The evolution of the European Union’s failed approach to Afghanistan

ABSTRACT

This article provides a genealogical account of European actorness in Afghanistan. It argues that European agreement towards facilitating modernisation and development in Afghanistan was initiated with aid and trade, evolving into humanitarianism in the 1990s, and reconstruction and democratisation in the 2000s. The European Union has had a positive impact on Afghanistan, focusing on humanitarianism, but its multilateral and programme level approach to reconstruction and democratisation has failed to meet the EU’s stated objectives. By promoting the flawed “Bonn Model”, the EU is proportionally culpable for failed international attempts to reconstruct Afghanistan; even though the United States has been the primary international actor. Drawing a series of broader lessons, such as tensions between Atlantic solidarity and European integration, and the limitations of the European crisis management, the article demonstrates how European policy has been shaped by crises inside Afghanistan and the larger geopolitical crises these have generated. These have contemporary importance as history suggests that as the US withdraws its commitment to Afghanistan, the EU will have a very significant role in attempting to fill a humanitarian vacuum.     

SYNERGY FOR A SHARED FUTURE

正I came to China six years ago to try to understand the foreign policy perspectives of China, and the epochal shifts taking place in the global community. Asia’s rise is a reality, and the shifts the world is experiencing in a post-colonialist and post-imperialist age require a re-evaluation of definitions and perceptions.     

The role of the IFI and the EU Peace III Fund in creating sustainable peace in Northern Ireland and the border counties

NGOs aided by external economic aid can play a critical part in post-accord peacebuilding situations. This article explores the impact of the International Fund for Ireland and the European Union Peace III Fund in nurturing sustainable peace through development in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland by examining the perceptions and experiences of 107 local NGO leaders and 13 funding agency development officers. During the summer of 2010, 120 people were interviewed using semi-structured interviews in Derry city and nine border counties. The article explores the role of external economic international assistance aids in building sustainable development, reconciliation, and peace in Northern Ireland and the border counties.     

The conceptual essentials of minimum: explaining Pakistan's rationale of minimum deterrence

Very little is known about Pakistan's nuclear policy and, in particular, about its adoption of minimum deterrence, given the existence of nuclear ambiguity and the absence of public, official documentation of Pakistan's understanding of minimum deterrence. Therefore, despite its innocuousness, ‘minimum’ remains a vague and complex phenomenon short of definitional concreteness when it is brought to a real conceptual test. On the one hand, minimum is regarded as a small number of deterrent forces arguing against expansion and arms competition, while, on the other hand, it is viewed as a relative, and therefore continually evolving, concept depending on the region's fast-changing strategic environment. A conceptual basis for the concept of minimum is explored, leading to the question: why does Pakistan pursue minimum deterrence? It traces out the rationale of Pakistan's minimum deterrence as conceptualized following the 1998 nuclear tests. This rationale of Pakistan's minimum deterrence is then analysed in light of the essentials of minimum deterrence in order to see whether it is consistent with the basics of minimum as conceived here.     

Impact of COVID-19 on Bangladesh's agriculture sector and the ways forward to recovery: An overview

The COVID-19 outbreak has left an indelible effect on Bangladesh's agriculture sector, like that of most developing countries. Considering that agriculture is the cornerstone of Bangladesh's economy, we made an effort to compile a detailed scenario of COVID-19's effect on it through a relevant literature review. Since no significant studies outlined a complete picture of the pandemic's impact on agriculture, our study ventured to reveal the circumstances of each sub-sector of agriculture. During the early phases of the pandemic, farmers engaged in agriculture production got poor prices, with the majority of them incurring losses. Labor shortages and input scarcity were the most prevailing hindrances across all the sub-sectors. The export volume seemed to shrink hugely, hurting the country's GDP. The supply chain for agricultural commodities was disrupted as a result of the lockdown and mobility restrictions, which resulted in the elimination of the majority of intermediaries. Unprecedented challenges occurred in the input and output markets, as well as in the agro-industries, exacerbating the situation. However, while the vegetables and poultry sub-sectors recovered utterly and the dairy sub-sector somehow managed to stabilize, other sub-sectors are still grieving. This study highlighted some policies that can mitigate the miseries of the agriculture sector and overcome further potential threats in Bangladesh and other agriculture-led developing countries.     

