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This paper has three chapters. The first part unfolds the past Macedonian ethnic politics and the status of Kosovo using instruments from theories of transition and consolidation. The second part is an analysis of the public opinion in Macedonia from May 2007 to May 2008, focusing more particularly on the views of the ethnic communities of Albanians and Macedonians in the Republic of Macedonia. The analysis encompasses the views toward Kosovo in various aspects from personal sentiments toward Kosovo to practical issues like the recognition and border demarcation. As a conclusion, the third and last part of the paper analyses the possible implications in Macedonia from the independence of Kosovo.
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This brief seeks to explain the challenges facing Turkey’s ‘zero problems with neighbors’ policy in the context of the developments associated with the ‘Arab Spring.’ How Turkey’s foreign policy understanding will be a ected by the tumultuous changes in the region, and how Turkey should cope with these changes require urgent answers. e main argument of the brief is that besides bringing challenges and risks, the recent upheavals in the Middle East simultaneously o er Turkey the opportunity to elevate its existing ‘zpwn’ policy to a much higher level, the 2.0. version, in which normative and humanitarian considerations are likely to become more salient. Put another way, the years ahead will witness a ‘democratic touch’ in Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East, re ecting the spirit of Turkey’s liberal democratization process already underway at home.
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This brief critically examines a new area of activism in Turkey’s foreign policy agenda: Turkey’s rise as a mediator in regional and international crises zones. It contextualizes Turkey’s reliance on a multitude of actors to support its mediation initiatives, most notably its vibrant civil society and NGOs, as a successful case of total performance, a principle forming Turkey’s new foreign policy doctrine. e brief then outlines the broad frameworks and characteristics of Turkey’s approach to mediation, as laid out by the Minister of Foreign A airs, Ahmet Davuto lu. e brief takes a closer look at the case of Turkey’s involvement in the attempt to seek resolution in the Afghanistan con ict and it illustrates a good example of Turkey’s new style in mediation. e brief concludes with a discussion of the Friends of Mediation Initiative, launched under the UN framework through joint Turkish-Finnish initiative.
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Both the EU’s recognition of the importance of its value system and Turkey’s rediscovery of its European component in its foreign policy identity have occurred during a period of radical transformation in the Mediterranean region. e Arab Spring has resulted in a process of renegotiation over territory, identity and governance which has eventually fostered the idea of a new regional political community. The EU is in an advantageous position now if it truly wants to build a political community eastwards and southwards. One logical move would be a renegotiation in the EU over Turkey’s role in a new vision for the future of the EU. Turkey’s European identity and policy style will continue to shape its own neighbourhood policy as it is at the centre of a new geopolitical thinking. Ankara sees itself as having an order-instituting role in its changing neighbourhood and is in a process of recalibrating its policies in this direction. The Turkish and EU models complement each other, and there is no possibility for any other model to compete with these perspectives in the foreseeable future.
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The Balkan region is at a historical juncture as the SEECP (South East European Cooperation Process) is soon to celebrate its 15th anniversary. It is high time for regional countries to reflect on the past 15 years and reassess the potential role this process could play in the future of the region. What was the joint vision that prompted the Balkan nations to initiate this process? What have been the achievements of the SEECP? What are the factors that render this process a vital component of regional a airs? What are the challenges that must be met for the further development of the SEECP? These are but a few questions that we, as the stakeholders in the creation of a peaceful and stable regional order in the Balkans, have to seriously ponder. Despite the argument that the forces of globalization will reduce local differences and facilitate the emergence of a single global society, we are still living in a world of regions where local and regional processes increasingly gain prominence. This essay proposes an alternative vision of furthering regional cooperation around the SEECP, based on a set of methodology and policy principles, in an attempt to stimulate a wider debate on the subject in the intellectual and policy circles in the Balkan region. In particular, this essay outlines the normative bases and policy principles for regional cooperation as the Balkan nations contemplate how to reorgan-ize their institutional architecture in this new era.
