Rosja: zbierają się ciemne chmury

Author(s): Marek Menkiszak / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

In 2018, even though Vladimir Putin’s mandate was formally confirmed ina presidential election, his approval ratings fell significantly, particularly becauseof his highly unpopular decision to raise the retirement age substantially. Thedecision was one of the ways of seeking savings and building reserves in case theeconomic situation became worse as a result of multiplying American sanctionsand changes in the energy resources market. It was a challenge for the Kremlin, andthe Russian government looked for a way to strengthen the political legitimacy ofPutin’s rule while trying to keep their foreign policy directions unchanged withoutunduly escalating the conflict with the US. Russia attempted to make use of growingtransatlantic tensions while looking to normalize its relations with the main WesternEuropean countries and tightening its unequal anti-American quasi-alliance withChina.

References

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Principles of the United Nations Global Compact

Author(s): Anna Mravcová,Jana Gálová / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The United Nations Global Compact represents one of the biggest voluntary initiatives under the United Nations organisation. This initiative was founded in 2000. It is strongly connected with Corporate Social Responsibility and efforts in achieving sustainability as it is a call for businesses worldwide to contribute towards sustainable world development in economic, social as well as environmental areas. Until last year, when the UNGC celebrated its 20th anniversary, it already had over 11,500 participants all around the world. This fact can have significant impact on achieving its goals which were set in the form of 10 principles divided into 4 main areas, where the positive and sustainable operating of business as well as other types of organisations is much than needed today. Therefore, in the text of this subchapter, the basic information about the very Global Compact initiative is presented, as well as its 10 universal principles set in the areas of human rights, labour standards, environment and anti-corruption, through which the participants are required to take strategic actions in achieving broader societal goals, mainly current Sustainable Development Goals,the interconnection of which is also presented and highlighted. The aim is to help understand the importance of this UN initiative for creating a better and sustainable world by incorporating business and other organisations.

Remote work at international enterprises

Author(s): Gabriel Grabowski / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The aim of the chapter is to initiate discussion on the positive and negative aspects of remote work in Polish branches of international enterprises. In 3 short case studies presented in the text, situations that made organizations’ managements allow their employees work remotely are discussed. In each case, different reasons initiated a decision: plant relocation, hiring a specialist living far from the plant and a threat of pandemic. There is a common opinion on employees in many countries (including Poland) that they are not flexible enough when searching for a job, they expect it to be “round the corner”, whilst it is not only them but also employers that should present a more flexible approach, also in terms of remote working. On the other hand, it must be stressed that such solutions have both advantages and disadvantages and sometimes cannot be available for certain roles in an organisation.

Conectarea Basarabiei la comerţul exterior al României prin gurile Dunării. Problema infrastructurii de transport

Author(s): Arthur Viorel Tulus / Language(s): Romanian Publication Year: 0

Revenirea Basarabiei în componenţa României, la 27 martie/9 aprilie 1918, a deschis, printre altele, şi o serie de oportunităţi economice ce urmau să fie puse în practică, măsuri care, de altfel, trebuiau să facă parte dintr-un ansamblu general menit a integra şi economic provincia cu teritoriul Patriei-Mamă. Găsirea unor soluţii noi era necesară, deoarece lunga ocupaţie ţaristă a provinciei (1812-1918) dirijase fluxul majorităţii exporturilor basarabene către est, către centrul fostului Imperiu, şi, în consecinţă, infrastructura de transport terestră a Basarabiei în momentul Unirii cu România corespundea acestei realităţi.

Historiografski radovi o Bosni i Hercegovini u vrijeme austrougarske uprave (1878–1918) objavljeni u zemlji u vremenskom okviru od 2001. do 2017. godine

Author(s): Zijad Šehić / Language(s): Bosnian,Croatian,Serbian Publication Year: 0

