The goals and reality of the water–food–energy security nexus: the case of China and its southern neighbours

The so-called ‘nexus’ approach has recently been promoted as addressing externalities across the water, food and energy sectors, thus helping to achieve ‘water/energy/food security for all’, ‘equitable and sustainable growth’ and a ‘resilient and productive environment’. While these are noble goals, this article argues that the reality on the ground appears to be taking a different direction, at least when it comes to China and its neighbours in South and Southeast Asia. There, a new era of large-scale water infrastructure development is creating several security-related problems, which represent serious challenges to the nexus goals. These challenges include food–energy tensions, human security threats and ecological risks. These challenges can also be linked to rising friction surrounding the management of water, food and energy resources in the region. The article argues that, in order for the nexus goals to be achieved in China and the countries on its southern periphery, there must first be increased awareness of this nexus among policy-making elites.     

国际法上的风险预防原则

风险预防原则已经成为国际和国内环境保护法律制度的一项重要的基本原则。该原则要求我们在进行任何的经济活动之前就对该活动可能会对自然环境和生态系统造成的影响进行风险预测,并相应采取针对性的措施,从而更好地保护自然环境和生态系统。但如何将该原则运用到危险废物越境转移领域,仍然有待我们进行理论上的探讨。应加强对危险废物越境转移中运用该原则等方面的探讨。     

Incorporating Equity into International Water Agreements

River basins have provided resources for the advancement of human civilization from the earliest historic times. With river basin development has also come conflict, particularly in the past century. In response, the international community has developed generalized, global principles for the equitable allocation of water resources between nation-states, most notably through the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. These principles, however, have rarely been explicitly put into practice. To resolve or avert conflict in the world's 261 international river basins, riparian nations have instead relied upon treaties that incorporate basin-specific needs and conditions and define equity at the most local level. An examination of the progression of geographic thought on river basin development reveals a spatial focus that has not evolved beyond the basin and landscape scales. The absence of theoretical underpinnings for global frameworks may explain why riparian nations have not widely adopted general principles for the equitable allocation of water resources in actual treaty practice.     

Building European Union capacity to manage transboundary crises: Network or lead‐agency model?

In recent years, the European continent has witnessed a substantial number of “transboundary crises” – crises that cross geographical borders and affect multiple policy domains. Nation states find it hard to deal with such crises by themselves. International cooperation, thus, becomes increasingly important, but it is not clear what shape or form that cooperation should take. This article explores the growing role of the European Union (EU) in managing transboundary crises. More specifically, it reflects on the different ways in which the expanding contours of the EU's emerging crisis capacity can be organized. Using three “performative dimensions” – sense‐making, coordination, and legitimacy – the article discusses the possible advantages and disadvantages of a decentralized, network model and compares it with a more centralized, lead‐agency model. It concludes that the current network model is a logical outcome of the punctuated and fragmentary process through which EU crisis management capacities have been created. It also notes that the shortcomings of this model may necessitate elements of a lead‐agency model. Such “agencification” of networks for transboundary crisis management may well lead to a hybrid model that is uniquely suited for the peculiar organizational and political creature that the EU is.     

A Tale of Two Countries: Markets and Transboundary Water Governance Between the United States and Mexico

While there is a robust literature about using tradeable permits as a solution to pollution externalities, less work has applied these principles to the area of transboundary water management. This article proposes the use of transboundary water banking as a means for addressing issues of water externalities, conflict over water resources, and incentive compatibility. First, the article provides clarity to this discussion by synthesizing relevant literature over transboundary water governance, focusing on the experience between the United States and Mexico over the Colorado River. Second, the article formalizes the idea of a transboundary water bank and the efficiency of an auctioned versus grandfathered permit program. Third, the article provides a brief formulation of the market design elements of such a scheme, namely four conditions that enable a sort of Nash Equilibrium among agents. The article concludes by alluding to the parallels between energy and water markets. While only a start, this article seeks to catalyze more formal mathematical modeling of solutions to transboundary water governance.     

我国加入WTO后跨境犯罪动向预测

加入WTO将使我国融入国际经济的大潮之中 ,跨境犯罪也会因此而呈现出发案数上升 ,作案手段更加隐蔽 ,有组织犯罪的危害扩大 ,高科技犯罪频繁发生 ,犯罪分子寻找权力保护的意识增强的新动向。国家强力机关应当根据这些新情况进行必要的战略调整 ,以有效控制跨境犯罪的发展蔓延势头。     

谈我国改革开放前沿的跨境毒品犯罪

随着内地与港澳的交流曰益密切，经贸往来日益频繁、人员往来不断增加，毒品犯罪分子充分利用便利的交通条件和粤港澳三地法域的差异，建立起制造、贩卖、走私毒品的犯罪团伙和网络，进行跨境毒品犯罪。研究跨境毒品犯罪的发展趋势、探讨跨境毒品犯罪的原因，有利于制定有效的打击对策，从而有效地遏制跨境毒品犯罪的不断发展、蔓延。     

论跨界环境损害民事责任归责原则

由于环境损害为特殊侵权行为,各国一般无论在法律或实践中都将环境损害归结为严格责任,跨界环境损害归责原则也是如此。从法理分析,严格责任的承担基础是公平的分配损失,即应从国家本位向国际社会本位理念转变,以国际社会整体价值及国际民商事秩序的构建为导向来分配责任。且出于平衡受害人、加害人、环境等保护以及国际贸易发展关系的考虑,在重大危险活动中如环境损害领域嵌入责任保险制度,实属必要。从现实来看,相较于污染者而言,受害人往往是农民、工人等社会弱势群体,且加害人是在明知的情况下从事高度危险活动,因此为谋求经济利益而造成高度风险者必须承担起控制此项活动任何有害后果的责任,这符合风险与收益并存原理以及公平原则。     

Validity of power indices

An important approach to understanding power seeks a generalized measure that can rank nation‐states from the most to the least powerful. Data‐oriented researchers have developed several such single‐ and multivariable, linear and nonlinear indices. The test of their usefulness varies with their intended purpose. For policymakers desiring the most efficient way to assess the likelihood that a nation‐state can achieve its goals, the key issues are parsimony in the selection of variables, stability over time, combinatorial patterns enabling successful prediction, and applicability across a range of situations. For theoreticians the index must “work” within the chosen theoretical context. If several indices meet the constraints imposed by the theory, then that one should be chosen that introduces the least amount of additonal (nontheoretical) information.     

Water resources in Central Asia: regional stability or patchy make-up?

This article explores the cooperation after independence on four Central Asian transboundary rivers. The paper shows that, even though the Central Asian states agreed in 1992 to continue with the basic water-sharing principles, new agreements had to be made. New agreements were only made in basins with large-scale water-control infrastructure, which have transboundary significance or are transboundary themselves. The inequitable water allocation between the riparian states has continued and has not triggered new agreements.