Pivoting toward Asia: Comparing the Canadian and American Policy Shifts

Both Canada and the United States have “pivoted” toward Asia in their foreign policy over the past decade, although emphases in those pivots differed between the two countries. The former focuses on an economic pivot initially, the latter on a security one. What factors explain these shifts? What was the magnitude of policy change by both? Utilizing some important theoretical works by Charles Hermann, we discuss the factors that appear to have brought about this policy change toward Asia, outline the actions and activities that both countries have initiated toward Asia in the past decade to illustrate the type and magnitude of policy change that has occurred, and compare some areas of political, economic, and military similarities between Canada and the United States toward this region. Finally, we assess the likely future of these pivots to Asia in light of the change in political leadership within both nations.     

Context and the role of policies to attract foreign R&D in Europe

This paper explores the effectiveness of policies ‘in’ attracting the foreign research and development (R&D) of multinational enterprises (MNEs) to specific countries in Europe. We develop a macroeconomic investigation covering 29 European countries during the period between 1990 and 2012 in order to address: (a) whether the provision of direct financial support for business R&D is effective for the attraction of foreign R&D; (b) whether direct support is more effective than indirect support for this purpose and (c) whether the link between direct financial support for business R&D and the foreign R&D of MNEs is conditioned by the context within which the support is provided. The results of the analysis show that, first, the provision of direct financial support is generally effective for the attraction of foreign R&D by MNEs. Second, direct support for business R&D is more effective for this purpose than indirect support. Third, the provision of direct financial support for business R&D yields greater returns in contexts that are more socio-economically suitable for knowledge-intensive, innovative activity.     

The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the initial phase of the Italian Racial Laws: reactions and strategies (1938–1940)

ABSTRACT

This article aims to reconstruct the activities of the Board of Jewish Deputies, the central representative body of British Jewry, in support of the Italian Jews affected by the Fascist Racial Laws of 1938. By analysing the institution’s documents and examining the most widely read Jewish newspaper in the U.K., the Jewish Chronicle, this research investigates how the initial phase of the Italian anti-Semitic campaign was received in Great Britain, and what measures were put in place by British Jewry in their attempts to help the Italian Jews. The Jewish historian, Cecil Roth, played an important role during this phase, in active collaboration with the leadership of the Board and the staff of the Jewish Chronicle, gathering as much information as possible on Italy and its history in order to shed light on the events that were taking place during the first years of the Racial Laws and until the entrance of Italy into WWII (1938–1940). The involvement of certain members of the Foreign Office with links to the Board, and the shared goal of helping Italian Jewry, was also fundamental in this period.     

《艾登备忘录》与二战末期英国对藏政策

《艾登备忘录》是英国政府1943年制定的对藏政策。其内容延续了英国一贯主张的“宗主权”理论,并以“西藏自治”来要挟中国政府。古德使团依照此政策在拉萨鼓动西藏自治之后,英国外交部又决定反思其西藏政策,但遭到印度政府和印度事务部的反对。从总体来看,无论《艾登备忘录》的提出,还是英国对藏政策的波动,都是出于英国对华总政策的需要。     

The Second Coming of Rail: The Spanish High-Speed Rail-Finance Complex

This article offers a critical account of Spanish high-speed rail (HSR) through the lens of the spatial fix. I designate the integration of Spanish HSR into a European-wide process of circulation of finance capital as the HSR-finance complex. The analysis of the inner workings of the HSR-finance complex reveals the way in which European finance has laid the conditions of possibility for the development of the project and offers a forewarning about the dangers of leveraging finance capital toward green infrastructure. The analysis of the Spanish HSR-finance complex shows that the particular form of capital circulation that has made it possible has not brought about new productive combinations but has instead deepened traditional relations of economic dependency and magnified their socioenvironmental consequences.     

东京审判:中国学界的观察与思考

东京审判作为与中国近代史、中国人民的民族感情和历史记忆息息相关的重要事件,引起中国学界的广泛关注和高度重视。无论与纽伦堡审判的对比研究,还是兼及盟国境内其他审判的综合性研究;无论东京审判相关史料收集、整理与出版,还是从历史学与国际法角度的学术探讨,都反映了不同时期国际关系、时代环境对东京审判研究的影响与制约。随着东京审判外文史料的公开与出版,如何充分利用这些丰富的外文史料,进一步拓宽研究思路和研究领域,不断汲取外国学者的既有研究成果,加强中外学者的对话和开展"共同研究",或将是东京审判研究的一个发展方向。     

马士及其中国近代对外关系史研究

马士是西方公认的汉学先驱之一。在中国海关任职长达30余年的时间里,撰写了一系列有关中国问题的著作,它们对20世纪前半期西方的中国历史学著作产生了深刻的影响。他的许多有关中国近代对外关系的著作,不仅开启了国外中国近代史研究的先声,为国外中国近代史研究奠定了坚实的基础,而且拓宽了西方汉学的研究领域,对西方现代汉学的发展起了重要的推逐作用。     

Digital not diversity? Changing Aboriginal media policy at the National Film Board of Canada

Using Canada’s National Film Board (NFB) as a case study, this paper highlights a paradigm shift in media policy away from supporting diverse content in favor of new digital formats. Historically the NFB has supported Aboriginal media production as a hallmark of the institution’s founding commitment to representing Canada’s people and culture. However, in recent years the institution has shifted its focus to digital technologies and interactive productions. This research is rooted in both a quantitative and qualitative examination of NFB official reports and related press coverage. The examination demonstrates a decrease in emphasis on Aboriginal production and an increase in attention to new technologies.     

抗战时期国民政府的侨汇管控及其成效

本文以美国斯坦福大学胡佛研究院档案馆藏蒋介石日记、台湾"国史馆"藏蒋介石档案和外交部档案、广东省档案馆藏财政厅档案、中国第二历史档案馆和重庆档案馆编四联总处史料集、民国报刊杂志等原始史料为依据,考察了国民政府管控侨汇的机构、政策、流向变迁历程及其成效。认为战时侨汇是外汇的重要组成部分,是国家金融抗战和军事国防联动布局的关键物资,国民政府对侨汇管控有其金融抗战和国防战略部署的双重需要。抗战时期国民政府的侨汇管控存在着复杂的政策调整和隶属机构的变迁,这些措施增加了海外侨汇流入祖国。四联总处、财政部、中国银行和中央银行对战时侨汇管控做出重要贡献。文中1940—1945年度中国银行经收美元和英镑外币侨汇数额的统计图,填补了战时侨汇本币和外币统计数据欠缺的空白。