Across Europe, regional development agencies (RDAs) have become a central feature of regional policy, both as innovative policy-makers and as the implementers of programmes and initiatives originating from the national or European level. By drawing on a combination of conceptual reflection, surveys, comparative research, and systematic use of critical case studies, this book provides a new point of reference by identifying key features of the current, and, indeed next, generation of regionally-based economic development organisations.

Over the past few decades states all around the globe have intensified institutionalized cooperation at the regional level. To deepen our understanding of state-led regionalism, the authors use an analytical framework comprising four main strands. First, they describe and explain the genesis and growth of regional organizations. Second, they account for institutional design, looking at important similarities and differences. Third, they examine the interaction between organizations and member states in an attempt to reveal factors that shape the level of commitment to and compliance with regional initiatives. Finally, they consider the impact of regional organizations on their member states. They conclude by providing a foundation for future research on the dynamic development of regionalism.

This book is dedicated to the implications of the new regionalism for global security and development. The fourth in the five-volume New Regionalism Series, it features contributions from the UNU/WIDER project on new regionalism.

The nation states in the Black Sea area have initiated many co-operative policies but the area also sees numerous tensions between neighboring states. The conflict-co-operation paradox, along with ethnic fragmentation and shared culture, are two of the most salient features of the Black Sea Area. These paradoxes are not the only force in the evolution of the region though. There are also issues such as ethnic and national identity, the failure of democratization, energy and resources, as well as the influence of other powers such as Russia, the EU and the USA. The key questions asked by the authors in this book are: to what extent is there an emerging regionalism in the Black Sea area? Is the Black Sea a region? What are the common interests shared by the former USSR states, the three EU member states neighboring the Black Sea - Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, and a NATO country - Turkey? Are the fault-lines dividing them more pervasive than the incentives for cooperation? Can we speak of a shared identity? The first part of the book places the Black Sea problematique in a wider historical and spatial context. The authors then take a closer look at the region and examine further the structure of the Black Sea area. They offer a perspective on smaller actors with great ambitions, such as Azerbaijan and Romania, and go on to make a comparison between the emerging regionalism in the Black Sea area and regionalisms in other parts of the world.

These papers are a seminal source of discussion for what is simply the most profound shift of U.S. strategy in half a century. The 13 essays and keynotes by Colin Powell address potential flash points of conflict likely to affect long-range U.S. planning, as well as salient political, economic and military developments likely to dominate particular regions of the world -- from the Middle East and East Asia to Africa and Latin America. This is in effect a workbook for understanding national security in the 20th century's final decade. 6 maps.

Managing a Multilevel Foreign Policy is a helpful resource for enhancing current understanding of the European Union as an emerging actor in the global system. It introduces and examines the latest developments in the fields of EU foreign, security, and defense policies, providing a complete overview of the ways in which the EU has grown as a global actor with a significant impact on international affairs.