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This study is provoked by one of the most significant cases of abuses over the last two decades in Bulgaria - the bankruptcy of CCB (Corporate Commercial Bank), the fourth largest bank in the country. After the 1996-1997 crisis, when one third of the banks went bankrupt, the country's banking sector collapsed. This is the second case in which huge financial resources "evaporated" and the negative consequences affected a wide range of public institutions and private subjects. The emergence of periodically recurring financial crises, with multiple impacts on public, economic and political life, motivates Transparency International Bulgaria to look for a systematic response to the problem and look beyond the specific case. The present book is based on the analytical approach of the international anti-corruption organization Transparency International "National Integrity System" which assesses clearly defined criteria, the capacity, functioning and management of sectors and institutions with key importance in counteracting corruption. The study is based on an analysis of the legislation and practical actions of the investigated institutions, a wide range of documentary sources, reports, assessments, media publications, and interviews with experts and public figures that have had direct observations and touch with the CCB case. It reflects an attempt to formulate an impartial, objective assessment of the functioning of the banking supervisory system in the 2009-2014 periods but also pursues another objective - to serve as a starting point for policies and strategic actions to give an adequate systemic response to established deficits. Viewed through this prism, this publication expresses the ambition of the Transparency International Bulgaria to not only prevent future crises of this nature, but also to contribute to the institutional strengthening of the system of supervisory institutions in Bulgaria.
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When the undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi retreated to a cave in 1643 and wrote The Book of Five Rings, a manifesto on swordsmanship, strategy, and winning for his students and generations of samurai to come, he created one of the most perceptive and incisive texts on strategic thinking ever to come from Asia. Musashi gives timeless advice on defeating an adversary, throwing an opponent off-guard, creating confusion, and other techniques for overpowering an assailant that will resonate with both martial artists and everyone else interested in skillfully dealing with conflict. For Musashi, the way of the martial arts was a mastery of the mind rather than simply technical prowess—and it is this path to mastery that is the core teaching in The Book of Five Rings. Written not only for martial artists but for anyone who wants to apply the timeless principles of this text to their life, the book analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that underlies every level of human interaction.
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The "Book of the Gates" is the third book of Ancient Egyptian Religious Texts series, which includes the main works of the Egyptian sacred tradition. "The Book of the Gates" is an ancient Egyptian magical book devoted to journey of the god of sun to the afterlife. Its name has been given because of the gates that close the spaces between the various parts of the underground kingdom. The book is intended for the Egyptian ruler; it was unavailable to the uninitiated. It first appeared in the middle of the New Kingdom (XIV BCE) and was recorded on the walls of the royal tombs.This edition contains an introduction, an ancient Egyptian translation (accompanied by translation), images of the scenes and commentary. It is published for the first time in Bulgarian.
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Prof. Georgy Fotev is a Bulgarian sociologist. His scientific works are in the areas of theory and history of sociology and the disciplinary fields of modern sociology. The focus of the research interests of G.Fotev is the nature of sociology as a multiple paradigm science. Another major theme in the works of Georgy Fotev is the dialogue as a base and horizon of multiple paradigm sociology. Georgy Fotev has publications in the fields of historical sociology, sociology of politics, ethnosociology, the crisis of legitimacy, sociology of values, etc. His books "The long night of communism in Bulgaria" and "Bulgarian melancholy" throw light on the dramatic fate of the Bulgarian national society. Georgy Fotev was Minister of Education and Science (1991 - 1992). He is professor emeritus of New Bulgarian University. In 2003 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the American University in Bulgaria. Mankind is shaken by a multitude of uncertainty. There is an increasing perception that uncertainty becomes permanent. The focus is on the existential, social, political, economic, global and other basic varieties of human uncertainty. The author explores the fundamental conditions of human uncertainty and the main forms of her manifestation and experience. The phenomenon is seen in the light of the new science of chaos and complexity in the context of the risky society/world, in terms of catastrophic consciousness and the conditions of crisis types. Particular attention is paid to trust as a fundamental social attitude and condition against decadent attitudes and nihilism.