Based on the analysis and evaluation of the characteristics of historical science in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the period considered, several important facts need to be pointed out. The aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 had profound consequences on the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina's historiography and in its neighbourhood, and as a consequence there is an increased interest in the past and in seeking answers to current events in the past. Historical sciences have largely become an instrument of current policies, so little attention is paid to critical analyses of historical sources and their objective evaluation and interpretation. New interpretations of historical processes, while removing credible facts, have greatly influenced the formation of new approaches to historiography. Historiographic works are valued differently in Bosnia and Herzegovina, although many facts have been known before, so it is impossible to give a singular assessment of Bosnia and Herzegovina's historiography which considers the period of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Detailed insight into the structure of published historiographical works in Bosnia and Herzegovina shows that the treatment of certain aspects of Bosnia and Herzegovina's past is dominated by discussions, articles and short stories of unequal quality and scientific scope, as well as the lack of extensive, scientifically based studies, which are a prerequisite for the creation of historiographic syntheses. Although significant results have been achieved in Bosnian-Herzegovinian historiography in the study of political, economic and cultural developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Austro-Hungarian period, there are several issues that have been neglected in historical science: the writing of a voluminous history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the publication of source material of different provenance and thematic representation, study of population migration from 1878 to 1918, consideration of the economy and society of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Austro-Hungarian rule of 1878-1918, review of socio-economic trends during the First World War, as well as depictions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in world travel literature.

FOG ON THE BALTIC: RUSSIA’S AND CHINA’S INFLUENCE IN THE REGION

Author(s): Edward Lucas / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Russia and China are both superpowers. They are not allies, and they are not rivals, but they have overlapping aims, occasionally similar tactics – and wildly differing resources. In both countries, all policy, internal and external, stems from the overriding goal of regime stability. China regards the West as a threat to its economic development and political sovereignty. The Kremlin too sees the West, particularly the European Union (EU) and NATO, as illegitimate constraints on its decision-making, and as potential instigators of ‘colour revolutions’ that will exploit Russia’s ethnic, religious, political, and other fissures.

Albansko-jugoslovenski odnosi (1945-1948) i njihovo predstavljanje u albanskim udžbenicima za osnovnu i srednju školu

Author(s): Esilda Luku / Language(s): Serbian Publication Year: 0

This paper aims to analyze the economic and political relations between Albania and Yugoslavia after the Second World War and their presentation on primary and secondary school history textbooks, by offering comparative approach of the way Albanian-Yugoslav relations are treated by different schools of historiography. On July 9, 1946 the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance was signed between the Albanian Prime Minister, Enver Hoxha and the Foreign Minister of Yugoslavia, Stanoje Simic. According to it, the two countries would take the necessary measures to ensure their independence and territorial integrity in case of aggression. They engaged to collaborate for the protection of international peace and security in conformity with the principles of the United Nations and confirmed their friendship by furthering the economic and cultural cooperation. The textbooks authors described the bilateral relationship as a result of the political intentions of Beograd to turn Albania into the seventh republic of Yugoslavia. It was perceived as “the other” in regard to Yugoslav efforts to exploit the weakness of the Albanian state and the risk of domination by a foreign power, claiming to represent it diplomatically. The inclusion of Albania in the Yugoslav Federation was argued in favor of solving the difficult problem of ethnic Albanians in the Yugoslavian state. Tito insisted on the impossibility to recognize the rights of Kosovo to self-determination because of the strengthening of Serb reaction. Due to the Yugoslav pressure, the Albanian leadership under the direction of Enver Hoxha was declared against the unification of Kosovo and Albania. History schoolbooks of both socialist and post-socialist period described the deterioration of the bilateral relations when the Albanian delegation headed by Enver Hoxha and the Soviet government ended an agreement in Moscow for the development of agriculture and industry and Albania received a Soviet loan. The Yugoslav leadership accused the Central Committee of the Albanian Communist Party of the anti-Yugoslav position, putting under pressure the government of Tirana. But it was the information about the Soviet Union Central Committee’s letters, criticizing the Yugoslav leadership for its domestic and foreign policy in deviation from the Marxist principles that helped the Albanian government deal with the pressure of Yugoslav authorities. It adopted unanimously the resolution of the Information Bureau of the Communist Parties, which broke off the Yugoslav-Albanian diplomatic relations in 1948 and shifted to the pro-Soviet orientation of the Albanian government.

SEARCHING FOR POLITICAL EFFECTIVENESS: THE STRATEGIES BEHIND THE MILITARY UNIFICATION OF JAPAN

Author(s): DRĂGOIANU Ioana-Flavia / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Over the course of millennia power laid in the hands of generals and rulers and their ability to act – but so did their downfalls. Thus, the first part of this presentation will be focused on the importance of strategy and tactics in any kind of rule. Furthermore, Japanese warfare will be anatomized – how the samurai became elite warriors, weaponry, the transition of samurai warfare during the Sengoku Period and its importance to the fight for supremacy between the Japanese Clans. The goal of this paper is to unravel the conundrums of The Age of War from a political frame of reference, under three powerful influences – Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. The discussion will then shift towards analyzing the impetus that put in motion their plans and the ways they achieved power, their brilliant strategies and their undoing, whilst using the knowledge regarding Political Science and International Relations to determine the political legacy of their actions.

