http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/world/europe/19ash.html?scp=2&sq=airlines&st=cse
“Airlines Press Europe to Ease Ban on Flights”
This article deals with the crisis many European travelers have been facing since the eruption of Iceland’s volcano. The eruption released a massive cloud of ash that now has drifted over much of the European mainland. Initially, many predictions showed that if an aircraft were to fly through the ash the engines would stall. However, this article shows that now airlines are pushing for test flights to see if this is actually the case. Many European airlines are putting pressure on governments to reopen their airspace and allow flights to take off. These airlines have suffered financial losses of almost $50 billion over the last decade, and losses due to the current crisis are almost $1 billion in lost revenue. It has been theorized that if flights continue to be grounded some of the weaker airlines could go under. Also, some airlines have refunded their passengers for tickets or offered free rescheduling services on flights that have been cancelled due to the ash.
This situation could have grave effects on the international relations within Europe and between Europe and the rest of the world. With many airports across Europe closed, the international travel and trade-related industries will suffer greatly if this continues much longer. The ash cloud and the authorities policies regarding flights not only affect the airline industry but also the tourist industry and any industry that ships goods using airfreight carriers. As should be evident at this point, any situation that affects international trade negatively has severe consequences on relations between nations.
This is actually not a very typical issue for international politics. Unlike the military prostitution in Korea, which has profound influence on Korean economy and relationship with the US, the delay of air planes can only causes the European airlines to lose money and make them already hard business much harder. I am not sure whether we can see those European airlines as some actors in international politics through this event, because it is a one-time event and no matter how long the delay is, it is temporary. But we actually can see this as a test for communications and trust between the two countries. One point Alexander Wendt made in his paper “Anarchy is what states make of it” is that states’ identities arise out of interaction. This provides an opportunity for Europe and US to communicate. If it proves that the two sides works pretty good, it will reinforces their positive connection with each other. Another example for this argument is the Russia adoption case, where shows the historically-constructed relationship between Russia and the US. The adoption case reinforces their distrust with each other and reflects their inter-subjective identity.
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