We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
Every Saturday for a period of two months, from the beginning of April till the end of June 1992, sessions organized by the Belgrade Circle were held at the Student Cultural Centre in Belgrade. At these sessions, ten in all, intellectuals, members of the Belgrade Circle and their quest – distinguished writers, scientists, artists, journalists, film and theatre directors, architects, actors, interpreters – expressed their own views of another, radically different Serbia. In times of anguish and affliction, the meetings, attended by a large assembly of listeners experiencing a kind of moral purification, were nonetheless imbued with a frail hope that there still might be a chance for a turn in events. With a desire to present ideas, opinions and sensations shared by the participants of the Belgrade Circle sessions to a much larger audience, the reading public, and to preserve them, because of their merit, in a more lasting form, discussions of over eighty intellectuals were compiled to form this book. In the meantime, the overwhelming disaster has reached its climax: »The Bosnian War«, still raging with no feasible way out as yet, exploded and blazed up like fire. The Belgrade Circle participants, distressed and abashed at the display of all those real or imagined evil deeds, so eagerly reported by the portentous heralds of death voiced hitherto often deeply hidden and silent feelings and thoughts about their burdensome disgust at the plague gripping and afflicting us all. Each participant contributed in his or her own way – rigorous scientific analysis, artistic susceptibility, eyewitness accounts, or simply. A public-minded desperate wail – to the shaping of one new, public opinion, the one that stirred in that sad Spring of ’92 and rebelled against the general fear, animosity, devastation, extermination, ethnic cleansing, forcible population exchanges... All those responsible and public-minded citizens, holding different political opinions, some members of various political parties, with incomparable personal experiences, varied professional interest and often of »objectionable« national origin, showed, however the will to insert tolerance among the basic principles of a humanized way of fife. But, in spite of the pronounced differences, their common aim, discernable in each and every speech imported to the audience, was to finally establish a community based on simple but as yet still unattainable ideals such as peace, freedom, tolerance and justice in place of degrading political, national and religious exclusiveness. Participants focussed their attention on various aspects of the problem: some analysed the roots of hatred and evil; some indicated the disastrous consequences of irresponsible national myth revivals; others warned of menaces yet to come unless we see reason in time. Some were stern, others witty and others still perhaps too prone to pathos, but they were all deeply concerned, and, as it unfortunately turned out, correct in predicting subsequent events. Therefore, individuals who take no notice of current, official policy and who have for a long time now tenaciously refused to render their talent and knowledge to the needs of the authorities, gathered round a project titled »Another Serbia«. Instigating a state of war and providing alleged erudite justification for the necessity of mutual extermination in the name of some noble goals, vague even to the very massacre executors, must not and cannot be the vocation of anyone who considers him or herself an »intellectual«, or earns a living acting as one. Hence, all session participants had but one desire: to mark out a path that may lead into a more promising future, to another, different, better and happier Serbia. »Another Serbia« soon became the synonym of resistance to fabricated lies, nationalistic madness, criminal war, a fascist holocaust, senseless destruction of villages and cities. Thanks are also due to the daily newspaper »Borba« which regularly reported on the Belgrade Circle Saturday sessions, and published a number of contributions presented there... We hope that the Another Serbia we all aspire to be easily discernable in the collection of essays presented in this book. The reader who hopes to find traces of at least some political program will be gravely disappointed. At present, when politics have poisoned the very soul of so many men of letters and knowledge, and when, among the most violent oppressors, in the ranks of all mortal enemy groups, one finds so many proud bearers of scientific degrees, who may actually be designated as men of unmerited and easily squandered reputation, it has become somewhat indecent to praise »intellectual pursuits«. The Belgrade Circle was, however, founded early in 1992 with the aim of retrieving dignity – another dangerous quality! – to public speech and conceived plans of action for the benefit of truth. We do not take an elitist position and stand indifferently above the crowd. On the contrary, being deeply involved and concerned, we place ourselves in its midst. The Association of Independent intellectuals insists upon its main goal, as declared in the program, namely, to bring together »critically oriented public figured who wish to unite their own civil and intellectual engagements with those of other, basically similarly oriented people«. That is why the Belgrade Circle will continue to »promote ideas, deeds and activities that affirm the values of a democratic, civil and plural society...« The Belgrade Circle will »encourage free and critical thought in all spheres of public life. It will support and help institutions and individuals who resist violence and animosity, and who plead for dialogue and for the survival of culture as the only humanly valid way of life«. Fine speeches? Maybe. Nevertheless, the Belgrade Circle has already, and despite many organizational and financial hardships, as well as ugly and unjust abuse from people who should have been, by the very nature of their vocation, in our ranks had they not knuckled under the burden of a more noble – national to be sure – mission, gained an undeniably high reputation. The words uttered with the aim of promoting »Another Serbia« and presented in this book to serve at testimony to the existence of a number of sensible people, shrewd and brave enough to resist suffocation by overwhelming absurdity, were not the only »weapon« used by Belgrade Circle members. They had also an active part in numerous civil and peace movements and events, thus contributing to the establishment of critical public opinion in Belgrade and Serbia: let us recall, for instance, the sad candles and our wake in the park, with souls colder than the Belgrade frost, while one of the past infernal wars – God, which one was it? – was raging out there somewhere; let us recall the »Black Band«, »Yellow Band«, »Student Protest ‘92«, and our endeavours to bring the people of Hrtkovci (»Srbislavci«) to reason; let us recall our guests from Pljevlja, Montenegro, Bosnia... All the time we were just launching our unhappy and, we believe, noble, though perhaps futile venture the very first participant said: let the Belgrade Circle begin it’s work! We hope that by offering this book to the public we have already come a long way.
