September 2004 NewsNotes

NewsNotes is a monthly email update of goings-on at ECAAR. In it you will find information on current projects, announcements of upcoming events and publications, and an action corner. We would like to include information on what our members are doing. If you would like to submit information about an event or publication that you are involved with, please send an email to theaharvey@ecaar.org. (The fine print - we reserve the right to edit submissions for space or content.)

* ECAAR is pleased to announce the release of the first in a series of Fact Sheets. This first issue presents an overview of Military vs. Social Spending: Warfare or Human Welfare. The fact sheet compares US and global military spending with the costs of achieving the UN Millenium Development Goals in an accessible, graphic format. The fact sheet, which was compiled and designed by ECAAR's Project Manager, Paul Burkholder, is available in PDF format at http://www.ecaar.org/factsheets/milexMDG.pdf

* On September 8th, ECAAR's Project Manager, Paul Burkholder, and Board member, Lucy Law Webster, presented the new Fact Sheet (see above) at a panel during the 56th Annual Conference for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from Monday to Wednesday, September 8-10, 2003. This year's Conference, "Human Security and Dignity: Fulfilling the Promise of the United Nations," focused on sources of human security. It explored the policies and programmes that emphasize economic and social development, human rights and a healthy environment to assure that all people live with dignity and security. The theme was closely tied to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, and ensuring environmental sustainability.

The conference featured morning and afternoon panels, as well as Midday NGO Workshops. Speakers included eminent personalities, high-level government and UN officials, and representatives of civil society from all regions of the world. These included representatives of NGOs, academia, the private sector and the media who have first-hand field experience. The ECAAR representatives' panel, Economic Security and the Millennium Development Goals, held in honor of the late Dorrie Weiss, addressed the role of peace in achieving economic security, and the rules of traditional diplomacy within the UN system as they relate to economic security. Lucy Webster and Paul Burkholder were joined by fellow panelists Goodluck Diigbo, Albert Konan-Koffi, and facilitator Cora Weiss. For a more complete description of the conference, please see http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/56invita.htm

* ECAAR will be sponsoring three sessions at the ASSA/AEA meetings in Philadelphia in January, as well as our annual membership meeting, and our annual dinner, this year in honor of Robert M. Solow. The sessions will be on The Abuse of Power, the Economics of Space Weapons, and in a joint session with URPE and AEA, US Military Spending and the Economy. For more information on presenters, times and locations see http://www.ecaar.org/Events/aea2005.htm. We will also have a display table in the exhibits area where you can get more information about what we are up to, as well as sign up for or renew your membership; we hope to see you there.

* The 31st annual Eastern Economic Association Conference will be held March 4-6 in New York City. ECAAR is organizing a session, about which more information will follow. If you would like to present a paper, or your organization would like to sponsor a session, contact Dr. Mary H. Lesser by telephone at (914) 633-2088, fax: (914) 633-2549, or e-mail: mailto:mlesser@iona.edu. Submission form and other conference info is available at http://www.iona.edu/eea . Early bird submission deadline for papers is October 15, 2004 and the final deadline for papers and organized sessions is November 12, 2004.

* Wolfram Elsner, chair of ECAAR-Germany, invites you to organize a session at the 2005 EAEPE conference in Bremen, Germany. The European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE) offers an important pluralist international discussion forum for heterodox economists and issues in a broad sense, and in terms of its membership it represents one of the biggest economics associations in Europe. In preparation of the 2005 annual meetings, the EAEPE Council has decided to make this event a broad international discussion forum and to invite guest associations and initiatives from a broad political-economic spectrum to contribute their own themes, sessions and panels. EAEPE's Scientific Committee will be glad to consider your suggestions for the final programme.

The title of next year's meetings is A New Deal for the New Economy? Global and Local Developments, and New Institutional Arrangements. The globalization of production is accompanied by an increasing fragmentation of the value added chains. These changes may provide opportunities for development and improvements in overall economic well-being. Innovative activities play a key role to realize this potential. On the other hand these transformations bear increasing risks for conflict, interventionism and even terrorism as a result of worsening global inequalities. Different forms of socio-economic coordination and cooperation problems require the development of coordinating and conflict mediating institutional arrangements. The EAEPE Conference 2005 will offer a forum for discussing these topics. Please contact Dr. Elsner by telephone at +49-421-218-7535, or email elsner@uni-bremen.de for more information.

