Nálevka, Vladimír: Horké krize studené války Vyšehrad, Praha 2010, 196 stran
Review of: Nálevka Vladimír "Horké krize studené války Vyšehrad", Prague 2010, 196 pages by: Petr Svoboda
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Review of: Nálevka Vladimír "Horké krize studené války Vyšehrad", Prague 2010, 196 pages by: Petr Svoboda
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A theoretically based study of fascism is almost unknown in Czech historiography, and extensive foreign debates on the subject have not been considered over a long period of time. This text seeks to at least partially rectify this shortcoming and to raise awareness of one important and rather controversial part of contemporary discussions on fascism and its significance as a social-science concept, i.e. the so-called “new consensus”. In recent years, this school of thought has gained considerable recognition in the Anglo-Saxon milieu. The main proponent of this approach, British historian Roger Griffin, has been endeavouring to ensure the qualitative formulation of a new comparative model of fascism and a change of paradigm in fascist studies. In his work, he primarily emphasises the positive content of fascist ideology and the constitutive role of the core of the ideology for fascist practices and the political style of fascism. The introduction to the text briefly summarises the various forms of the comparative model of fascism since the 1960s and it thematises the main issues associated with the study of fascism. The focal point of this exposition consists of a detailed discussion of Griffin’s concept of fascism and the identification of its ideological roots. It also takes stock of the significance of his work in contemporary discussions. The article concludes by striving to argue that, despite some deficiencies in his approach, it is possible to view Roger Griffin’s efforts on behalf of the further study of fascism to be both valuable and beneficial.
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Review of: Gott Richard "Kuba: Nové dějiny" BB art, Prague 2005, 460 pages by: Petr Skala
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In April and May 1988, the leadership of the Federal Ministry of the Interior began an extensive reduction of the security apparatus. For example, the Chief of Staff of the National Security Corps’ Central Intelligence Directorate, Brigadier Karel Sochor, informed the Minister of the Interior of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Vratislav Vajnar, of the need to reduce the number of officers in the First Directorate of the National Security Corps by 30%. According to the stipulated numbers, the headquarters of communist intelligence were meant to comprise 1030 planned job positions, but in reality there were 905 staff officers and 69 civilian workers. 588 people worked as operatives at home and abroad (the plan anticipated 63 more). Among other things, in the months that followed and in connection with the reorganisation of the intelligence service, management at the National Security Corps’ First Directorate also conducted a number of analyses of the personnel structure of headquarters’ operational departments, “legalised“ officers in the so-called First Reserve (operating under the cover of various departments and organisations in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic) and the Second Reserve, which primarily performed its tasks abroad in “rezidenturas” (a rezidentura was roughly equivalent to a CIA station). Using various calculations, they attempted to defend themselves against overt political pressure to reduce their apparatus whose privileged position was based on National Defence Council Resolution 33, dated 9 December 1982. During the last years of its existence, the National Security Corps’ Central Intelligence Directorate was forced to repeatedly defend its activity and to inform a number of unauthorised officials from the state and Party apparatus of confidential facts concerning its work, including cooperation with its partners (who included the USSR). It was only under the new political conditions which prevailed at the beginning of 1990 that management at the First Directorate of the National Security Corps accepted a 30% reduction in its staffing levels and the streamlining of its organisational structure. The study is supplemented with documents concerning an overview of the “legalised” posts of the First and Second Reserves – which operatives used as cover for their real work and which were assigned to the intelligence service for operational use in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and abroad according to individual departments (October 1982), the focus and most important tasks of foreign rezidenturas in the final period (March 1989), and a list of intelligence officers in the diplomatic corps (March 1989).
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The article refers to the issues of the public security and order during the mass events, especially football matches. After the appropriate introduction to the topic and the presentation of the range of punishment, the author carries a detailed analysis of the particular offences related directly to the security and order, regulated by the Law Act on the security of mass events as of 20 March 2009. The analysis includes the statutory definitions of each offence as well as the statutory punishment for them. Finally, the author specifies and justifies the most urgent amendments to the Law Act, that refer to the subject offences.
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Paweł Kuczma: Polish National Scientific Conference „Polish Foreign Politics towards neighbouring countries in the years 2004–2011 – considerations and directions” Paweł Kuczma: National Scientific Conference entitled „10 years Polish in the European Union”
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In the article, the author undertakes the theme of Polish direct foreign investments in the Czech republic after both countries had accessed the European Union. The author pinpoints the reasons why investors became interested to locate their foreign capital in that country. There are also examples of Polish companies, which succeeded on the Czech market in chemical, food and IT industries as well as in bank and power sectors.