More...
Międzynarodowe public relations należy traktować jako dziedzinę powstałą w konsekwencji zmian i wciąż pogłębiających się procesów zachodzących na arenie międzynarodowej. Globalizacja, mediatyzacja i demokratyzacja doprowadziły do powstania nowych aktorów w środowisku międzynarodowym, a także redefinicji roli państw od ośrodków administracyjnych do podmiotów konkurujących ze sobą w zglobalizowanej gospodarce. Umiędzynarodowienie życia gospodarczego wymaga dostosowania się do nowych warunków poprzez wdrażanie pewnych rozwiązań od strony praktycznej oraz pojęć w wymiarze teoretycznym, który ową praktykę stara się opisywać i wyjaśniać. W sytuacji coraz większej roli mediów funkcjonujących w skali międzynarodowej, pogłębiającej się demokratyzacji i globalnej konkurencji umiędzynarodowienie public relations zdaje się nieodzowne. Państwa i nowi aktorzy, do których zalicza się między innymi korporacje czy też organizacje międzyrządowe, konfrontując się z wyzwaniami, jakie stawia przed nimi współczesne życie gospodarcze, muszą podejmować się działań z zakresu międzynarodowych public relations, aby zyskać atrakcyjność i konkurencyjność w środowisku międzynarodowym. Dziedzina ta wykracza poza tradycyjne ujęcie public relations, ponieważ należy w niej uwzględnić różnice językowe, kulturowe i geograficzne. Istotne wydaje się także to, że ta dziedzina odgrywa niezwykle ważną rolę w perspektywie państw i organizacji międzyrządowych. Działania z zakresu międzynarodowych public relations tworzą dodatkową, pozornie nieuchwytną, wartość w postaci reputacji, miękkiej siły i marki kraju, co przekłada się na zaufanie, a w konsekwencji pozwala na wprowadzanie pozytywnych zmian, promowanie wartości, poprawę efektów ekonomicznych i budowanie pozycji podmiotu w środowisku międzynarodowym.
More...
W ramach wspólnej polityki zagranicznej i bezpieczeństwa Unia Europejska stosuje sankcje mające wspomóc egzekwowanie jej celów, a zwłaszcza przestrzegania praw człowieka, demokracji i praworządności. Celem artykułu jest analiza skuteczności polityki sankcji Unii Europejskiej wobec Islamskiej Republiki Iranu. Zastosowaną metodą badawczą jest analiza porównawcza. Pierwsza część artykułu została poświęcona teoretycznemu ujęciu sankcji oraz czynnikom mającym wpływ na ich skuteczność. W następnym opisano podstawy systemowe wspólnej polityki zagranicznej i bezpieczeństwa Unii Europejskiej oraz zastosowanie sankcji jako jej elementu. W trzeciej części przedstawiono próbę oceny efektywności unijnej polityki sankcji wobec Iranu.
More...
The aim of this article is to analyze the conflicts which were ongoing in 2018,in Yemen and Africa. The selection of armed conflicts was made on the basis ofthree main criteria: intensity, i.e. the scale of battle-deaths; internationalization, i.e.military involvement of third countries; the activities of jihadist groups. The articlediscusses armed conflicts in the Sahel region and the Lake Chad, in Libya, Somalia,and Yemen. As part of the Strategic Yearbook series that reviews current armedconflicts, this study is a continuation of the analyses from previous years. Its purposeis to explore the conditions and dynamics of the 2018 armed conflicts and theirimplications for international security. It explains the reasons of their increasingintensity and internationalization. The expansion of jihadist groups, especiallythose related to IS (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, the so called Islamic State) orAl-Qaeda (AQ), is perceived as an important factor in this regard. It is argued thatthe activity of armed jihadist groups leads also to greater military involvement ofWestern states.
