SCURTĂ INTRODUCERE ÎN CULTURA AFGANĂ

Author(s): Rita Palaghia / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 04/2015

This article is aimig to capture the reader’s interest in a less known area of the world from the cultural perspective, of a priceless value, in the general tone of the world’s cultural heritage, than from a war zone that is permanently watched by the international community, Afghanistan. My intention in this article is to present the main categories of the afghan national cultural heritage, followed by a short overview of the achitectonic landmarks and urban centres that are partially preserved, the sculptures, mural paintings, handcrafts, dramatic art, literature, music, movies and dance, towards the State Institutions that are to protect all the shapes and forms of manifestation of the culture.

PERFECŢIONAREA SURSELOR DE INFORMAŢII – ELEMENT ESENŢIAL ÎN PROCESUL DE CREŞTERE A CALITĂŢII PRODUSELOR INFORMATIVE

Author(s): Ilie Păun / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 04/2015

Information can be viewed as one of the basic elements of the art of warfare, an impressive weapon for the one possessing, protecting, and using it. Most often, the one who own it outweighs the opponents and that can lead to winning the conflict before a visible outbreak of hostilities.

Presentation of the Chairman of the National Council of the Slovak Republic

Author(s): Pavol Hrušovský / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2003

Last year was no less an extraordinary and groundbreaking one for the National Council of the Slovak Republic in the area of foreign policy than it was for our Government. It was the year for the intensive final effort in the realisation of two basic strategic goals for our foreign policy. The entry of the Slovak Republic into the North Atlantic Alliance and European Union represent a symbolic completion after an era of transition from totalitarian governed society to democracy, integrated both internally and externally. Realisation of these two vitally important goals means a new dimension for our foreign policy and also provides confirmation of important changes in the sphere of internal politics. Our legal system, our economy and our security structures are becoming part of a wider unit. This is the conclusion of a long-term, often dramatically developing effort, and it is also verification of attaining the goal of democratic change. Even though there are some questions opened concerning the future development and realisation of our national interests, they spread on doubt about the success we have reached. They only represent a natural reality that everyday policy, which gained new sources and new impulses as a result of our European and Atlantic integration, must also continue under new conditions. It is unquestionable that these conditions are better than those under which we started 13 years ago.

Presentation of the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic

Author(s): Mikuláš Dzurinda / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2003

I am really very glad we are going to evaluate the foreign policy of the Slovak Republic for last year and also talk about its priorities for this year and, of course, for many others. I am glad because we are meeting in an extraordinarily interesting period when the dream of Slovakia, its citizens and, I believe, of many preceding generations – to include Slovakia in the family of the Euro-Atlantic community – comes to fruition. After the totalitarian regimes of fascism and communism, we now have the expectation of developing towards prosperity. But this is also an important day from a more specific point of view: a meeting of many prime ministers and pres-idents will be held in Bratislava. For the first time, the new North Atlantic Alliance Secretary General will come to Slovakia – we will talk about both new and current European and global challenges right here in our capital.

Presentation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic

Author(s): Eduard Kukan / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2003

Let me in the beginning thank the Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association for organizing this year’s Evaluating Conference of Foreign Policy of the Slovak Republic, tradition-ally prepared in co-operation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. In previous years, the Con-ference was organized by the Slovak Institute for International Studies. After its last year trans-formation, this task is now being carried out by its successor and follower – the Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association. When I was considering my contribution today, I faced a dilemma. I am talking at a Conference evaluating last year’s foreign policy, but at the same time my speech is with a theme and at a time that are one of the crucial moments in the history of Slovakia. I have decided not to focus on the detailed events of the previous year but rather to assess in a wider scale what the closure of the integration effort means.

The Influence of the Iraqi Crisis on the Foreign and Security Policy of the Slovak Republic and on Relations with the United States of America

Author(s): Róbert Ondrejcsák / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2003

The Iraqi crisis was the most important factor essentially determining the shape of the global security environment, international relations, relations between key players in the global securi-ty environment as well as their relations with further state and non-state players in 2003. At the same time, this crisis significantly contributed to the discourse on foreign and security policy in individual states. The Iraqi crisis can also be considered as an impulse initiating certain changes in the development of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) on one hand, and Trans-Atlantic relations on the other. Moreover, it can be stated that some key breakthroughs of these processes were initiated de facto by issues related to the Iraqi crisis. For example, the Meeting of the Heads of State and Government of Germany, France, Luxembourg and Belgium on 29 April 2003 in Brussels can be judged as a response to the so-called ESDP crisis or transatlantic relations crisis.