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While pursuing its own development with confidence and success, Turkey has become deeply concerned with all forms of human inequality that exist in the world, especially those forms that impact upon the dignity of the individual and the community. This concern has led Turkey in recent years to turn increasing attention to the plight of countries experiencing acute economic and ecological challenges. In this spirit it has sought to provide assistance and moral support to the people of Somalia who have remained affected by a lethal famine as well as the absence of human security as a result of sustained civil strife and uncontrolled crime. In 2011 the leaders of the Turkish government, along with their families, made a visit to Somalia as a demonstration of solidarity and engagement. It was a dramatic event in part because Somalia had been treated as off limits for world leaders due to the perception of dangerous levels of chaos and the pervasiveness of violence on the ground. This initiative was welcomed with great appreciation by the people of Somalia. Besides showing solidarity and immediate help for famine, Turkey wanted to raise consciousness in the global setting about the tragedy of Somalia so other countries would join in the emergency relief effort. While tragedy of Somalia persists, greater international attention s being given as evidenced by the February 2012 international conference held in London and May 2012 Istanbul conference. Problems of this magnitude, we believe, require not just national or regional responses, but depend on generating a global response
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The study is based upon the representative ottoman historical narratives - the histories of Silahdar Mehmed Aga and Defterdar Mehmed Pasha - in search of typology of social behaviour of the Christian inhabitants of the Ottoman Balkan provinces during the war between the Holy League and the Ottoman Empire in the end of the 17th century . The Ottoman authors whose reports will be analyzed are part of the historiographic direction that presents the military and political events in the Ottoman Empire during the second half of the 17th century. At the same time the chroniclers involve information about the life in the provinces, as a reflection of the war upon the reaya, and its reactions. The purpose of this report is to present the Ottoman viewpoint in the light of Ottoman historiography, as concrete events, happened in the Ottoman rear during the successful advance of the Habsburg forces. From the presented examples, concerning in particular the reaya of Dragoman, will be outlined some conclusions, characterizing the behaviour of part of the non-Muslim population in the context of the specific political situation.
More...1914 г. - несъстоялото се официално посещение на българската царица отвъд океана
The paper aims to acquaint the readers with the exceedingly active multifarious activity of Queen Eleonore in the field of charity and philanthropy in Bulgaria, naturally related to the political, cultural and economic life in the country in the first years of the 20-th century, marked as they were by the struggle for national unification. The subject is researched for the first time, mainly on the basis of Bulgarian sources and the till sparse contemporary studies dedicated directly to the life and work of Queen Eleonore in Bulgaria and Europe in the field of charity. For the first time, the paper follows the appearance of the new queen in Bulgaria's social, political and cultural sphere: it marks out the parameters of action in the organization of charity in this country, as well as the first more widely advertised Bulgarian efforts on the international field on the part of the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) and the 'Samaritan' society she founded, which also had supporters across the ocean. It also speaks of the participation of Queen Eleonore in organizing nursing activities in support of the army during the Balkan War in 1912-1913 and the opportunities she constantly sought and found to provide medical aid to the army and the front lines during the Second Balkan War and in the years of the Treaty of Bucharest, which was determental to the Bulgaria. Her preparations for the official visit across the ocean at the invitation of the United States government allows us to follow her extremely responsible attitude to this top-ranking diplomatic mission which she considered extremely important and which she undertook in the name of Bulgaria's welfare.
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At the beginning of World War I Bulgaria remained neutral, waiting for favourable conditions to engage in the conflict. Its supreme political objective was national unification. The Balkan countries were under constant pressure of the warring coalitions that were trying to win new allies. No Balkan state was a master of the situation and each was afraid about it's back. Because of its geographic location Bulgaria had a strategic position in the Balkans and its joining one of the warring groups would have ensured its geopolitical advantage in the war. In the "Bulgarian summer of 1915" both warring coalitions tried to attract the country on their side, offering territorial compensations or awards. Germany's promises were taken as more reliable by the politicians and Bulgaria entered World War I as part of the Central Powers. The choice of the great allies proved wrong. What was more, the manner of selection was also wrong - not according to the possibility of final victory, but according to the bidding in the territorial auction the profit of which would be lost at the loss of the war.
