published_or_final_version / Comparative Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

The Immigration issue was, during quite long period of time, a disputable concern within the European territory. European countries, as many others, require a certain degree of qualified immigration, due to developments of the labour market. Along with the issues of immigration and migration, the matter of immigrant’s integration is becoming the focus point of consideration for the European Union as a whole, its single Member States and various other international organizations. The matter of integration has been imbedded in immigration policies because of the discovery that migration of labour throughout Europe, which was considered to be an interim feature for EU’s Member States, has transformed to the permanent one. Another reason is the fear that badly integrated immigrants might become an extraordinary problem for the population’s majority.

This thesis explores the origins and evolution of European integration through the lens of classical realism. Classical realism, as an approach to International Relations, has had little to say about one of the most fascinating and politically important developments in the post-war international system, namely the effort by Western European states to integrate economically from the 1950s onwards. Grounded in classical realism’s ontology of power and the desire by states to secure autonomy and exert influence in the international system the thesis argues that a combination of military power, economic power, and power over opinion can explain the main contours and dynamics of integration. At the core of the argument is the idea of ‘Three Europe’s’ – Protected Europe, Confederated Europe, and a Europe of States – which have coexisted in a stable equilibrium for most of the post-war era. Protected Europe is grounded in both the military power and capacity of the United States and the national interest of the United States, remarkably static from 1945 onwards, to play a hegemonic role within the European military and security sphere. It was Protected Europe that created the military security and stability necessary for Western European states to pursue economic integration. It altered the guns versus butter trade-off and permitted Western European states to invest more in their welfare states. Most importantly if resolved the security dilemma that had existed between the most powerful states on the continent, France and Germany, and created a context in which their interaction shifted to one of intensive cooperation. The product was Confederated Europe. The logic at the core of Confederal Europe was a desire by France to bind Germany, and consent by the Germans to be bound. This was done for a variety of reasons. Internally the concern was to exert as much control over Germany as possible and Germany’s long-term national interest – to secure normalisation, independence, and reunification – complemented this urge. Externally the concern was to secure autonomy in the global economic system and to project power and influence within that system. But the components of the confederation remained distinct nation states and thus a Europe of States existed in an often uneasy tension with Confederal Europe. The fault line between a supranational economic structure and a political structure still tied to the states created intermittent tensions and political earthquakes that have punctuated the history of post-war Europe. However, throughout the period the European masses formed a permissive consensus vis-à-vis integration and, given the rather limited and technical nature of the confederation, this minimised the inherent tension between Confederal Europe and the Europe of States. All three Europe’s are, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, in a state of flux. The decline in the relative power of the United States, and the rise of new challenges in the Asia-Pacific, has triggered a strategic pivot away from Europe and a weakening of the commitment to Protected Europe. How Europe will manage this shift remains unclear but a more prominent European leadership role in NATO or a rejuvenated and more focused European security and defence policy seem necessary. The historical balance between a France that wished to bind and a Germany that consented to be bound has shifted palpably. More willing to act as a ‘normalised’ power in the European system, Germany has emerged as a clearly dominant actor and this will require a shift in the diplomatic practices of a European system that has become used to France leading and Germany both following and supplying the supporting economic power. If Confederal Europe is to survive it must accept stronger German leadership. Finally the permissive consensus at the mass level is being eroded as European integration touches upon ever-more salient policy spheres. This means that the power of the idea of Europe has to be strengthened and entrenched more firmly, thus diluting the prominence of the Europe of States, or integration must retrench to bring its competences back into line with its legitimacy.

This research is aimed at assessing SADCC in relation to the degree to which it has accomplished its own aims, regional economic integration and reduction of dependency. The study has relied on and used the dependency theory which holds that the development in a peripheral capitalist system is a continuous process of dispossessing the less developed countries of their raw materials in favor of maintaining the advancement of the capitalist countries. In short, neo-colonial dependence view of underdevelopment attributes a large part of the Third World's continuing and worsening poverty to the existence and policies of the industrial capitalist and socialist countries and their extensions in the form of small but powerful elite groups in the less developed countries. The research came with the following findings and conclusions. That SADCC countries have been integrated into the capitalist system due to the European colonization. That despite the efforts of SADCC and their proclaimed goals of economic integration and self-reliance, the SADCC region has not reduced dependency but rather there is a new dependency on other external countries. SADCC's committed strategies have not produced self-reliance and economic integration in the region due to the structure and activities of SADCC. In order to correct this imbalance and dependency, few options are possible. SADCC should embark upon the socialist mode of development because socialist methods will diminish the degree of dependency as in the case of Cuba. Intra-regional trade should be encouraged to bring about some form of transaction flows and economic integration. Establish appropriate ways of encouraging agricultural productivity in order to alleviate the shortage of food problems in the region and adopt capital accumulation methods.

