EUROPEAN COMMUNITY.   Term Paper ID:17033 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Background & development, contemporary role of community in world politics & economics, other nations' attitudes, impact of community on other nations, past, present & future. Laws, organization, operations.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Background & development, contemporary role of community in world politics & economics, other nations' attitudes, impact of community on other nations, past, present & future. Laws, organization, operations. Paper Introduction: INTRODUCTION This research examines the external relations of the European Communities, which, for purposes of this research, are referred to in the singular as the European Community (EC). The findings of this research are presented in discussions of (1) the contemporary role of the EC in world politics, (2) the concerns and responses of other countries with respect to the EC, and (3) the impact of the EC on other countriespast, present, and future. THE CONTEMPORARY ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY IN WORLD POLITICS As the EC is comprised of a number of separate communities with memberships drawn from the same population of nations (although not all nations within the population are members, or Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. a risk-free operation canhave only the effect of insuring that they will take place(Kirkpatrick, 1983, pp. it as an important actor in its own right. 161-179). This European independence of the US is often interpreted to mean thatthe EC constitutes a powerful third force between the US and the SovietUnion. 46).Common Community responses to international political crises, defense, andother matters are also envisioned by the Single Act. The US, albeit against itswill, has been forced to accord greater consideration to the opinions anddesires of other countries. Governmental policies in both those countries, and in the foodexporting industrialized countries are implicated (The World FoodInstitute, 1985, p. Thus, the action in the United Nations seemed to most of themto be just another irrational or Communist-inspired (or both) reactionagainst the US, in spite of the fact that all of the country's Europeanallies in NATO voted against it. Nowhere were the governments of the westernindustrialized countries found offering the massive amounts of aidrequired. Opting out, however, is a difficult process and a riskystep for both the EC as an entity and for individual countries. 1, 6). resolution'deploring' Grenada invasion. As an example, in late-1985 and early-1986, the attention of the worldwas drawn to the pathetic spectacle of millions of people starving inEthopia. Pursuit ofeconomic integration has been both more rapid and more successful than hasthe pursuit of political unity, although economic integration has also beenbeset with significant problems. inevitably must have consequences for theirrelations with the United States outside the U.N. The situation was presented in great detail on television screensaround the world on a daily basis. Recent food policy lessons from developingcountries. The Canadian WheatMarketing Board also plays an important role; however, it is over shadowedby the five giant multinationals, four of which have the support of eitherthe EC or the US. Perhaps the answer must be, in partat least, affirmative, because even their supporters admit that ample foodproduction exists in the mid-198 s to adequately feed the world'spopulation (Falcon, 1984, pp. The Council hasthe authority to overrule some actions taken by the Commission in the nameof the EC as a single entity (Brewin, 1987, p. Whether or not the result was either intended or desired, theconflicts in southern Africa have become, in part at least, entangled inthe worldwide confrontation between the super powers--the US and the SovietUnion (Pomeroy, 1983, pp. To get unanimous assent from the 12 member countries to the SingleAct, it was necessary to insert a clause into the Act which enabled membercountries to opt out of an action, if they felt it was detrimental to theirnational interest. This is a consequence of its business interests in the RSA, whichhave not supported strong EC actions against the RSA. In March 1989, the European Economic Community (EEC) tradeministers agreed to restrict admission to the Community of televisionprogramming; that which was produced outside of the Community, was not toexceed 4 percent of the total non-news and non-sports programming withinthe Community (Common market..., 1989, p. 2). Such decisive developments, however, have not occurred withrespect to the external relations of the EC (Brewin, p. The intent of some of these effortswas laudable; of others--pathetic; of yet others--laughable; and of some--down-right sinister. This action was taken, however, on avote by the Council of Ministers, and not as an action by either theCommission or the European Parliament, either of which could be viewed as agreater demonstration of the EC acting as a single entity in externalrelations. Again, at some pointin the future, this growing EC presence in the developing world maycontribute to the development of the EC as a potent third force between thesuper powers. An understanding of the development of asingle political voice for the EC, therefore, requires an appreciation ofthe political status of the EC. At the sametime, however, the EEC has acted to protect its own producers, often withadverse impacts in the developing world. . A16). Brewin, C. In contemporary world politics, the EC is recognized as an emergingpolitical force. