NEWS NOTES
January 2005

NewsNotes is a monthly email update of goings-on at EPS. 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.)

 IN THIS ISSUE (click on a heading to jump to that section):
*EPS News
*Links
*In Other News
*Funding Opportunities
*ECAAR/EPS Publications
*Action Corner
*Upcoming Events
*How Can I Help?

* As we begin our third year of NewsNotes, ECAAR also begins a season of changes. The first and most obvious change is our name and logo, as you can see above. We have already had resounding support for the new name. At the Allied Social Sciences Associations (ASSA) meetings in Philadelphia, many of our long-time members and many who are new to our organization stopped by our exhibit booth to tell us how important our work is. These interactions have been very stimulating for the staff and Board.

We have also been undergoing internal reorganization. A review of our By-laws found that we needed to restructure in order to conform with New York State non-profit law (the state in which we are incorporated). So, we have streamlined the Board of Directors. Moving from a high of 40 members to a smaller 10 member Board will make it easier for the Board to meet and govern. All former Board members have been elected to become founding EPS Fellows, a new special class of membership which will elect the Board of Directors in future years and serve the organization as advisors. Our most distinguished Board members have also been designated as honorary Trustees, a position which allows our international Affiliates to share in their prestige.

And as noted last month, we are experiencing staff and office changes as well. Kate Cell will be moving to a consultative role, working mostly on publications such as the Newsletter and the website. Catherine (Cat) Cohen will be working part-time as our graphics and editing maven. Thea Harvey becomes the Executive Director as of January 15th, and will be full time in our new office. The Levy Economics Institute has generously offered us office space at their lovely home on the campus of Bard College. Our new address will be:

Economists for Peace and Security
at the Levy Economics Institute
PO Box 5000
Annandale on Hudson, NY 12405

We will be moving in next week, and should be up and running in the new office by the first week of February. In the meantime, we ask your patience while we move between the two spaces.

We trust that all these changes will make Economists for Peace and Security an ever more vital and viable organization. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@epsusa.org. We also invite you to visit our new website, http://www.epsusa.org . It has all the information of the ECAAR site with improved navigation and readability.

* ECAAR/EPS had a very successful presence at the ASSA meetings this year. Our first panel, The Abuse of Power, presented on Friday morning, January 7, was lively and entertaining as well as informative, and consisted of the following presenters:

• Presiding - James K. Galbraith, University of Texas at Austin. The Corruption of Economics and Policy
• Bill Black, University of Texas at Austin. Control Fraud and the Corporation
• Robert Prasch, Middlebury College. Shifting Risk: The Divorce of Risk from Reward in American Capitalism
• Janine Wedel, George Mason University. Corruption and Transition in Russia and Eastern Europe
• Jack Blum, Esq., Lovel, Novings, Lamont. Discussant.

Our second panel, on the Economics of Space Weapons, was presented Friday afternoon, January 7. It was also well received, and included:

• Presiding - John Steinbruner, University of Maryland. The Significance of Space Policy
• Nancy Gallagher, Center for International and Security Studies, University of Maryland. The Commercial Space Industry: Incentives for Cooperation and Competition
• Jeffrey Lewis, Center for International and Security Studies, University of Maryland. Space Weapons Spending in the FY05-06 Budget
• Martin Malin, American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Pathways to Cooperation in Space

A third panel was jointly sponsored with the AEA (American Economic Association) and URPE (the Union of Radical Political Economists). The Political Economy of Military Spending, held on Saturday afternoon, January 8th, was well attended.

