Tag: trade policy

Why do the nations so furiously rage?

Posted on by lauraanneayres

Studying global relations (law and economics on an international scale) has been full of many lessons I wish every person could learn. Not yet done – but here are just five things I’ve already learned, in Tell-It-Like-It-Is style (i.e. I’m not using fancy phrases, okay, I promise).

  1. There is absolutely no reason for wealthy, developed nations not to get along. There are many excuses (most of which center around the need to “protect” or “isolate” the individual country from the global marketplace), but there are no reasons. In times of plenty, we should not be greedy – we should be gracious. In times of strife, we should not be aggressive – we should be thoughtful. In short? We should work together and base decisions on reason – not emotion. Insert book suggestion: Al Gore’s Attack on Reason.
  2. You are born where you are born, and there’s nothing you can do about that. So, when I have a discussion with one of my colleagues at the Institute as an “American,” I am aware that I am not a superpower. I was merely lucky enough, and I was very lucky, to have been born within the borders of a superpower. We don’t discuss things as countries, we discuss things as humans. We bring our expertise to the table, but the overall discussion is global. What’s good for the world will be good for humanity.
  3. Religion has absolutely no place in when discussing geopolitics. I mean exactly that. The singular reason to discuss religion at all, in serious global discourse, is for the purposes of determining geographical areas of prosecution and intolerance in regard to human rights. There is no place in geopolitics for one’s personal religious beliefs or preferences (coming from a devout Catholic).
  4. Negotiating truly is an art form and this is why. Negotiating needs, at least, two willing and able participants. To be willing to negotiate means one is willing to be vulnerable, humble, and open. To be able to negotiate means one has been given a proxy or authority to do so. Imagine how many times a day world leaders do this without our knowledge? So, if there is hope this can be done countless times every hour, there is hope this can be done (WTO Members, I’m looking directly at you) once a day. Negotiating keeps war, poverty, strife, collapse at bay. It is the entire ballgame, but rests securely on both criteria being fulfilled.
  5. The worst times in Switzerland to hold discussions about international policies are the following: just after lunch, when there is a major news story unfolding, if the sun is shining in the city, if there is snow in the mountains, or if there is no more wine on the table. This leaves a great window: when it is raining, the carafes are full of a good Humagne Rouge from the Valais, and there are men AND WOMEN at the table. This is ideal.

Gotta love Handel and the Bible…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNcZgu9yFjU They make my point for me.

Switzerland’s Great Obligation (Thoughts after my First Week of Legal Studies)

Posted on by lauraanneayres

Many of my blog readers may have gathered (given that you are also Twitter followers), I started my legal studies this week. It’s only a decade (plus some change) after I started the first time. Totally normal.

It’s also totally normal to understand The Right To Be Forgotten because, unlike your colleagues, you’ve had to argue it to have videos of yourself removed.

It’s all normal. At least it is for me. It’s “my” normal.

You all also know that I am a fierce, steadfast defender of Switzerland. I bleed not only red, but small flecks of white. I am a die-hard Swissie (now, I can say it because it’s no longer a wish, I have ancestors).

After this really long, but completely fascinating week of study, I have learned too much to say too much at this point. I can say, it is my hope to be a small part, someday, of Switzerland’s Great Obligation. Switzerland holds the very heart of the globalization in Geneva; therefore, in my opinion, Switzerland has a Great Obligation.

Global policy makers, global human rights defenders, global jurisdiction deciders, internet dispute mediators, etc. all find their home..in Geneva. Again, Switzerland has the heart of globalization because it has, within its borders, Geneva.

Is it dramatic to refer to it as a Great Obligation (my American term)? I don’t think so. This beautiful country of mountains, cheese, and chocolate is in a literal, geographical, and international position of great responsibility. Nations, private individuals, and public entities at war or in conflict look to Switzerland (and still the US in many circumstances) for a decisive understanding of how to move forward. Is there a greater responsibility and thus obligation for neutrality anywhere? I can find none to rival Geneva.

There is, in Geneva, unique ability and possibility, because of the shared physical location of these powerful bodies, to institute lasting, productive, globally-applicable change…in cooperation and consort…face to face…with each other. I watched them do it this week! Also, the landscape of the location and approach that is deemed “acceptable,” it matters. I truly believe that has an impact at a high level to most, and at a subconscious level to others, that Switzerland has historically held the approach, one with which I concur and from which I have learned, to deal with issues affecting the current and future global landscape with “everything on the head in proportion” – two ears, two eyes, a large brain, and ONE mouth. I feel Switzerland exercises its Great Obligation by using this appropriate proportionality. It sets the tone for all discussions happening under a Swiss flag.

I finish the week knowing the difference between bitcoin and blackcoin. I know the argument about ICANN being in the US is more about political grumblings than substantive policy issues or geographical location problems. I know there is no clear answer to the question, “What are alternative resolution systems for Internet-related disputes today and tomorrow?”…but! I know there are so damn fine ideas in the works. Some of which were formulated because Professor Jacques de Werra brought these international leaders together this past week…face to face…in cooperation…in Geneva.

Interestingly enough, what I really know is that I am, yet again, in the beginning stages of something I will master. I will. Hell, my own computer says I need to spell check “bitcoin” and “blackcoin.” This field into which I am headed is an abyss. Dealing with either area (international trade policy or IP) will require me to follow the behavior demonstrated to me in the past week by esteemed leaders and also by Switzerland’s approach to it all. I need to first listen without my own filter. Then, I need to make a proportional response – two ears, one brain, one mouth.

It’s all about listening more and talking less (and with very concise, thoughtful words).

Something I should truly enjoy after a career that required my mouth to usually be open, my decibel level to be (fairly) loud, and my words to be both many and also not my own.