Evan H. Potter – författare

Looking at the new diplomacy between the multinational firm and the nation-state, this book focuses on the interdependencies, conflictual and co-operative, between the two primary actors in the global economy. International contributors (UK, USA, Canada and Sweden) from a variety of disciplines (international relations, political science, public policy, economics and business studies) discuss the theory and practice of MNE-state relations in the 1990s.

Mass communications and advances in communications technology pose fundamental challenges to the traditional conduct of diplomacy by reducing hierarchy, promoting transparency, crowding out secrecy, mobilizing global social movements, and increasing the importance of public diplomacy in international relations. But the primary source of change, the force that acts as a common denominator and accelerates other changes, is communications and information technology (CIT). Where nations were once connected through foreign ministries and traders, they are now linked to millions of individuals by fibre optics, satellite, wireless, and cable in a complex network without central control. These trends have resulted in considerable speculation about the future of diplomacy. Contributors include Andrew F. Cooper (University of Waterloo), Ronald J. Deibert (University of Toronto), Eytan Gilboa (Holon Institute of Technology and Bar-Ilan University, Israel), Steven Livingston (George Washington University), Evan H. Potter (Universty of Ottawa), Gordon Smith (University of Victoria), Peter J. Smith (Athabasca University), Elizabeth Smythe (Concordia University College of Alberta), and Allen Sutherland (Government of Canada).

Since the end of the Cold War, competition among states has been waged along economic rather than ideological or military lines. In Canada, as elsewhere, this shift has forced a rethinking of the role of intelligence services in protecting and promoting national economic security. The scholars and practitioners featured here explore the aim, existing mandate, and practical applications of economic espionage from a Canadian and comparative perspective, and present a range of options for policy-makers. Economic Intelligence & National Security examines the laws in place to thwart economic spying, and the challenges and ethical problems faced by agencies working clandestinely to support their national private sectors.