• Presiding: Gerald Epstein, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
• Lloyd J. Dumas, University of Texas at Dallas. Bang for the Buck: The Real Effects of Military Spending on Security
• James K. Galbraith, University of Texas at Austin. The Costs of War
• David Gold, New School University. Does Military Spending Stimulate or Retard Economic Performance? Revisiting an Old Debate with New Data
• Ann Markusen, University of Minnesota. The Economic and Security Consequences of Privating National Security

The Annual Dinner, this year in honor of Trustee Robert M. Solow, was a glittering evening. A veritable who's who of economists gathered to hear Dr. Solow talk about "Last Thoughts on Investment and Growth," and then to share their wonderful experiences of Dr. Solow as a teacher, a colleague, a leader and all around inspiring person. Dr. Solow brought his talk back several times to the mission and goals of EPS, and encouraged us to expand our reach and scope of work. We hope to be able to live up to his trust.

* Amid all of the positive changes and whirlwind of activities, we must pause to mourn the passing of ECAAR Trustee Robert Heilbronner. The New School University press announcement (http://www.newschool.edu/observer/#a) stated, "His insistence that economic issues are integrally tied to moral and psychological concerns gave his work a rare depth and spoke to the political nature of all social thought," and lauded his witty and engaging writing style. James K. Galbraith was co-author of the recent The Economic Problem with Dr. Heilbronner and spoke about his innovative thinking, his inspiration to a generation of economists and his personal warmth, on NPR's All Things Considered. (http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=4279629) A memorial service for Dr. Heilbroner will be held at New School University on Saturday, January 29, 2005.

* Manas Chatterji, EPS Fellow, invites you to submit your manuscript for possible publication in the Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development series, edited by Dr. Chatterji, and published by Elsivier. It can be a textbook, research manuscript, edited book or selected papers from a conference in the subject area.

Dr. Chatterji is Professor of Management at the State University of New York in Binghamton; Guest Professor, Peking University, China; Honorary Distinguished Professor, Poznan University of Economics, Poznan, Poland; Honorary Distinguished Professor & Senior Fellow in Public Policy, George Mason University

For details, contact Professor Manas Chatterji by phone (607) 777-2475 or e-mail mchatter@binghamton.edu

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* On January 12, sixteen Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to President Bush calling on him to begin the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. The Congressional letter comes at a pivotal moment when, according to the New York Times (January 10), discussions of how the US might disengage from Iraq are "bubbling up in Congress, in the Pentagon and some days even in the White House." North Carolina Republican Rep. Howard Coble, head of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, declared January 8 that "it's time for the US to consider withdrawing." Noting a shift in public opinion in his largely conservative district, Coble's office announced that "letters, phone calls and messages that had been overwhelmingly supportive of the war are now about even." Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser during Bush's father's presidency, stated January 6 that the situation in Iraq now raised the "fundamental question of whether we should get out now." At the same Washington, DC insider event, former National Security Adviser under President Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, flatly declared, "I do not think we can stay in Iraq in the fashion we're in now. If it cannot be changed drastically, it should be terminated."

For the text of the letter and a list of the signers, please visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2697

* The Daily Star of Beirut, Lebanon, reports that Stanley Fischer, newly appointed governor of the Bank of Israel, plans to look more closely at economics of peace. Dr. Fischer is reported as saying "Israel's economy will not recover from its [intifada-induced] slump without a resumption of the peace process with the Palestinians." The article continues, "In other words, with the prospect of continuing violence and the absence of hope for the future, Israel's economy will continue to suffer." http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=11867

* For the past year, four Belgian organizations (the ‘bankwatch organization’ Netwerk Vlaanderen and the peace movements Forum voor Vredesactie, Vrede and For Mother Earth) have been running the campaign ‘My Money. Clear Conscience?’ This campaign denounced the fact that banks are using their clients’ money to invest in the weapon industry. Reports show that the five most prominent banking groups in Belgium (two of which are advertising extensively in the US now- AXA and ING) have been investing in weapons systems such as anti-personnel mines and depleted uranium weapons. After pressure brought to bear by the campaigns some of these banks have promised to divest, and the Belgian legislature is considering bills expressly prohibiting any investment in landmines, in accordance with the Ottowa treaty.

