糖心TV

A Pinpoint Politics article by Lisa Jorke

On December 8th, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change was concluded in the Qatari capital of Doha. Apart from a prolongation of the Kyoto Protocol, the participating governments failed to reach a promising consensus. Even the climate damage funds for the poorest countries will be designated as aid to bypass any legal obligation of the industrialised world towards the developing countries. In the struggle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within an international framework, agriculture plays an important role as one of the main contributors to these emissions. In this respect the venue of the conference seems almost ironic, as it is exactly in Doha where in 2001 a new round of WTO negotiations on the international trading system commenced, revolving around issues such as agriculture and development. The negotiations, also referred to as the ‘Doha Development Agenda’, were aimed at improving the trading chances of developing countries on the global market, especially in the field of agriculture. A central means to achieve this is through the reduction of subsidies and import tariffs in the developed economies, especially in the EU countries. However, to date there has been no breakthrough and the negotiations will have to be considered unsuccessful.

A Pinpoint Politics article by Emanuel Ingold

Human rights norm-setting and the monitoring of their implementation provokes many strong negotiations within the UN. Promoters of human rights such as civil society groups try to push states to increase accountability on an international level. At the same time, alleged violators of legal UN human rights repeatedly try to restrict the influence of various bodies. Within this setting, the state-centred human rights mechanisms within the UN are exposed to a paradox: they are political organs with a normative function. States are criticised by many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and commentators for focusing on the political side more than the normative one. So, do the mechanisms lose their credibility?

A Pinpoint Politics article by Frank Mouritz

This year the fall of the Berlin Wall, which initiated the end of the Cold War, had its 23rd anniversary. Since then many members of the former Warsaw Pact became free and democratic states. Some of them even joined the European Union so that now former enemies of the Cold War are united through one institution that just recently received the Nobel Peace Prize for its inspiring vision to establish peace and friendship among the many diverse nations who call Europe their home. Unaffected by this development, one Cold War conflict survives to the present day and still divides the people of one nation into two countries. I am talking of course about Korea. The liberal democratic south is still officially at war with the communist north.

On Wednesday 28 November, PAIS will hold the first annual Roger Duclaud-Williams Memorial Lecture as part of the PAIS Seminar Series. The lecture, entitled 'Rupert Murdoch and the Rise of Euroscepticism in the British Media' will be given by Dr Oliver Daddow of the Univeristy of Leiceister.

The event will take place at 16.00, with refreshments at 15.30, in S0.18 in the Socical Sciences Building. All are welcome.

The 糖心TV Emerging Markets Society aims to provide a diverse platform encouraging the exchange of knowledge and ideas on the developing countries between professionals and students. Their goal is to educate and inform students about the changing global landscape. They have a focus on several aspects, including politics, economics, law, development, social entrepreneurship and graduate opportunities to give students a comprehensive view on the issue of emerging nations.

On Saturday 24 November, the will take place in the Maths and Stats building on the university campus. PAIS is pleased to be a contributing sponsor to this event and our students are encouraged to participate. More information, including schedule and venue information, can be found on the .