M.Comm. / The purpose of the dissertation was to determine the appropriateness of forming a monetary union with a common currency within SACU. SACU embodies five neighbouring countries, who are situated in the Southern region of Africa. These countries include: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho. The benefits and costs that might accrue to the SACU region with the formation of a monetary union were highlighted in the study. Past experiences of European and African monetary unions have shown that countries who participate in a monetary union were able to pursue credible and disciplined monetary policies. Fiscal and monetary variables determined how appropriate it is to form a monetary union within SACU. The study analysed the level of convergence of fiscal variables and the comovement of monetary variables using statistical analysis and graphical representations. The analysis was essential in assessing the readiness of the SACU states for the eventual formation of a monetary union. Since countries such as Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia are small in terms of their respective populations, sizes of their economies, per capita income in comparison to their neighbours such as South Africa and Botswana, the study highlights the fact that regional monetary integration is a useful way of increasing their economic influence and participation in an increasingly globalised world. The study concludes that the formation of a monetary union with a common currency within SACU is feasible and provides some ideas for further studies.

D.Comm. / The objective of this dissertation is to examine the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as the logical outflow of market forces compelling regions or groups of states to increase the dynamics of their economies by removing all barriers and obstacles to the free flow of goods and services between them in accordance with what has been happening elsewhere in the world. The concept of regional economic integration has come strongly forward since the early fifties in many areas of the world. Regional economic integration can be described as a process by which countries work together for the mutual benefit of all. The exchange of information and ideas may lead to better institutional liaison and capacities, more coordinated policy formulation and more rapid economic growth. Regional economic integration can take many forms. Regional economic blocs may be classified into five categories, namely: preferential trading arrangements, in which regional partners enjoy more favourable trading conditions, including lower tariffs, than other countries; free trade areas, entailing the abolition of tariffs and other barriers to trade in goods and services between participating countries; customs unions, which entail establishing free trade areas, common external tariffs and the formation of commercial policies towards third countries; common markets or economic communities, which permit the free movement not only of goods and services but also of capital and labour between participating countries; and economic unions, entailing full coordination of regulatory, fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policies within the confines of a common market. Economic integration may ultimately, as in the European Union, culminate in a monetary union, providing for a common currency.

M.Comm. / Since the late 1980's / early 1990's Southern Africa has undergone radical political change. Political democratisation and liberalisation impacted on the economies of individual states as well as on economic relations between states in the region. The democratisation process in South Africa in particular, changed the economic power configurations of the region. South Africa opted to become a member of the SADC in 1994 after its first "representative" elections. The country was initially confronted by unrealistic expectations among the other members in the region regarding the contribution that they expected to emanate from this move. South Africa on the other hand was confronted with the realities of its own reconstruction and development needs. The question that had to be answered however, is how economic integration could contribute to the growth and development of the Southern African region. Of particular interest is the role that external forces could/would have on the integration process. This is the central theme of this document.

The aim of this thesis is to study complex nature of the Azerbaijani Foreign policy and to analyze relations of Azerbaijan with other countries in regional and global context in order to determine which countries are more prioritized. The author concluded that the balanced Foreign policy is no longer pursued and its orientation is now changed towards West. The study had also determined the reasons behind the Western orientation. Thesis concluded that Azerbaijan pursues economic integration with the West as well as sustains political dominance in the South Caucasus region.

In June 2010 China and Taiwan finished negotiations on Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement. Work's focus is on the political impact of this economic agreement. After analyzing the main actars and factors influencing the development of corss-strait relations, author describes the negotiations and possible implications of the agreement.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Law, 2017 / This thesis attempts to identify the rationale for migration rights within the EAC (East African Community) in relation to the Community's political objectives.The main argument propounded is that migration rights, though they have developed from a purely economic rationale and perspective, have since morphed into an entorely novel regime which emphases the human or fundamental rights of citizens of the Community. [Abbreviated abstract. Taken from print version of thesis] / GR2018