* In an open letter to the American people ten Nobel Laureates in Economics, including eight ECAAR Board members, have endorsed John Kerry for President of the United States. The letter states, "President Bush and his administration have embarked on a reckless and extreme course that endangers the long-term economic health of our nation." To read the letter see http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/pr_2004_0825.pdf

* ECAAR Vice-chair, Jurgen Brauer, and Chair of ECAAR-UK, J. Paul Dunne, recently served as experts in a curriculum review for the Senior Leader Seminar (SLS) of the African Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. The SLS is the ACSS's flagship program, an annual two-week educational event where some 100 top-level military and public safety sector personnel from more than 40 African countries participate. Modules include national security strategy formulation, terrorism and counter-terrorism, civil-military relations, defense economics, and a capstone exercise. Profs. Brauer and Dunne served as experts for the defense economics module review. Other reviewers included ACSS staff (from all modules), African academics, and African military leaders, about 15 people in all.

* ECAAR Board member Joseph Stiglitz, in the Taipei Times, writes, "The Buck Stops at the Top. Political leaders should be held to standards similar to those of business executives - a record of poor performance and massive corporate misconduct should merit firing." Read the entire article at http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/09/10/2003202346

* The 2004 UN Human Development Report is now available, with a forward written by ECAAR Board member Amartya Sen. This year's report is subtitled Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World, and is available at http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/

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*LINKS*

* The UN Non-Governmental Liason Service announces the Millenium Development Goals Internet Portal, http://www.un-ngls.org/mdg. The site features information on the Development Goals, related UN and civil society actions, a tool kit, events calendar, links and a Listserv.

* The Center for Peacebuilding (KOFF), in Bern, Switzerland, publishes a monthly electronic newsletter, reporting on national and international civilian peacebuilding initiatives undertaken by governmental and non-governmental actors. The newsletter is available in English, German, or French. Archived newsletters, as well as other available publications of SwissPeace, can be read at http://www.swisspeace.org/publications/Default.htm

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*United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced his plans to establish the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change in an address to the General Assembly on September 23, 2003. Noting that “the events of the past year have exposed deep divisions among members of the United Nations on fundamental questions of policy and principle,” the Secretary-General created the panel to ensure that the United Nations remains capable of fulfilling its primary purpose as enshrined in Article I of the Charter – “to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace.”

The Panel has been instructed to recommend clear and practical measures for ensuring effective collective responses to the common security problems and challenges facing Member States. The Panel is undertaking three tasks in fulfilling its mandate: 1) Examine today’s global threats and provide an analysis of future challenges to international peace and security, including the connections between them; 2) Identify clearly the contribution that collective action can make in addressing these challenges, and assess existing approaches, instruments and mechanisms; 3) Recommend the changes necessary to ensure effective collective action, including but not limited to a review of the principal organs of the United Nations.

The Panel is focusing on threats to peace and security broadly interpreted. The Secretary-General has argued that a viable system of collective action “must protect millions of our fellow men and women from the familiar threats of poverty, hunger and deadly disease. We must understand that a threat to some is a threat to all, and needs to be addressed accordingly.” Although the Panel may propose changes in the rules and mechanisms of the United Nations, the object of its deliberations is to find credible and convincing collective answers to the challenges of our time. Members of the Panel have been conducting meetings and regional consultations in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe, and will submit their final report to the Secretary General in December 2004. For more information on the Panel see http://www.un-globalsecurity.org/panel.asp

Citizens for Global Solutions, DC Young Internationalists and The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Conflict Prevention Project invite you to a discussion of Threats, Challenges and Change: The United Nations in the 21st Century featuring the Honorable Gareth Evans, High Level Panel member and former Australian Foreign Minister, at 9:00am to 11:00am on September 20, 2004, in the Woodrow Wilson Center. This will be the first time that the work of the Panel is discussed with the public in Washington. For registration information see http://www.globalsolutions.org/events/events_home.html

* Professor Geoffrey Hodgson of the University of Hertfordshire Business School invites you to a lecture series on A Brief History of American Institutional Economics. The course will address the history of American institutionalism from Thorstein Veblen to Clarence Ayres, roughly covering the first half of the twentieth century. It is designed primarily for postgraduate students working in business or the social sciences at the University of Hertfordshire; however, for the 2004-2005 academic year this course will be open to everyone, free of charge.