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, LXVI(1, Spring),18 -185. 12 -2 1). . The speech that launched a thousandcritics. Journal of Common Market Studies, XXV(4), 271-294. Merchants of grain. A major segment of the population of the US, probably a sizeablemajority, and most of its national politicians tend to view the country asa "knight in shinning armor," which is always acting on the side of "rightand justice." Thus, when other countries of the world fail to perceiveAmerican actions in the same idealistic and, most often, unrealistic way,Americans become somewhat confused. Martin's Press. The EC also acts effectively and in a unified manner through the EECwith respect to trade. The Soviet Union, with much more pressingeconomic needs than those of the US looks to the EC as the force which willpermit it to enter the mainstream of international trade. The Libyan-American affair in 1986 provides a more typicalillustration of EC actions in external political relations. Cambridge,England: Cambridge University Press. Hunger does exist in the contemporary world. 1-9).It has proven to be a dreadful awakening for most Americans to learn thatthe EC is not economically dependent in the US, and is, thus, not subjectto the type of political blackmail proposed by Kirkpatric. (1986). . The development of the EC into theworld's largest economic force has, however, compelled "third parties totreat . European political cooperation and theUnited States. References Bernstein, R. . . 2). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. World trade and U.S. Common market law to limit U.S. (1987, June). TV in Europe. J. In early 1983, the American Ambassador tothe United Nations, Jeane Kirkpatrick addressed the issue as follows: We need to communicate to nations that their actions . CONCERNS AND RESPONSES OF OTHER COUNTRIES WITH RESPECT TO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY The external relations of the EC with respect to the US have undergonegreater change than have the community's external relations with any othernation or group of nations. 18 -185). Inthat context, the formal ties between the EEC and the Loma Agreementcountries have created enormous benefits throughout the world. agriculture,196 -1985. 1). Annual review of theactivities of the European communities in 1987. Lastly, of the 12 member states of the EC, onlyIreland is not also a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).Canada, Iceland, Norway, the United States (US), and Turkey are alsomembers of NATO. While such actions have political overtones, they arenot,strictly speaking, political actions. The causes of hunger and famine in the world are many and varied.Certainly, not all of these causes are sinister, and natural phenomena(such as droughts) do not fall into the category of controllable variables. In an economic and cultural context, the EC is able to take effective,unified action. It is more likely that,in instances where member states are seriously divided on a politicalresponse, no action will be taken in the name of the EC. Grain production available for export to the poorer countries of theworld is concentrated in North America, Western Europe, and parts of SouthAmerica (Morgan, 1979, pp. European action in the United Nations, even whereunity appears to be present, is, in fact, separate actions by separatenational governments. 44).Although the creation of the Commission, which consists of membersrepresenting each member state, was a significant step, it did not providethe EC with a common voice--particularly in external relations. New York: The VikingPress. Morgan, D. 274-275). First, the truck bombing of American peace-keeping forces in The Lebanon resulted inthe deaths of more than two-hundred American soldiers, and,secondly, American armed forces invaded Grenada. In thatinstance, the individual member states of the EC were not in agreement asto what level of support the community should provide for what manyconsidered to be an intemperate American action (Paradalis, 1987, pp. . As a consequence of Europe's economic needsand its military weakness just after the Second World War, the US was ableto exert an almost imperial influence over Western Europe (Calleo, 197 , p.24). The European community: A union ofstates without a union of government. . . In the mid-twentieth century, thisproduction and distribution is effectively controlled by five privatesector firms--Andre and Dreyfus in Western Europe, Continental Grain andCargill in the United States, and Bunge in Argentina. Through the Lome Agreement, the EEC has established formaleconomic and cultural ties with 6 different countries in Africa, Asia, andLatin America. Regardless of one's position or sympathies, the violent conflictoccurring within the RSA, and the repressive measures taken by itsgovernment to quell that conflict are of compelling interest. Kirkpatrick, J. With respect to internal law, actions by the member states of the EC,together with rulings of the European Court, have created a situation whichis consistent with a conception of the EC as a union of states (Brewin,1987, p. to vote against us on important issues of principle on Tuesday . 