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This report describes a research project funded by the Danish government that interviewed twenty-two South African companies in 2004 to analyze their experiences doing business in Nigeria, aiming to develop policy recommendations for a sustainable business environment in Africa.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the risks surrounding Burundi's scheduled November 1, 2004, elections. The author argues that the country is caught between the contradictory demands of peace-making and electioneering, with significant technical, security, and political preconditions remaining unmet. The document highlights a dangerous trend toward 'win-lose' politics and the growing influence of militarized political power, warning that without a genuine national consensus and inclusive reforms, the elections could trigger a return to the ethnic violence seen after the 1993 elections.

This report analyses the South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF), a conglomerate of government-supported militias, and argues that its exclusion from the IGAD-sponsored peace process between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) threatens the stability of southern Sudan.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) submitted comments on the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA), arguing that its investment chapter fails to meet the Trade Act of 2002 mandate that foreign investors receive no greater substantive rights than domestic investors. CIEL expresses concern that the investor-state dispute mechanism undermines national regulatory powers, lacks an appellate process, and lacks a general environmental exception, potentially threatening public health and environmental protections.

Eighteen environmental organizations issued a statement on April 19, 2004, urging U.S. congressional leaders to reject the Bush Administration's proposed amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) for implementing the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The organizations argue that the proposed legislation fails to provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with effective authority to ban additional POPs pesticides and introduces burdensome regulatory requirements that contradict the treaty's precautionary principles.

This memorandum by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) critiques a March 25, 2004, Department of Justice (DOJ) letter which argued that mandatory notice and comment provisions in proposed implementing legislation for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) would unconstitutionally infringe upon the President's treaty-making powers.

The research paper examines the formation and early challenges of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum, a partnership aimed at increasing the influence of developing nations in global economic and security governance.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the political and economic landscape of Guinea-Bissau leading up to the legislative elections on 28 March 2004. It details the country's history of instability, including the 1998-1999 civil war and the 2003 coup d'état that deposed President Kumba Ialá, while outlining the challenges of democratic consolidation, military restructuring, and extreme foreign aid dependence.

A statement by members of the Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Council (TEPAC) expressing concerns that the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) fails to meet the 'no greater substantive rights' mandate of the Trade Act of 2002 and poses threats to national regulatory powers and environmental protections.

This document is a table of contents and summary page for a workshop report titled 'Understanding and Regulating Arms Brokering in Southern Africa', which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 15 to 17 March 2004.

This report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) documents a friendly settlement reached on October 17, 2003, between the State of Chile and members of the Mapuche Pehuenche people. The dispute arose from the construction of the Ralco Hydroelectric Project by the company ENDESA, which the petitioners claimed violated their rights to ancestral lands and ignored indigenous laws requiring consent for relocation.

This research paper examines why Zimbabwe has not experienced a total state collapse despite severe economic crisis, hyperinflation, and international sanctions under the leadership of President Robert Mugabe.

This document is a submission by non-disputing parties (Bluewater Network, Communities for a Better Environment, and the Center for International Environmental Law) to an arbitration tribunal regarding a dispute between Methanex Corporation and the United States. The submission argues that California's ban on the gasoline additive MTBE was a legitimate exercise of government power to protect public health and the environment, and should therefore be granted substantial deference under NAFTA and international law.

This document consists of separate comments submitted by four members of the Trade and Environmental Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC) regarding the investment chapter of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The authors express approval that the agreement lacks an investor-state dispute mechanism but argue that the substantive investment provisions remain problematic, fail to comply with the Trade Act of 2002's "no greater substantive rights" mandate, and pose threats to environmental regulation and public governance.

Separate comments from TEPAC members argue that the environment chapter of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) weakens public participation, cooperation, and remedies for environmental harm compared to other recent U.S. FTAs.

A coalition of public interest groups, including the Center for International Environmental Law and the World Wildlife Fund, issued a statement on March 8, 2004, rejecting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) February 25 draft amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The groups argue the draft fails to adequately implement the Stockholm POPs Convention, the LRTAP POPs Protocol, and the Rotterdam PIC Convention, and they oppose the bill's reliance on cost-benefit analysis over health-based standards.

This research paper analyzes the IGAD Peace Initiative in Sudan as it approached a signed agreement between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in 2004. The author argues that while the first stage of the process successfully identified core conflict issues, the subsequent transitional period requires a shift from elite-driven negotiations to a transparent, inclusive, and democratic process to avoid implosion. The paper emphasizes that internal stability in Sudan is inextricably linked to the rehabilitation of its contentious bilateral relations with neighboring states in the Horn of Africa.

This research paper analyzes the IGAD Peace Initiative in Sudan as it nears a signed agreement between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The author argues that while the first stage of negotiations was successful in its narrow focus, the subsequent transitional period requires a shift toward inclusivity, democratic transformation, and the rehabilitation of volatile bilateral relations with neighboring states in the Horn of Africa to ensure a sustainable peace.

A statement from the Center for International Environmental Law and partner organizations urging the U.S. Congress to oppose the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) due to its perceived threats to environmental protections and public health.

This briefing, prepared for COP-7 in February 2004, outlines strategies for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to build capacity to combat invasive alien species (IAS). It emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive legislative frameworks, regional coordination, and the utilization of existing science and technology to prevent, control, and eradicate IAS.