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The monograph attempts to provide an empirically grounded answer to a number of discussional scientific issues related to individual decision-making differences by building a comprehensive conceptual model and constructing a specifically selected toolbox as a prerequisite for creating an empirically validated methodology in the field of research of individual differences in decision-making. Original empirical results have been obtained confirming that the style of decision-making is not identical to cognitive style (nor is it a subset, but contains a cognitive component that does not exhaust any of the styles) and is related to mental self-regulation due to individual differences, generated by the ways of satisfying the hedonistic motif (regulatory focus and fashion), the need to control excitement (stress control), and the need for connectivity and increased self-esteem. These results are a prerequisite for the further development of individual decision-making research as well as the decision-making theory itself, because it allows for a fuller consideration of individual differences and their interaction with the characteristics of the situation and the problem that is being solved.The methodological basis of the study is the cognitive survival theory of Seymour Epstein. The results and theoretical summaries obtained empirically confirm the validity of the global personality theory that has the potential to explain new scientific problems, incorporating private theories such as E. Tory Higgins' motivational theory and Mark R. Leary's sociometric mechanism.
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This is the first collection of selected essays by the authors who attended the courses and seminars the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia organized in 2004. Within the three-year project “Building up Democracy and Good Governance in Multiethnic Communities” that is being implemented with the assistance of the European Union, twelve 5-day “schools of democracy” and eight 3-day seminars under the common title “Life and Living in Multiethnic Environments” were held in 2004 in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Novi Pazar. Over 500 trainees attended these courses and seminars. The project is aimed at capacitating young people – by the means of attractive and interactive courses of training – not only for a life in multiethnic communities that are particularly burdened with the adverse experience of the recent past, mutual distrust and stereotypes, but also for a life in the conditions that mark a modern democracy and reflect its standards. An objective as such implies, among other things, rational perception of notions, developments and trends that are in Serbia still blurred, marginalized and subject to relativism or, moreover, to various and even misguiding interpretations. The Helsinki Committee’s experience testifies this is all about a process that takes time but is worthy of effort – the more so since young people, as evidenced by the selected writings as well, fully perceive it as an imperative need of their own.
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O tome kako je Srbija reagovala na izazov na početku Trećeg milenijuma napisano je već mnogo knjiga. Pred čitaocem je knjiga koja se u tom mnoštvu izdvaja po tome ko, kada i šta u njoj govori. Na talasima Radija Deutsche Welle, 149 intelektualaca, pretežno srpske nacionalnosti, ali i stranaca koji se Srbijom profesionalno bave, u 169 intervjua govore o stanju u Srbiji uglavnom posle 5. oktobra 2000. godine. Po definiciji kritičko, individualno mišljenje ekonomista, istoričara, lekara, diplomata, umetnika zaokružilo je zabrinjavajuću sliku celine. Govoreći nezavisno jedan od drugoga, sagovornici Radija Deutsche Welle otkrivaju realnost Srbije koja se bitno razlikuje od službene realnosti. Označavan kao mirna revolucija, kao novi početak za Srbiju, kao njena istorijska šansa da, uz nepodeljenu podršku Evropske unije i Sjedinjenih Američkih Država, prestane da gubi vreme, 5. oktobar 2000. godine, kada je uklonjen konsenzualni autokrata Slobodan Milošević, bio je višeznačan događaj. Probuđene su velike nade; stvorena nerealna, ali objašnjiva očekivanja; postignuto prividno jedinstvo