1). Yet it is plainlynot a sovereign state" (Brewin, 1987, p. This position is a strongly held one--particularly by the so-called "Front Line States." The Front Line States are a group of politically independent, majorityrule countries located in southern Africa. Theagribusiness giants, however, were, at least, quiet. Pomeroy, W. The net result, inthe context of the external relations of the EC, has been no effectiveunified political action on the part of the EC against the RSA. The World Food Institute. The long-term goals of the communities are (1) the integration of theeconomies of the member countries, and (2) political unity. (1986, July 28). The actions taken by NATO have significant impacts onworld politics; therefore, the external relations of the EC must also beconsidered with respect to their NATO relationship. (1983, March 7). (1983). The two revolutionaryorganizations are the African National Congress (ANC), which is seekingpolitical majority rule, and political equality for citizens of the RSA,and the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), which seekspolitical independence for Namibia, which is occupied by the RSA, and whichis referred to by its colonial name, South West Africa (by the RSA). There is also recognition, however, that it is theCommunity's economic power which provides it with its strongest voice.Unity in contentious political action still appears to lie somewhere in thefuture. Journal of Common Market Studies,XXVI(1), 1-23. (Ed.). Is it caused orexacerbated by the control of the grain production and the marketingsystem, by giant grain multinational corporations, with the support of theEC, the US, and a few other countries? 4). A majority of the member nations of the EC voted in favor of theresolution, although the EC, as a separate entity, has no standing in theUnited Nations. . A16). Thus, the EC, which has in the past been very tight in itsagreement for a member to opt out, may be able to even more effectivelyrestrict such actions subsequent to 1992--the effective date for the SingleAct. our support on Friday . These variables includethe policies of food exporting industrial countries, including the EC, thepolicies of the countries in which food crises exist, and the structure ofthe world market for agricultural pro-ducts, which is strongly influencedby the EC (Morgan, 1979, pp. agriculture,196 -1984. Followingthe invasion of Grenada, a vote in the United Nations General Assemblydeplored the American invasion and demanded a withdrawal of American forces--only six countries, one of which was the US, voted against the resolution. 49-66). Falcon, W. In February 1989, the EC demonstrated its capability to takedecisive, unified action in international relations, when it acted againstIran in the Salman Rusdee affair. (197 ). These economic ties foster stronger and closerrelationships between the EC and the other countries. In the disagreement with the US in late-1988 overthe use of growth hormones in beef production, the Community acted with asingle voice. World trade and U.S. I am convinced that tomake attacks on the United States . (1984). .inside the U.N. The Front Line States have sought political support from the EC, asthey have been unable to gain it from the US, in their struggle against theRSA. The New York Times, CXXXV(46849), 8Y. (1987, September). . The major impact of thisaction will be felt by the US, as more than one-half of the televisionprogramming now broadcast in the EC is of American origin (Commonmarket..., p. The EC, along with the UnitedStates, pursues policies which both support the agribusinessmultinationals, and the development and maintenance of core-peripheralrelationships between developed and developing countries. The findings of this research arepresented in discussions of (1) the contemporary role of the EC in worldpolitics, (2) the concerns and responses of other countries with respect tothe EC, and (3) the impact of the EC on other countries--past, present, andfuture. Many private efforts were relatively ineffective (the US $8 million raised by the Live Aid Concert would not even begin to address thehunger problems in Ethopia--much less those in the rest of Africa and inthe rest of the world). The Atlantic fantasy: The US, NATO, andEurope. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University. A day later, the US exercised its veto power in a UnitedNations Security Council vote on the same issue--the vote was 11-to-1against the US (Bernstein, 1983, pp. 2). Polls indicated that a majority of Americans supported the invasionof Grenada. The food crisisin most of the world's low-income countries, however, also has othercauses. The strongest Community impact has been in the economic arena. As an individualnation, the United Kingdom provided some support to the US, whileindicating that it was not in full agreement with American actions. While the impact of the EC on countries in Africa, Asia, and LatinAmerica generally must be accorded a mixed review, its impact on the superpowers has been, for the most part, favorable. U.S. (1979). The ReaganAdministration, by contrast, was busy blaming Ethopian hunger on thepolicies of that country's government, which, presumably, purposefullybrought about an African drought, which has been identified as one of themajor causes of food production problems in northern and eastern Africa(The World Food Institute, 1985, p. Testimony by United Statespermanent representative to the United Nations before the SenateAppropriations Committee Foreign Operations Subcommittee. The Single Act also changes voting: (1) from an equal vote for allmembers to a proportional system based both on population, and financialcontribution to the EC; and (2) from a unanimous vote to a 56 percentmajority vote. Paxton, J. (photocopy), 1-9. This fact is also documented byimpartial agencies (The World Food Institute, 1986, p. THE CONTEMPORARY ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY IN WORLD POLITICS As the EC is comprised of a number of separate communities withmemberships drawn from the same population of nations (although not allnations within the population are members, or full members, of each of theseparate communities), it is necessary to consider the community structure,in order to be able to understand why the EC acts as it does in externalrelations. 5 -51). . P. The UK, however,adamantly opposes sanctions against the RSA, and the Federal Republic ofGermany. 8Y). . Duringmost of the 198 s, the attention of the world has focused on eventsoccurring within the Republic of South Africa (RSA), and, to only aslightly lesser extent, on events occurring in states bordering thatcountry. Assignificant as are the problems of the RSA to continuing world order, andas potentially disastrous as they were for the country's population--black,white, or Asian, they remain, nevertheless, a part of much broaderproblems. THE IMPACT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY Through its actions both as a unified Community (in those instanceswhere such action has been possible), and in the context of individualnations, the impact of the EC throughout the world has been both good andbad. This islikely to continue as long as the US and the UK continue to cling to thewhite-led government of the RSA and the EC is unable to take decisivepolitical action in the international arena when one or more of its memberstates opposes such action. The action by the Council of Ministers was a unanimous action.While it was a significant Community response to an external politicalissue, it is a response which could not have occurred had opinion beendivided on the Council. In some instances, however, hunger in some parts of the world does appearto be directly related to controllable variables. (1979). Publicopinion, however, is forcing national political leaders in several ECmember states to reappraise their national support for some NATO policies.These position reappraisals are causing friction to develop between theEuropean members of NATO and the US. When these other countries make their"anti-American" ideas official, by such actions as casting votes in theUnited Nations in opposition to American positions, Americans--ordinarycitizen and politician alike--often become angry, and demand cessation ofUS financial aid or other forms of support, withdrawal from the UnitedNations, and any of a host of other "knee-jerk"reactions. Namibia's independence and the freedom ofAfrica. Withrespect to external political issues, the EC has very little more power toact independently of its member states than does the United Nations to actindependently of the five member states which may exercise a veto in thatorganization (Brewin, p.6). In addition to the eight politically independent,majority rule countries, two revolutionary organizations are typicallyincluded in the group of Front Line States. The fact that the EC, through the European Economic Community (EEC)can and often does act as a single entity in international economicrelations is often misconstrued as proof that the EC can act in a similarway with respect to external political issues (Brewin, 1987, p. In early-1989, however, the EC, as a single entity, does not havethe freedom to act in external relations which is required for it toperform such a role. Weintraub, B. In the US, spokespersons for both theState Department and the White House frequently described the ANC as acommunist organization, and often criticized SWAPO for perceived left-leaning tendencies (Weintraub, 1986, p. Lastly, there was nomention of the core-peripheral relationships in contemporary capitalismwhich all but insured that developing countries would remain in a dependentstatus (Wallerstein, 1979, pp. Throughout all of the concern expressed over the hunger in Ethopia,little, if any, mention was made of the fact that hunger exists on amassive scale in dozens of developing countries throughout Africa, Asia,and Latin America--not just Ethopia. MotherTheressa was trotted onto the world stage to proclaim that hunger wascaused by the forces of evil, and the Reagan Administration in Washingtonidentified the forces of evil as Marxist devils, proclaiming that hunger inEthopia