Portugal and the Curse of Cain:The Birth of the Transatlantic Slave“Trade”,1421-1441

This article investigates the role of Portugal in the birth of the transatlantic slave trade.For a long time,most explanations of this traffic by American historians divorced the so-called“Old World”slave trade from the New World slave trade.This historiography blamed Christopher Columbus for the latter trade,while writing Portugal out of Atlantic history.Recent research,however,has shown that Portugal was the first country to claim the governance of the Atlantic Ocean and to trade in African slaves across the Atlantic.In an attempt to bring a much-needed African perspective to balance this Eurocentric debate,I question the notion of“trade”in the transatlantic slave trade.I suggest that this“trade”originated not in commerce,but in the Portuguese,pioneer role as slave raiders on the coast of Western Africa,a role spuriously justified by an invented Curse of Cain.The Pope confirmed this role with a bull granting Portugal exclusive rights to capture African slaves and trade them in Europe.This neglected original slave-raiding chapter is the precedent without which the transatlantic slave trade is dangerously misunderstood.

Transatlantic Integration:The TTIP under Scrutiny

In view of the already relatively low most-favored-nation(MFN)rates on average,today’s most impeding barriers to transatlantic trade are not custom tariffs but so-called behind-the-border measures.TTIP was originally destined to become a verily comprehensive trade and investment agreement in acknowledgment of this circumstance.But its distinctively ambitious agenda exposed both camps’opposing positions on several fronts at the same time.Considering that the negotiations had already hit several road blocks under the espousing Obama administration,the protectionist convictions and“America First”policy of the incumbent US President promised to complicate many of these contentious issues.Cherished as a popular tool in the business environment,the SWOT analysis also stood the test in the innovative context of identifying internal strengths and weaknesses of TTIP as well as external opportunities and threats to its conclusion further down the line.Juxtaposing its intrinsic strengths and weaknesses of TTIP unveils a mixed picture,alike so often in real life where no absolute truth exists.Nevertheless,the research demonstrates that there are compelling economic incentives for revitalizing the bilateral talks with respect to the likely transformations it would bring about in terms of market organization and functioning,production and distribution efficiency,national income,consumer satisfaction and,not least,regulation harmonization.Examining the matter from a different angle by asking“What are the probable implications of the scenario where the negotiations on a transatlantic trade and investment agreement will not be reinstated in the near future?”provided further illuminating insights.This approach revealed that neither the EU nor the US can actually afford to perpetuate the current status quo.Without TTIP,the relative size of the transatlantic pole is bound to dwindle in the global economy.Let alone the long-term geostrategic damage caused by its absence,as the EU and the US would miss out on the last chance to impose their joint vision of 21st century commerce on the rest of the world and preempt China from doing so instead.A glance at the corresponding external opportunities and threats suggests that the pendula could swing in either direction in terms of the TTIP’s destiny.The author believes that Brussels will be hesitant to re-embark on delicate trade negotiations until the next US presidential election,in the hope that a more amicable and more reliable counterpart would enter the White House.The Commission will be too distracted anyway by the coinciding Brexit from taking the initiative any time soon.The UK’s exit represents a double-edged sword in this context,as the dueling race for a Free Trade Agreement(FTA)with the US will immediately start once this all-consuming affair is settled and tied up capacities are recuperated.But for also reaching the finishing line—synonymous for the successful ratification of TTIP—it is imperative to learn from the mistakes of the past.Aloof officials have to put themselves in the shoes of ordinary citizens if they want to formulate convincing narratives and draw the right lessons from previous mistakes.

GROPING FOR A NEW TRANSATLANTIC PARTNERSHIP

Building a new transatlantic alliance stood high on the 1995 agenda for Euro-American relations,a symbol of an adjustment process under way in depth.In June 1995,US Secretary of State Warren Christopher raised in his speechthe issue of “charting a Transatlantic Agenda for the 21st century”.A month later,Europe came up with a strategic paper on relations with America.The end of

On the Transatlantic Relationship

The transatlantic relationship is undergoing profound change.Characterized by self-centeredness, the Trump administration clearly despises Europe, and even exerts hostility toward Europe and the transatlantic alliance. The vast majority of the European governments and people are turning anti-American, and there is a particular dislike toward Trump. They are questioning the value and the future of the transatlantic alliance, a phenomenon that is rare in the history of transatlantic relations.Although the current changes in transatlantic relations are focused on Trump, these are actually the result of the combined effects of geopolitical differences and economic competition between Europe and the US, and internal social and political changes over recent years, amongst others.The transatlantic relationship is now entering a new era, during which disputes and contradictions are set to mount. The relationship is unlikely to return to what it once was, even if another US president takes office.The process of normalization and de-specialization between the two sides seems certain to accelerate, with more fundamental changes in the Western world set to occur. However, the transatlantic relationship remains unique. Despite many internal contradictions, Europe and the US share more mutual willingness than they do differences when it comes to dealing with non-Western world issues such as China and Russia. The transatlantic alliance will continue to exist for a long time to come, and it will remain the dominant factor in international geopolitics and major power relations.