intencija glavnih aktera. Ali, sam po sebi, 5. oktobar 2000. godine nije predstavljao bilans onoga što se u prethodnih 15 godina događalo, a još manje jasnu projekciju Srbije u budućnosti. Pokušaj koji je u tom pravcu učinio premijer Zoran Đinđić brutalno je zaustavljen njegovim ubistvom. Legalizam je bio novo ime za velikodržavni projekat devedesetih godina koji je Srbiju doveo do katastrofe, a srpsko nacionalno i državno pitanje u ćorsokak. Demontaža režima Slobodana Miloševića mogla je nastupiti samo kao posledica diskontinuiteta sa tom politikom. Diskontinuitet nije, međutim, moguć tako što će se reći ’’sada je prekretnica, ovim danom prestaje ono i počinje ovo, već tako što će se, prethodno, objasniti šta se to desilo u prethodnim godinama, i sa čim se to ne uspostavlja kontinuitet već se gradi novo društvo’’ (O. Milosavljević). Sagovornici Radija Deutsche Welle nepodeljeni su u uverenju da je glavno merilo kontinuiteta/diskontinuiteta odnos prema zločinima koji su počinjeni u Hrvatskoj, Bosni i Hercegovini i na Kosovu. Taj odnos su i sve demokratske zemlje u svetu postavile kao uslov da Srbija povrati izgubljeni državni kredibilitet. Posle isporučivanja Slobodana Miloševića Međunarodnom krivičnom sudu u Hagu, odnosno posle ubistva premijera Zorana Đinđića, došlo je do identifikovanja Srbije sa zločinom. To je produbilo sukob sa svetom i, samim tim, blokiralo unutrašnje promene: ’’Poricanje zločina jeste najveći problem i zbog toga što konzervira srbijansko društvo, a srbijansko društvo, zahvaljujući tom poricanju zločina, ostaje da živi u atmosferi u kojoj je sasvim normalno i, čak, poželjno ubiti nekoga zato što pripada drugoj etničkoj grupi.’’ Tako se ’’ne prekida sam ciklus nasilja’’ (M. Toma). Upravo u ovom postratnom razdoblju došlo je do grube netolerancije prema svim manjinama, do buđenja antisemitizma i klerofašizma. U glavama, rat još uvek traje: ’’Zvijer je tu ... zato što u ovoj savani ima još toliko hrane za nju’’(V. Krmpotić). Čime se ona hrani? Upravo zaokupljenošću istrošenim velikodržavnim projektom, državom kao mitskom a ne ljudskom tvorevinom, ksenofobijom, političkom kulturom koja se održava na proizvodnji neprijatelja. A za to vreme, Srbija nazaduje: sve je dalje od vladavine prava i ekonomskih sloboda. Srbija se okreće u sve užem krugu i sa sve manje mogućnosti izbora. Vladajuće strukture ’’mogu da se obogate samo dok su na vlasti ... kroz korupciju’’, i promene im nisu u interesu. U takvu zemlju teško dolaze investicije, i ona je osuđena na stagnaciju (M. Prokopijević). Produbljuje se jaz između Srbije i sveta (S. Popović). U svim istočnoevropskim zemljama postoje otpori promenama, ali u Srbiji ’’Vlada pokušava da vrati zemlju u samoizolaciju’’. Ne radi se samo o inerciji već o ideološkim opredeljenjima ’’koja su antizapadna i antievropska’’. Analitičari razmišljaju o tome šta može da se uradi da se ta ideologija promeni, ali se ne ustežu da postave pitanje: ’’Da li to uopšte može da se menja?’’ (J. Lyon) Formiran je mentalitet čije su karakteristike ’’veličanje negativnog’’, ’’emocionalno mrtvilo’’, odsustvo ’’dissenta (neslaganja), nema opozicije, pobune’’ (M. Ilić). Zemlju sve više karakteriše zatvaranje. Posledice su dvojake. Na unutrašnjem planu: etnička i politička homogenizacija, svaki politički protivnik je neprijatelj. Na spoljnom planu, Srbija postaje ekonomski i društveno inkompatibilna sa okruženjem koje se menja. (’’Srbija, još uvek, ima najvišu državnu potrošnju u Evropi - 55 procenata.’’ (M. Prokopijević)). Njene institucije se urušavaju: u Vojsci ginu regruti, i to ostaje bez objašnjenja. Crkva ne unosi u narod veru već politiku. I u njenom je dugoročnom interesu da podupre težnje ka pravdi, jer bez pravde nema oproštaja i pomirenja, nema mira. Država gubi kredibilitet jer odbija da ispuni svoje međunarodne obaveze. Šta u toj situaciji može pojedinac? Da dijagnosticira stanje u oblasti za koju je kompetentan. Bez toga nije moguć bilans neposredne prošlosti. U tom smislu, pojedinačni iskazi 149 intelektualaca na Radiju Deutsche Welle predstavljaju izraz nepristajanja na nazadovanje. Sabrani u ovoj knjizi, oni predstavljaju važno svedočanstvo koje obavezuje vladajuće strukture u Srbiji. Ne može se ignorisati stvarnost ako postoji politička volja da se ona menja i da se nazadovanje Srbije zaustavi.