was the fault of the socialist political and economic policies ofthat country. (1989). .and pick up . This part of the actcauses Britain to worry about its independent freedom of action, andIreland to worry about its constitutional neutrality. The Statesman's Year-Book, 126th edition. Further, as the greatest unity among the member nations of theEC has occurred within the economic sphere, it is also necessary toconsider the external relations of the EC in an economic context, as wellas in a political context. . Journal of Common MarketStudies, XXVI(4), 431-467. In a regional context, the problems within the RSA are a part of thepolitical, social, and economic environments of all of southern Africa.Most of the countries of southern Africa believe that regional solutionsare required; that as long as untenable conditions prevail in any part ofsouthern Africa, the stability and development of the entire region isthreatened. 35). . 433). Paradalis, A. vetoes U.N. It has been held thatthe contemporary European Council of government leaders "seems to beproviding the political authority characteristic of a classicconfederation" (Brewin & McAllister, 1988, p. The New York Times, 1, 6. (1987, June). it is not possible. The US, more than any other country, has found it exceptionallydifficult to come to grips with an EC which has a mind of its own, even ifit often does not speak with a single voice (Paradalis, 1987, pp. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University.----------------------- 17 . Thus, itis unlikely that the procedure will be used often. Although the first European communities came into being in 1958 (as aconsequence of the 1957 Treaty of Rome), each of the separate communitiesfunctioned as individual entities until July 1967, when the executives ofthe then three existing communities were merged into a single commission,after which, the goals and objectives of the three communities began to bepursued in a coordinated and cohesive manner (Paxton, 1989, p. . The Council of Ministers, also composed of the member nations of theEC, represents the national interests of EC member states. (1983, October 2 ). Brewin, C., & McAllister, R. . At some point in the future, this interpretation may become areality. The World Food Institute. 282-289). New York: St. Thus,whether the Front Line States and allied organizations in southern Africawere communist or left-leaning originally, they will probably find no whereelse to turn for help in the future, but the east bloc states. With respect to the Soviet Union, European political movement is beingpropelled more by public opinion within the community than it is by theCommunity itself as an entity. In other areas of the world--Africa, Asia, and Latin America, however,the EC is becoming a stronger presence, as a result of its growing economicpower, and its increased ability and willingness to assist developingcountries. Two such examples occurred in the Fall of 1983--each in close timeproximity to the other. 35). Calleo, D. (1989, March 15).The New York Times, A16. As a consequence, the action actually taken was viewed by many,particularly the US, as being both timid and ineffective. P. (1985). INTRODUCTION This research examines the external relations of the EuropeanCommunities, which, for purposes of this research, are referred to in thesingular as the European Community (EC). The Capitalist World-Economy. The African Communist, 93(Second Quarter), 47-55. The only actions taken on a Community leveltoward the Soviet Union have been a broadening of trade relations. . Nowhere were the giant and powerful agribusinessmultinationals found sacrificing profits to prevent starvation. Wallerstein, I. There are eight of thecountries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania,Zambia, and Zimbabwe. There is strong sentiment within the EC for support of the Front LineStates, and for effective action against the RSA. Although the EC has passed through many structural transitions, itreally does not (and cannot) speak with a single political voice incontemporary international relations. The Single Act of Luxembourg, which, by 1987, had been ratified byall EC member countries, is the vehicle which is designed to bring aboutthe complete economic integration of the community (Paxton, 1989, p. Another example may be found in the South African question. Throughout the appeals for individualdonations to Ethopian famine relief, no mention was made in the westernmedia of any culpability on the part of western agribusinessmultinationals, or of the policies of the industrialized countries for thedevelopment and continued existence of world hunger. Rock and roll concerts were organizedin various countries to raise funds to help the hungry in Ethopia. Thus, the Front Line States and allied organizations in particular,and all of southern Africa generally, are entangled in a worldwideconfrontation in which they were manipulated by some of the great powers.While placing the conflicts of southern Africa in an east-west context isboth inappropriate and undesirable from the perspective of the Front LineStates and allied organizations, such action suits the purposes of the RSAin an admirable manner. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.