Quantitative Determination of Cannabinoids in Cannabis and Cannabis Products Using Ultra‐High‐Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography and Diode Array/Mass Spectrometric Detection

Ultra‐high‐performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC ) is an efficient analytical technique and has not been fully employed for the analysis of cannabis. Here, a novel method was developed for the analysis of 30 cannabis plant extracts and preparations using UHPSFC /PDA ‐MS . Nine of the most abundant cannabinoids, viz . CBD , ?⁸‐THC , THCV , ?⁹‐THC , CBN , CBG , THCA ‐A, CBDA , and CBGA , were quantitatively determined (RSD s < 6.9%). Unlike GC methods, no derivatization or decarboxylation was required prior to UHPSFC analysis. The UHPSFC chromatographic separation of cannabinoids displayed an inverse elution order compared to UHPLC . Combining with PDA ‐MS , this orthogonality is valuable for discrimination of cannabinoids in complex matrices. The developed method was validated, and the quantification results were compared with a standard UHPLC method. The RSD s of these two methods were within ±13.0%. Finally, chemometric analysis including principal component analysis (PCA ) and partial least squares‐discriminant analysis (PLS ‐DA ) were used to differentiate between cannabis samples.     

Transdisciplinary innovation research in Uzbekistan – one year of ‘Follow-the-Innovation’

In 2008, a German-funded interdisciplinary research project in Khorezm province, Uzbekistan, initiated a participatory approach to innovation development and diffusion with local stakeholders. Selected agricultural innovations, developed by the project and identified as ‘plausible promises’, have since then been tested and modified accordingly by teams of researchers, local farmers and water users. This paper discusses the challenges faced in this process of joint experimentation and learning between researchers and local stakeholders whose behaviours, attitudes and actions are heavily shaped by the local context, academic discipline and hierarchical culture of knowledge governance.     

Can microcredit worsen poverty? Cases of exacerbated poverty in Bangladesh

Worldwide, microcredit has been recognised as a successful innovation in poverty alleviation. However, some claim that microcredit exacerbates poverty in developing countries. This study examines cases in Bangladesh where microcredit has actually worsened poverty among borrowers and investigates the underlying reasons for this adverse trend. Our results show that microcredit can exacerbate poverty in four interrelated circumstances. We argue that households living in extreme conditions of poverty who possess minimal or no surplus financial capacity to cope with contingencies are prone to adverse effects of microcredit, and suggest ways to avoid microcredit borrowers falling victims to such unintended consequences.

Le microcrédit peut-il aggraver la pauvreté ? Quelques cas de pauvreté exacerbée au Bangladesh

De par le monde, le microcrédit a été reconnu comme une innovation efficace en vue de réduire la pauvreté. Cependant, certains affirment que le microcrédit exacerbe la pauvreté dans les pays en développement. Cette étude traite de cas observés au Bangladesh où le microcrédit a de fait aggravé la pauvreté parmi les emprunteurs et se penche sur les raisons sous-jacentes de cette tendance négative. Nos résultats montrent que le microcrédit peut exacerber la pauvreté dans quatre situations interconnectées. Nous soutenons que les ménages qui vivent dans des conditions extrêmes de pauvreté et qui possèdent une capacité financière minime ou inexistante pour faire face aux imprévus sont sujets aux effets négatifs du microcrédit et nous suggérons des manières d'éviter que les récipiendaires de microcrédit deviennent les victimes de conséquences non voulues de ce type.

O microcrédito pode agravar a pobreza? Casos de pobreza exacerbada em Bangladesh

No mundo todo, o microcrédito tem sido reconhecido como uma inovação bem-sucedida na redução da pobreza. Porém, alguns afirmam que o microcrédito agrava a pobreza em países em desenvolvimento. Este estudo examina casos em Bangladesh em que o microcrédito na verdade tem agravado a pobreza entre tomadores de empréstimo e investiga as razões subjacentes para esta tendência adversa. Nossos resultados mostram que o microcrédito pode agravar a pobreza em quatro circunstâncias inter-relacionadas. Argumentamos que as famílias que vivem em condições extremas de pobreza e que possuem mínima ou nenhuma capacidade financeira excedente para lidar com contingências são suscetíveis aos efeitos adversos do microcrédito e sugerimos maneiras de se evitar que os tomadores de microcrédito tornem-se vítimas de tais consequências não pretendidas.

¿Pueden los microcréditos incrementar la pobreza? Casos donde aumentó la pobreza en Bangladesh

Los microcréditos han sido ampliamente reconocidos como una iniciativa eficaz para disminuir la pobreza. Sin embargo, hay quienes afirman que los microcréditos incrementan la pobreza que ya existe en los países en desarrollo. Este ensayo analiza diversos casos en Bangladesh, donde se ha comprobado que los microcréditos agudizaron la pobreza de los prestatarios, e investiga las principales causas de esta tendencia negativa. Los autores señalan que los microcréditos pueden incrementar la pobreza en cuatro circunstancias que se relacionan entre sí. Sostienen también que las familias que viven en condiciones de pobreza extrema y cuentan con una mínima reserva financiera para imprevistos, o con ninguna, tienden a sufrir los efectos adversos de los microcréditos. El ensayo sugiere maneras de evitar que los prestatarios se expongan a estas consecuencias no previstas de los microcréditos.