The course will be held at the University of Hertfordshire, De Havilland Campus, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK. Visitors from outside the university are advised to use public transport (frequent rail services from King's Cross to Hatfield) or the Galleria car park to reach the De Havilland campus. If you are interested in attending this course, then please contact Prof. Hodgson at mailto:g.m.hodgson@herts.ac.uk. The lectures will be based primarily on G. Hodgson's book The Evolution of Institutional Economics (Routledge, 2004).

All lectures will be held on Wednesdays, from 5:00 - 7:00pm in Room N105, and will cover the following topics:

* From The Ultimate Field Guide to the U.S. Economy, (http://www.fguide.org) comes this latest Econ-Atrocity Bulletin: Keynesian Militarism by Jonathan Elsberg, Staff Economist at the Center for Popular Economics. "A funny thing happened on the road to liberation. The US military has discovered that high unemployment among Iraqis has a lot to do with the strength of resistance to the occupation. Those parts of Iraq that suffer from the worst unemployment are also the places where militant resistance to the US and its allies is the fiercest. The US military’s reaction is an overt, though painfully slow-going, policy by commanders in these battle-torn areas to create jobs for Iraqis, a sort of 'Keynesian militarism.'" Read the entire article at http://www.fguide.org/Bulletin/keynesmil.htm

* Foreign Policy In Focus recently released a new report on terrorism, entitled A Secure America in a Secure World. This 56-page report posits that the open-ended global war on terror is counterproductive, making U.S. citizens more vulnerable to terrorist attacks at home and abroad. It offers an alternative approach that would focus on preventing successful terrorist attacks by improving homeland security, bringing terrorists to justice and addressing terrorism's root causes.

"The Bush administration's go-it-alone foreign policy has weakened the very organizations and alliances necessary for an effective global effort to combat terrorism, and the 9/11 Commission's recommendations don't go far enough," says John Gershman, FPIF co-director and principal author. "The U.S. shouldn't fight a war on terrorism. Instead, the nation should tackle this threat through a strong, coordinated strategy that emphasizes civilian operations, improved homeland security, and international cooperation." A task force of 23 experts, including former government officials who served in the Reagan and Clinton administrations, and a relative of a 9/11 victim, has endorsed the report. See the report online at: http://www.fpif.org/papers/04terror/index.html

* The Alliance for Conflict Transformation (http://www.conflicttransformation.org) offers one of the premier sites for human resources/public relations professionals to recruit qualified candidates in the fields of peacebuilding, conflict resolution, international studies, development and human rights. Over 150 organizations and universities throughout the world currently use the ACT forums to recruit advanced professional and academic candidates in the fields of conflict resolution, peace studies, development, human rights, women's rights, civil society development, micro finance and similar fields. As the Announcement Forums have grown, membership has grown to several thousand people internationally - from advanced professionals and academics to people seeking entry-level positions. Approximately 60% of the subscribers are from the US and Western Europe and the remaining 40% represent over 100 countries in all regions of the world.

Posting of jobs/scholarships/conferences and other announcements are FREE of charge. For subscriptions a small payment is required, although residents of developing countries may qualify for a free subscription. To post a listing go to http://www.actforums.org/postmsg.php To subscribe, and read the job listings, go to http://www.actforums.org/tos.html

* The ECAAR Review 2003. Titled "Conflict or Development?" this edition has a regional focus on Africa, the site of most of the world's current armed conflicts. In its pages some of the leading economists of the day analyze and reflect on the relationships among military spending, domestic and foreign policy, security, and human welfare. Features include country studies and sections on business and conflict and "Trends in World Military Expenditure." Written in clear English, with informative maps, tables, and graphs, the series is designed to inform the debate among policymakers, activists, journalists, academics, students, and citizens worldwide.

You can order the Review at http://www.ecaar.org/Review_files/order.htm

We believe the Review can be a valuable teaching tool in economics, political science, and international relations courses. If you are interested in teaching this book, please contact Kate Cell (katecell@ecaar.org) for a copy to review.

* "The Full Cost of Ballistic Missile Defense" The study estimates that the total life-cycle cost for a layered missile defense system could reach $1.2 trillion through 2035. You can order a copy of the report from the co-sponsor of the study, http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/nmd/fullcost.html, or download the PDF file from http://www.ecaar.org/index.htm.

