Negotiating Environment and Science: An Insider's View of International Agreements, from Driftnets to the Space Station - Hardcover

Smith, Richard J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 193311570X ISBN 13: 9781933115702

Publisher: Routledge, 2009

Synopsis

In this thought-provoking new book, career U.S. State Department negotiator Richard J. Smith offers readers unprecedented access to the details about some of the most complex and politically charged international agreements of the late- and post-Cold War era. During his nine years as principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Smith led U.S. negotiations on many significant international agreements.

In Negotiating Environment and Science, Smith presents firsthand, in-depth accounts of eight of the most high-profile negotiations in which he was directly involved, including the London agreement to amend the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the international space station agreement, the U.S.-Soviet (eventually, U.S.-Russian) agreement on scientific cooperation, the U.S.-Canada acid rain agreement, the negotiations in Sofia, Bulgaria that established a first link between human rights and the environment, and a contentious confrontation with Japan over driftnet fishing. Smith chronicles the development of these negotiations, the challenges that emerged (as much within the U.S. delegations as with the foreign partners), and the strategies that led to substantive treaties. Smith infuses his narrative with unique historical insight, as well as astute observations that can guide U.S. strategies toward productive international agreements in the future. His book also highlights the shift in diplomatic focus over the past 25 years from arms control and other ecurityrelated agreements to international and trans-boundary agreements that address global environmental threats and promote cooperative approaches in science and technology.

Written for an audience with a general interest in environmental issues and international relations, Negotiating Environment and Science will also be an important resource for historians, political scientists, and students of international law and diplomacy.

About this title

Review

"How do we get agreement on the difficult environmental and scientific challenges the world faces today? This well written and fascinating account of eight negotiations provides many useful answers." --Joseph S. Nye, Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard, and author of The Powers to Lead

"An interesting and important book about a topic now on the front burner." --.S. Secretary of State and current Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University s Hoover Institution

"Smith makes a valuable contribution to scholarship. Academics writing on international environmental negotiations are prone to being abstract, but Smith's narrative is engaging and easy to read. This will be useful to policymakers, future negotiators, and concerned citizens." --Scott Barrett, School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University

"An interesting and important book about a topic now on the front burner." --.S. Secretary of State and current Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University s Hoover Institution

"Smith makes a valuable contribution to scholarship. Academics writing on international environmental negotiations are prone to being abstract, but Smith's narrative is engaging and easy to read. This will be useful to policymakers, future negotiators, and concerned citizens." --Scott Barrett, School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University

About the Author

Richard J. Smith was the principal deputy assistant secretary in the Department of State's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs from 1985 to 1994. Following this position, he worked for several years on global issues at the National Intelligence Council. He has received numerous awards, including two presidential honors, three Distinguished Service Awards, and the Meritorious Service Award at the Department of State.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 193311570X
• ISBN 13: 9781933115702
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192