The Main Activities of the Slovak Republic in Foreign Policy in 2003

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2003

The List of Treaties and Agreements concluded between the Slovak Republic and Other Countries in 2003

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2003

Editorial

Author(s): Anna Visvizi / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2016

Irrelevant or transformative power? The OECD DAC and foreign aid policies in Central and Eastern Europe

Author(s): Balázs Szent-Iványi / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2016

The paper examines the impact of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) on the emerging foreign aid policies of the Central and Eastern European (CEEs) countries. The Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the DAC in 2013, and the committee has aimed to socialise them into the norms of the international development system. Generally, however, there is little evidence of impact due to the soft nature of the DAC’s policy recommendations, and the fact that the committee, reacting to the challenges to its legitimacy from non-Western donors, has become much less demanding towards potential members than in the past. The paper, however, argues that one must examine the processes of how the norm and policy recommendations of the DAC are mediated domestically. The case of the Czech Republic’s reforms in its foreign aid policy between 2007 and 2010 shows that domestic actors can use the OECD strategically to build support for their own cause and thus achieve seemingly difficult policy reform.

Panel discussion report 20 years of Poland's OECD membership in context of developments in Eastern Europe

Author(s): Anna Visvizi / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2016

The idea of the Southern Mediterranean and its role in shaping the logic behind the Southern Dimension of the ENP

Author(s): Joanna Kwiecień / Language(s): English Issue: 6/2016

Launching the relations between the EU and the Southern Mediterranean region was an outcome of a certain ambitious vision that was aimed at the creation of a common space for dialogue, exchange and cooperation in the name of peace, stability and wealth. However, the mix of challenges with involvement of foreign powers in particular, has made the unification of the Southern Mediterranean region almost impossible and, thus, the cooperation itself with the EU very hard. The aim of this study is to analyse the development of the EU-Southern Mediterranean relations referring to the institutional milestone points: establishment of the EMP, its absorption by the ENP, and finally, its revitalization in the form of the UfM. In the first three parts of the study, the subsequent institutional frameworks are presented and discussed with special attention paid to the bilateralism and regionalism issues. Then, a brief overview of further possible institutional solutions for the EU-Southern Mediterranean relations is considered. The study is concluded with some important remarks.

ENP after EEAS: impact, changes, implications for its delivery

Author(s): Marta Ostrowska-Chałupa / Language(s): English Issue: 6/2016

The objective of this paper is to examine the influence of the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) on the shape and implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). To this end, EEAS role in the process of ENP implementation is discussed and some comments regarding its possible future development are made. It is argued that while EEAS does have an influence on the shape of the ENP, similarly as in the past, the key decisions concerning the ENP will be taken at the intergovernmental level.

Dvacet, třicet lesníků, dřevařů a techniků? Dodáme! Okamžitě!

Author(s): Jan Hamerský / Language(s): Czech Issue: 03/2020

Were Czechoslovak experts in foreign countries only an extension of the Communist Party and the government? It depends, says one of them, Karel Rokyta. Now aged 77, the forester and lecturer spent one half of the 1980s and the 1990s in Angola and Mozambique. He surveyed their forests, lectured foresters, and also witnessed how the local, Czechoslovak and Western representations settled contradictions between what was official and what was actually happening. Why did Polytechna, a foreign trade enterprise, delegate experts to countries where civil war was raging? Why was this termed “white trade”, and why, when 66 Czech and Slovaks were kidnapped in Alto Catumbela in March 1983, were there so many applicants for the positions of Czech experts abroad?

AMERICA ŞI ROLUL SĂU ÎN LUME. MAREA STRATEGIE A AMERICII DE LA TRUMP LA BIDEN

Author(s): Iulia Moise (Badaluta) / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 1/2021

Since the end of World War II, the United States has consistently pursued a grand strategy focused on advancing the liberal international order that it has created. Given the geopolitical challenges to US power and economic realities, certain voices recommend that the US should adapt and adopt an alternative grand strategy. Some would argue that now is the time to debate American leadership and its traditional role of defending and promoting the liberal international order. This papers explores possible effects of a change in US administration on the American Grand Strategy, the future of US leadership and the future of the liberal international order. What role for America on the world stage under Biden Administration?