Until recently, information on this campaign was only available in Dutch, but now a report on investments in controversial weapon systems (cluster bombs, nuclear weapons, landmines and uranium weapons) is also available in English (and in French). You can download the report at http://www.mymoneyclearconscience.be

* Nepal's government increased its defense budget to pressure rebels to hold peace negotiations, Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Behadur Deuba said. The 9 percent increase announced Jan. 14 isn't aimed at strengthening the army in order to try and crush the rebels, Deuba said yesterday in the southeastern town of Biratnagar, according to the government's Web site. The rebels, who follow the ideology of China's Mao Zedong, have been fighting since 1986. The insurgency has resulted in the deaths of more than 10,000 people and damaged the tourist-dependent economy in the Himalayan kingdom that relies on attracting visitors to its mountains, including Mount Everest. Read more at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=acgHVGWL8NJc&refer=top_world_news

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* The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) seeks professional staff with excellent academic backgrounds and experience in macroeconomics, public finance and administration, health economics, demography, labor economics, environmental and resource economics, industrial organization, defense economics, and public-policy analysis. Most staff have graduate degrees and many have considerable experience in a relevant field. See http://www.cbo.gov/jobs.cfm for current listings and application information.

* Each year, the Managing the Atom Project (MTA) invites applications for MTA Research Fellowships. The deadline for fellowships for the 2005-2006 academic year is February 1st, 2005. Additional information and an application form can be found at http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/fellowships.cfm?program=CORE&pb_id=57&gma=3.

MTA offers both pre- and post-doctoral fellowships to graduate students, scholars, and government and other professionals interested in questions pertaining to civilian and/or military applications of nuclear technology.
Fellowships are for one academic year, but are sometimes renewable for a second year.

* Military vs. Social Spending: Warfare or Human Welfare. This fact sheet compares US and global military spending with the costs of achieving the UN Millennium 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.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/facts.htm

* 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 us at info@epsusa.org for a copy to review.

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

* Billions for Iraq War, Mere Millions for Tsunami Victims. President Bush is expected soon to ask for $100 billion or more for the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, in a separate request, he is expected to ask for less than $500 million (less than half of one percent of what he is asking for the Iraq war) to address the tsunami disaster, a catastrophe that has devastated the lives of millions of people from Indonesia to India to Africa. Congress will begin debating these spending requests in early February.

Many in Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, are very concerned about the mounting costs and deepening violence in Iraq. Many are wondering how to extricate the US from this quagmire. Some are considering a congressional resolution stating simply that it is US policy to withdraw all US military forces and bases from Iraq. The Bush administration has never made this statement before, yet it would be an important first step toward defusing the suspicion and growing discontent against the US that now exists in Iraq. It would begin assuring the Iraqi people, who are suspicious of US permanent intentions, that the US will leave. Rising concern among both Republicans and Democrats about the deepening quagmire and escalating costs of the war in Iraq provides an important opening for dialog with our members of Congress.

To send your representative and senators a letter asking them to support a congressional resolution stating that it is US policy to withdraw all US military forces and bases from Iraq, and to provide generous and sustained long-term development assistance to the countries devastated by the tsunami, see FCNL's (Friends Committee on National Legislation) web site. http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=6790831&type=CO

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

* January 11- 21, 2005. Economists for Peace and Security-Spain have organized the First Virtual International Meeting on Economia de la Paz y la Seguridad. The meeting will be conducted via the internet, entirely in Spanish. Additional information at http://www.eumed.net/eve/.

* January 21, 2005. The Study Group on the Economics of Security in the Post-9/11 World at 66 Fifth Ave (between 12th and 13th Sts.), Room 720, New York City at 2:00pm. Study Group co-chairs Bill Hartung and David Gold will speak on the prospects for the defense budget in a second Bush Administration, its composition, projections regarding its growth and the implications for military policy and budgetary politics. RSVP to berrigaf@newschool.edu

* February 25, 2005. The Study Group on the Economics of Security in the Post-9/11 World at 66 W 12th Street, Room 510, New York City at 2:00pm.

