Peter Dombrowski

Haute Finance and High Theory: Recent Scholarship on Global Financial Relations

In surveying the literature on global financial relations, this essay suggests that (1) states have not “surrendered” or “retreated” but reinterpreted their roles relative to global finance, (2) interstate cooperation is pervasive but fragile, and (3) capital mobility has not yet altered the structures of the international system. Although states have abandoned or lost a number of traditional roles with regard to global finance, they have also assumed new responsibilities. In particular, they have pursued interstate cooperation and state-to-firm “diplomacy” in the face of cross-border financial crises, the increasing power of transnational financial services firms, common regulatory objectives, and the pervasive desire for strong economic growth. Thus, even as the power and influence of private actors, institutions, and markets have grown enormously in the international system as a whole, states continue to shape outcomes.

Global Debate and the Limits of the Bush Doctrine

The “Bush Doctrine” asserting the right to preemptively attack states that support or harbor terrorists and pursue weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has bitterly divided world opinion. Many seemingly long-settled questions of international politics, especially involving the unilateral use of force, have been reopened. Although we are concerned about the implications of the Bush Doctrine, we do not agree that it fundamentally changes world politics as some have asserted. Instead, we argue that the global debate leading up to the war in Iraq signals widespread support for existing international norms. Most states continue to see force as a last resort, properly subject to multilateral control in all but the most urgent cases of imminent self-defense. The nature of American diplomatic maneuverings in the United Nations and the public statements of high-level officials suggest that even the United States continues to recognize the importance of these norms.

Appetite of the wolf: German foreign assistance for central and eastern Europe

In this article we examine German foreign aid for central and eastern Europe in order to determine which foreign policy course Germany is likely to pursue. We outline the dominant debates over German foreign policy, review German aid programmes to eastern Europe, define the patterns evident within these policies and then analyse their key characteristics in relation to these on‐going debates. In our conclusion we then compare the predictions from the dominant positions to the evidence we present about Germanys foreign aid programme to determine which scenario seems most likely. We suggest that Germany has accommodated its own policies to the institutions of supranational organisation and the interests of its members. Insofar as Germany heeds the advice of its EU partners, articulates its vision of a stable and prosperous Europe, and leads its more reluctant peers and populace in this direction, central and eastern Europe has little to fear from a normalised Federal Republic.

Changing identities and international relations theory: A cautionary note

A contemporary theme in international relations holds that the loyalty of individuals toward states is in decline as individuals shift their identities toward supranational or subnational entities. Surprisingly there have been few attempts to track such shifts empirically. We use data from cross‐national public opinion surveys to examine whether loyalties have changed in recent decades. Our analysis suggests that loyalty to territorial states has remained relatively stable, with minor exceptions, for individuals from different geographic regions, socio‐economic backgrounds, and age cohorts.

Rise of a Cybered Westphalian Age: The Coming Decades

No frontier lasts forever, and no global commons extends endlessly. Today we are witnessing the fence building process of the cyberspace. The days of limited cyber spying through software backdoors or betrayals by trusted insiders, vandalism, or even theft had evolved into the ability to deliver devastating blows from afar. Thus, states are establishing sovereign control in the virtual world in the name of security and economic sustainability. This paper analyses the emergence of what we call cybered territorial sovereignty as a consequence of states’ efforts to secure their borders against cyber attacks. The case of Stuxnet is introduced as an instance of new threat faced in the cyberspace. We argue Stuxnet marks the beginning of a new cyber Westphalian world of virtual borders and national cyber commands. We have seen this phenomena before as states consolidated their position following the treaties of Onasbrucke and Munster. Existing theories about the emergence of international rules and institutions can help us understand how the Westphalian model will adapt to the demands of securing cyberspace.

Is Grand Strategy a Research Program? A Review Essay

Abstract The literature on grand strategy is dynamic and voluminous. Yet a vital set of questions remains unsettled. There is little agreement on such basic issues as a common definition of grand strategy, the appropriate methods that should be employed in studying it, which countries qualify as comparative cases, and whether the purpose of research is explanatory or prescriptive. This article examines four recent, important books as a platform for addressing these issues and argues that, as currently constituted, grand strategy is a field of study rather than a mature research program. It concludes by offering a modest range of options that can be employed to rectify these problems and develop a comparative grand strategy program.

The Strategy of Sponsorship

Sponsorship strategies bolster and subsidise allies who share Americas interests and are motivated to implement them.

A Principal-Agent Approach to Foreign Economic Policy: State-Business Relations during U.S. Debt Crisis Management

U.S. officials often rely on American corporations to achieve public policy objectives within the international economy. For example, commercial banks played an integral role in U.S. debt crisis management efforts. The reliance on American businesses to achieve policy ends challenges theoretical assumptions about relations between private firms and the American state. It also forces analysts to develop new methodological tools for analyzing policy implementation. When foreign policy outcomes depend on the behavior of private firms, traditional models must be modified to account for the complexity of state-business relations in a globalized political economy. To analyze the contribution of American firms to U.S. economic policy objectives, this paper draws upon institutionalist approaches to social science. Institutional analysis, and in particular economic views of organizations, focus on the role of incentives and information asymmetries in inter-organizational relations. This paper develops an analytic framework based on principal-agent theory and uses it to assess U.S. efforts to manage the global debt crisis.

Problems Facing Us Assistance for the Post-Soviet Republics

Since 1989 American policy-makers have continually affirmed US support for the transition of the former Soviet republics from authoritarian, command economies to democratic, market economies. The United States will continue to aid the transition to protect its own political, economic and security interests. Professor Rex Wades article offers reasonable advice for American officials faced with the difficult task of assisting this transition. Building upon his analysis, I shall elaborate on several of the most pressing problems facing American officials responsible for administering assistance programs. Three broad problems confront US policy-makers promoting markets and democratic political institutions in the former Soviet republics: 1) inadequate resources; 2) embattled foreign assistance institutions; and 3) the lack of international consensus about the goals and means for influencing the transition. Each of these issues has the potential to weaken American and international efforts to shape post-Communist society. In combination, they threaten the long-term foreign policy objectives of the United States.