More...
The article offers an analysis of the most important energy market trends from theperspective of their importance for energy security and climate change. The energyand climate systems are two areas of human activity strongly influencing each other.On the one hand, the way energy is produced and consumed influences the globalclimate system, on the other hand, climate policy impacts energy security. The articletherefore focuses on the directions and dynamics of changes taking place in theenergy sector and which are of particular importance for global reductions of CO2emissions. It gives an insight into the policies of the world’s largest consumers offossil fuels and into the extent to which their activities favour energy transformation.This analysis critically assesses the feasibility of achieving the global climate policytargets set in 2015 in Paris. Especially importantly for the Strategic Yearbook, the2018 events and current trends serve as points of reference: the article outlines theconditions and results of climate negotiations of COP24 held in Poland and thenewest IPCC report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. An analysis of demand-supplytrends, recent trends in the area of CO2 emissions as well as current events leads toconclusions concerning some long-term challenges for energy and climate security.
More...
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.
More...
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.
More...
The new center of gravity of the world, the Indian Pacific region, is the subject of this article. “Free and Open Indian Pacific Policy”, adopted by the USA in 2017, is on the foreign policy agenda. By addressing the geopolitical, geoeconomics and geostrategic importance of the region, it will be explained why the USA has implemented this policy. The fact that the competition between China and the US in the global system can result in war is the subject of the article that the dual containment strategy applied to the Soviet Union during the Cold War period and it is a geopolitical area that has gained importance in the context of the alliance relations established with the countries in the region. The importance of the geographical area will be evaluated from the US perspective.
More...
Anul 1940 a marcat apogeul efectelor politicii dezas- truoase duse pe plan intern şi extern de către guvernele impuse de regele Carol al II-lea, începând cu 10 februarie 1938. Între 26 iunie şi 7 septembrie 1940, România s-a aflat la cheremul puterilor europene care hotărau, prin acţiuni politice, diplomatice şi militare, soarta unui continent scăpat de sub controlul democraţiilor lumii (SUA, Franţa, Marea Britanie), hipnotizate parcă de personalitatea şi acţiunea unor lideri ai forţelor extremiste, naziste, fasciste şi comuniste.
More...
This presentation provides evidence of the influential role of urban planning in directing human activity, which, if not adequately studied, may lead to instability in identity and social integration, and the role of urban planning in transforming cohesive groups into dispersed social groups, distinguished by class, creed, or wealth, and their direct role in fueling hatred futurism is a concrete prelude to conflict. Also, it presents some international examples applied in this field.
More...
Along several millennia, sealift capabilities have played a significant role in shaping the political international arena, and the global strategic landscape. We cannot imagine, for example, a fully operational Roman Empire without a massive set of sealift capabilities, able to deploy large armies anywhere around the Mediterranean, and to bring huge amounts of Egyptian grain to Rome. The study is briefly exploring some pivotal moments in global history when sealift has been massively present; and then it explores, with some details, the present situation of the US strategic sealift capabilities. As far as we know, the ability of the United States to use, in case of need, fully effective strategic sealift is clearly facing important problems and shortages, and this feature of the US national power might generate a lot of problems in many future scenarios, massively impacting strategic evolutions on the World Ocean, in Europe, and mainly in the Asia-Pacific
More...
Česká zahraniční politika ve vztahu k Ruské federaci (RF) byla v roce 2015, stejně jako o rok předtím v roce 2014, nadále ovlivněna napjatou geopolitickou situací mezi Ruskou federací a západními státy a nevyřešeným konfliktem na Ukrajině. Po eskalaci bojů na počátku roku 2015 došlo 12. února v Minsku k uzavření nových dohod, které měly doplnit minský protokol ze září roku 2014. Tyto dohody představovaly plán, jenž měl ke konci roku 2015 vést k vyřešení ozbrojeného konfliktu na východě země. Nicméně ke konci roku 2015 byl pokrok minimální. Sankce uvalené na Rusko, jejichž osud je pevně spojen s plněním dohod, byly tak prodlouženy, což ovšem v České republice nevyvolávalo takové debaty, jak tomu bylo v předcházejícím roce.
More...
The European citizen expect from the German economy to become a proof of concept for the real energy transformation process, migrating from fossil power generation and nuclear power plants to a carbon neutral energy industry. By the utilization of the vision for the Green Deal in Europe – ending nuclear, coal and gas energy use simultaneously is an ambitious approach. It is nevertheless the obligation of the decision makers to preserve our planet and solve the imminent threat posed by climate change. Germany’s new government imperatively has to find answers on how to secure supply, limit the economic impact of this transition and diversify our energy sources throughout Europe. Tendencies – especially among the currently governing party, the Greens – to reject certain options out of pure ideology must be overcome in order to find the best solutions. The following overview is focused on the critical processes in the German economic model related to the post-COVID and Ukraine crisis and the response needed to remain on course towards the green transition.
