The process of European integration despite the difficulties it presents, can, arguably, constitute a paradigm for the integration processes that take place in other parts of the world. Such a process is the integration of South Asia. ELIAMEP organized a closed discussion with H.E. Ambassador Mohamed Mijarul Quayes, Secretary General of the Minitry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, to discuss how does the region of South Asia interfaces with the process of European integration and to present an assessment of any comparisons that can be drawn from the dynamics of integration in the region. [More..]

The EU funded research project on European Identities and European Modernities (IME) entered its second year and the IME Consortium met for the third time on 6-7 May 2010 in Opatija, Croatia, hosted by the University of Zagreb.

During the meeting, the consortium discussed the outcomes of research so far that focuses on EU and state attempts at identity construction. The research teams participating in IME produced separate case studies on this issue, highlights from which are available in the IME Newsletter, Issue 2 (June 2010). Those reports, as well as their briefings are available from the IME website (http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/public/ime/). For information on the research conducted by the ELIAMEP team on the case of Greece, as well as for the analytical case study, look here. The IME Consortium also engaged with discussions on the strategy forward, which would investigate identity construction at the civil society and private individual levels respectively.

The second meeting of the EU-funded Research Project on European Identities and European Modernities (IME) took place in Athens on 19-20 November 2009, hosted by ELIAMEP.

During the meeting, the consortium engaged with the state of the art concerning identities and modernity in Europe. Departing from this discussion, the research teams participating in IME moved to produce separate case studies, highlights from which are available in the IME Newsletter, Issue 1 (February 2010). Those reports, as well as their briefings are available from the IME website . For information on the research conducted by the ELIAMEP team on the case of Greece, as well as for the analytical case study, look here.

Moreover, Anna Triandafyllidou, (ELIAMEP), Atsuko Ichijo, (Kingston University), Bo Strath, (University of Helsinki) and Ayhan Kaya, (Bilgi University),  exchanged their views during the meeting on how Europe is defined and what Europe and the European Union mean in different contexts. This roundtable discussion entitled ‘Perceptions of Europe: European and Trancontinental Views’ is available at blogs.eliamep.gr/en

The first meeting of the EU-funded Research Project on European Identities and European Modernities (IME) took place in London on 29-30 May, 2009, hosted by Kingston University.

During the meeting, the consortium discussed the basic theoretical tenets of the project, which were then more thoroughly researched and in detail presented in the report ‘Theoretical Framework: Theory of Multiple Modernities and European Identities’. This was completed in September 2009 and is available from the IME website.

Adopting a systematic approach to economic governance in the EU will secure the viability of the European project. For that, political will is necessary. The economic crisis that the EU is experiencing is a historical occasion that requires immediate political response and it can only lead to two directions, backwards or forwards. [More..]

On June 8^th 2010 a joint conference between the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) & the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) was held in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting focused on: “Our Money, My Europe: The Limits of Solidarity. The Internal and external impact of the euro zone crisis”. [More..]

In view of the Greek financial crisis, austerity measures and the social unrest that have followed, ELIAMEP organized a closed discussion on Tuesday, 01/06/2010 on the topic of “Social unrest” with Professor Stathis Kalyvas, Prof. of Political Sciences and Director of the Program on Order, Conflict and Violence, Yale University.

Social unrest and regime changes

Professor Kalyvas presented a historical review of the phenomenon of urban mass protest. Going back to similar cases in the past he made two basic assertions. First, he observed that until today, social unrest has led to regime change only in authoritarian political systems (since democracies seem to have larger absorption and crises management capacities). Such cases are the Iranian revolution in the 1970s, as well as the ‘velvet revolutions’ of Eastern Europe that led to the collapse of communist regimes after 1989. In democratic regimes, on the contrary, social unrest has a tendency to lead to political instability and economic stringency. Second, although there are limited systematic studies on the correlation between economic crises and social unrest, based on the existing bibliography it becomes clear that that there is no linear progress from economic hardship to social unrest. Rather, social unrest seems to have its roots in social and political causes, while ethnic differences also seem to play an important role. [More..]

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and the French Institute of Athens organized a lecture by Jean-Pierre Filiu, former French diplomat, now a professor at Sciences-Po Paris, on his most recent book which looks at the future of Al-Qaida: The Nine Lives of Al-Qaida (in French “Les Neuf Vies d’ Al-Qaida”¬, Librairie Arthème Fayard, 2008). [More..]