* As Congress returned to work on September 7, the Senate Appropriations Committee is considering the annual spending bill appropriating funds for the Energy Department’s nuclear weapons programs. This last June, when the House of Representatives completed its version of the appropriation for these programs, it eliminated funds for new nuclear weapons development and cut in half the requested funds for shortening test readiness. The House also doubled funds for nuclear weapons dismantlement. The Union of Concerned Scientists offers information on the history of weapons funding and encourages concerned citizens to contact their Senators, by offering a sample letter, at http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/armsnet/page.cfm?pageID=1506

* Even as Secretary of State Colin Powell confirms that the US now officially considers the situation in Darfur to be "genocide," Oxfam and other humanitarian organizations have been working to bring aid to the desperate people there. But continued fighting, harsh weather, logistical challenges, and a lack of funding have combined to seriously hamper relief efforts. The US has already contributed financial and material resources to this emergency. The UN, however, estimates that an additional $274 million will be needed over the next four months -- just to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs, and prevent thousands more from dying in this crisis. Resources are also needed to improve security for those in the camps, and the relief workers trying to help them. Please consider visitng this website and sending a message to your Congressional Representatives, asking them to support further material and financial support to the relief efforts. http://ga0.org/campaign/sudan_cong/36gun74pjij8dn

* Everyone is urging you to vote, but where do you get more than sound bites about the candidates? The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) voting information page. Enter your zip code to look up your presidential, congressional and state-level candidates, including their positions on key issues like the economy, the US role in Iraq, and education. Find information on absentee ballots for military and civilians, your state's voting machines and polling stations, and other how-tos at http://www.fcnl.org/elections_2004.htm

* Your vote matters. In the US, register to vote, or update your address or party affiliation, at https://www.workingforchange.com/vote/index.cfm?ms=G00001

* Anyone who would be willing to put an ECAAR flyer up on a departmental bulletin board or similar venue, please contact Thea Harvey, Development Manager at theaharvey@ecaar.org.

* September 20, 2004. Citizens for Global Solutions, DC Young Internationalists and The Woodrow Wilson International for Center Scholars’ Conflict Prevention Project invite you to a discussion of Threats, Challenges and Change: The United Nations in the 21st Century featuring the Honorable Gareth Evans, UN High Level Panel member and former Australian Foreign Minister, at 9:00am to 11:00am in the Woodrow Wilson Center. This will be the first time that the work of the High Level Panel is discussed with the public in Washington. For registration information see http://www.globalsolutions.org/events/events_home.html

* September 20, 2004. Asia Society and Citigroup cordially invite you to an evening program with Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, President of The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. President Kumaratunga will be speaking on Conflict Resolution and Peace Building: Lessons from Sri Lanka. The event will run from 6:00pm until 8:00pm, at Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, New York, NY. Pre-registration is required. To register with a credit card, please call the Box Office at (212) 517-ASIA, or send complete information by fax at (212) 517-8315. $7 Students w/ ID, $10 Member/NGO, $12 Nonmember.

* September 22, 2004. ECAAR-Netherlands/Vereniging voor Economie en Vrede, along with the Oikos Foundation, and the faculty of Economics and Econometrics at the University of Amsterdam, host a symposium in honor of Jan Tinbergen, at the main lecture hall of the University of Amsterdam. The symposium is entitled, "Will the 21st Century Be More Peaceful?" See above for more details or contact Janine Huisman, by phone at 0031 30 236 1 500, or by email at j.huisman@stichtingoikos.nl.

* September 24, 2004, 12:00 to 1:30pm. Robert Litwak, Director, Division of International Studies, Woodrow Wilson Center and Joseph Pilat, Nuclear Nonproliferation Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, invite you to a presentation on The Black Market in Nuclear Technology at the Woodrow Wilson Center in the Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC. The speaker will be David Albright, President of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS). This meeting is part of an ongoing series that provides a forum for policy specialists from Congress and the Executive, business, academia, and journalism to exchange information and share perspectives on current nonproliferation issues. Lunch will be served. Seating is limited. RSVP (acceptances only) by e-mail at dis@wwic.si.edu or by fax to (202) 691-4184.

