Transitions Online_Politics-When Dictators (Almost) Fall
Lukashenka will likely hold on to the presidency in August, but it won't be nearly as easy as in the past.
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Lukashenka will likely hold on to the presidency in August, but it won't be nearly as easy as in the past.
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Regional headlines: Close Polish election; coronavirus app in Slovenia; Ukrainian startups; airline tragedies; and a terror suspect in Bulgaria.
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The secularity-oriented domestic policies adopted by CHP (the Republican People’s Party) regime, which held the power in Turkey until 1950 following the death of Atatürk, caused a state of unrest among the vast majority of Anatolian public. The strict economic measures taken across the nation during the World War II weighed down on the public. Having the particular support of the conservative population of Anatolian public engaged in farming, the Democrat Party came into power on May 14, 1950. In addition to these developments, the demands of the Soviet Union against Turkey’s territorial integrity and sovereignty resulted in the improvement of Turkey-U.S. relations. During this period of improved bilateral relations, the U.S. press often included the news about the Democrat Party’s actions, Adnan Menderes and Turkey-U.S. relations. Our aim in this study is to discuss the ascension to power of the Democrat Party in economic, political and religious aspects, and to set out the ever-growing Turkey-U.S. relations against the Soviet threat and the reflections of these relations on the U.S. press in the light of the Prime Ministry Republic Archives and the New Times newspaper.
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After the signing of the Mondros Armistice by the Ottoman Empire, Greek forces began the invasion of Western Anatolia by the occupation of Izmir on May 15, 1919. In response to this, several organisations such as “Müdafaa-i Hukuk”, “Redd-i İlhak” and “Kuva-yı Milliye”, were established in İzmir andother cities and towns in the areast that were under occupation. During this period, 17th Corps DeputyCommander Bekir Sami Bey and Çerkez Ethem Bey had important roles in the creation of the armedresistance of the “Kuva-yi Milliye” in Salihli, as well as in the defence of the Milne Line in the following days. Salihli was occupied by Greek forces on June 23, 1920 and remained under occupation for2 years, 2 months and 13 days, and was retaken by the Turkish Army on September 5, 1922. Greek forces could not hold on to the Great Offensive launched by the Turkish Army on 26 August 1922 and lost the battle in Dumlupınar. After the defeat, Salihli was the place where Greek forces planned to establish a new fortified position. However, Turkish forces did not allow them to realize this goal, and as a result of the successful battles of the cavalry forces, Salihli was taken back on September 5, 1922. Thus,the road to Izmir was opened to the Turkish Army.
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The world has become bipolar right after WWII. The democratic US on the one side, and the communist USSR, on the other, tried to dominate the World. In this rivalry, some states sided with the US and some others with the USSR. The post-WWII period witnessed several developments initiated both by the US and the USSR. The US declared “the Truman Doctrine” which was a life saver for Turkey and Greece against the Soviet threat, and then activated “the Marshall Plan” aiming at strengthening Europeeconomically. The Marshall Plan was declared in order to prevent the Soviet influence in these countrieswhich were not yet controlled by the USSR. The US has invited the European countries to be part ofthe plan. Some countries in Europe which were under the Soviet control have refused this invitation, theother countries have declared that they are willing to benefit from the plan. The aim of the Conference forEuropean Economic Cooperation (CEEC) which assembled in July 1947 was to report the needs of thecountries that will benefit from the Marshall Plan. Turkey has declared that it will benefit from the MarshallPlan and participate in the CEEC. Ali Rıza Türel, the Konya deputy of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) was a member of the delegation that went to Conference. He presented his opinions about the congress to the government as a report. In his report, Türel explained the reasons for the announcement of the Marshall Plan by the US, the organizational structure and the working phases of the CEEC. Türel also gave detailed information on the general report laid out at the conference and evaluated the report from the stand point of Turkey. The main aim of this study is to put forward information given by Türel and his personal assessments on the Marshall Plan, the CEEC and their impacts on Turkey.
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Since 2002, Turkey has actively been seeking a regional power status in the Middle East through the articulation of regional roles based on historical legacy and liberal experience. Theoretically, the papers eeks to contribute to regional power literature by integrating role theory with status-seeking theory and examining the interactions between them. This integrated approach suggests that the role orientations of aspiring regional power and regional counter-roles determine the level of status recognition of that regional power in a given regional power hierarchy. Using this approach, the paper examines the fluctuations in Turkey’s pursuit of regional power status in the Middle East over two uneven stages before and after the Arab Spring. It shows that Turkey was able to play regional cooperative roles and improve its regional power status during the first stage (2002-2011) while has stumbled over the period since the Arab Spring.