On Monday 17 May a delegation of the CPC Committee of the Central Government Staff of China, currently in Athens, visited Europe Direct ELIAMEP in order to find out more about the center’s operational framework and its activities. During the meeting, the Europe Direct staff presented to the Chinese officials the way the center is organized and operates, as well as the various initiatives it has taken up in order to contribute to the better information of the citizens on EU matters and to promote their active participation in the life of Europe. The presentation was followed by a discussion and an exchange of views and experiences on issues related to information networks between the visitors and the representatives of Europe Direct ELIAMEP.

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), the Program in Hellenic Studies, Princeton University and The Princeton Club of Greece organized a lecture by Mark R. Beissinger, Professor of Comparative Politics in the Politics Department of Princeton University on The Persistence of Empire in Eurasia. The event took place at ELIAMEP’s offices on May 14, 2010 and Professor Thanos Veremis, Vice President of ELIAMEP, moderated the discussion.

The speaker focused on the issue of the imperial and expansive tendency of modern Russia considering as a paradox that the USSR did not perceive herself to be an Empire, although it did not define herself as such. Another paradox is that after the fall of the USSR, Russia continued the pre-existing imperial tradition. Prof. Beissinger highlighted how Russians define themselves politically in regard to the political interaction between Russia and her neighbors. In particular, he suggested that without Russia politicians believe that they have a natural inclination to expand politically at their neighbors’ expense.  By contrast, Russia’s neighbors accuse her of imperial tendency and practice, for instance the cases of Estonia, Chechnya, Ukraine, Georgia, the energy role of Russia and the preservation of the Cyrillic alphabet in the former Soviet republics.

The term ‘Empire’ has a negative connotation in modern politics and it is in contrast with international politics, as this has been defined by the UN Declaration of Independence. According to Prof. Beissinger, Russia has not broken the historical stigma of the Empire. [More..]

Since January 2007, ELIAMEP has started a series of Research Seminars organized by its team of researchers with a view to discussing their current and recent work, providing critical input and also learning from each other. The Seminars are genuinely interdisciplinary bringing together postgraduate, postdoctoral and senior researchers from sociology, politics, social anthropology, or economics specialized in issues of European integration, migration, international relations, human rights, labour market and the media. Each session involves discussing and commenting on a research paper, which is circulated in advance. The research papers are usually work in progress and are part of one of ELIAMEP’s research projects. The seminars are open to researchers and graduate students that are external to ELIAMEP.

The seminars are held on a monthly basis (from September till July each year) always at lunch time, that is between 13.00 and 14.30. For organizational reasons, those wishing to attend and who are not regular attendees should contact Director General Thanos Dokos who is Convenor of the ELIAMEP Research Seminars.

9.02.10

This study inquires into why states implement differently the European Court of Human Rights (hereby ECtHR or ‘Court’) judgments that pertain to core civil liberties (Articles 8-11/14 ECHR), as well as rights claims raised by marginalized individuals and minorities. By drawing upon the resolutions issued by the Committee of Ministers (CoM), the body responsible for monitoring execution of ECtHR judgments, this study seeks a) to identify patterns of variation across nine countries in the degree to which national authorities promptly and expediently implement these, and b) to explain the factors that account for such variation.

On the basis of a statistical analysis of case law data across nine countries, the findings show that patterns of variation run across national lines rather than across different areas of rights and policy. They show a strong correlation between effectiveness of government institutions and how expeditiously states implement ECtHR judgments. In line with the management approach in the study of compliance with international law, institutional factors such as effectiveness of public service, its independence from political pressure, and rule of law as reflected in independent and efficient justice systems, emerge as decisive in the implementation of ECHR decisions. On the contrary, factors such as economic development do not tell us anything significantly about a country capacity to enforce ECHR decisions.

See the whole PPT presentation.

25.01.10

Giannis Grigoriadis examines the rise of anti-American nationalism in Turkey. While Turkish public opinion has developed strong views against a set of foreign policies furthered by the United States, recent findings allude to the development of an emerging anti-US bias in large segments of Turkish society. The deterioration of the US image in Turkey could be considered a result of the recent US involvement in the Middle East, as well as socio-political shifts inherent to Turkey’s democratization process.

17.12.09

Central to the notion of cultural diversity is the production and diffusion of diverse cultural expressions. Specifically in the field of music, the essence of cultural diversity lies in the creation and distribution of varied musical content. Proper rewards for creators and access to a wide range of music repertoires are sine qua non conditions for the preservation and further stimulation of Europe’s cultural wealth.

