Academic papers and books on democracy continue to proliferate.  Mainstream western opinion supports views such as:
• Rapid economic development quickens democratisation.
• The liberal democratic path is the only sustainable route to modernity.
• Non-democratic regimes are necessarily ridden with corruption and cronyism.
Two questions which require far more attention than they receive are:
• What is meant by democracy?
• What are the conditions [...]

Problems relating to the South China Sea have been bubbling below the surface for a long time.  However, the public entry of the United States into the arena has brought these problems to the surface.
The South China Sea is now being spoken about in China as a “core interest” of its sovereignty: hitherto the term [...]

 I have blogged before both on negotation and Iran.  A fascinating book by John W Limbert (‘Negotiating with Iran’, 2009) brings the two aspects together.  The author spent 33 years in the US Foreign Service, is a fluent Farsi speaker and has taught at the University of Shiraz.  He was a captive at the siege [...]

Problems relating to the South China Sea have been bubbling below the surface for a long time.  However, the public entry of the United States into the arena has brought these problems to the surface.
The South China Sea is now being spoken about in China as a “core interest” of its sovereignty: hitherto the term [...]

The European Commission launched in 2008 a voluntary register for lobbyists seeking to influence its policymaking.  Interest representation is a legitimate part of a democratic system. The register was established in a Commission effort to enhance public confidence.  The accompanying Code of Conduct is intended to bring more transparency to interest representation, its actors and [...]

The Chinese Mission to the EU organized a workshop on China-EU relations on 17 June 2010.  The following recommendations are supported by the Europeans present at the worshop, in the light of the discussions between them and representatives of the Mission, led by HE Song Zhe:
Long-term
1. Mutual understanding
2. Jean Monnet methodology
3. 2011 China-EU Youth Year
4. Strategic thinking
Short-term
5. Market economy status
6. Dialogues
7. Rule of law
8. European Parliament
9. Communication
Long-term
1. Mutual understanding
This is [...]

Seven individuals smashed up a Brighton factory owned by ITT of the US, at a cost of £187 000 and were recently found not guilty. In 2008, six Greenpeace members were acquitted of causing £30 000 damage to a power station owned by the German Eon energy group.  In 2000, 28 Greenpeace members were found [...]

The following article was published in Global Times on 30 June:
Was the Toronto G20 summit from June 26 to 27 an impetus for action or a display of rhetoric? This is a difficult question to answer.
The Toronto negotiations began well before the meeting. For instance, US President Barack Obama wrote to the G20 leaders well [...]

‘Political’ blogging in Europe lags considerably behind the activity in the US. But the positive trend is clear.
Independent bloggers writing about EU policy are nipping at the heels of their big media rivals, according to a survey on the EU’s English-language blogosphere recently carried out by Waggener Edstrom - “Brussels Blogger Study 2010″.
Recent [...]

The following article was published in New Europe on 12 July:
China is rightly proud of its achievements – particularly the way it came through the global and financial crisis – and also in its successful organizing of the Olympic Games and Shanghai Expo.  But China faces the danger of the growth of protectionism.  Protectionism will [...]