Regional Organisations and International Mediation: The Effectiveness of Insider Mediators

During the last two decades of the twentieth century, the world witnessed an increasing number of regional conflict management efforts undertaken by regional inter-governmental organisations. There are therefore strong reasons to study the advantages and disadvantages of mediation efforts by regionalorganisations, and compare these with initiatives taken by the United Nations (UN). In this article, we argue that regional organisations have certain characteristics that in principle make them effective mediators. They are ‘insiders’, closely connected to the conflict at hand, with an intimate knowledge about local conditions, and a stake in the outcome. This article builds on experience from ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) interventions in West Africa to analyse the pros and cons of regional mediation. We find that the interventions did indeed produce beneficial results, but that ECOWAS mediation efforts were disturbed by the fact that its activities were seen as highly partial. We recommend regional mediators to be ‘impartial insiders’, paying special attention to creating relations of trust with all actors involved

The role of role theory in International Political Economy

This article demonstrates the benefits of using a role theory approach in the field of International Political Economy (IPE) by demonstrating the benefits of role theory relative to variants of the social constructivist paradigm, especially vis-à-vis identity based accounts of IPE. This article also documents why and how role theory has always had a home in IPE even before the constructivist revolution in the 1990s. The social interactionist dimension in the work of Herbert Mead and his notion of a general other are linked to the relational ideas of friendship and impartial spectator present in the works of the founding father of classical political economy, Adam Smith. These similar ideas about the self and their surrounding social environment is a useful starting point to locate role theory in IPE and demonstrate its analytical advantages within social constructivism. After showing the “forgotten” place role theory has always had in IPE, the article illustrates the potential of using a role theory approach within the field of IPE through an illustrative analysis of the Greek economic crisis

Legitimacy, credibility and coherence : perceptions of EU roles in global climate change negotiations

The European Union’s leadership capacity on the international arena is not decided only by the EU itself. It is also influenced by external actors’ perceptions of the EU’s roles and by their reactions to EU initiatives. The aim of this paper is to present a conceptual foundation for the study of external perceptions, and especially their effectiveness, and to apply this framework on the EU’s involvement in global climate change negotiations. The first task necessitates a discussion of links between the study of perceptions and other theoretical constructs, such as credibility and legitimacy, and the study of EU coherence. I apply this conceptual apparatus to the EU’s performance in global climate change negotiations by describing in what ways perceptions of the Union’s credibility, legitimacy and coherence in this field have impacted upon its effectiveness, operationalized as perceived influence and leadership, and how this has changed over time

Norms, Culture and Cognitive Patterns in Foreign Aid Negotiations

Negotiations involving foreign aid are different from other types of bilateral negotiations. Normative and cultural aspects are distinctive attributes of aid negotiations, complicating any attempt to explain negotiation outcomes solely from a power perspective. Foreign aid negotiations between Sweden and Tanzania are permeated with norms: that rich states should give aid, that assistance should be handed over with no strings attached etc. These norms influence bargaining behavior and outcomes. Culture influences negotiations through its effects on communication. An actor's culture-bound images of self, the other actor and the situation seem to be vital ingredients in understanding negotiation behavior. The impact of culture seems to be situation-specific. Swedish negotiations with Tanzania are less influenced by cultural factors, because relations have been relatively long and friendly, than its negotiations with newer or politically unpopular recipients. Culture and norms are important factors to consider in any explanation of negotiation processes and outcomes, and foreign aid negotiations do not seem to be exceptions

European Union Council Presidencies. A comparative approach

This book describes, analyses, explains and compares the role performance of different presidencies. The expert and international authors ask why member states have different approaches and play the role differently, prioritising different functions and using a variety of strategies to realise their aspirations. The book consists of three parts i) describes the functions of the presidency, ii) compares nine different presidencies and iii) a concluding section comparing media images, and summaries looking at member state characteristics and behaviour