* September 27, 2004. The Woodrow Wilson Center, the RAND Corporation, and the US Army’s Eisenhower National Security Series invite you to a lecture and discussion on Al Qaeda's European Front: 3/11 and Its Implications featuring: Fernando Reinares, Professor of Political Science, King Juan Carlos University, and Senior Adviser, Ministry of the Interior, Spain, from 8:30 to 10:30am at the Flom Auditorium, 6th floor, Woodrow Wilson Center in the Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC. To RSVP send an email to mailto:dis@wwic.si.edu

* September 29 - October 1, 2004. International Society for Military Law and the Law of War conference on "The Role of NGOs in International Problem Solving." In English and French with Simultaneous Translation. At the Royal Military Academy, Brussels. http://www.soc-mil-law.org

* October 3-4, 2004. On the occasion of the 54th Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, International Student/Young Pugwash is organizing its 2nd annual conference in Seoul, Korea, "Towards a New Paradigm of International Governance." The theme of the meeting is finding novel mechanisms to ensure human security and peaceful dialog among nations for the years to come. Discussions will include: eliminating WMDs, interregional cooperation and security, securing and reinforcing International Institutions, human security and international governance, and sustainability and future development. http://www.student-pugwash.org/seoul2004

* November 22-26, 2004. Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation & Post War Reconstruction and Resolution. A Five-Day International Training Programme for Practitioners, Policy Makers, International and National Agency Staff and NGOs working in peacebuilding, conflict transformation and post-war recovery, at the Romanian Peace Institute in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Sponsored by TRANSCEND and PATRIR. Cost €450 - €750. http://www.transcend.org/tpu/courses.shtml.

* December 17-19, 2004. The Global Reconciliation network hosts Towards Harmony: Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, a meeting to address issues concerning the sources of conflict that arise out of the action of global processes, such the operation of the World Economic Forum and the World Social Forum, in New Delhi, India. Themes to be addressed at the meeting will include the following: local conditions of conflict and possibilities for cross-cultural dialogues within specific communities; local rights to the use of resources versus the conditions imposed by the globalized economy; community rights to environmental self determination as opposed to the sovereign rights of states; the concept of, and the possibilities for, “multiculturalism” in Western and non-Western societies; perceptions of the West from non-Western societies, and vice versa; the ethics of terrorism and responses to it; and the possibilities for civil society based movements for global cooperation and conflict resolution. Participants will address a range of issues relating to regional and international conflicts, and strategies based on action within local communities to promote reconciliation. Participants will include people working in India itself in this field, including representatives of academic institutions and community based organizations, and international contributors with experience in both theoretical and practical aspects of these issues. For more information visit http://globalreconciliationnetwork.org, or register online at http://www.idealist.org/en/events/102917:48/87161:202

* January 7-9, 2005. The annual meetings of the Allied Social Sciences Associations (ASSA) and the American Economics Association (AEA) in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, see http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AEA/anmt.htm .

* March 4-6, 2005. The 31st annual Eastern Economic Association Conference will be held in New York City. If you would like to present a paper, or your organization would like to sponsor a session, contact Dr. Mary H. Lesser by telephone at (914) 633-2088, fax: (914) 633-2549, or e-mail: mailto:mlesser@iona.edu. Submission form and other conference info is available at http://www.iona.edu/eea . Early bird submission deadline for papers is October 15, 2004 and the final deadline for papers and organized sessions is November 12, 2004.

* If you are considering buying a book online, please take a look at WhatWeGive.com (http://www.whatwegive.com/). They have tens of thousands of titles available at a discount to you, and ECAAR receives twenty percent of your purchase price. After you check out, a pop up window will ask for information about the organization to which you wish your donation to go. Enter Organizational Account # 32 and "Economists Allied for Arms Reduction" in the organization field, and your purchase will be credited to our account.

* Please consider becoming a member of ECAAR. Your annual membership entitles you to discounts on publications, invitations to events, our informative newsletters, and more. Most importantly, by joining us you help to ensure that reasoned perspectives on essential economic issues will continue to be heard. Membership dues and other donations are fully tax-deductible. Visit http://www.ecaar.org/Membership.htm for more information.

* If you have enjoyed this issue of ECAAR NewsNotes, or if you wish to support our mission, please consider making a donation to ECAAR. You can do so securely online through our website at https://www.chi-cash-advance.com/sforms/appeal196/contribute.asp or by sending a check to ECAAR, 39 E. Central Ave., Suite One, Pearl River, NY 10965. If you have any questions call (845) 620-1542, or email ecaar@ecaar.org.