International Area Studies Review

This article first reviews the official policies of South Korea and the United States toward reunification, second examines the division of Korea during the Cold War, third the division since the Cold War, fourth analyzes the North's nuclear issue, and finally discusses the continuing impasse to reunification and what constructive role the United States should play. The paper shows that there are some striking dissimilarities between the postures of the U.S. and South Korea toward North Korea. The article concludes that South Korea's dramatic change from confrontation to reconciliation toward North Korea, that promises eventual reunification, presents an opportunity for the United States to do the same.

Pope John Paul II's social thought deals with the equitable, just, and peaceful organization of society on a global as well as a local level. John Paul finds the root cause of social injustice in the structures of sin and suggests solidarity as the way to overcome these structures. John Paul II was not only a great religious thinker but also an active social reformer committed to the building of a more just society. This is evidenced by the fact that he played a pivotal role in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, which had a decisive impact on the Asian situation as well. In fact, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe virtually put an end to heated controversies concerning ideologies in many parts of Asia, thereby reducing instability and orienting the progress of society in a more human direction.

This paper examines how Britain tries to defend its national sovereignty against European challenges in the area of human rights policies and how the British approach to human rights has evolved after adjusting complicated demands from Europe. I explore the three British Acts of human rights and immigration policies: the Human rights Act of 1998, the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act, and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. I assess the British case in the context of two competing views: one, human rights as a constitutive principle of, not an external imposition on, liberal nation states. The other, human rights as a universalized discourse of entitlement that rendered national citizenship inventively irrelevant. I argue that the British case basically confirms the priority of national sovereignty in the evolution of human rights regime, but shows a transition to the concept of human rights as a universalized entitlement beyond the nation state.

While the investment creationeffect of regional integration agreements has attracted increased attention in recent years, few studies have examined the impact on investment flows to nonmember countries. This paper investigates ***whether evidence exists for diversion of FDI from Latin America to Mexico both before and after NAFTA to examinethe*** impact of regional integration agreements (RIAs) on FDI inflow by conducting simulations based on a gravity model. A cursory observation of recent FDI trends might give rise to such claims of diversion. Over the post-NAFTA period as a whole, this paper finds that Mexico's FDI performance was not significantly different from the Latin American norm. The findings lead us to conclude that there is no evidence of FDI diversion between these two regions. The fact that stock adjustment is completed in Mexico may be one of the reasons that Mexico has not shown expected FDI inflow ratios.

This study is an attempt to decode nationalist messages in poems and short stories that were written by Malay authors during the Japanese occupation. To this aim, are introduced firstly, Malay journalists and publications under Japanese rule. Secondly, this work analyzes nationalist messages in some poems. Thirdly, it attempts to reveal nationalist messages in some short stories. Based upon the examinations, this study implies that the literary activities of Malay nationalists during the war might contribute to the development of Malay national awareness to a certain degree.

Faced with a serious economic crisis in the early 1990s, Sweden was compelled to undertake a series of restructuring measures on its welfare state systems. For many, the economic pressure and welfare state restructuring were undoubtedly seen as firm proof of the decline of the welfare state, as had been predicted by globalization theorists. However, as the present study shows, many aspects of Sweden's welfare state systems, which underwent a formidable challenge in the early and mid-1990s, have fully recovered since the late 1990s. Several of them, in fact, are now in slightly better shape than they had been before the crisis. This shows the fundamental stability of Sweden's welfare state systems, in contrast to the fevered nature of the debate on their future. In conclusion, the globalization theory does not apply to Sweden's welfare state.

The Canadian education industry is one of the most successful in the globalized education market. Canada has witnessed a steady increase in the number of international students being educated in Canada in the past 10 years, especially students from the Asian region. The contributions of the foreign students group of migrants to the Canadian education institutions haves become quite significant, as well as to the local economies. The share of foreign students from the Asia-Pacific region has increased significantly, from levels of one-in-every-five, to one-in-every-two. This paper examines the economic and social impact Asians have upon the Canadian education industry.

Eastern European countries has been historically multiracial European countries, therefore, the language policy of EU becomes a test case for the practical lives of peoples on the question of the preservation of national identities without national boundaries. This thesis shows what kind of language policy that EU practices to integrate its member states' peoples which practically transcend the borders and how each state deals with these necessities with European Integration and the Globalization. In my paper, Hungary was analyzed as an example.

Development in the financial sector, in particular, the banking sector, plays a key role in stimulating and stabilizing economic growth. Since the foreign exchange crisis in 1991, India has undertaken banking sector reforms. This paper focuses on the following two issues. First, I provide an overview of development in the banking sector over the years, especially after the implementation of the reform policy programs. In order to show the evolution of the Indian banking sector, I examine the reserve ratios reduction, interest rate deregulation, and ratios of non-performing assets. Second, this paper investigates the performance of banking groups by comparing the degree of profitability, and the soundness and efficiency of banks in India. In conclusion, while reform policies have had positive effects on the performance of banks, especially Public Sector Banks in India, the Indian government has to take further steps to deregulate and liberalize the banking industry.

Koreans once considered life a series of continuing codes and rituals. When it was the right time, there was always the appropriate ceremony. The Korean equivalent of a bar-mitzvah, Kwanrye, was a prerequisite for marriage, and Jerye was a ritual for the display of filial duty. Koreans performed these ceremonies at public places because they meant something only when they were recognized by others. Even a small wedding ceremony consecrated with humble food, such as a single bowl of water, had to be performed in front of the neighbors. The idea of performing these rituals in public had become an important factor in uniting and maintaining a community. However, traditional ceremonies were not always positive or constructive. Sometimes they contained merely empty and useless formalities. For instance, the practice of moaning in low voices during Sangrye, or the idea of measuring filial duty by the amount of food at Jerye, were examples of the frivolousness contained in such rituals.

The British business culture from the view point of industrial relations still remains at the position of the bargained constitutional form based on the adversarial relationships between employers and employees, even if some limited moves into a sophisticated modern type were noticed. This limits came from the distrust between the two parties which occurred in the implementation of a partnership agreement. Some cases here, though still quite pragmatic or opportunistic, indicate the possibility of moving into the sophisticated modern or a true partnership which is defined as cooperative or concession-based industrial relations. Further success is contingent upon fundamental structural changes and the effort of increasing the trust between employers and employees.