Analiza dynamiki stosunków Republiki Słowackiej z Republiką Federalną Niemiec w latach 1993-2002

Author(s): Krzysztof Żarna / Language(s): English,Polish Issue: 02/2020

The article concerns the importance of the Federal Republic of Germany in the foreign policy of the Slovak Republic. The analysis covered the period from the creation of the Slovak Republic (January 1, 1993) to the termination of Mikuláš Dzurinda's rule in2002. The role of Germany in the foreign policy of Slovakia during the rule of Vladimír Mečiar, Jozef Moravčik and Mikulaš Dzurinda was presented. The following hypotheses were assumed: taking into account bilateral relations, in the years 1993–2002 the Slovak Republic had the worst relations with the Republic of Hungary and Ukraine, while it is difficult to find any negative factors that would affect relations with the Federal Republic of Germany, outside the period of V. Mečiar's rule, when human rights were abused. Secondly, Germany, due to its position in the European Union, played an important, though not decisive role in the process of Slovakia's accession to this organization. A comparative method was used to verify the hypotheses. The policies of particular governments in Bratislava towards Germany were compared.The method of decision analysis was also employed, which allowed for the presentation of situations and processes that are the culmination of decisions taken by representatives of the Slovak authorities. The institutional and legal method allowed to analyze legal acts and multilateral and bilateral agreements to which the Slovak Republic was a party.

THE END OF FRANÇAFRIQUE? A STUDY CASE ON BENIN’S 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Author(s): Grigoreta-Iulia Lupulescu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2021

The elections that took place in 2016 in Benin are very significant in defining the new framework of the French-African relations per se. The so-called candidate of Françafrique, Lionel Zinsou, lost the elections mainly because he promoted during the electoral campaign a vision still devoted to maintaining close connections with the former colonial power, France. On the other side, Patrice Talon fiercely advocated for a new and strong position both in what regards the domestic affairs as well as externally, portraying himself as «le candidat de la rupture». In the end, this way of positioning during the electoral campaign brought him the victory in elections, besides France’s support towards the other candidate. Taking into consideration all these elements, the main purpose of the paper is that of analysing the impact of the 2016 elections ‘result on redefining and maybe even ending the French-African relations, long time known as Françafrique. In this approach, the analysis will mainly focus on the electoral campaign itself and especially on the way in which the colonial past and the reference to France have been used by the candidates as means of winning votes from the electorate and to positioning to one another during that period of time.

Други Београд или други Бандунг? Југославија и борба за превласт унутар Трећег света (1962–1965)

Author(s): Jovan Čavoški / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 2/2021

This paper deals with a largely forgotten historical episode when, in the early 1960s, two groups of nations, one headed by Yugoslavia and India and the other by Indonesia and China, bitterly fought for supremacy in the Third World. This intensive competition for leadership was most visible in numerous diplomatic activities directed at convening, at the earliest possible time, a non-aligned or an Afro-Asian conference, the so-called Second Belgrade or Second Bandung. Each in its own manner, these two conferences represented the ideological and political strivings of the countries embedded in these two camps, i.e. embodied their respective visions of the role and future of the world standing between the two superpower blocs.

THE SPECIFICS AND COMPLEXITY OF EU PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Author(s): Hasan Saliu / Language(s): English Issue: 96-97/2021

The European Union (EU) is responsible for important public diplomacy programmes, including Erasmus+. Most European countries engage in activities to enhance their international image parallel to the efforts of the EU itself. By comparing the public diplomacy activities of the USA, as the founder of public diplomacy, and those of the EU, this paper aims to identify the EU’s distinctive features in its image-enhancing endeavours. The paper concludes that the EU and the USA often show that they hold different values, ones that make them more attractive to foreign publics. The paper also notes the soft power held by EU member states continues to be much stronger than the effects of the EU’s public diplomacy activities in boosting their image.

SERBIA'S APPROACH TO CHINA'S SILK ROAD: OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS

Author(s): Miloš Todorović,Sanela Mrdaković / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2021

When China introduced the strategy for the new Silk Road in 2013, it had once again affirmed its position as a global leader and defined future direction in its foreign policy and economic development. As one of the most ambitious projects ever, once fully implemented, the new Silk Road will connect markets in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe, strengthen cooperation between countries and boost international trade flows. This paper analyzes the importance of the new Silk Road for economies along its corridors, аs well as the impact on Serbia’s economic development. It examines China’s investment model in Serbia, sectors with the largest volume of investment and the potential risks that developing countries could face through the implementation of BRI projects. The review also evaluates the attractiveness of the Serbian market and its role in the BRI vision in the Western Balkans. Preliminary research indicates that investments from China in recent years have had a positive impact on Serbia’s economic development. It is anticipated that further enhancement of investment relations between Serbia and China may have a wider impact not only on the realization of BRI goals in Serbia, but also in Europe, considering Serbia’s geographical position and the potential to bring Chinese companies closer to the EU market.