Russia and the illicit arms trade

Since the disintegration of the Soviet militaryindustrial complex, the prospect of conventional armsand nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of massdestruction and their ingredients finding their wayfrom Russia into other hands has become a matter ofconcern for both the Russian Federation and theinternational community. This article explores thescale, forms and consequences of illicit transfers ofconventional arms and weapons of mass destruction andtheir ingredients from the Russian Federation into theinternational community. Russian military and securityforces seem to have been the main sources of a widerange of illicit conventional arms, whether as aconsequence of the participation of Russian armedforces in regional conflicts or as a consequence ofthe sale of equipment by corrupt officers, the covertcommercial export by Russian arms manufacturers beinglargely confined to small arms and light weapons. Theillegal diversion of nuclear, chemical and biologicalmaterials from the Russian Federation seems to havebeen less than was at one time feared but Westernco-operation with the Russian Federation to reinforceexisting nonproliferation regimes remains a highpriority.     

Epidemiological features of automobile traumatism in Russia and abroad

The article presents updated epidemiological information on specific features and causes of high automobile traumatism in Russia and abroad for the last 5 years. The number of road accidents and road accident fatalities now not only present a great social-medical problem in Russia but also a problem of national security as road accident mortality is far ahead of the developed countries and showed no trend to lowering. This threatening situation is caused by out-of-date transport infrastructure, social factors, old cars without modern safety systems, absence of special emergency medical care for road accident victims. The experience of foreign countries on reducing road traumatism is analysed.     

确定对俄经贸合作的主要领域,开拓俄罗斯市场

本文通过对俄罗斯市场的研究和分析,认为吉林省在开拓俄罗斯市场方面应增强紧迫感,确定经贸合作的主要领域,应在森林资源、矿产资源、农业资源、渔业资源、旅游业的开发和利用方面采取有利措施,有的放矢地开展与俄罗斯的经贸合作,提高吉林省的对外开放水平,带动国民经济增长。     

MERCOSUR enlargement: predicting the effects on trade in primary agricultural commodities

This article estimates the effects of a hypothetical enlargement of the Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR), depicted by granting MERCOSUR associate member countries a full membership status, on trade in primary agricultural commodities. The empirical investigation is implemented through the multiplicative form of the gravity model. The estimated gravity parameters are used to carry out scenarios that predict the effects of MERCOSUR enlargement on trade in primary agricultural commodities. The predictions reveal that MERCOSUR enlargement would generate significant increases in exports from the full members to the associate members. The predictions also show relatively smaller increases in exports from the associate members to the full members (in value terms), but some important increases in trade among the associate members. Trade diversion effects of MERCOSUR enlargement, which influence trade between full members and from non-member countries to full and associate members, are found to be limited.     

Analyzing trade opening in Ukraine: effects of a customs union with the EU

This paper analyzes the possible effects of a customs union between Ukraine and the European Union. The GTAP multi-country simulation model of Purdue University’s Center for Global Trade Analysis is applied. The welfare measure evaluated is the change in equivalent variation (EV). As all incomes in the model accrue to a representative household, EV fully assesses possible welfare benefits for Ukraine from bilateral tariff elimination on trade with the EU. As the model includes Ukraine in the aggregated “Former Soviet Union” region (FSU), EV is estimated for the FSU and then disaggregated on the industry level proportionally to trade shares. The results of our simulations suggest that Ukraine’s EV is particularly sensitive to the inclusion of the agricultural sector into a customs union. Due to the highly protected nature of this sector within the EU, Ukraine would be better off if agriculture were excluded from liberalization. If this scenario is assumed, Ukraine’s monetary gain would be in the order of $40 million.

Out of the woods: the illegal trade in tropical timber and a European trade hub

This article responds to the call for more empirical knowledge about transnational environmental crime by analysing the illegal trade in tropical timber. It aims to provide insights into the social organisation of the illegal transports of tropical timber within the local research setting of the port of Antwerp (Belgium) but meanwhile pays attention to elements throughout the flows from locations of origin over transit to destination. It is often difficult to determine which legal and illegal actors are involved in transnational environmental crime. This research sheds light on the legal–illegal interfaces in tropical timber flows connected to this European setting. The results show that the social organisation of transnational environmental crime is shaped by the global context of the places of origin, transit and destination, where it is continuously on a thin line between legal and illegal.     

行政指导承担法律责任的必要性分析

目前理论界对行政指导的性质及其是否存在法律责任问题众说纷纭 ,归纳之 ,主要是肯定说、否定说和折衷说三种观点。关于行政指导是否存在法律责任 ,从行政主体的双重法律地位、违法或失误的行政指导与相对人损害的因果关系、涉及第三方权益、信赖利益保护原则以及行政指导意思表示单方性等五个方面进行分析看 ,行政主体应当承担具体责任。     

中国境外间接上市中的财富外流问题

The process of indirect listing overseas of enterprises can easily result in wealth outflow, which has imposed a negative impact on the development of security market, the order of money market and the increase of tax revenue in China. Therefore, the government should exercise necessary regulation on the wealth outflow during indirect listing overseas, and treat state-owned enterprises and private-owned enterprises differently. The fundamental solution to this issue should start from improving domestic financing conditions, improving regulatory system, realizing equal treatment for enterprises and strengthening the legal protection of private property. Fu Jun, Ph.D of law, is an associate professor at University of International Business and Economics, having released over thirty research articles in many academic journals, such as Journal of Chinese Law, Journal of Law, Jurists Review, Modern Law Science, Journal of Law Application, Hebei Law Science, Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Journal of East China University of Political Science and Law, Journal of Jinan University. Moreover, his other publications include monographs, Analysis of Selected Cases on the Letter of Credit of Britain and America (2006), A Study on Corporation Proxy (2005), International financial law (2005). etc.     

