The Politics Of International Aviation

An examination of the politics of international aviation. Topics covered include international conflicts and the safety of air travel, ICAO in the United Nations context, and the problems related to terrorism in the sky, such as setting security standards in airports.

Many of the problems and opportunities facing society today are determined by issues of mobility. Access to people, products, information and resources has emerged as a priority in the foreign policies of most states. Inevitably, considerations of national interest have played a central role in the structure and operations of the international aviation system. Meanwhile, air transport has been a catalyst for the phenomenon of globalization. This first in-depth exploration of the vital relationship between aviation policy and national interest in todays global economy focuses on those areas of concern where the international community has common ground or where conflicts of interest are most likely to arise. Revealing deeply informed perspectives gained from decades of distinguished public service in many areas of aviation policy, Erwin von den Steinen reviews the rules that govern the conduct of commercial air services between nations and considers the prospects of aviation in the 21st Century. He explains how timely understanding of national interest can provide a context for global and local policy to connect, and why the international aviation system is vital for the peaceful and sustainable development of modern states and societies. With such insights and powerful, practical recommendations, von den Steinens analysis will be of enormous value to those concerned with air transport, from technical research and design to the highest levels of government, as well as to lawyers and academics in international law and relations. and“a tour of the major issues in international aviation law and policy under the guidance of an authentic homme engageand Ultimately, this book is the work of someone who deeply appreciates the aviation industry both at its technical level, that of its often-frustrating machinations of law and policy, and also at the emotional level of a special business that exemplifies freedom and imagination like few others do.and” Brian F. Havel and“The Introduction has one of the best free flowing leads to a book detailing the politics of aviation and diplomacy I have come acrossand . I commend this book to lawyers, diplomats and students of aero-politics and lawand . I would prescribe this book to my graduate students as compulsory reading for their course in Aero-political and legal Environment.and” Dr Ruwantissa Abeyratne

In this, the first full-length examination of civil aviation diplomacy between the United States and Britain in the period from 1919 to 1990, Dobson demonstrates the influence the two countries had in developing the character of the world's civil aviation system. Basing his research on both American and British archives, and on interviews and correspondence with officials and politicians, Dobson builds a detailed picture of the political, strategic, and economic factors behind the long running "peaceful air warfare" between Britain and the United States.

This book is about the intrinsic link between aviation and politics. It addresses the manner in which the world deals with aviation issues and the legal and diplomatic nuances associated with them. From the inception of regulated civil aviation in 1944, politics and diplomacy have been inextricable from policy making and dispute settlement in affairs of aviation. Varied and chronologically sequential instances where the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was requested by its Contracting States to address contentious issues relating to civil aviation are reflective of the importance of political considerations that underlie such disputes. Additionally, with some regularity, individual issues have emerged, which this book will address, that reflect the responses of a dynamic aviation political community. This book also addresses the role of ICAO, which is dedicated to issues of international civil aviation under the auspices of the United Nations. However, it must be stated at the outset that, although political contentions may exist between States, which is a natural corollary of Statecraft and international politics, it is not the purview of an international organisation to address political motivations of individual States when considering issues referred to it or adjudicating disputes between States. In this regard, ICAO, and the rest of the world have tread a delicate line between diplomacy and objectivity.

Politics at the Airport brings together leading scholars to examine how airports both shape and are shaped by current political, social, and economic conditions. Focusing on the ways that airports have become securitized, the essays address a wide range of practices and technologies--from architecture, biometric identification, and CCTV systems to "no-fly lists" and the privatization of border control--now being deployed to frame the social sorting of safe and potentially dangerous travelers.