  Spectral distribution theory, which can be used to compare microscopic
interactions over a broad range of nuclei, is applied in an analysis of two
modern effective interactions based on the realistic CD-Bonn potential for
$0\hbar\Omega$ no-core shell model calculations in the fp shell, as well as in
a comparison of these with the realistic shell-model GXPF1 interaction. In
particular, we explore the ability of these interaction to account for the
development of isovector pairing correlations and collective rotational motion
in the fp shell. Our findings expose the similarities of these two-body
interactions, especially as this relates to their pairing and rotational
characteristics. Further, the GXPF1 interaction is used to determine the
strength parameter of a quadrupole term that can be used to augment an
isovector-pairing model interaction with Sp(4) dynamical symmetry, which in
turn is shown to yield reasonable agreement with the low-lying energy spectra
of $^{58}$Ni and $^{58}$Cu.
