“Small and Weak Nations in Global Politics”

October 23-25, 2005

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Click here to see Cancellation Notice

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In a more globalized twenty-first century, small and less powerful nations increasingly find themselves at the mercy of bigger and more powerful nations who dominate regional and global politics. Policies made by international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, by the United Nations Security Council, and by major international regimes such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), have significant consequences for smaller and weaker states. The priorities set by the big powers, unilaterally or multilaterally, determine the domestic agenda of weaker nations with little or no inputs from them. Additionally, powerful nations have on occasion willfully ignored international norms and principles deemed to conflict with their own foreign policy objectives with no fear of punitive sanctions. Are smaller and weaker nations entirely powerless in this global environment? Do size, power, and resources always translate into influence in all issue areas? Can power become a liability in some areas while weakness can be an asset? How do we reconcile the demand for democratic decision-making at the state level with a glaring democracy “deficit” among nations at the global level?

THEMES

International Law and Organizations: Small nations’ membership of, activities in, and responsibilities within international organizations; making and breaking agreements among small nations and between them and big and powerful nations; weak nations and international judicial bodies; weak nations and regional organizations; weak nations and international non-governmental organizations; democratization of international institutions.

Politics and Governance: Governmental systems, democratization of political institutions, accountability of leadership; state and civil society relations; weaker nations impact on international politics and the impact of international politics on their domestic politics, relationship between political reform and economic liberalization; Political leadership and corruption.

The Environment: Small nations and the Kyoto Protocol; reforestation, deforestation, environmental degradation; protection of endangered species; environmental protection and economic growth; water resource management; natural resource exploitation and environmental protection;

Economic Development: Production and resource extraction in small nations; resource allocation between big and small nations; industrialization and access to markets; outsourcing; formal and informal sectors; foreign direct investments; the debt burden; WTO and weaker nations; international financial institutions and weaker nations; weak nations and agricultural subsidies in the big powers; aid versus trade; structural economic reforms and poverty alleviation; relationship between economic growth and poverty reduction; politics of free trade; labor rights and protection; exploitation of child labor; international human trafficking.

Race, Ethnic and Cultural Issues: Ethnic and religious pluralism; rights of indigenous populations; gender relations and empowerment; immigration and migration; religious and ethnic fundamentalism; global influences on local culture.

Conflicts: genocidal wars; refugee movements and resettlements; internationalization of domestic and regional conflicts; international criminal court; international war crimes tribunals; truth and reconciliation commissions, international peacekeeping, peacemaking and peace enforcements; international terrorism; international drug trafficking; foreign interventions and occupations; weapons proliferation.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Please send your proposals in MS Word (preferred) or Rich Text Format (RTF) file by e-mail as attachment to Maggie Scott at mscott@kennesaw.edu by June 30, 2005. You will receive notice of receipt of your proposal by e-mail. If you do not receive this notice within 7 days, please contact the Conference Steering Committee Chair, Dr. Akanmu Adebayo, at aadebayo@kennesaw.edu. You will also receive by e-mail notice of acceptance of your paper, panel, or poster session proposal for the conference. All proposals must have the following information:

Name (first, middle, last or surname)

Mailing Address, Phone, Fax, and E-mail

Panel title (if applicable)

Description of panel (if applicable, limit 200 words)

Paper title (if panel, please list name of presenters and title of their papers)

Abstract of paper (limit abstract to 200 words)

Poster title (if applicable)

See Cancellation Notice