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Introduction
15
againsttheU.S.’(Tomaszczyk)astherewaspreviouslyovertheIraq
question,butGermanyrevealsamoreself-confidentsideinpursuingits
policiesandmakingitspositionplausibletoothers.
Inaddition,thetwootheressaysinthesecondsectionarealsocon-
cernedwitheconomicandpoliticaldevelopments,butalsoincludeele-
mentsoftheory-buildingapproaches.Twocontributorsmakeattempts
toadapttwosociologicaltheories,MaxWeber’sdistinctionbetween
the4communal’and4associative’relationshiptoclimatechangepolicy
(AnnikaArnold)andAnthonyGiddens’groundbreakingworkon
4structuration’toworkrelationsin4expatriatecommunities’(Martina
Maletzky).Both,itshouldbenoted,haverecentlybecomepredomi-
nantresearchperspectivesincross-culturalandinternationalrelations
studies.TheessayfromAnnikaArnoldfocusesonclimatechangepoli-
ciesandinterculturaldifferencesbetweentheU.S.andGermany.She
suggestsinherarticlethattheincreaseinglobalwarminghasnotonly
becomeamajorsocietal,political,andeconomicissueontheglobal
agenda,butmayalsoputpressureonanyattempttoseekcommongro-
undinovercomingdifferentculturalexpectations,breakingseemingly
existingpoliticalbarriers,andstrengtheningculturalsimilaritiesin
cross-culturalexchange.Weber’stheoreticalconceptisappliedhere
notonanindividuallevelbutonanationalculturallevel,meaningthat
ecologicalsustainabilityisaseriouschallengewithwhatcommunities
werecommonlyfacedworldwideonthelocalandgovernmentallevel.
Onesuchissueistheenforcementofthe4precautionaryprinciple’as
alreadysummarizedbyWallaceS.Broecker(1975)andwhich“allows
forfreedominhumanaffairs,albeitfreedomtemperedbyjudgment;and
ecologicalethicsrequirethatthosewhoareconsumingandpolluting
themostmayhavetoslowdownandallowthosewhoareconsuming
andpollutingtheleasttoattainahigherstandardofliving”(Gutiérrez
2011:1).Furthermore,inheressay,MartinaMaletzkyisalsoconcerned
withtherelevanceandsignificanceofculturaldifferences,butconcen-
tratesinadditiononhighlightinganotherimportanttopicininternatio-
nalrelationsstudies:thecross-borderactivitiesofGermanexpatriates
fromdifferentindustrialsectorsandpersonnelmobilityofmulti-and
internationalcompaniesinMexico.Giddens’(1979:66)theoryof
4structuration’isappliedheretoanalyzetheimplicationsandoutcomes