This research seminar was devoted to the presentation of the main conclusions of the study ‘Collecting societies and cultural diversity in the music sector’, which was coordinated by Evangelia Psychogiopoulou on behalf of ELIAMEP. The study was commissioned by the European Parliament in order to take stock of recent developments in the field of music rights management and examine how EU policy on music rights licensing affects (or might affect) cultural diversity in the music sector. The study involved in depth empirical research in five EU Member States, which were selected as ‘case-studies’: Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

See the final report.

26.11.09

There is a dissonance in the discussion of the Church of Greece (hereafter the Church) and immigration. On the one hand academics and immigration experts often omit the Church as an actor or hark back to the identity card and mosque issues and the presence of publicly funded religious education to extrapolate a nationalistic presence at best and a xenophobic one at worst. On the other hand, clergymen argue that the Church supports the integration of immigrants with crucial programs and indeed Church-inspired efforts in Athens, the countryside and the islands frequently surface in the press. But as one expert put it, “If you asked a migrant about the Church, they would know nothing of these programs.”

See the paper.

Presentation by Sappho Xenakis to the ELIAMEP Research Seminar, Athens, on 28 September 2009.

Abstract of Presentation

Britain and the US have played a central role in shaping the institutions and outlook of the modern Greek state, from its inception in the early 1800s to the establishment of its modern police force and intelligence service between the 1940s and 1960s-70s.

From what had been its predominant position in the domestic security regime of Greece, British involvement dropped significantly after World War Two, while US engagement peaked during the period of the Greek junta (1967-74). Thereafter, when democratisation brought the first socialist Greek government into office, relations between Greece and the US in particular were considerably cooled. The Greek government of the 1980s courted the popular vote by wielding a Tiers Mondialiste discourse and a confrontational public stance against the traditional security influence exerted by the US in Greece. Regardless of the apparent difficulties of the US-Greek relationship, however, it was in this period that the seeds were sown of more extensive and scarcely less controversial anti-terrorist co-operation between the two states.

As the global crisis deepens, the economic outlook for the region of southeast Europe darkens. How are countries in the Balkans affected by and reacting to the global financial riptide? The crisis resistance of countries in the region has not been tested before on such a scale. Their institutional arrangements remain distinctly fragile. Confronting the crises will require bold and coordinated policy initiatives, sustained international support and the recognition of its social implications.

The global financial and economic crises mean tough times ahead in all hemispheres. The crises will not detour the Balkans. The downturn is proving a major test for political and economic institutions that have little to no experience with such a magnitude of challenges. Much is at stake for the region’s short to medium-term outlook. The economies in the Balkans are facing a serious stress test against the unfavourable backdrop of plummeting economic activity, increasing fiscal problems and worries about the health of their banking sectors. [More..]

Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the context of Greece’s presidency of the Human Security Network for 2007/2008, undertook the tracing of vital threatens and social vulnerabilities in poor regions. The MFA appointed ELIAMEP as scientific expert to coordinate the undertaking of four individual policy papers in the above thematic areas. Emphasis is given on the demonstration of representative case studies from countries which could be aided through the Hellenic Aid program of MFA.

Seems that the Climate Change and Human Security project offers a significant contribution to scientific community and policy makers.

Read the whole presentation (pdf).

This paper introduces the notion of ‘counter-diasporic migration’ as the process whereby the second
generation relocates to the ancestral homeland – the birthplace of their parents. We review and critically analyse the three key literatures that frame this process – on the second generation, on diasporas and on return migration – and find that all of them say very little about the transnational links and return movements of this migrant generation. In the final part of the paper we examine issues of home, identity, place and belonging as constitutive elements of the cultural geography of second-generation return.
Although the paper is essentially a review and (re)conceptualisation, throughout the account we weave an empirical thread relating to recent research carried out by the authors on the return of second-generation Greek-Americans and Greek-Germans to their ancestral home in Greece.

Read the presentation (PPT) and the whole paper (pdf).

The transformation of the character of the European Union and the diffusion of European norms facilitated a drastic improvement of minority rights in Greece in the 1990s. Nonetheless, significant problems have persisted, which have undermined the credibility of the role model that Greece wishes to comprise for neighbouring EU candidate states. The situation was different in the 1990s when Turkey’s EU candidacy gained impetus. The promulgation of the Copenhagen Criteria in 1993 meant that respect for minority rights became a condition for EU membership. It is argued in this study that minority rights protection in Greece and Turkey remains one of the fields where Europeanization has triggered considerable progress, but not fulfilled its full potential. The asymmetry between current and past EU membership criteria led Greece and Turkey to diverse experiences of Europeanization in the field of minority rights.

Read the whole article published in Mediterranean Politics, Vol. 13, No. 1, March 2008, pp. 23-41.