商标权与商号权的权利冲突及解决途径

作为商业识别标记，商标与商号不仅用以区别商事主体和商品来源，而且还承载商事主体享有的商业信誉、商品的质量承诺。商标与商号本身具有的宣传和促销功能在激烈的市场竞争中所发挥的效用更是不可低估。随着市场经济发展和竞争加剧，企业为了争夺市场、扩大影响导致了商标权与商号权的权利冲突不断发生且有加剧之势。因此，如何完善商标、商号立法及相互间的协调，寻求商标权与商号权权利冲突……     

Responding to the environmental effects of remittances and trade liberalization in net-importing economies: the role of renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Economic Change and Restructuring - Little is currently known about how policy choices that seek to bridge the gap between low production capacity and growing consumption demands in developing...     

Political corruption in Russia and the Soviet Legacy

Signs of corruption in post-SovietRussia are abundant and its immediate cause, the rapidmove towards the market in advance of theestablishment of a legal infrastructure, readilyapparent. But the unqualified use of the term``corruption' risks substituting liberal judgements ofRussian capitalism for an historically grounded andsociologically informed understanding of Russia'sdeviance from Western standards. Here it is arguedthat ``corruption' in post-Communist Russia can mostusefully be understood as the extension of Sovietcoping strategies, developed in the command economy,to the opportunities opened up by marketisation. Thisoccurred in circumstances where the bureaucratic andideological constraints of the Soviet state were notreplaced by compensatory institutional and legaldisciplines. Rather than corrupting an establishedsystem of rights and obligations Russian ``corruption'represents the extension of the informal culture andpractices of the Soviet system to the opportunitiespresented by emerging Russian capitalism.     

Conversion in the trade mark context

Legal context. The paper examines the formal requirements formaking a conversion application and provides an overview ofall the significant time limits which have to be observed. Key points. All relevant decisions taken by the Court of FirstInstance and the OHIM's Boards of Appeal are analysed by theauthors, particularly regarding the geographical scope and registrabilityof English language words. Consideration is also given to transformationand conversion under the Madrid Protocol and explanations areprovided regarding the five different types of conversion andtransformation in that context. As a special feature, the articledeals with conversion in the new Member States as well as inthe context of multiple oppositions. Practical significance. The article looks at conversion of Communitytrade mark applications and registrations into national trademarks from a practical and regulatory perspective. It explainsthe different considerations for requesting conversion froma commercial, legal and factual point of view and, in particular,the different grounds for requesting conversion.     

Quarterly listing of program issuances and coverage determinations--HCFA. General notice

This notice lists HCFA manual instructions, interpretative rules, statements of policy, and national coverage determinations that were published during July, August and September 1989 that relate to the Medicare program. Section 1871 (c) of the Social Security Act requires that we publish a list of our Medicare issuances in the Federal Register every three months. We also are providing the contents of several revisions to the Medicare Coverage Issues Manual. On August 21, 1989 we published (42 FR 34555) the content of the Manual and indicated that we will publish quarterly any updates. Adding the Coverage Issues Manual changes to this listing allows us to fulfill this requirement in a manner that facilitates easy identification of coverage and other changes in our manuals.     

俄罗斯死刑状况论析

反对"国家杀人"的废止死刑运动已成为国际趋势。历史上,俄罗斯死刑经历了从私刑向国家刑罚转化之后,死刑强弱同封建政治统治变化之间密切关联,其间不乏废止死刑的努力。苏联虽大力推动死刑废止,反而出现了特定时期的死刑滥用,死刑长期处于"明废而实有"的状态。加快国际化进程,尤其是加入欧盟的努力,为俄罗斯死刑废止注入了强大的推动力。但与此同时,国内社会矛盾多发,有组织犯罪严重,特别是面对极端纳粹组织———光头党的血腥行为,俄罗斯完全实现死刑废止,面临着国内民意以及各种政治势力间的极大挑战。     

Cooperation Between Russia and the EU in the Sphere of Migration

The author attempts to analyze all aspects of cooperation between Russia and the European Union (EU) within the framework of the migration dialogue. She compares the migration policies of Russia and the EU-28 countries, discussing both common problems—the relationship between migration and development, labor immigration, the fight against illegal immigration—and the specific ways in which each side tackles them. She points out that the migration dialogue has great potential for developing further cooperation, exchanging experience, and strengthening trust between Russia and the EU.     

Pollution and international trade in services

Two central topics in recent rounds of international trade negotiations have been environmental concerns and services trade. While each is undoubtedly important, they are unrelated. In this paper, I show that the services-environment link is small, for two reasons. First, services account for only a small fraction of overall pollution. For none of five major air pollutants does the service sector account for even 4% of total emissions; for three of the five services account for less than 1%. Second, those service industries that do pollute are the least likely to be traded internationally. Those services for which the United States collects and publishes international trade data—presumably those services that are traded internationally—are less polluting than services for which trade data do not exist—presumably because the services are not traded. Even if we limit attention to the services that are traded across borders, the service industries most intensively traded are the ones that pollute the least. The bottom line is simple. International services trade bears little relation to the environment, because services in general contribute relatively little to overall pollution, and those industries that are traded internationally are among the least polluting.