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Environmental noise is a major problem with increasing presence in cities; its effects are not only assimilated into the environment, but also impact on human health. Noise sources are part of the city's daily life and it has not yet been given due attention, although prolonged exposure causes often irreversible physiological and psychosomatic damage.This paper presents a theoretical approach from several authors that expose the different tools that can be used the measurement and evaluation of environmental noise. These authors, to explain the causes and effect of environmental noise in cities consider various variables such as: sound pressure levels, weather conditions and urban structure.
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Developments in science and technology have, among other things, challenged the family. Human values, which change in step with this technological progress, have faced many legal, moral and ethical dilemmas which await answers from the science on bioethics. We are in such a situation when we discuss about many advances in contemporary and national family law, including new forms of family reproduction that differ from a natural process of child conceiving. The authors in this paper bring comparative aspects of biomedical and family legislation of the Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Kosovo. Among other things, they emphasize that given the traditional and biological model of the family in our society, new reproductive forms are a very reserved topic in the family and biomedical field, but it awakens a curiosity of discussions on ethics, philosophy and legal regulation of reproduction of human beings in both countries. The numerous stereotypes that prevail in the society of both countries regarding the application of artificial reproduction technology methods are contrary to many legal and medical justifications for couples who do not have the opportunity to become parents in a biological (natural) way.Therefore, the purpose of the authors is to provide accurate and grounded information through this text about the legal framework and medical options available to all persons who wish to exercise their reproductive right to establish a family.
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This research aims to demonstrate Caesar's law to protect civilians in Syria and its effect on the social and economic circumstances of millions of Syrians stuck in their country because of the state of the siege imposed by the law's sanctions. The question tries to focus on how the law can achieve its human aims under the negative economic consequences it has on civilians, relying on the new political economy approach. It tried to interpret the non-economic activity of politicians under the Economy cover. Accordingly, The United States continues to tighten its hold on the Syrian system to exercise pressure on Syria, and to make political compromises and start significant political reforms immediately. Still, the direct targeting of Syrian economic structures through the law-imposed blockade has isolated the Syrian regime and cut off all official economic ties externally. It is encouraging the escalation of dealings with informal mediators, which has led to a sharp collapse in the Syrian Lira and a significant increase in consumer prices, which has been reflected negatively on the social reality in the light of the marked increase in poverty rates.
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Legislation on new municipal elections varies significantly across Europe. In some countries, the situation is solved in such a way that if there is no alternate for the vacant mandate, the mandate remains vacant and new elections for the whole council are held only in a situation where it is no longer possible to manage the municipality due to a decrease in council members. There are also states in which only vacant seats are filled in new elections. The absence of legislative regulation of the institute of new elections in electoral laws is no exception. Legislative rules for holding new elections in the Czech Republic are different from those in other European countries, and perhaps because of them the number of municipalities where new elections are held repeatedly is constantly growing. The aim of this article is to provide comprehensive information on the legislative regulation of new elections in selected European countries and simultaneously bring the contrast between selected European countries legislative settings closer regarding other factors.
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The article deals with the issue of the role theory as one of research methods concerning international leadership. It explains the concept of an international role and shows its influence on research devoted to international leadership: how it is defined, how specific models are constructed and how particular types are classified. It also indicates the interdependencies governing international roles and leaders and emphasizes the significance of the factors determining it: the conflict, quantitative and qualitative changes, significance and influence of the position and identity of other international actors on the nature of leadership. The aim of the article is to tie the role theory with the concept of leadership and to check how and to what extent this method remains effective today within the field if international relations. The article tries to verify what research questions the method answers and what questions it leaves unanswered. The theoretical research in this field will be backed up with some empirical examples referring to the case study of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). This actor constitutes a perfect exemplification of an international leader with a wide range of roles played and changed over the years. It is characterized not only by dynamics and reorientation of its foreign policy as a manifestation of the role it plays, but also by its range of adaptation skills conditioned, inter alia, by such processes as role-making, role-taking or role-learning.
