Explaining Argentinas Regional Trade Policy-making in 1999

This article examines Argentine regional trade policy behavior in 1999. It seeks to account for the decision to defect from regional commitments by establishing non-tariff barrier restrictions on footwear products from its main regional trade partner Brazil. These unilateral measures triggered one of the most serious bilateral disputes between the two countries in recent years. The article challenges conventional interpretations of the origins of the crisis. It argues that defection reflected a convergence of interests between the private sector, which feared the competitiveness effects of the Brazilian devaluation, and Argentine macroeconomic policy-makers. The tension between the latter, supporting the unilateral measures and the foreign policy elite, in turn, was crucial in shaping Argentinas final position in the crisis. Argentinas decision to press the private sector for the negotiation of a voluntary export agreement and to eventually withdraw the measures reflected a balance or compromised between the hardliners at the Ministry of Economy and the MERCOSUR-committed foreign policy makers and diplomats

Corrigendum to "Complex Systems and International Governance"

This collection of essays brings together scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds, based on three continents, with different theoretical and methodological interests but all active on the topic of complex systems as applied to international relations. They investigate how complex systems have been and can be applied in practice and what differences it makes for the study of international affairs. Two important threads link all the contributions: (i) To which extent is this approach promising to understand global governance dynamics? (ii) How can this be implemented in practice

Replication Study Of Polymorphisms Associated With Response To Methotrexate In Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

About 70 genetic studies have already addressed the need of biomarkers to predict the response of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to methotrexate (MTX) treatment. However, no genetic biomarker has yet been sufficiently validated. Here, we aimed to replicate a selection of 25 SNPs in the largest collection of patients up to date, which consisted of 915 patients treated with MTX. The change in disease activity (measured as.DAS28) from baseline was considered the primary outcome. In addition, response according to widely used criteria (EULAR) was taken as secondary outcome. We considered consistency between outcomes, P values accounting for the number of SNPs, and independence from potential confounders for interpretation of the results. Only the rs1801394 SNP in MTRR fulfilled the high association standards. Its minor allele was associated with less improvement than the major allele according to.DAS28 (p = 0.0016), and EULAR response (p = 0.004), with independence of sex, age, baseline DAS28, smoking, seropositivity, concomitant corticosteroid use or previous treatments. In addition, previous evidence suggests the association of this SNP with response to MTX in another autoimmune disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and with high intracellular folate levels, which could contribute to poor response

Influence of Antisynthetase Antibodies Specificities on Antisynthetase Syndrome Clinical Spectrum TimeCourse

Introduction: Increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality is observed in inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs) such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis. However, the management of CV disease in these conditions is far from being well established.Areas covered: This review summarizes the main epidemiologic, pathophysiological, and clinical risk factors of CV disease associated with IJDs. Less common aspects on early diagnosis and risk stratification of the CV disease in these conditions are also discussed. In Europe, the most commonly used risk algorithm in patients with IJDs is the modified SCORE index based on the revised recommendations proposed by the EULAR task force in 2017.Expert opinion: Early identification of IJD patients at high risk of CV disease is essential. It should include the use of complementary noninvasive imaging techniques. A multidisciplinary approach aimed to improve heart-healthy habits, including strict control of classic CV risk factors is crucial. Adequate management of the underlying IJD is also of main importance since the reduction of disease activity decreases the risk of CV events. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may have a lesser harmful effect in IJD than in the general population, due to their anti-inflammatory effects along with other potential beneficial effects.This research was partially funded by FOREUM—Foundation for Research in Rheumatolog

Obstacles to Regional Integration in Latin America and the Caribbean: Compliance and Implementation Problems. Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Paper Series Vol. 7 No. 8 April 2007

[From the introduction]. The paper draws on International Relations (IR) and International Political Economy (IPE) theoretical perspectives to account for these variations. It argues that the two main perspectives in the debate on compliance with international agreements, the enforcement and management approaches, are useful to account for patterns of cross-national implementation and compliance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Yet, the tendency of these approaches to neglect the role of external influences could prove misleading when examining implementation and compliance gaps in regional trade agreements among developing countries. The paper thus argues that greater attention needs to be paid to external constraints, and in particular, to the role of globalization. The empirical findings presented here suggest that international interdependence and vulnerability have had an impact on the ability and willingness of LAC countries to honor their regional commitments. The paper is structured as follows. The next section begins with a general discussion of the concepts of commitment, compliance and implementation in the IR literature, and then presents the main theoretical perspectives on the sources of non-compliance with international agreements. The third section assesses whether such problems are in fact present in LAC regional agreements by examining different indicators of compliance and implementation. It then examines the sources of commitment problems in LAC regional organizations, focusing specifically on the determinants of practical implementation. The final section summarizes the main empirical results and their theoretical implications and discusses avenues for future research

Explaining Mercosur's Survival: Strategic Sources of Argentine–Brazilian Convergence

This article aims to address a fundamental question for analysts and students of MERCOSUR: what explains the bloc's survival despite its recurrent crises and frequent pessimistic forecasts predicting its collapse? It argues that the maintenance of co-operation after 1999, when the economic and political economy rationale of the project had almost disappeared, is best understood in terms of the convergent strategic interests of MERCOSUR partners. This convergence of interests in the continuity of the regional regime reflects three types of strategic incentives. First, defensive considerations reflecting external forces and a shared sense of vulnerability vis-à-vis the external environment have provided the main motivation for partners to engage in negotiations and attempt to move the process of integration forward. Secondly, the offensive incentives faced by Brazil, given its relatively stronger position within the region have also worked to foster regional co-operation. But besides these power considerations, the sustainability of co-operation has been at least partially assisted by an emerging process of socialisation among executive officials taking place within regional institutions. These processes of increased interaction and enmeshment have reinforced interests in regional integration, giving way to positive incentives to maintain MERCOSUR