Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) - often seen as the fastest growing sector on the post-Cold War diplomatic agenda - are increasingly viewed by the international community as useful instruments for addressing a range of security and diplomatic issues. Rethinking Confidence-Building Measures warns against an uncritical pursuit of CBMs, arguing that the idea has been oversold. The author asserts that obstacles to meaningful agreements are much more important than usually acknowledged, and the political and military ramifications have been generally ignored. She concludes that the same effort, painstaking negotiation, and possibilities for failure are inherent in CBMs as in the wide array of other potential solutions for managing interstate security relations, but with far fewer substantial results.

In Rethinking Confidence-Building Measures, Marie-France Desjardins warns against the uncritical pursuit of CBMs--often seen as the fastest growing sector on the post-Cold War diplomatic agenda--and argues that the idea has been oversold. She asserts that obstacles to meaningful agreements are much more important than usually acknowledged, and that political and military ramifications have been generally ignored. She concludes that the same effort, painstaking negotiation, and possibilities for failure are inherent in CBMs as in the wide array of other potential solutions for managing interstate security relations, but with far fewer substantial results.

This Book Is A Most Timely And Welcome Addition To The Growing Body Of Literature On Cbms In South Asia. It Provides Reasons For Hope As There Are Many Reasons To Be Dispirited About The Absence Of Proper Confidence Building Measures In South Asia.

When China and Russia established a strategic partnership in 1996, both nations declared that they would further develop military cooperation in various fields. Tsai examines the course of this military cooperation to reveal the nature of the military ties with the hopes of determining whether these two traditional adversaries have put aside historical legacies and mutual mistrust to create a full-fledged military partnership. After analyzing the motives and concerns of both powers, Tsai concludes that, while progress has been made in reducing military tensions in border regions, the level of trust has not increased substantially. The nature of these ties remains extremely fragile. Among Western analysts, there has been concern that a closer partnership might adversely affect U.S. interests in the region. China and Russia have developed cooperation in certain areas, such as arms transfers and military-technical cooperation, and these achievements have successfully reduced political tension. However, reciprocal threats against each other's territories and China's increasing ambitions and capacity to act as a great military power in the region could eventually become a major source of friction. Based on research in both Chinese and Russian, this study offers a comprehensive analysis on the development of and limits to this military cooperation.

The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership - the Barcelona Process - aims to create integration in the Mediterranean Basin so as to encourage economic development along the Southern rim. This volume takes a critical look at the problems faced by the Process and the likelihood of its success.