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(ANOTHER SERBIA) 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. (INTELLECTUALS AND WAR) This volume, Intellectuals and War, follows on the heels of last year’s publication of Another Serbia. Like the latter, it is the result of the work of the Belgrade Circle. As the reader will recall, Another Serbia is a collection of over eighty talks given by members of this association of independent intellectuals and their guests, during ten of the sessions of the Belgrade Circle held every Saturday from the beginning of April to the end of June 1992. Intellectuals and War brings together some fifty texts, which were presented as part of the series »Intellectuals and War« organized every other week, for ten sessions from the beginning of October 1992 until the end of February 1993. At a time when every call for peace, national tolerance, and liberal democracy was being confronted with scorn, disdain, and open ridicule; at a time, that is, when even the most cautious doubts about the utility of the war, which might deflate the state mythology were being denounced as acts of treason committed by slanderers of the National Idea, the Belgrade Circle organized the thematic series, »Another Serbia« and introduced itself to the domestic public as one of the truly rare associations (not to mention political parties, the few exceptions not withstanding) whose members refused on principle to contribute to the destruction of other nations and the demise of their own. With this series and, particularly, with the publication of our book by the same name, the expression »Another Serbia« became a motto for all those who sooner or later came to see the dangers of the nationalist policies of the past five or more years. Unfortunately, many of the dark forebodings expressed in that first series proved to be true. With tragedies mounting at an alarming rate, many words that then sounded very strong, sometimes even, strident, have become but mild reproaches today. Words that once, only a year ago, were just short of blasphemy, have long since become commonplace in the mildest critical discourse in which almost everyone engages. Yet, in looking through the pages of Another Serbia today, one issue emerges from a number of the contributed works that still has not permeated public consciousness deeply enough and has only with great difficulty found its way into the conscience of those individuals to whom it directly refers. This is, of course, the matter of the responsibility of intellectuals for spreading national intolerance, inflaming hatred, advocating war, and – eventually – for instigating crimes and barbaric destruction and causing the isolation, poverty, denigration and scorn which has since come our way. With this in mind, the Belgrade Circle, as an association of – to repeat – independent intellectuals, decided to organize its second thematic series of discussions around this sensitive and uncomfortable question, which is often protected by taboo. The Belgrade Circle did not act impetuously in calling for an open examination of the role of public-opinion makers in the Yugoslav tragedy. Nor did it do so only after having seen the tragic results of conspicuous blunders by writers, scholars, and religious figures in irresponsible national mythmaking or – worse – in open incitement to war. Such a decision was part of the original motivation guiding the future founders of the Circle. Long before the disintegration of the country and before borders were redrawn, territory occupied and people expelled from their homes, they witnessed a number of their colleagues working as free agents or, more often, as institutional propagandists, dutifully reviving national myths, recounting the victims of pats years as if infatuated with death, reworking the ideology of land and blood and skilfully explaining the need for the South Slavic peoples to »separate« from one another once and for all. Seeing this, it became clear to the future members of the Belgrade Circle that it would not be long before these words were turned into deeds. The common denominator for the some twenty philosophers, sociologists, scientists, artists, and journalists who joined together in the Belgrade Circle was, in fact, the decisive refusal to participate in such undignified activities, which could only end in the horrors of war. In its founding Act, and later in number of public statements and individual appearances by its members, the Circle pointed to the responsibility of the »national intelligentsia« and »national institutions« for war and condemned their abuse of public speech. Although against political trials as a matter of principle, the Belgrade Circle argued in its first public statement that not only should politicians, military leaders, and those directly involved in executing their policies be held accountable for their deeds, but also intellectuals responsible for inciting war and causing crimes against humanity, the destruction of cultural and historical treasures, massive displacement of populations and the exile of numerous distinguished creative figures, and the involuntary flight of educated young people. The fact that it was precisely those individuals who given the nature of their work, should have been among our ranks, but chose instead to put their talents, knowledge, and reputation in the service of legitimising a new collectivism, who were the first to poke fun at the Circle and attack it with angry, even threatening messages made it convincingly clear that this important initiative was directed to the right address. At the crucial moment when the class-based identity of society began to collapse from within, these intellectuals, rather then