![The Prague and the Bohemia regional Rabbinate at the End of the 17th and the Beginning of the 18th Centuries](/api/image/getbookcoverimage?id=document_cover-page-image_466468.png)
The Prague and the Bohemia regional Rabbinate at the End of the 17th and the Beginning of the 18th Centuries
Das Prager und Böhmische Landesrabbinat Ende des siebzehnten und Anfang des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts
xxx
More...xxx
More...Keywords: Soft power; Russia; European Union; international relations;
The European Union thinks of itself as a ‘soft power’, which is defined by Joseph Nye as the “ability to get what you want through attraction rather than through coercion” and which can “be cultivated through relations with allies, economic assistance, and cultural exchanges.” Few would think that Russia has ‘soft power’ ambitions, but the truth is that Russia has started to invest in the infrastructure of a soft power.
More...Keywords: Asia; Europe; Middle East; missile defence; South Asia
The importance of the issue of missile defence was underlined at the end of 2012 and in the first few months of 2013 by several events, including Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defence, NATO’s Patriot deployments to the Turkish–Syrian border and the nuclear and missile crisis in North Korea.The report adds to the ongoing discussion about the relationship between missile defence and nuclear deterrence while keeping in mind the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons promoted by the current U.S. administration. The interconnections between missile defence and nuclear deterrence are complicated. While in some cases MD development can lead to a decrease in nuclear arsenals, in some regions it might have a more negative effect of fuelling nuclear arms races. The added value of the report is its wide range: readers will find perspectives on missile defence presented by authors dealing with these issues in not only the transatlantic and European contexts but also in Russia, the Middle East, South Asia and the Far East. Regardless of the various perspectives, contexts and conclusions of the report’s individual chapters, there is no disagreement that missile defence is already influencing the thinking about nuclear weapons and deterrence. It also reveals that the interconnections between missile defence and nuclear deterrence might be more complicated than any idealistic expectations about the former as a substitute for the latter. The role of missile defence in shaping the security environment will only be growing. We encourage every reader to engage in further exchanges of opinions with our staff and all the authors of this report.
More...This report presents the findings and analysis generated by a needs assessment on gender and securi-ty sector reform (SSR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The needs assessment is a joint initiative by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and two BiH civil society organiza-tions: the Atlantic Initiative and Žene Ženama with the objective to examine and outline national- and local-level good practices on gender and security sector reform (SSR), as well as areas where further improvements are required. This will enable the development of sustainable and locally-driven future initiatives on gender and SSR, and ensure stakeholder support.The report provides data and analysis on the current state of gender integration in the armed forces, police, judiciary, and penal institutions at the central, entity, and cantonal levels and Brčko District. The gender and security concerns discussed are considered within the current sociopolitical situation and institutional organization of BiH. The report examines the implementation of key national legislation and international instruments relevant for addressing gender in the security sector and explores the gender sensitivity of current policies and practices. Furthermore, the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) working on gender and security, and the forms of cooperation they have with state agencies and institutions, are examined.
More...Despite the diplomatic, military and political defeat of the Greater Serbia project of Slobodan Milose-vic's regime, despite the fact that he is answering to the international tribunal today for crimes commit-ted in his conduct, crimes involving genocide in Bosnia, myths created by Milosevic's propaganda in an attempt to conceal their tracks, they survived in significant parts of the Serbian public to this day.
More...Keywords: International Criminal Court; Hague Tribunal;
The Hague-based International Criminal Court, the world’s first permanent judicial forum, created in 1998 by the adoption of the Rome Statute, has been living difficult times during the past months. After years of struggle since its operations have started in 2002, the second half of 2016 has brought withdrawals, threats for withdrawals, and even a visibly collective strategy for a mass withdrawal of African states from the system. What keeps states in a similar structure, what makes them seriously consider a withdrawal, and what is the possible future of the International Criminal Court (ICC)?
