International Reports 2/2011

Über Jahre wies Tunesien ein gutes Wirtschaftswachstum auf. Doch am Ende war es nicht das allein, was zählte. Die am häufigsten gefallenen Begriffe während der Demonstrationen der vergangenen Wochen waren „Würde“ und „Freiheit“. Die Lehren, die es aus den Ereignissen zu ziehen sind, sind offensichtlich: Wirtschaftliche Entwicklung und Wachstum lassen sich auf Dauer nicht trennen von der Sicherstellung und Gewährung von Menschenrechten.

by Gerhard Wahlers

In the eyes of the world SAARC, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, has enjoyed comparatively few successes since it was founded in 1985. The Charter signed by the founders of SAARC (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) promises much, but achieved few practical results. Any assessment, though, needs to take into account the regional situation and the complicated backdrop to the organisation’s formation.

by Tomislav Delinić

Indonesia’s acceptance into the G20 has opened up new avenues for the country’s participation in international processes and development. As this years president of ASEAN Indonesia will try to be the mouthpiece of its members and of all developing nations alike within the G20. What are the priorities for Indonesia’s foreign policy and is it appreciated by its own people?

by Winfried Weck

In the latest Human Development Report 2010 Norway was once again top of the list. Thus, it is hardly surprising that immigration numbers into Norway has been climbing significantly in recent years. Since 1970 the total has risen tenfold and approached more than half a million migrants to date. The topic is high on the political agenda.

by Norbert Beckmann-Dierkes, Johann C. Fuhrmann

It is all too easy for everybody to say that the UN Climate Conference in Mexico exceeded expectations as almost all parties involved took all opportunities to systematically lower them. Negotiations about a successor for the Kyoto Protocol were postponed to this year’s conference in South Africa. The Cancún Agreement, though, did at least specifically recognise for the first time the necessity of having a so-called “two degree target”, signed by China and the USA.

by Frank Priess

After a five-year delay, the first round of the Côte d’Ivoire’s presidential elections went off peacefully and without technical hitches on October 31, 2010, leading many people to think that the country had taken a turn for the better. But they were soon to be disillusioned. After the run-offs on November 28, both candidates have been sworn in asPresident and they have both named their Prime Ministers and cabinets. A new civil war is impending.

by Klaus D. Loetzer, Anja Berretta

The parties which have come together to form the Alliance for European Integration (AIE) were able to clinch the early parliamentary elections held on November 28, 2010, andthus avoided the Communist Party’s return to power. But still, the third parliamentary election since 2009 did not pull the country out of the depths of its political and constitutional crisis. New elections are already looming.

by Holger Dix