MULTICULTURALISM ȘI DIVERSITATE ÎN MISIUNILE DE MENȚINERE A PĂCII SUB EGIDA ONU

Author(s): Petru Țarcă / Language(s): Romanian Publication Year: 0

Created in 1945 primarily for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security, the United Nations (UN) plays a vital role in restoring and maintaining peace and stability in countries still affected by conflicts or large-scale crisis. This is achieved through peacekeeping missions and operations, which have constantly evolved and developed. Thus, there has been a gradual shift from the simpler, traditional missions and operations carried out in the spirit of Chapter VI of the UN Charter on the peaceful settlement of disputes, without any military objective or task, to today's multidimensional missions, which have to manage much more complex crisis situations. The United Nations is committed to promote cultural awareness and diversity in all its peacekeeping operations. In recent years, the United Nations has taken significant steps to improve the cultural awareness and sensitivity of its peacekeepers. This includes providing training on cultural competency and cross-cultural communication, as well as developing policies and guidelines that consider the unique needs of each mission. The UN perspective is that peacekeeping operations are often conducted in cultures very different from those of the peacekeepers themselves. As such, it is important for peacekeepers to be aware of the local culture and customs. By taking steps to promote cultural awareness and diversity, the UN is working to increase the efficiency of its peacekeeping forces.

AMENINȚĂRILE DE TIP TRANSNAȚIONAL ÎN ERA GLOBALIZĂRII. PSIHO-SOCIOLOGIA ATACURILOR TERORISTE DIN CATALONIA

Author(s): Rodica-Cristina BĂLAN Liseanu / Language(s): Romanian Publication Year: 0

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.

Prevenirea și Combaterea Criminalității Informatice din Perspectiva Cooperării Polițienești Internaționale

Author(s): Alexandru Ignat,Ciprian Eugeniu CONSTANTIN / Language(s): Romanian Publication Year: 0

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.

SECURITATEA PORTUARĂ ȘI POLITICILE UNIUNII EUROPENE

Author(s): Lucian GRĂJDEANU,Sorin-Constantin Lică / Language(s): Romanian Publication Year: 0

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.

PIAȚA INTERNAȚIONALĂ A COCAINEI

Author(s): Gabriel Călin NISTOR,Sergiu-Adrian VASILE / Language(s): Romanian Publication Year: 0

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.

Aspecte ale fluxului de aer prin galeria de admisie a unui motor marin cu turbină

Author(s): George Bălan,Amado Ștefan,Vasile Năstăsescu / Language(s): Romanian Publication Year: 0

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.

Germany in the Czech Foreign Policy

Author(s): Vladimír Handl / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

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.

West European Countries in the Czech Foreign Policy

Author(s): Mats Braun,Elsa Tulmets,Ondřej Ditrych / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

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.

The Middle East, the Mediterranean and Afghanistan in the Czech Foreign Policy

Author(s): Jaroslav Bureš / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

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.

Как руските енергийни ресурси станаха токсични за Европейския съюз – причини и последици

Author(s): Plamen Dimitrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

This article explains why Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has made Russian energy resources toxic to the European Union in terms of security, geopolitics and morale. EU sanctions against coal, oil and oil products from Russia and their outcome are discussed. It is explained why the collapse of gas supplies from "Gazprom" to the EU countries has happened at the initiative of the Kremlin, and not because of sanctions. The consequences of the energy "disconnection" between the EU and Russia have been traced – both on the energy markets in Europe and on the revenues in the Russian state budget. It was concluded that the pushing of Russian oil and gas out of the EU markets is an irreversible process with long-term consequences.

Новото световно безредие

Author(s): Lyubomir Kyuchukov / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The erosion of the post-war world order does not necessarily lead to the establishment of a new one, it rather creates a new world disorder. The existing order is based on international institutions (first and foremost – the UN system) and international law, but no such new ones are set up. However, the war in Ukraine will have a long-term negative effect on world’s developments: whenever and however it takes an end, provided that it does not evolve into a global conflict, we will have to face a deeply divided, confronted and militarised world, dominated by policies, based on the position of force and a fight over spheres of influence, with no mutual confidence and no prospect for political dialogue.