More...Keywords: Požarevac penitentiary; reformatory for women; quality and conditions of life; security; legality of the prison regime; re-socialization; contact with the outside world; institutional personnel; special prison hospital; county prison in Novi Sad;
The team of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (HCHRS) has always paid particular attention to the Penitentiary-Reformatory for Women in Požarevac given that it is the only institution in Serbia for women under sentence, with numerous specificities this entails. Having in mind the reports on previous visits, it can be concluded that the prison conditions are still far from adequate, although steps have been taken regarding the maintenance and renovation of this institution. Certain parts of the prison are decently adapted and furnished given that these activities are funded by modest working capital, however the majority of accommodation facilities remain in need of urgent transformation. This refers to an entire wing of the prison ward in particular, as well as to the numerous premises used both by the prisoners and the staff. It should be noted that some of the buildings of the Penitentiary-Reformatory for Women in Požarevac are among the oldest in the system of the execution of criminal sanctions of the Republic of Serbia. The main building was built 136 years ago, and has since been considerably reconstructed twice (in 1911 and 1971).
More...Keywords: Don River Region; Azov Region; steppe zone; Golden Horde time; settlements; camps; ground necropolises; barrow necropolises
The author studies sites of Golden Horde time found in the south-eastern part of Ukraine. The nature and climate of this region has three zones: Seversky Donets, Donetsky Kryazh and the Azov region. Different natural environment in these zones conditioned peculiar features of sites located here. In the steppes in Donetsky Kryazh, with their nomad population, the sites represent some barrow necropolises, seasonal camps and some individual finds. The Azov coast, along with sites left by the nomads, yields some stationary settlements, most of which emerged in the second half of 14th c. One of them had an adjacent ground necropolis (Lyapinskaya Balka). The steppe also yields burials of nomad elite, including Muslim ones (the stone from Guselshchikovo). The largest and most typical sites are located in the middle stream of the Seversky Donets (camps, small and large settlements, ground and barrow necropolises). A group of settlements with pseudo Early Russian ceramics had existed there from the previous time period. Next to some of these, some large Golden Horde centers emerge in 14th c. (at village Maiaki and town Raygorodok). It is noteworthy that both groups of settlements coexist in the middle stream of the Seversky Donets during the whole of the Golden Horde time.The rise on the considered territory dates to the second half of 14th c. With the fall of Mamay and accession of Tokhtamysh to power, the region lost its importance. The ultimate desolation of these lands started after the western territories of the Golden Horde had been devastated by Tamerlane in 1395.
More...Keywords: Lisbon rules; rotating presidency of the Council; Hungary; Council of the European Union; administrative capacity;
On 1 January 2011, Hungary, the third member of the European Union to join the club in 2004, took overthe presidency of the Council of the European Union. This represents the first presidency of a newer member state under Lisbon Treaty rules. After the new treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009, all rotating presidencies are, in a sense, first time presidencies. Their relative success now depends more on administrative ability than political leadership.
More...Keywords: re-constitution of Bosnia-Hercegowina;
This paper examines the sources of international power and influence in Bosnia, and how they can be mobilised in support of the international agenda. It studies the most basic forms of international power - the coercive power of the military; financial power; and the power to act as gatekeeper to Europe. It also studies the institutional tools which have been developed to wield international power, in particular the mandate of the High Representative. The international community has the potential to exercise considerable power in Bosnia. A study of the most important successes in the peace process shows that, even at its current level of resources, the international community is capable of achieving lasting results. However, it has been slow at learning the lessons of its successes, and at understanding the sources of its influence. The limited progress in the peace process is attributable in large part to the failure of the international community to understand international power as a resource which must be used strategically in support of the peace mission.
