appears that the widespread positive association of international standards with multilateralism and international consensus led many countries to underestimate those autonomy losses. Material and ideational factors thus interacted to shape the definition of national interests and the outcome of international delegation

The Marianas Covenant Negotiations

In September 1969, the United States and the Congress of Micronesia\u27s Joint Committee on Future Status began their negotiations. This article will examine the negotiations which commenced in December 1972 and will concentrate on the three areas which were central points of discussion: the political relationships between the United States and the Northern Marianas; issues of economic development and assistance; and problems of land policy

The Marianas Covenant Negotiations

In September 1969, the United States and the Congress of Micronesia\u27s Joint Committee on Future Status began their negotiations. This article will examine the negotiations which commenced in December 1972 and will concentrate on the three areas which were central points of discussion: the political relationships between the United States and the Northern Marianas; issues of economic development and assistance; and problems of land policy