The science of linguistics tells us that Ontology is the specification of meaning for the elements of a language, and the relationships between those elements. Within the world of data modeling, as different models must interact with each other, the ability to describe the ontology of a data model becomes increasingly more important. This is especially true in the realm of simulation interopera...

The well-known question whether regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the multilateral trading system (MTS) are “strangers, friends, or foes” (Bhagwati and Panagariya, 1996) has gained new importance with the widespread proliferation of RTAs in recent years. Based on an extensive data set which covers most of world trade over the past 60 years and about 240 regional trade agreements, we analyze ...

The well-known question whether regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the multilateral trading system (MTS) are “strangers, friends, or foes” (Bhagwati and Panagariya, 1996) has gained new importance with the widespread proliferation of RTAs in recent years. Based on an extensive data set which covers most of world trade over the past 60 years and about 240 regional trade agreements, we analyze ...

Peer-assisted content distribution matches user demand for content with available supply at other peers in the network. Inspired by this supply-anddemand interpretation of the nature of content sharing, we employ price theory to study peer-assisted content distribution. In this approach, the market-clearing prices are those which exactly align supply and demand, and the system is studied throug...

After a long wait of some 15 years, China finally became a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in December 2001. This was a major milestone not only for China but also for the WTO, boosting the coverage and potential impact of the multilateral trading system. China can now fully participate in the WTO and help shape the rules on which the multilateral trading system is based. This deve...

At the height of the Cold War, most analysis of security cooperation focused on bilateral USSoviet arms control. Today, more of the focus has shifted to multilateral agreements; this makes it important to determine the circumstances under which compliance with these agreements can be assured. This viewpoint sketches out some ideas about the factors that foster and impede compliance, and uses th...

Joel Peters is Associate Professor of Government and International Affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech, USA. From 1992-96 he as an Associate Research Fellow in the Midde East Programme at the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House), London, where he directed a research project on the Multilateral Arab-Israeli Peace Talks. He is the author o...