putting their strength and authority into the democratic enlightenment of an apathetic citizenry actively helped to enthrone another new unifying principle, a new unio mistica which would, this time, be based on an artificially awakened and stimulated national identity. Thanks largely to these efforts, the opportunity to become a society of free individuals who act as autonomous citizens in the political sphere and not as anonymous members of the one and only Class, on Nation was again – and, again for a long time – gambled away. Put simply and crudely: once again, »ideologues«, »clerics«, and »guard dogs« have sold us a bill of goods. Few or the participants in the series »Intellectuals and War« were prepared to say that all »national intellectuals« were guided by evil intentions, hatred toward other peoples, vicious greed, futile craving for fame and honour, or the desire to gain the favour of the new/old rulers. It was clear to our authors that there were honest and intelligent people among these »national intellectuals« who sincerely believed that after the fall of the »old regime« it was more important to resolve the national question than to work for the establishment of parliamentary democracy. Reality – as is most often the case – provided them with a real basis for dissatisfaction. However, just as the framers of the idea of the social revolution before them, they turned to the implementation of the national revolution, without paying attention to the means those contracted do to the job – nurtured as they were in our rich tradition – would more than likely use. Thus, it is hard to resist the conclusion that the war began in words. Any rational observer of the now distant events could reasonably have expected the abbreviated series of exchanges between abstract ideas and concrete acts to turn easily and rapidly into bullets. After all, doesn’t the saying go: the pen is mightier than the sword!? A majority of the authors contributing to this volume, share the belief that if intellectuals – who have since become peace advocates – are now amazed and horrified by the sea of spilled blood, the ruined cities and villages, the rivers of displaced and uprooted people, and the previously unimaginable faschisation, impoverishment, and criminalisation of society, they must – if nothing else – face up to their own professional and moral responsibility for this. But this is a question of individual conscience which no one may or should pas a judgment. Some of the text, however, express the belief that another kind of responsibility – one that presumes more tangible consequences than merely having to confront oneself – must surely fall on the shoulders of that »portrait gallery« of our intellectual guard who have consciously advocated war and misted the people, captivating them with otherworldly messages, promising them the heavenly city, submerging them into the past, offering them dignity through force, and turning them away from the most natural desire to live a better and happier life with Others rather than in isolation from the outside world, imprisoned by self-love. One moment openly, the next moment covertly, they supported the consolidation of an authoritarian and indifferent regime, which would carry out the dirty work for them and for the greater glory of the Nation. They graciously allowed the forces of evil to strike, always ready to put the intellectuals’ most daring plans into action. Sometimes participating directly in the government, but more frequently, acting in the shadows as advisors to the absolute ruler and his priests and in collusion with our Volksgeist, these intellectuals were not prepared to take a stand at those moments when the people appeared to have come to their senses. They introduced even greater discord into the already confused political scene as they entered into the ranks of political parties that had the appearance of becoming democratic. Through both their silence and action, they allowed the uneducated electoral body to surrender itself to the one and only real leader. With these texts in front of us, it is tempting to outline a series of »generic-types«, that is, to construct a certain number of »ideal types« from among our national intellectuals. It is easy to understand those readers who would be happy with a string of unique caricature-like portraits. We have merely to think about all those crazed painters, poets of hearth and home, ominous prophets, patented demystifyers of planetary conspiracies and experts in deconstructing the »new world order«, ethno geneticists and amateur historians who trace their nation’s roots to ancient, even prehistoric times, former Marxists who find solace for their collapsed ideology in the »sweet joy of belonging« to the Nation, indefatigable drafters of geopolitical maps, and journalists and columnists who have persistently presented our unsophisticated readers and television audiences with an up side down picture of history and the world. But for now, let’s just keep these in mind: as, in this brief introduction we cannot even hope to sketch out such a typology, much less, to take on a detailed study of some prominent cases. What we can do is hope that a future systematic examination of the role of intellectuals in the wars we are going through will enable us to arrive at an answer to the question posed by the authors of this volume. They themselves have not been motivated by the ambition to offer an answer now and this motivation could hardly be sad to be common denominator among the various texts, which differ both in genre and in the opinions they present. As in Another Serbia, the contributors to Intellectuals and War have their own views and are alone responsible for their words.