More...Keywords: medieval history; church history; Christianity in the Middle Ages; religious culture; Poland during the Piast dynasty
In the article an analysis has been conducted of the cult of St Peter the Apostle in the early-Piast state and of the relation of the Piast monarchy to the Holy See. The discussed analysis was carried out against the background of other selected early medieval political organisms located in Central Europe. These include, above all, Bohemia and Great Moravia, as well as other Slavic states of the second half of the 9th century, such as Croatia, Serbia or Bulgaria. Among the discussed-in-detail source materials, which indicate the importance of the cult of the Prince of the Apostles for the Piasts, particular significance has been ascribed to Dagome iudex. The author claims that subordinating the Piast state to St Peter by Mieszko I and his family constitutes an analogy for seeking the protection of St Peter for oneself and for one’s peoples by rulers in power in the second half of the 9th century in Slavic lands. This is why, according to the author, it should be recognized that the donation described in Dagome iudex mainly served the purposes of the Church, that is, obtaining Holy See’s support in stabilizing and developing Church structures in the territory of the Piast state. In the author’s opinion, the joint interpretation of the discussed manifestations of St Peter’s cult allows to prove the thesis that the cult of the Prince of the Apostles was important for the Piasts, as it determined the specific features of the politico-religious ideology of the Polish monarchy in Central European context.
More...Keywords: medieval history; church history; Christianity in the Middle Ages; religious culture; Poland during the Piast dynasty
The article deals with the issue of the involvement of the papacy in the official recognition of sainthood in the period before the middle of the 12th century in the context of such a recognition of the cult of the Five Martyred Brothers murdered by robbers in Bolesław the Brave’s Poland. Asking the papacy to confirm their sainthood – a fact only to a small extent noted in Polish historiography – requires an explanation, as in the beginning of the 11th century this was in no way mandatory or standard practice. The author reflects on various possible reasons for such an early appeal to the pope in this case, considering potential doubts connected to the cult of the Five Brothers, taking a position on the thesis of the exceptionally early adoption of this custom in Churches located at the periphery of Christianity, and deliberating on the significance of the specifi c situation of Polish Church structures and their relations with the archbishopric in Magdeburg. Finally, the author points to the possible influence of two milieus in which the belief in the significance of papal canonization functioned very early on: the German episcopate and St Romuald’s circle. However, one can hardly talk about simple imitation in this case; seeing as we are dealing with such early stages of the discussed phenomenon, the ecclesiastical circles in Poland should be treated rather as participating in the birth of a new and original phenomenon, that is, the involvement of the papacy in issues related to the cult of saints.
More...Keywords: medieval history; church history; Christianity in the Middle Ages; religious culture; Poland during the Piast dynasty
This article explores the early Polish hagiography from various angles. The first is quantitative and chronological, and concerns both the number of compositions and the extant manuscripts. Differentiating between Ottonian hagiography concerning Poland (BHL 37–39, 1147) and later texts composed locally, the article defines “Polish hagiography” as a literary product directed at the local reader. This overview points to local hagiography being relatively late and modest, but somewhat comparable with Central European and Scandinavian efforts. The question of putative “lost” hagiographical texts is also given a brief treatment here. The first tentative traces (individual miracle stories) as well as the first substantial text (Tempore illo, BHL 42) originate in the 12th century. This as well as the production that followed (especially St Adalbert: BHL 43–45; St Stanisław: BHL 7832–5) are in turn presented qualitatively, and compared to hagiographical pieces written in Central Europe at the time. They are presented against the background of the rising historical consciousness (a need for explaining traditions, institutional genesis, etc.) as well as the development of abbreviated legendaria (most of those texts survive as local additions to Legenda Aurea). Finally, the article aims to describe the Polish hagiography using categories introduced by Lars B. Mortensen, which allow to overcome the originality–imitation opposition as well as to question the centre–periphery model.