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This article outlines the Polish model of the system of local and regional government and its modifications. The system construction of the local government began in 1990 together with the reactivation of the local government. The next step was the establishment of the structures of the county and provincial government in 1999. In 2002 an important change was introduced regarding the process of electing the executive body of the municipality i.e. a village mayor, a mayor (of a town or a city) and a president. The principle of indirect election of the municipal council was replaced by the principle of direct election of all eligible residents of the municipality. The article concluded with an attempt to assess the quality of all the major reforms that had been introduced to the local government in Poland.
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In the article, the author presented the USA approach towards the independence aspirations of Lithuania. Within the years 1990–1991, it was dependant on the George Bush’s policy towards the Soviet Union. The White House did not approve openly of the Lithuania independence, as it did not want to destabilize Mikhail Gorbachev rule, which promised, according to the Americans, the gradual and peaceful transformations within the Russian empire, including the opportunity the Baltic States faced to regain the independence. Soon after the August Putsch, also known as August Coup, in Moscow in August 1991, the U.S.A. became active in this matter. The issue of Lithuania’s independence was overshadowed by the relations with the Soviet Union, which is apparent in the G. Bush’s delayed recognition of Lithuania’s sovereignty. The American Leader withheld waiting for the M. Gorbachev’s move, yet it never occurred. The U.S.A. gave its recognition as to the Independence of Lithuania on 2 September 1991.
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Sport combined with the quality of life has for a long time been a topic of many articles and elaborations, including scientific ones. For the last twenty years a particular attention has been paid to the quality of life, the notion which has undergone a veritable metamorphosis in terms of its perception and evaluation. As a field of life, sport does not stay on the sidelines either. Both - theoretical as well as practical aspects of sports activities have been broadly analyzed with the application of criteria determined by their subjects and the scope of interest. The main reason behind the study is to establish a correlation between the quality of life and development of sport as such. The publication aims to provide a description of this phenomenon on the example of Polkowice Community, one of the communities in the Lower Silesia Province. The directions, range, and dynamics of the community’s development between 1990 and 2010 became the subject of a thorough and multi-volume study, published by the publishing house of the Lower Silesian University of Entrepreneurship and Technology in Polkowice. The following study can expand the reader’s knowledge of various kinds of sports projects and activities conducted in Polkowice and of the way they are carried out in the community. Still, a more important issue is to pinpoint the existence of the correlation between the quality of the residents’ life and the development of sport. The idea behind this scientific description is to provide an answer to the following questions:1. Is there any connection between sport and the quality of life in the current scientific theories?2. Can sport affect the quality of life? 3. Which aspects of life quality are affected by sport? 4. How did sport develop in the community between 1990 and 2010?5. How, if at all, do sports activities affect the quality of life of the community inhabitants?In order to maintain a clarity of the conducted analysis, especially in the part concerning the directions of sport development, the author made a conventional division of practical manifestations of the community sports activities into “school sport” area and “contest sport” area. The adopted terms signify that in case of the ‘school sport’, the data from all the schools in the community was taken into consideration, whereas he term ‘contest sport’ refers the activities of the sports clubs and associations operating in the community. Thus, the terms “contest sport” and “professional sport” cannot be used interchangeably, since practically, at least between 1990 and 2010, ‘the contest sport’ did not have the features of a broadly defined professional sport.
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Paweł Kuczma: Władza w państwie współczesnym. Próba nowego określenia w dobie integracji i globalizacji Paweł Kuczma: ,,Samorządy w Konstytucji RP z 2 kwietnia 1997 r.”. LV Zjazd katedr i zakładów prawa konstytucyjnego
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After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus attempted to build its own national statehood. One of the first concepts of their foreign policy was aspiration to be neutral and nuclearfree state. This conception was considered a milestone on the road to full independence from Russia. In years of 1992-1994 Belarus significantly reduced its military forces. In May 1992, they signed the Lisbon Protocol and together with Ukraine and Kazakhstan entered the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This resulted in elimination or removal to Russia all of the strategic nuclear warheads from Belarusian territory. The process of gaining neutrality practically stopped in 1993 due to their access to the Collective Security Treaty Organization. This led Belarus to deepen political and military dependence on Russia.
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The author analyzed the public activity of Polish presidents’ wives after the year 1995. She used the unified term “ The First Lady of the Republic of Poland” as towards the last three presidents’ wives. Firstly, she exposed their roles resulting from the diplomatic protocol, such as participating in the national holidays and celebrations as well as in the meetings with the other heads of the countries and the diplomatic representatives including their wives. The author also referred to the presence of the presidents’ wives during the visits abroad. The presentations of the First Ladies’ social activity, especially related to the charity actions performed through the foundations they oft en established, constitute the separate part of the work. As far as this part is concerned, the author emphasized the actions for children and young people, supporting the families with many children, improving the women’s situation. The last parts of the work were devoted to the promotion of the culture in the country and abroad that was carried out by the First Ladies.
