Between Abundance and Bottlenecks: Brazil’s Energy Sector is on the Move

Brazil’s energy sector seems to be in the ascendant. People talk about the end of dependence on crude-oil imports, about Brazilian-American cooperation in the field of biofuels, about a strategic partnership agreement with the EU, and even about coming to terms with Bolivia which only two years ago nationalised its natural-gas reserves and took away Brazil’s gas fields on Bolivian soil.

Dispersed Economic Power?

Overseas Chinese between Discrimination and Success in Business

The western world views China's rise to world power status with anxiety and euphoria in equal measure: Cheap wages, armies of refugees from the country who are eager to work, low social standards, and an authoritarian government are among the reasons quoted.

Dmitri Medvedev – President on Standby or Worthy Successor to Putin?

Proposed by the chairmen of all Kremlin-friendly political parties, Dmitri Medvedev will probably be the winner of the Russian presidential elections which are scheduled for March 2, 2008.

Editorial

Das Schlagwort der Globalisierung erfasst vielfältige Prozesse. Ein Phänomen ist die Entgrenzung der staatlichen Ordnungsaufgaben sowie der Institutionen und Regeln des sozialen Zusammenlebens. In diesem Zusammenhang stellt sich die Frage, wie das Gemeinwohl, verstanden als das "gemeinsame Gut" einer Gesellschaft, bestimmt und international verwirklicht werden kann.

Russia – A Reliable Energy Partner for Europe?

Energy security is increasingly becoming a central factor in foreign policy. Because energy consumption is growing and extraction is declining, the world faces an energy shortage which will make Europe more dependent on supplies from abroad. In this context, Russia still plays a specialrole as one of Europe’s energy suppliers.

Transformation in Pakistan?

Events in the Year Preceding the Elections, Election Preparations, Election Results, Outlook

The judicial crisis that began in March 2007 marked the beginning of the political downfall of General Pervez Musharraf. Before he was deposed by Mr Musharraf, chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had made himself the advocate of the politically powerless.

Books from Russia: Russia’s Foreign Policy

Between 2005 and 2007, some interesting works on the country’s foreign policy under Mr Putin’s presidency were published in Russia. However, critical analyses of Mr Putin’s foreign-policy decisions are rare.

Editorial

Ohne die Aufarbeitung der totalitären Vergangenheit lässt sich die Zukunft nicht gestalten. Dies ist auch die Lehre aus den deutschen Erfahrungen. Eine wesentliche Voraussetzung für den Aufbau und die Stabilität demokratischer Gesellschaften in Europa ist die Aufarbeitung der kommunistischen Vergangenheit. Die Länder Südosteuropas und Russland, denen in dieser Ausgabe zwei Berichte gewidmet sind, weisen in diesem Bereich noch immer große Defizite auf. In einer Reihe von Ländern, einschließlich Deutschland, sind nach wie vor Parteien tätig, die in direkter Traditionslinie zu dieser Geschichte stehen. Deren Anhänger müssten sich in besonderem Maße dazu verpflichtet fühlen, sich mit dieser Geschichte auseinanderzusetzen.

Elections in Thailand: Power Struggle Between Thaksin and the Military

With the parliamentary elections of December 23, 2007, Thailand has returned to democracy fifteen months after the military coup. Prior to the poll, a new constitution was adopted which was backed by far more than half the population. However, it is by no means certain that the outcome of the parliamentary elections marks the beginning of a course towards establishing a stable democratic order.

Lustration – Addressing the Consequences of the Communist Regime in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is not doing well in overcoming its communist past. It was only one year ago that the most comprehensive law so far was launched to open the records, and none of the leading politicians of the communist era has yet been brought to book. There is hardly any coming to terms with the past, called ‘lustration’.