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Un sumar bilanţ al activităţii portului Bugaz pe parcursul celor aproape opt ani, între redeschiderea traficului şi cedarea ocupantului sovietic, relevă rezultate pozitive pe mai multe paliere. Populaţia locală şi cea din hinterlandul portului, care a cuprins o regiune de 100 km din sudul Basarabiei, a beneficiat de un debuşeu pentru exportul produselor cerealiere, cu preţuri avantajoase şi stimulative. Navigaţia între Marea Neagră şi limanul Nistrului s-a îmbunătăţit ca urmare a amplasării balizelor şi instalaţiilor de acostare a navelor. De aceste facilităţi au beneficiat nu numai navele care veneau la încărcat, ci şi pescarii din zonă. Numărul locurilor de muncă, stabile şi temporare, a crescut. Portul Bugaz a provocat o mişcare economică şi comercială în sudul Basarabiei cu efecte în îmbunătăţirea transporturilor pe apă cu porturile Constanţa şi Sulina, de unde cerealele luau drumul spre pieţele din Orientul Mijlociu şi Occident. La Bugaz s-a derulat o activitate „determinată şi condusă în spirit naţional românesc”, într-o zonă cu o populaţie eterogenă şi cu o utilizare pentru comunicare „din ce în ce mai întinsă a limbii româneşti” . Indubitabil, portul Bugaz a contribuit la consolidarea procesului conexării Basarabiei la economia unitară a României.
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Terrorist threats to European security in the context of globalisation are of major relevance because of their global implications at the psycho-socio-individual level. This article proposes a qualitative analysis of the two terrorist attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils on 17-18 August 2017, claimed by ISIS members of the Salafist insurgent group. The approach brings to attention the issue of transnational threats and the anomie of terror partisans. The characteristics of the terrorist's personality profile, the pyramidal structure of involvement within a group, motivation, dynamics of actions according to intra-cellular organization, sphere of interest according to geographical location, level of involvement, influence of social, economic, cultural realities are brought under the microscope of analysis. A detailed analysis reveals the meticulousness of the practices of the groups, with a view to prevention and increasing the solidarity of the responsible institutions and civil society in combating the phenomenon.
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We can state that with each passing day, our world is becoming increasingly digitized and the accessibility of the population to information resources and computer systems is becoming more and more diversified, while awareness and education regarding online security are not, unfortunately, a priority discussed on the agenda, yet. As technology advances, people become more dependent on it, and preventing and combating cybercrime becomes an increasingly pressing issue. International police cooperation is essential in addressing this type of often organized crime, as most cybercrimes surpass conventional borders. Thus, strong and efficient collaboration among law enforcement agencies from different countries can contribute to identifying and pursuing criminals who exploit computer systems, as well as exchanging vital information for preventing future cyber attacks. This requires the development of common protocols and procedures, open and transparent communication, and a shared commitment to protecting citizens and public institutions. Additionally, public education and awareness are of paramount importance in preventing crimes within the realm of cybercrime. In an increasingly interconnected world, we must ensure that a significant portion of the population understands the risks associated with technology usage and is prepared to protect themselves or detect and report violations of rights in the online environment.