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In the context of the anti-corruption social movements in post-communist Romania, what role do local civil society associations, and more specifically artivism play in the articulation of corruption as a public problem? This translates into the desire to overcome the idea of corruption as a heavy Balkan heritage that explains the existence of a contestation movement only through external pressure. Therefore, this study argues that through a specific form of artivism, Funky Citizens, a very active NGO on the anti-corruption stage, is an example of a modernizing agent in post-communist Romania. To do so, this socio-historical study uses concepts and perspectives borrowed from the theoretical field of pragmatic sociology instrumentalized for the pursuit of apprehending artistic activism mobilized in the anti-corruption fight. The argument put forward is that the specificity of the Romanian case can be grasped through visual means of expression of actors that promote this specific modernizing project. So, this research reveals a new attitude towards corruption, different from that present during the first 20 years after the revolution, which implies the need to investigate its references to the recent past. Finally, this contribution reflects on the usefulness of artivism as a new language to channel ideas, in the pursuit of contributing to the articulation of a certain type of public memory of communism.
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The impact of European economic policy is felt in all areas of the existence of individual Member States. Its economic area is not an exception. In the context of entrepreneurship, the impact of European economic policy has also been reflected in the introduction of new legal forms of entrepreneurship. The primary concern is a European society and a European cooperative whose legislation has become part of the national legal order under European Union regulations. This article focuses on examining these legal forms of entrepreneurship. The main objective of the article is to comprehensively analyse the legislative aspects of European society and the European cooperative and to examine their legal regulation and status in the legal system of the Slovak Republic, especially using critical analysis and other scientific methods, we are looking for answers to selected application problems from practice. As part of the investigation we also use scientific and doctrinal interpretation, Slovak and foreign professional literature and case law Comprehensive legal examination of European society and European cooperative in the Slovak Republic is the main objective of this contribution, which belongs to the field of commercial law with certain overlaps into economics and entrepreneurship.
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This paper examines developments in Poland following the 2015 elections and in Hungary since 2010, which included the gradual destruction of democratic institutions, challenges to the rule of law, as well as to the system of checks and balances. The authors consider the Ziblatt–Levitsky model (2018) as a meaningful framework for the analysis of the way in which the power structure was reshaped and have based their research on the classification set out in this model. Our objective is to present the political changes that took place in the two Central-Eastern-European countries during the last decade that resulted in the process under Article 7 being used for the first time in the history of the EU. The paper conclusion is that the path of de-democratization of Hungary and Poland is seen from the perspective of the EU and Council of Europe, as similar one. In actions taken toward both countries, the EU concerns mostly the principle of the rule of law.
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The Black Sea region has strategic geopolitical importance where the routes of Europe, the Caucasus, Asia, and the Middle East intersect. Ensuring stability and security in the Black Sea area is essential for emerging new security architecture. In search of balance, the challenges are met by the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) and the deepening of strategic relations with the United Arab Emirates. The UAE, anchored in the Euro-Atlantic partnership and with extensive influence, emerges as an interesting strategic partner. When analysing the Three Seas Initiative, it should be noted that the United States of America joined the implementation of 3SI, seeing it as an opportunity to pursue American interests in LNG markets, and in a broader geopolitical dimension, combining this initiative with projects in the Middle East. This research paper is the first to analyse the foreign and security policy of the two Black Sea countries, Bulgaria, and Romania that participate in the Three Seas Initiative, from the geostrategic perspective and relations with the United Arab Emirates. The research work is based on empirical research, and the results of which are largely derived from 10 years of direct observation, as well as the participation of the author of the article in many initiatives related to cooperation between all 3SI countries with the United Arab Emirates, among others as an Ambassador, Senior Advisor at Dubai Expo 2020.
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In the process of negotiations with the EU candidate countries, one of the acquis chapters related to the sectoral issues, is the competitiveness policy on the closure of which depends to a large extent the completion of negotiations. The Western Balkans region is at the same time a strategic priority for the European Union as well as a real challenge in terms of economic convergence due to the criteria that continue to lag behind the development and compliance with the aquis communautaire compared to the already member states. The aim of the present research is to present the EU legal framework related to the competitiveness sector trying to capture the challenges met on the path to integration in this regard, taking also into account the national economic and legal context of the Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia). The present analysis starts methodologically with a brief presentation of the general legislative framework with reference to the competing elements to be fulfilled in the enlargement process of the European Union and contextualized upon the economic realities of the Western Balkans states trying to capture at the same time the fulfilment level of the main criteria to be met in accordance with a free market economy and a strong competitive environment.
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