Changes in the character of East‐West relations: Implications for NATO's southern region

Can the EU serve as a pole in a multipolar, interdependent international system? The EU will face three particular challenges operating in such a system: the challenge of re-establishing credibility after the euro crisis; the ever-present challenge of achieving unity among the member states; and the challenge of adapting foreign policy behaviour to match the new international environment. There is a risk that the EU could slide into irrelevance.     

The Kyoto Protocol's 'Clean Development Mechanism': A sustainability assessment

The purpose of this article is to assess the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Drawing upon the literature on sustainable development and sustainability, the criteria for assessment consist of ecological, economic and social elements. Three key debates about the CDM are placed under investigation: proposals to clarify 'supplementarity' by capping the extent to which the CDM can be used to allow industrialised countries to meet their greenhouse gas emission limitation commitments; proposals to restrict CDM eligibility to particular kinds of projects; and proposals to introduce 'geographical quotas', to encourage CDM activity to take place throughout the developing world. Based largely upon its positive consequences for ecosystem and biophysical functions, further study of how restrictions upon CDM project eligibility could be implemented is encouraged.