COVID-19 in Latin America: Challenges, responses, and consequences
Latin-Amerika er frå midten av mai rekna for å vere eit nytt episenter for COVID-19 av WHO. Sjølv om dei fleste landa var tidleg ute med omfattande smittevernstiltak er det venta at COVID-19 vil ha stor og langvarig effekt i ein region som allereie var prega av økonomiske vanskar og politisk ustabilitet før utbrotet. Økonomiske framskrivingar tyder på at latinamerikanske økonomiar vil bli svært skadelidande av nedgangen på verdsmarknaden. Drastiske smittevernstiltak fører òg med seg grunnleggande spørsmål om legitimitet og forhold mellom stat og innbyggar. I nokre land har viktige demokratiske prosessar stoppa opp. I Brasil har nasjonale myndigheiter si handsaming av krisa blitt ein medverkande faktor til ei pågåande politisk krise. Eit geopolitisk vakuum kan gi Kina høve til å styrke posisjonen sin i regionen.
Conventional arms control on the Korean Peninsula: The current state and prospects
At the end of 2017, the Korean Peninsula reached the brink of a nuclear war, as the US president Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un exchanged words of nuclear threats each other. A tug of war as to whose nuclear button is bigger and stronger exacerbated the nuclear crisis. However, the South Korean President Moon Jae-in intervened to resolve the crisis by taking advantage of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. In doing so, President Moon intended to pursue denuclearisation and peace-building on the Korean Peninsula at the same time. North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un responded positively to the South Korean call to hold the inter-Korean summit and the Trump-Kim summit. In order to end the Korean war and promote peace-building on the Korean Peninsula including termination of hostile acts on inter-Korean relations, the two Koreas adopted the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, the September 19th Pyongyang Joint Declaration and the Inter-Korean Military Agreement at their summit in 2018. The Military Agreement is aimed at reducing tension and building trust between the two Koreas through conventional arms control, while the North Korean nuclear issue is being resolved through the US-DPRK summit. The September 19th Military Agreement is a modest but remarkable success in arms control history when compared with a long-term stalemate or even retreat in the contemporary international arms control arena. Indeed, arms control is at its lowest point in history, so dim are its prospects. Nevertheless, heated debates are taking place, both at home inside South Korea and abroad, over the legitimacy and rationality of the Sept. 19th Military Agreement. With little progress on the denuclearisation issue at the Kim-Trump summit and no sign of easing economic sanctions on Pyongyang, North Korea has test-fired short-range missiles ten times to exert pressure on the United States, undermining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Against this backdrop, this policy brief intends to analyse the true meaning of the September 19 Military Agreement between the two Koreas, to identify its problems and policy implications in order to draw up supplementary measures to implement it successfully. Furthermore, the paper will draw some implications for the relationship between progress on North Korea’s denuclearisation issue and further conventional arms control on the Korean Peninsula.
Preferential tariffs and development of Norwegian rose import from Africa
Purpose Imports of cut roses increased after Norway implemented a preferential tariff scheme for the Least Developed Countries in 2002. When the scheme was extended to more countries in 2008 – among them Kenya – imports exploded. This article studies the subsequent changes in supply channels, import costs and the way Norwegian firms imported. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data, obtained through interviews among five rose importers, are combined with quantitative data for all importing firms and transactions in Norway for years 2003–2014. These data are analysed in light of recent economic theories on international trade. Findings When Kenya was included in the scheme, imports from Europe and domestic production in Norway decreased substantially. Imports from some African countries with low income levels also declined. Importing under GSP involves high fixed import costs due to stringent procedures. Each firm’s imports increased gradually, and over time learning may have facilitated importing. Direct trade with African producers and control over the logistics chain seem to have become more important. Research limitations/implications The analysis build mainly on data for Norwegian importers, not for African exporters. Managerial or Policy implications Simplifying the GSP procedures could increase Norwegian imports from developing countries and induce establishment of new trade relationships, perhaps also for other products than roses. Originality/value Using a mixture of original qualitative data as well as unique, detailed and comprehensive quantitative data, the article provides new insights into how a developed country’s preferential tariff reductions towards developing countries affect trade and buyer-supplier relationships.
COVID-19 will change the way the UN conducts peacekeeping operations in the future
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted UN peacekeeping operations. In the short-term, activities have been reduced to the most critical, rotations have been frozen, and most staff are working remotely. Most of the missions have adapted remarkably well, but even more extreme changes are likely in the medium term, as the global economic recession that will follow in the wake of the virus may force UN peace operations to drastically contract in size and scope.
Handelen med medisinske varer og Covid-19
Koronaepidemien har synliggjort sårbarhet for medisiner og medisinsk utstyr. Skaper globalisering større eller mindre sårbarhet? - Flertallet av verdens land importerer sin medisin, og bare 18 land er netto eksportører. - Eksporten er dominert av Vest-Europa, med Kina og India et stykke ned på listen. - Globalisering har ført til spredning av risiko for medisinske varer med flere leverandørland og mindre konsentrasjon av eksporten. En hovedgrunn er økt eksport fra små land i Europa. - På mer detaljert varenivå er bildet mer blandet, med økt konsentrasjon i en del tilfeller. - Eksportrestriksjoner bidrar til markedskollaps og økte priser, som særlig rammer fattige land som importerer alt de trenger. - For Norge er europeisk samarbeid viktig for medisinsk beredskap.