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A Look into the Contemporary Global Issues

BOOK REVIEW

Journal of International Relations Vol: 1, No: 2, January-June 1994 Editor: Dr Akmal Hussain Published by the Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, Dhaka.
THE Department of International Relations of the University of
Dhaka is the only academic premise of its category to teach inter-state relations In the country. In December. 1993 it published the Journal of International Relations for the first time since It began its journey in. 1947. The second Issue has recently reached the readers' hand.
This issue contains six different articles which deal with important features on current global politics like. European Union (EU). the UN peace-. keeping operations. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Bosnia-Herzegovina.
■ Nuclear Proliferation in South . Asia and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
In the first article' titled. "A Fortress Europe in the Offing: European Union. Single Market and the Developing World." Shamsul 1 Khan expounds the Important characteristics of the EU with special reference to its various phases. Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the United States has become the sole superpower and the structural change which has taken place' in the world order augment, the concept of Pax Americana On the other hand, the process of European integration* - has achieved a remarkable success through the Maas-tritch Treaty which projects a multidimensional horizon for a 'Unicentric' Europe as well as a 'Eurocentric' world. In the aftermath of single market initiative in 1985, the treaty of European Union was Initialled in February. 1992 and it | started functioning as a single ' market from January 1. 1993 the transformation from the EEC to EC expands frontier . among mamber states themselves while it increases trade barrier with developing countries. The author examines how the EU and the Single European Market (SEM) sire affecting developing , countries. As an outcome of
SEM a third state will be able to enter a greater market only by negotiating a set of 'Eurocrats’. On the other hand, the SEM can easily monopolise the trade policy with a third country. The writer identifies a number of complexities in accelerating the EU. such as the problem with jurisdiction of its activities, demise of sovereignty. negative integration through Single European Act etc.
In recent days peacekeeping has become a regular routine work for the UN though the practice was not incorporated into the UN Charter. Gulam Mustafa in his article titled "The UN Peacekeeping Operation: Chalanges and Options" represents a brief history of the UN Peacekeeping Programmes beginning with the UN Truce Supervision Organisations active in Palastlne in 1948 to date. Since the birth of the UN as a world organisation it has been accused by a number of states for being "used". Despite Its severe criticisms it has been trying to exhibit an excellent performance for peacekeeping throughout the uni verse. The author categorically discusses various Issues which Include various dilemmas, problems, prospects and options for the UN peacekeeping operations and Justifies them from a critical point of view.
“Non- Govern mental Organization — Emergence and Role : In Search of a General Theory" by Tasneem Siddiqui is an important article which analyses the NGO phenomenon from a wider perspective of different explanations. She reveals the characteristics of NGOs and their utility in the developing countries. In this regard she mentions about a good number of scholars from home and abroad. Her article deals with the definition of NGO, its field of inquiry, reformation of economic structure. social transformation of rural poverty, population control, health care and women's development in the Under Developing Countries (UDCs). Besides philanthropic, charitable and humanitarian aspects of NGOs. she also cricises them as they are turning the target group into a privilege group and making the UDCs dependent to the external agents by establishing western capitalist ideology and hegemony.
As there is no homogeneity among the NGOs and their roles differ for various reasons it is difficult to develop a general theory about them. Hence, the authoress proposes some basic elbments for theorising about NGO phenomenon and its role.
The focus of the whole world community is now fixed on Bosnia-Herzegovina as it is a great human' tragedy in the post cold war era. Md Ramjul Huq and M A Aziz trace the genesis of the Bosnian crisis from the seventh century In their article titled. "The Bosnian Crisis: Failure of International Diplomacy". Bosnia-Harzigovina is a multiethnic and multi-religious slate where 44 per cent of the populations consists of Muslims. 31 per cent Serbs. 17 per cent Croats and 8 per cent others. In January 1990, the Federation of Yugoslavia broke up and the event was followed by Serbia and Croatia's declarations of independence on June 25. 1991. They proclaimed their determination to establish Greater Serbia and Greater Crotia' claiming the Bosnian territory as their autonomous region respectively. Thus, started an undescribable. unbearable and unpredictable endless suffering for the Bosnian Muslims.
Why did the conflict start? How Is it being prolonged? How and why are the peace plans falling? What is behind the Serbs continual rejection of the peace plans? This article attempts to answer these pertinent questions.
The authors elaborately discuss every minor initiatives in
the Bosnian peace efforts with keen attention to every peate plan. The peace proposals of the EU and the UN missions are becoming uselesj mainly due to the refusal of Serbia and Bosnian Serbs. At last the United States has sponsored a package of peace plan which established a Croatian-Muslim Federation by offeHng the 51 per cent of the territory and 49 per cent tb the Bosnian Serbs .who are presently controlling 70 per cent of the land. But they have not yet shown any positive will to except the peace plan and. therefore, the crisis remains unresolved. Moreover, the .UN arms embargo on all parties of the former Yugoslavia has actually unarmed the Muslims and led them to a situation of savage chaos of 'ethnic cleansing. So. the world community should keep it in view that If their diplomacy falls in resolving the Bosnian Crisis It will lead the entire region to state of total chaos and instability
Quest for nuclear arms is increasing in South Asia de spite the fact that the probability of a nuclear war has defused in the post cold war world. Another article titled. "South Asia without Nucleaf Bombs?" by Md Nuruzzaman delineates the path of nuclearisation In South Asia along with its char-acteHstics. problems, chal-. lenges and alternative measures. India and Pakistan are at loggerheads with each other since their independence in 1947. The post-Independent geo-polltlc and geo-strategic vulnerabilities of the both countries inspired them to opt for nuclear arms. The Sino-Indian war of 1962, Chinese nuclear attainment in 1964, emergence of Bangladesh in 1971. India's peaceful nuclear explosion in 1974 and Pakistan s policy of Islamic Bomb accelerated the issue and paved the way towards nuclearisation in South Asia The Writer Judges the rationality of nuclear weapons in the recion and Iwno imposes alternatives
Say -I V ' -sii t -.w hies C- e m-pingi NAFTA from the view of Bangladesh s national Interest, in his article (itled. "Understanding NAFTA Benefits and Raison d etre" NAFTA is the largest free trading block in the world which came into effect on January 1 1994. It has only three members. the United States Canada and Mexico Due to inclusion of Mexico in NAFTA the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are facing a dilemma that it may be inward looking and liberalised towards Mexico while detrimental to the inter ests of the LDCs. In this re gard. the writer studies the case of Bangladesh and Mexico presenting comparative features. data, statistics and cal culations. He finds Mexico in a better and advantageous posi •tlon than Bangladesh in trad ing with the US. and the other investors will usually prefer Mexico to Bangladesh for its greater exposure. In order to cope with all the unfavourable circumstances the writer pro poses that Bangladesh should apply for NAFTA membership
The editor Dr Akmal Hussain selects these timelv and important topics from the global hodgepodge. Hair-split ing explanations, appendices with necessary map. data charts, graph enrich the jour nal very much So. this issue is a timely one reflecting some of the serious problems and aspects of contemporary in ternational relations.
Reviewed by
Mohammad Badrul Hassan