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Due to the interdependence of the contemporary world economy, the great American crisis of 2008-10 rapidly has become the global crisis. However, it is not just another, only larger than before crisis reflected in the short lasting recession and serious redistribution of income and wealth. It is a fundamental crisis of the capitalist market economy based on the neoliberalism. Overcoming the resulting challenges calls not just for managing the deep financial and structural imbalances, which were the direct causes of recession, but requires deep changes in the underlying values, institutions and polices. These changes must be based on the coincidence theory of development and new pragmatism.
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The purpose of the article is analyzing the problems arising from global crisis (2008-2010) and its influence on behavior of Polish managers. Discusses the reasons of the crisis in 2008 in the United States and conditions that favor the spread of the crisis in the European countries, with particular emphasis on Polish. The analytical part of the article is dedicated to the managers of the times of crisis, their actions and attitudes towards the challenges arising from the economic collapse of the global economy.
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The article presents the outline of the activity and circumstances of establishing the organization Polish Czech-Slovak Solidarity (PCSS), which engaged Poles, the Czech and Slovak people in the mutual anti-communist activity through the whole decade of the 80s in XX Century, within the territory of the Republic of Poland and the Czech Republic. The conspiracy materials were for years carried secretly by dissidents via mountain tracks of Karkonosze and Sudety mountain ranges. The text emphasizes the essential events related to the functioning of PCSS.
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The subject developed is located in the general theory of public administration reforms and is discussed on two levels: the description of the past experience and an attempt to evaluate the effects of public administration reforms carried out in the years 1990-2009 as well as encompasses the indication of the selected lines of potential changes in the subsequent years. The author takes as a starting point the necessity of reforms in the public administration by referring to the views of doctrine, especially the science of administration, arguing further that establishing in 1990 the local government at the commune level and then making an attempt to expand it in the years between 1990-1998 ended up as successful due to the reforms from the year 1998 and the restoration and establishment of the regional government. These are the confirmation as well as a perfect illustration of the concept of a typology of reforms. Evaluation of the effects of the reform carried out in 1998 as regards to the reform’s earlier assumptions constitutes the starting point for the indication of the main directions of the proposed changes in law aimed at further development of the district self-government. The first direction concerns the nature of the legal district as the unit of the country’s territorial division and, at the same time, the unit of territorial self-government, especially the issue of connecting the complex administration under the chairman of the district board sovereignty. The second refers to the construction of the implementing authorities and the proposed consideration of a more stable governor to hold office during the term of the district council. The third relates to the necessity of regulation of the terms of clauses in which authorities, against the background of alleged responsibility on behalf of the Council in the municipality and on behalf of the Board of Directors in the province, are unspecified. The fourth issue raised in the article argues the merits of further impairment of the county in forms of communal economy and economic activity beyond its boundaries in relation to the municipality and the province of local government. Finally, the fifth area, in which the self-government may develop further, includes specifying the tasks of the units of self-government and after the relevant adjustments, advocates the creation of the tasks map, which will not be raising unnecessary debates on the legitimacy of entrusting the task to the specified unit, thereby eliminating discussions on the necessity of the existence of the district, which break out from time to time.
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Among numerous factors shaping the investment climate of a particular localisation a substantial role play contacts between foreign investors and representatives of different levels of administration and regulatory bodies in host countries. In order to improve the functioning of this sector it is advisable to identify the most important issues, especially barriers hampering mutual communication and to convey comprehensive assessment of the quality of public services provided by broadly defined public actors. Following paper is an extract from the final report on the investment climate in Lower Silesia in the assessment of foreign direct investors based on empirical research completed at the University of Wrocław in June 2008. Its essential part focuses on the analysis and interpretation of empirical quantitative data (received from a survey) and qualitative ones (delivered by the representatives of foreign investors during interviews). They express investors’ opinions and may or even should be regarded as a valuable basis material to pursue further, more in-depth studies.
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In this article that deals with the crimes against humanity and international law committed in the territory of the municipality Višegrad the accent is placed upon the bestial method of killing by both mass and individual burning of civilians (women, children and the aged) in houses and other adjoining constructions. In this context the chronological history of this type of crime is viewed with intention to establish and present the continuity of such crimes that in Višegrad reached their peak during 1992-1995. The results of theoretical and empirical research clearly show that the city of Višegrad has become a paradigm of the crime of burning civilians, thus it is justly characterised as the city wherein burning of a large number of civilians was planned, organised and systematically executed with the aim of the most brutal ethnic cleansing and persecution of the inhabitants of the valley of the river Drina. This is also confirmed by the relevant verdicts of the Hague Tribunal against the criminals who directly or indirectly were involved in killings, to a healthy human mind incomprehensible, of the innocent civilians just for being of different nationality or faith.
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