* March 4 - 6, 2005. The 31st annual Eastern Economic Association Conference will be held in New York, NY, at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. EPS is hosting a session Saturday, March 5th, at 11:00am, on The Costs of War. The presenters will be:

• Jurgen Brauer, US Military Expenditure: Data, Models, Coefficients
• David Gold, The Economics of Terrorism and Counterterrorism
• Lawrence Klein, The Macroeconomics of Preventive War: What Has Iraq Done to the US Economy.
  

Conference program and other information is available at http://www.iona.edu/eea .

* March 18, 2005. The Study Group on the Economics of Security in the Post-9/11 World at 66 W 12th Street, Room 510, New York City at 2:00pm.

* March 28 – April 1, 2005. Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation and Post-War Rebuilding, Reconciliation and Resolution (PCTR) five-days advanced international training programme, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. More information at http://www.transcend.org

* April 18 – 22, 2005. Globalization from below: strategies and actions for social transformation and nonviolent struggle – learning from and building local and global movements, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. More information at http://www.transcend.org

* April 22, 2005. The Study Group on the Economics of Security in the Post-9/11 World at 66 W 12th Street, Room 510, New York City at 2:00pm.

* May 12, 2005. "Can International Treaties Promote Disarmament and Development?" A seminar promoting transferring funds from military uses to development uses, will be presented by the Alliance for the Global Wellness Fund Treaty, at the UN (room to be announced), from 1:15pm to 2:45pm. More information on the event and the treaty at http://www.globalwellnesstreaty.org

* May 20, 2005. The Study Group on the Economics of Security in the Post-9/11 World at 66 W 12th Street, Room 510, New York City at 2:00pm.

* June 9 - 14, 2005. Women In International Security 2005 Summer Symposium for Graduate Students in International Affairs, Washington, DC, US. http://www.idealist.org/en/events/74966:78/87995:116

* June 27 - July 1, 2005. Week I of the Peacebuilding and Development Summer Institute 2005 at American University, Washington, DC. The Peacebuilding and Development Institute provides knowledge, practical experience and skills for scholars and practitioners involved in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance and development. http://www.american.edu/sis/peace/summer/

* July 5 - July 9, 2005. Week II of the Peacebuilding and Development Summer Institute 2005 at American University, Washington, DC. The Peacebuilding and Development Institute provides knowledge, practical experience and skills for scholars and practitioners involved in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance and development. http://www.american.edu/sis/peace/summer/

* July 11 - July 15, 2005. Week III of the Peacebuilding and Development Summer Institute 2005 at American University, Washington, DC. The Peacebuilding and Development Institute provides knowledge, practical experience and skills for scholars and practitioners involved in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance and development. http://www.american.edu/sis/peace/summer/

* November 11-12, 2005. International Conference on Conflict and Sustainable Peace in East and Southeast Asia, University of Western Sydney, Australia. For details, contact Professor Manas Chatterji by phone (607) 777-2475 or e-mail mchatter@binghamton.edu

* December 28-30, 2005. Second International Conference on Conflict and Peace in South Asia, Jaipur, India. For details, contact Professor Manas Chatterji by phone (607) 777-2475 or e-mail mchatter@binghamton.edu

* January 12-14, 2006. Second International Meeting on Disaster Management, Colombo, Sri Lanka. For details, contact Professor Manas Chatterji by phone (607) 777-2475 or e-mail mchatter@binghamton.edu

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* 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/EPS 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/EPS.  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.epsusa.org/membership/about.htm for more information.

* If you have enjoyed this issue of EPS NewsNotes, or if you wish to support our mission, please consider making a donation to ECAAR/EPS.  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 EPS c/o The Levy Economics Insittute, PO Box 5000, Annandale on Hudson, NY 12405.  If you have any questions call (845) 620-1542, or email info@epsusa.org.