The Yellow FeverPandemic and the Establishment of a Transatlantic Knowledge Network for Epidemic Prevention in the Late 18th and Early 19th Centuries

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries,a series of conflicts erupted in the Caribbean,leading to the spread of yellow fever to North America and Europe.This yellow fever epidemic was aggravated by war,migration,trade,and other human behaviors,resulting in a decadelong transatlantic pandemic.Groups of physicians in Europe and the United States established a transatlantic network focused on epidemic prevention,to investigate the pathology,causes,and treatments of yellow fever Subsequently,some consular officers were also concerned about the yellow fever epidemic,which led to the expansion of this network.The formation and expansion of the transatlantic knowledge network profoundly demonstrated the spirit of transnationalism and promotes progress in international public health.It sets a precedent for international health cooperation.However,this network was dominated by the so-called"white elite",with European and American countries holding the knowledge hegemony,it had a clear racist and colonialism feature.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and Trans-Pacific Partnership： Policy Options of China

As a result of deadlocked multilateral trade negotiations, many countries have embarked on the establishment of bilateral and regional trade agreements. Using the Global Trade Analysis Project database and a computable general equilibrium model, our paper focuses on the impacts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership （TTIP） and the Trans- Pacific Partnership （TPP） on the Chinese economy under three scenarios. The results suggest that when only the TTIP is realized, Chinese economic variables are negatively affected. When both the TTIP and the TPP are realized and China is excluded, the combined damage to the Chinese economy is higher than the damage with the TTIP alone. However, the inclusion of China in the TPP has a positively effect on economic variables in China. This indicates that the impacts of China ＇s participation in the TPP compensate for the negative impacts of the TTIP. Therefore, China should consider being part of the TPP to offset the negative impacts of the TTIP.

Transatlantic Teen

Vicki Van Meter,a 12-year-old trom Meadville,Pennsylvanta, soared into the record books last summer as the youngest girl to pilot a plane across the Atlantic Ocean. "I did all the flying, navigations, and communications," Vicki says. Vicki’s skill comes from experience.She’s been flying since she was 10. "

欧美涉华协调及其限度

After the Biden administration came to power in the United States,Europe and the United States came to a comprehensive arrangement for coordinating their internal diferences and international policies,using shared values as the traction for forming a consensus posture toward China,which to a certain extent placed transatlantic relations into a posture of readiness for a Cold War.Although the common strategic needs of Europe and the United States contributed to the coordination between Europe and the United States,the long-term,structural contradictions between Europe and the United States in the felds of economy,trade,and security created the limited and transactional nature of this round of coordination.At the same time,the internal ecology of Europe and the United States has produced a window of opportunity in this round of coordination,increasing the uncertainty entailed by deepening coordination in the short and medium terms.The coordination of Europe and the United States has impacted the political foundations of China-EU relations and promoted an increase in the level of competition in China-EU relations and compressed the tension space in Europe-US relations,as well as having a negative impact on the global and regional order.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND IMPLICATIONS IN US-EUROPE ALLIANCE UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The transatlantic alliance between the US and Europe within the framework of NATO is the longest and closest alliance relationship in the world today. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has sent “shockwaves” of readjusting US policy toward Europe, intensifying the already serious contradictions accumulated between the two sides.

特朗普执政以来美欧关系的变化、动因及影响

特朗普执政后以"美国优先"为原则调整对外战略,对美欧关系造成巨大冲击。美国在贸易、安全、外交等各领域背离对欧政策传统,不顾欧洲利益、不听欧洲劝说、不屑与欧洲协调,对欧洲国家外交政策形成挑战。面对这一形势,欧洲已掀起一轮关于美欧关系前景的大辩论,跨大西洋主义的可持续性受到质疑。同时,欧洲对美"双重切割"政策初步成型。这一轮美欧关系变动是历史和现实政治作用的结果,是以杰克逊主义为底色的"特朗普主义"主导下的外交政策调整,是冷战后美欧世界观、权力观渐行渐远的结果,也是美国战略重心东移背景下欧洲对美战略价值下降的表现。此轮关系调整涉及美欧对自由主义国际秩序发展方向的分歧,触及美欧关系底线,影响深远。美欧关系的不确定性也给正处在十字路口的欧洲一体化进程带来更多挑战。美欧关系的变动将加剧自由主义国际秩序的危机。在继续积极引导美国、稳固中美关系的同时,中国应对欧洲外交的两面性和灵活性保持清醒认识,在当前国际秩序面临压力的背景下,继续做现行国际秩序的维护者和改良者。

“All Mankind As Equal:”Slavery and Benjamin Rush’s Radical Enlightenment in the Eighteenth Century Atlantic World

Putting Philadelphia physician,politician,and abolitionist Benjamin Rush’s Enlightenment and abolitionism together,this article argues that Rush was a radical Enlightenment thinker in the eighteenth century Atlantic world.A close consideration of Rush’s radical abolitionism illustrates his antislavery networks in the broader Atlantic world.Meanwhile,drawing on largely unnoticed correspondence between Rush and his radical friends,it aims to demonstrate his radical character in the transatlantic Enlightenment.A focused study on Rush’s antislavery activities and transatlantic Enlightenment thus hopes to cast recent scholarship highlighting Philadelphia’s Enlightenment and abolitionism in a radical light.