More...
Ever since the dawn of men, there has been a captivation with distant stars and the blue sky. The ideological competition between the two superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States leads to remarkable discoveries and extraordinary accomplishments in outer space. The culmination of this contest was humanity’s first step on the Moon and the widely accepted American victory against the Soviet Union in the first Space Race. Fifty-three years later, the fascinating nature of outer space still prevails with new participants looking to make their mark and an old competitive nature still driving human progress. The geopolitics of space since the beginning of 2022, have had alternating dynamics, due to various factors, perhaps leading to significant vicissitudes in the balance of power.
More...
The world changes rapidly due to discoveries and innovations in the field of technology. The interests of the BRICS countries and their common goals intersect to move towards new global economy and to lay the foundations of a multipolar international system. In order to accomplish such a goal, the BRICS group faces the challenge of conducting organizational activities. The significance of the ‘five’ countries in the world economy increases with their joint efforts as a geopolitical group. The economic success of the five states ensures their active role in the UN, IMF, WB, WTO. The present study aims at demonstrating how the historical geopolitical change takes place highlighting its real and objective reasons related both to the development of the world economy and the alteration in the structure and fundamentals of international relations in the 21st century with the emergence of new political economic organizations and alliances.
More...
In May 2023 the European Commission presented the legislative package of the reforms of the EU customs code. The Commission’s proposal, responding to current challenges in the global trading system, has been the most ambitious reform in the EU customs union’s history since its beginning. The general purpose of the chapter is to identify the main changes to the EU’s customs code resulting from the reforming package. The analysis is based on the texts of legislative proposals prepared by the European Commission that yet must be adopted within the EU’s legislative process. The conducted analysis reveals that the reforming package includes new instruments and solutions that would transform the Union Customs Code to a more digital, integrated and efficient system. The presented proposals include among others the creation of the EU Customs Data Hub and the EU Customs Authority that will create the institutional and operational framework of the renewed EU’s customs system. The proposed legislation provides also for new regulations referring to e-commerce, including the new status of ‘deemed importer’ and modified treatment of goods ordered online from outside the European Union. The UCC reform is also part of a strategic shift within the EU’s Common Commercial Policy towards a more open, sustainable, and assertive trade policy.
More...
The paper is focused on the ideological frame of Russian Post-Soviet Foreign Policy in the Balkans. Is there any Russian soft power? In a short introduction, the main ideological and geopolitical tendencies in the presentday Balkans are outlined. In the first part of the paper, we describe the geopolitical reality of the Balkans today and Russian positions in it. In the second and the third part of the paper, we analyze the content and the transformation of the Russian idea/concept ‘Russkiy mir’ and geopolitical, ideological and spiritual consequences of that transformation. The fourth part of the paper describes the current state of relations between NATO and Serbia 20 years after the bombing of the FR Yugoslavia in the context of the geopolitical competition of old and new factors in world politics. The conclusion highlights the main geopolitical and spiritual challenges of some Balkan Orthodox peoples and the possible role of Russia in the Balkans.
More...
2009 – the crisis year – brought about crucial changes in the established and seemingly successful picture of the oil market. The New Year “gas war” between Russia and Ukraine consolidated bad tradition, demonstrating the vulnerability of the present structure of the oil and gas market once again. There were no winners, everyone suffered: the supplier, the transporter and the consumers. Conclusions and assessments of the conflict, and its consequences, are, generally, diametrically opposed. This was reflected in the subsequent actions and statements of the players in the market. It seems generally considered that on the ‘gas front’ Russia is leading a war “against all”. This confrontation is not new; but if earlier it could be considered as “debatable”, now resentment towards the actions and positions of Moscow are reaching a kind of hysteria. Such a political context, alongside some recent events, certainly has an influence on the future of the energy security in Europe, especially considering dramatic changes in the oil and gas markets.
More...
I will make an attempt to briefly present the key determinants and content guidelines of the Yugoslavian non-aligned policy, but also to indirectly indicate the contact points and differences between this policy and the concept of neutrality itself. After a period of uncritical glorification, followed also by euphoric satanization of the non-aligned concept, finally the time has come, based on relevant archive material, to provide real answers, at least to some elementary questions in this field. Some of them are: if this policy was in fact desired or forced; how difficult was it to prompt sometimes unwilling partners who were not belonging to neither of political-military blocks to cooperate, and finally, why Yugoslavia distanced itself from Europe and connected to far away and unknown civilizations.
More...