More...Keywords: Sarmatian piety; counter-reformation in Poland; post-Tridentine religiosity
Volume VI of the series shows not only the peculiarity of the religious culture of the First Republic, the character and specificity of the "Sarmatian" piety, but also reveals the main paths of development of this culture in connection with the thought developed in parallel by Catholic thinkers and writers in Western Europe. The research focused on the issues of opening up Polish post-Tridentine culture to the dynamics of the development of religious thought in other European countries, the ability to conduct dialogue with a foreign culture, and the possibility of adaptation, assimilation and transformation of foreign theories or ideas for the needs of indigenously Polish culture. The authors of individual dissertations try to answer the questions, on the one hand, about the scope and degree of involvement of Poles in the process of renewal of Catholicism in Europe, about their participation in European discussion forums, about the knowledge of Sarmatian writings and the impact of these writings in countries where it was particularly clearly shaped the model of the post-Tridentine renewal of the Church and Catholic religious culture, on the other hand - about the ways of fresh counter-reformation ideas entering the Republic of Poland, the absorption, demand and methods of introducing conciliar decisions into the practice of religious life and the writings of the post-Tridentine times. The 12-volume series of the monograph "Kultura Pierwszej Rzeczypospolitej w dialogu z Europą. Hermeneutyka wartości" presents the cultural heritage of the 15th and 18th centuries as an integral but original part of European culture. The research goal is to identify the ways and forms of the mutual transmission of aesthetic, political and religious values and to present in a broad, multilateral comparative context the axiological structure of the Polish culture of old times. Cultural texts are examined from an internal perspective as records of acts aimed at understanding values, and from an external perspective as statements that join European literary-aesthetic, political and religious discussions. In an intense dialogue, the culture of the Republic of Poland shows not only a receptivity to new ideas, but also creativity and dynamics of action in Europe.
More...Keywords: natural selection; selection; speciation; tree of life; altruism; democracy; cultural evolution
An instructive introduction to the theory of evolution and its applications in biology, physics, chemistry, geology and humanities. The author shows that evolution is a physical process, occurring in geological time dimension, describes how the Darwin’s theory of natural selection works in immunology, neurobiology, sociology as well as in certain aspects of culture and political institutions. He also shows the effects achieved through the action of selection in different areas of biological and social life. He discusses such problems as: the ambiguity of the term “theory of evolution”, the falsifiability of evolutionary hypotheses, connection between evolution and thermodynamics, the concept of reductionism, methodological background of phylogenetics, cladistics, evolutionary developmental biology and homeotic genes, as well as the cumulative nature of social and cultural evolution.
More...PARLIAMENT AND THE 2012 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE: POLITICAL SITUATION, PUBLIC SPIRITS AND EXPECTATIONS // 1. PARLIAMENTARISM IN UKRAINE: INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT, STATE AND TRENDS // 2. UKRAINE’S 2012 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS: LEGISLATION, ELECTORAL SUBJECTS AND THEIR POWERS // 3. SOCIO-POLITICAL SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY BEFORE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS // 4. PUBLIC SPIRITS DURING THE ELECTION CAMPAIGNAND EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NEW PARLIAMENT // 5. CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS // EXPERTS ON PARLIAMENT AND PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE //UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARISM: ISSUES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS // UKRAINE ON THE EVE OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS: WILL THE EXPECTATIONS OF CITIZENS COME TRUE? // ELECTION PROGRAMS OF MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES, THEIR SLOGANS, PRIORITIES, APPROACHES TO PROBLEM SOLVING //LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK SUPPORTING THE ACTIVITY OF MPs
