  We consider radiative backreaction for global strings using the Kalb-Ramond
formalism. In analogy to the point electron in classical electrodynamics, we
show how local radiative corrections to the equations of motion allow one to
remove the divergence in the self field and calculate a first order
approximation to the radiation backreaction force. The effects of this
backreaction force are studied numerically by resubstituting the equations of
motion to suppress exponentially growing solutions. By direct comparison with
numerical field theory simulations and analytic radiation calculations we
establish that the `local backreaction approximation' provides a satisfactory
quantitative description of radiative damping for a wide variety of string
configurations. Finally, we discuss the relevance of this work to the evolution
of a network of global strings and their possible cosmological consequences.
These methods can also be applied to describe the effects of gravitational
radiation backreaction on local strings, electromagnetic radiation backreaction
on superconducting strings and other forms of string radiative backreaction.