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The continuous increase in the demand for transport is in the constant attention of the European Commission, which has launched a "new visionary exercise" applicable to the future of all modes of transport, with an emphasis on continuing the process of liberalization and reducing the impact on the environment - the transport system consumes almost 30 % of energy generated in member villages – by reducing dependence on oil imports, greenhouse gas emissions and accidents. This article draws attention to the considerable challenges faced by the European Union and, implicitly, our country, in order to respond to permanent transport needs, in the context of demographic changes and the reorientation of investment capacities in the port field, all influenced by the maintenance of the situation determined by the evolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
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Organized crime groups are in full expansion and development, with ever-increasing revenues obtained from illicit activities. Drug trafficking represents an important source for these groups, constituting a permanent threat to the security of states. In smaller or larger proportions, each state is faced with this problem born from drug consumption and trafficking. The period 2010-2020 was a flourishing decade for the cocaine market, setting new records in terms of production, and a permanent increase in consumption among the population (the global area of coca leaf cultivation – 234,000 cultivated hectares, 1982 tons of cocaine pure produced – up by 11% compared to the previous year, 1424 tons of different purity confiscated by the authorities – up by 4.5%, the total number of consumers – 21 million.). The western and central European area represents the second market after North America (in Europe the cocaine market is the second largest after the cannabis market, only at the level of the European Union, in 2021 the number of consumers aged between 15 and 64 was 3.5 million (young consumers between the ages of 15 and 35 – 2.2 million), and the number of people who have consumed cocaine at least once in their life amounts to 14.4 million.). In the next article we will take a look at the global cocaine market; we will analyze the main producing countries: Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, we will also analyze the main traffic routes and methods, the key moments of the last years of the market, the European cocaine market and we will conclude with a series of conclusions.
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The paper presents aspects related to the flow of air through the intake manifold of a turbine engine, for its maximum operating regime. The manifold pressure losses are calculated using the analytical relations. For a more accurate calculation, the flow is calculated with numerical methods.
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The Czech policy vis-a-vis Germany experienced mostly positive dynamics but also a lack of coherence. Existential interests were not at stake – on the contrary, they constituted a positive background for the relations: Czechs and Germans as allies guarantee each other’s security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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The Czech relations with countries covered in this chapter – both EU Member States and others (including microstates) – shared certain general characteristics. Without exception, they involved no issues that would be a subject of major controversy. Secondly, with but a few exceptions, these relations were conducted within a network, or at least through a network, of the EU multilateral frame. The reason for the dominance of the EU framework in the conduct of bilateral relations is primarily the importance of the political process at the EU level both for Member States and their West European neighbours due to a high degree of mutual interdependence and the increasing scope of EU’s allocative and distributive policies. Several government officials throughout the period covered in this volume estimated that up to 80% of the relations of Czech Republic with those countries take place at the EU level. However, this does not result in a decline of the bilateral dimension of mutual relations, as could be expected, but rather in their conduct in a new environment of a burgeoning political system, where the need to negotiate issue coalitions increases. Bilateral negotiations remain an important diplomatic means of this ‘permanent congress’. The last shared feature of Czech foreign policy towards the countries covered in this chapter is that it generally took place in conditions of a political pluralism, which was made possible by the countries’ location within the EU framework. The process of Czech foreign policy involved a considerable number of government actors – all of which should theoretically act in the public interest – without the mediation by traditional diplomacy and conduct through its standard channels. This new pluralism represents one of the central challenges for Czech foreign policy, since without proper coordination it leads to a suboptimal use of (necessarily limited) resources in realizing public interest abroad.
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The Mediterranean and the Middle East, although they did not fall under the priorities of Czech foreign policy after 1989, had to be taken into account by the Czech Republic after it joined NATO and the EU due to the wider interest of the trans-Atlantic allies in regional stability and security. For this reason, issues like terrorism, immigration, the Middle East peace process, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, peacekeeping missions, and the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation were among the most frequently discussed topics in the Czech political scene during the 2000s. The Middle East agenda have affected our relations with allies and they have been the subject of home competition on left-right axis. The only long-term Czech interest relating to the region was the mainly rightist government’s attempt to reduce the Czech Republic’s one-sided dependence on imports of Russian oil and gas, which was demonstrated by the support for the Nabucco pipeline project during the Czech EU presidency.
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