More..."NATO's-UKRAINE: MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROSPECTS FOR MUTUAL RELATIONS" INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE // NATO's open door to Ukraine interests all of Europe // As a free and sovereign country, Ukraine itself is primarily responsible for charting its course into the future // The new situation requires new thinking // To see light at the end of the tunnel // Attainment of compliance with the criteria of NATO membership is what we need above all else // From rhetorical statements to concrete steps halfway // Disasters know no borders // Do everything for our good intentions to materialise // To change the ideology of relations with NATO: from co-operation - to integration // Not a declarative but a realistic policy is needed // Ukraine's road to NATO: it is easier to pass the marathon distance together // Ukraine's future membership in NATO is a task of the national scale // The process of accession to NATO will depend on Ukraine's movement towards European standards NATO integration: economic issues // Integration of Ukraine into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures requires solution of a number of problems // To be successful, our joint work must include a sufficient investment by Ukraine of resources and personnel // Military reform and establishment of an effective system of civilian control as the preconditions for implementation of the strategy of Ukraine's integration to NATO // Defence reform - its time to put a theory into practice // The substance of our relations with NATO lies in raising the standard of living of Ukrainian citizens // Real integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic structures depends on the internal situation // NATO-UKRAINE RELATIONS IN THE PUBLIC FOCUS
More...100 DAYS OF THE NEW AUTHORITIES: A VIEW OF NONGOVERNMENTAL THINK TANKS // ECONOMIC POLICY // INTERNAL POLICY // SOCIAL POLICY // FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY // THE NEW AUTHORITIES: PUBLIC ASSESSMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS // FULFILMENT OF ELECTION PROMISES OF THE PRESIDENT // 100 DAYS OF THE NEW AUTHORITIES: A VIEW FROM THE REGIONS
More...EUROPEAN INTEGRATION OF UKRAINE: THE FIRST STEPS OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT // IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EU-UKRAINE ACTION PLAN: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS // GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS // SUCCESS OF UKRAINE’S EUROPEAN INTEGRATION POLICY SHOULD BE MEASURED BY THE QUALITY OF CHANGE IN THE COUNTRY // EUROPEAN INTEGRATION IS A TWO-WAY STREET // “GOLDEN KEY” TO THE EU’S DOORS IS IN OUR HANDS // UKRAINE-EU: FROM CO-OPERATION TO INTEGRATION // WE SHOULD CONSISTENTLY PURSUE INTEGRATION // WE SHOULD INTRODUCE EUROPEAN STANDARDS INTO OUR SOCIO-ECONOMIC SPHERE // UKRAINE-EU ACTION PLAN IS UKRAINE’S ROAD TO THE EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC SPACE // MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT // WE MUST START TAKING INTEGRATION SERIOUSLY // WE NEED TO RESTORE OUR CREDIBILITY // EXPERTS FROM NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS // WE SHOULD FUND OUR EUROPEAN CHOICE // USE THE CAPABILITIES OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS // WE SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME WORKING ON INTEGRATION AT HOME // UKRAINE’S EUROPEAN CHOICE: A NEW FORMAT // UKRAINE’S PATH TO THE EU: THE NEED FOR SYSTEMIC TRANSFORMATIONS // UKRAINE’S INTEGRATION WITH THE EU: EXPERT ASSESSMENT // UKRAINE’S EUROPEAN INTEGRATION IN POPULAR PERCEPTIONS
More...Keywords: lobbying in EU; transparency;
We hear a lot about Commissioners and MEPs reinventing themselves into lobbyists and working for the private sector following the end of their mandate. We also hear a lot about the influence that the corporate interests have on European Union policies with little regard for the common citizen. But is it all as bad as it is covered? CEP Associate Sofia Tzortzi wrote some time ago a commentary explaining what lobbying is, what activities it constitutes and who the people who lobby in theEU are. Not to repeat her arguments, she rightfully concluded that lobbying representsa broad range of activities that aim to influence policy making and a particularpolicy, and that therefore everyone lobbies - trade associations and consumer organisations, non-profits, foundations, private actors, governments of member statesas well as third countries, etc. Still, lobbying remains a dirty word in the vocabulary across the Union since it is regarded as the defence of corporate interests at the expense of the public and civic interests such as the environment, or women's andworkers' rights. This article seeks to open the discussion on how maliciousLobbying remains adirty word in the vocabulary across the European Union, as it is regarded as the defense of corporate interests at the expense of the public and civil interests. As the European project extended beyond the strictly market-related policies, the citizens began to understand that the regulatory policies of the EU concern them. Eversince, the debates on democratic legitimacy of the EU decision-making have heated up and the system saw itself constantly justifying its existence. lobbying is in reality and reflect on a few interesting studies that looked into the issueof whose interests prevail and through which mechanisms, in order to have amore nuanced picture of what is actually going on in the lobbying world in Brussels and how it is relevant for Serbia.
More...