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Partnerships are key to private interest that allows for actual construction of the Bering Bridge



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Partnerships are key to private interest that allows for actual construction of the Bering Bridge


Michael L. Mickler, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Church History at Unification Theological Seminary, 10, [“The Bering Strait and Korea-Japan Tunnel Projects: A Strategic Planning Model,”¶ Journal of Unification Studies Vol. 11, 2010 -- Page 211, http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/JUS-11-2010/JUS-11-11.htm] E. Liu

Reverend Sun Myung Moon has advocated construction of an International Peace Highway for nearly three decades. In 1981, at the 10th International Conference for the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS), he proposed construction of "a 'Great Asian Highway' which would run through China, Korea and Japan, and eventually link the globe through a 'Great Free World Highway.'"[1] His call resulted in the establishment of the Japan-Korea Tunnel Research Institute and the International Highway Construction Corporation which conducted extensive private research and public relations activities during the 1980s and 1990s. In 2005 at the Inaugural Convocation of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), Rev. Moon renewed his call for an International Highway System, focusing on "a passage for transit across the Bering Strait." This, he stated, "will allow people to travel on land from Africa's Cape of Good Hope to Santiago, Chile, and from London to New York… connecting the world as a single community."[2] His renewed call resulted in the creation of the Foundation for Peace and Unification (FPU, est. 2008), chartered by South Korea's Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs for the purpose of pursuing the Korea-Japan and the Bering Strait tunnel projects.¶ Despite ongoing research and promotional activities, there have been no formal discussions, much less compacts or treaties, among participating nations and no expression of interest on the part of public or private investors. In order to move these projects beyond conceptualization and exploratory research to implementation, this article takes the position that strategic planning and strategic thinking will be essential. As a first step, the article introduces a strategic planning model consisting of three components: (1) an environmental scan, (2) strategic objectives, and (3) tactical initiatives.¶ The article's three sections build upon this model. The first surveys the world's land-based transportation infrastructure, as well as gaps in the system, and finds the Bering Strait and Korea-Japan Tunnel projects to be vital missing links. The second makes the case that the projects' implementation will contribute to a more balanced global energy and resource economy; the reduction of North American trade and competitive disadvantages; and enhanced cohesion and competitiveness in Northeast Asia. The third section suggests ways to engage political and business constituencies. It advocates a flexible, incremental approach, emphasizing mutual adjustments, coordination of various stakeholders, and utilization of public-private-partnerships (PPPs). A conclusion summarizes the study's key findings.


2NC Solvency – Bering Strait Bridge
Partnerships are key to fund projects like the Bering Bridge – Clear government signals are key

Michael L. Mickler, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Church History at Unification Theological Seminary, 10, [“The Bering Strait and Korea-Japan Tunnel Projects: A Strategic Planning Model,”¶ Journal of Unification Studies Vol. 11, 2010 -- Page 211, http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Publications/JUS-11-2010/JUS-11-11.htm] E. Liu



Financial considerations are at least as important as, or more important than political accords. For much of the 20th century, "governments in all countries… assumed responsibility for financing and operating transport infrastructure." However, this began to change toward the end of the century in the face of public debt, budgetary shortfalls and recognition that "efficiency gains" could be realized by outsourcing costs, construction and operational functions to the private sector. This is not without precedent. "In the 19th century, the railway infrastructure in Europe was financed and operated by the private sector."[25] This also was the case for the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad which was financed, built and managed entirely by private companies with the incentive of generous government land grants. Private concerns also have an incentive to complete projects sooner in order to realize profits. The outstanding contemporary example of public-private partnership (PPP) is the Channel Tunnel, a "build-own-operate-transfer" (BOOT) project in which the British and French governments devolved entire responsibility for financing, construction and commercial management to Eurotunnel, a consortium of ten construction companies and five banks.¶ The "Seoul Declaration on Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development in Asia and the Pacific" (2007) advocated extension of this model into the Asian sector. It was adopted recently by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) as a basis for developing online courses, model concession contracts, and various PPP capacity-building programs. These programs are less relevant for command economies like China which allocated $182 billion to railway investment for 2006-2010 and $292 billion to 2020 [26] or to Middle East Gulf states which are flush with cash. However, PPPs are being pursued increasingly for large-scale infrastructure projects. Supporters of the Bering Strait and Korea-Japan Tunnel projects need to understand and utilize these programs.¶ In the end, creative financing will not work if the projects, themselves, are not deemed to be financially viable or technically feasible. As suggested, crises could intervene. However, in general, investors need to determine a workable formula of government concessions, risk-assessment, and expected profit in order to proceed. One problem with the Bering Strait and Korea-Japan Tunnel projects is that cost-estimates are not yet solid. Estimates for the Bering Strait Tunnel project range from $65 to $200 billion depending, in part, on how the railway connectors on the Russian, U.S. and Canadian sides are calculated. Estimates for the Korea-Japan Tunnel range from $77 to $157 billion. Profit expectations also vary. Inter-hemispheric Bering Strait Tunnel and Railroad Group representatives note that the shortest direct distance from Beijing to Chicago is directly through the Bering Strait and that the elimination of port handling, access to resources en route, concessions from governments, and the opportunity to transport 100 million tons of cargo annually will provide sufficient incentives to investors.[27] Korean and Japanese researchers have projected a 30 percent savings per container on freight shipped through the Korea-Japan Tunnel and concluded that job creation along with the project's ability to revive construction industries and Korea's lagging tourism outside Seoul will make the project viable.[28]¶ Still, there has not been anything developed toward the implementation of either project that remotely resembles a business plan, much less the 11-volume proposal and substantial environmental impact statement submitted by Eurotunnel to the British and French governments. Supporters of the Bering Strait and Korea-Japan Tunnel projects will need to attain this level of articulation in order to have a reasonable expectation of successful implementation. The utilization of strategic planning processes and strategic thinking will be immensely helpful in this process.

2NC Solvency – Bering Strait Bridge


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