Asset Publisher

Politics in the High North

Politics in the High North (Cover)


A country on the brink of a region? Germany’s Baltic Sea policies | Foreign-Policy Discussions in Sweden after 1990 – From Neutrality to NATO? | Iceland – a reluctant EU candidate | The Arctic Region – European Interests and European Policy in the High North | Indigenous Participation in LatinAmerica – The Gulf between Documented Rights and Everyday Reality | Poverty, Social Inequality and Conditional Cash Transfer Programs in Latin America | Parliamentary Elections in Kazakhstan – Controversial Outcome, Uncontroversial President

Show table of contents

Content

Politics in the High North

  • Editorial of the issue "Politics in the High North"

    In a few weeks time, Germany’s presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) will draw to a close. On 1 July, at the conclusion of the country’s twelve-month term of office, Germany’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, will pass the baton to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, who will take over the rotating presidency on behalf of the Russian Federation.

    by Gerhard Wahlers

Other Topics

  • A country on the brink of a region? Germany’s Baltic Sea policies

    What is Germany’s interest in the Baltic Sea region (BSR) and regional cooperation? What are the country’s motivesand incentives? It seems that it is not that easy to answer these questions as certain contradictions in the German stance as well as contradictions in the perspectives on the region of the different actors and observers in Germany have been evident throughout the years.

    by Tobias Etzold

  • Foreign-Policy Discussions in Sweden after 1990

    From Neutrality to NATO?

    Sweden’s foreign policy has undergone fundamental changes since 1990. Whilst having relied on neutrality both in foreign and security policy for almost two centuries, the country has actually been sending troops to NATO missions for quite some time. Nevertheless, Sweden has not become a full member of the military alliance to this day. The rapprochement with the West in the area of security policy has been progressing relatively steadily and smoothly since 1990. However, in public political discussion the change has been neither fast nor smooth.

    by Carl Johan Blydal

  • Iceland – a reluctant EU candidate

    Iceland submitted an application for membership to the European Union in a letter dated 16 July 2009, the same day the Icelandic Parliament, Althingi, passed a resolution empowering the Government to submit application, and, upon the completion of negotiations with the Union, to hold a national referendum on a prospective Treaty of Accession. But the Icelandic Government is split on the membership issue.

    by Björn Bjarnason

  • The Arctic Region

    European Interests and European Policy in the High North

    The Arctic region is attracting more and more attention, due to the effects of climate change, the main trigger of developments. Its effects are of a larger scale than in other parts of the world. At the same time, those changes are affecting other regions, through rising sea levels on the one hand and consequences for adjacent regional climates on the other.

    by Steffen Weber, Iulian Romanyshyn

  • Indigenous Participation in Latin America

    The Gulf between Documented Rights and Everyday Reality

    When Evo Morales of the Aymara people was elected President of Bolivia in 2005, the expectations of Bolivia’s indigenous population were running high. One of the reasons for Morales’ electoral success was his promise to involve indigenous people in government and to address their needs through his policies. In Europe, Morales was viewed as a shining light, with his rise to power and his policies being characterised as having almost mystical qualities. But after six years in office, this kind of euphoria is now all but forgotten.

    by Susanne Käss

  • Poverty, Social Inequality and Conditional Cash Transfer Programs in Latin America

    One of the many things that the countries of Latin America have in common is their extreme social inequality. Nowhere else in the world is there more income inequality than in Latin America; nowhere else do the richest 10 per cent of the populous earn a greater proportion of total income; and nowhere else do the poorest 10 per cent earn a smaller share of the total aggregate income.

    by Karl-Dieter Hoffmann

  • Parliamentary Elections in Kazakhstan

    Controversial Outcome, Uncontroversial President

    The Kazakh parliamentary elections of 15 and 16 January 2012 resulted in a clear victory for the ruling Nur Otan party headed by Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country’s President. Whereas OSCE observers adjudged these elections to be undemocratic due to lack of transparency, election observers from the CIS described them as being open and transparent. But regardless of any assessment of these elections, the results will not have any impact on the forming of a new government or the future work of that government.

    by Amos Helms

Asset Publisher

About this series

International Reports (IR) is the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung's periodical on international politics. It offers political analyses by our experts in Berlin and from more than 100 offices across all regions of the world. Contributions by named authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial team.

Ordering Information

Our periodical on international politics is published four times a year. We provide you with background information on what is happening in the world – free of charge. Use our registration form and with just a few clicks you can read the digital version of our political journal or order the print version in German or English.

Editor

Dr. Gerhard Wahlers

ISBN

0177-7521

Benjamin Gaul

Benjamin Gaul

Head of the Department International Reports and Communication

benjamin.gaul@kas.de +49 30 26996 3584

Dr. Sören Soika

Dr

Editor-in-Chief International Reports (Ai)

soeren.soika@kas.de +49 30 26996 3388

Rana Taskoparan

Rana Taskoparan

Referentin Kommunikation und Vermarktung

rana.taskoparan@kas.de +49 30 26 996 3623

Fabian Wagener

Fabian Wagener

Desk Officer for Multimedia

fabian.wagener@kas.de +49 30-26996-3943