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With this book, you're going to have to go to the fifth We present a review of the papers presented at the Migration Conference to our readers. 35 articles addressing the issue of migration from various disciplines and perspectives share a wide range of reviews. This paper-book offers a selection of more than 100 sessions, panels and workshops in total, as well as the 400 papers presented at the fifth migration conference in Athens, which lasted four days. Many participants from more than 60 countries, from economics to anthropology, sociology to medicine, working in the field of migration from a wide range of disciplines, migration and security, gender, public administration, repatriation migration, law, political participation, diyaspora, media, as well as migration culture and summer presented a large number of papers on the subject.
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This volume brings together a selection of papers presented at the 5th Migration Conference hosted by Harokopio University Athens, 23-26 August 2017.This selection of papers presented at the conference are only a small segment of unedited contributions while many other papers have already been published in or submitted to edited books and refereed journals. There were a total of about 400 papers presented over 100 parallel sessions and three plenary sessions at Kallithea Campus of Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.The keynote speakers included Oded Stark, Saskia Sassen, Giuseppe Sciortino, Neli Esipova and Yuksel Pazarkaya.
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This volume brings together a selection of papers presented at the 3rd Turkish Migration Conference held at Charles University Prague, 25-27 June 2015. This selection of papers presented at the conference are only a small portion of contributions. Many other papers are included in edited books and submitted to refereed journals in due course. There were a total of about 146 papers by over 200 authors presented in 40 parallel sessions and three plenary sessions at Jinonice Campus of Charles University Prague. About a fifth of the sessions at the conference were in Turkish language although the main language was English. Therefore some of the proceedings are in Turkish too.
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This book collects scientific papers and reports presented on the conference ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Ten Years Later’ organized by the International Economic Relations and Business Department at University of National and World Economy (UNWE), Sofia, Bulgaria. The conference, held on 20 October 2017 was dedicated to the upcoming Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The book begins with a welcoming speech by Ivelina Vasileva, Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria as well as chair of the Environment and Water Committee and deputy chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds to the National Assembly. She highlighted the benefits for Bulgaria from its membership in the European Union supported by most recent empirical data. Stimulating effect to the Bulgarian economy was provided by the European budget through the European Structural and Investment Funds. There was a progress noted in terms of infrastructure, regional development, Cohesion, competitiveness, employment effects, healthcare and environmental actions. The contributors to the present edition of the book explore topics such as European integration and Cohesion, trade effects to the Bulgarian economy, European Union budget, EU financial tendencies, fiscal stability and level of indebtedness, capital markets. Researchers dedicate attention to contemporary issues such as EU strategic goals, EU energy union and environmental policies. The overall progress and stage of development of the EU and its institutional system are being discussed as well as democracy. Authors review aspects related to the project management, international business environment and marketing. ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Ten Years Later’ is an annually organized academic event with the vision to foster open dialogue, offer contemporary research and exchange of ideas between fellow academics, policy makers, businesses, stakeholders and the public.
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This book collects scientific papers and reports presented on the conference ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Eight Years Later’ organized by the International Economic Relations and Business Department at University of National and World Economy (UNWE), Sofia, Bulgaria. The conference, held on 2 October 2015, traditionally provided a stage for prominent academics, dedicated PhD students and professionals to discuss contemporary topics related to multiple aspects of the European integration, its effects on the Bulgarian economy, value chain and socio-economic environment, international business and relations, financial markets and banking.The contributors to this edition of the annual conference book reviewed the European integration and development though the perspectives of the fiscal and political measures to tackle the consequences of the financial crisis in both the Euro area and the other EU member states, implications on the banking sector, foreign direct investment, risk mitigation. The financial crisis and the results in the aftermath of it (capital liquidity imbalances, fiscal instability, banking volatility, quantitative easings and Euro area performance indicators, to name a few) are dominating among the majority of authors’ research. The contributors review issues related to the corporate management, corporate governance, sustainable education, organizational design, digital marketing, ethical PR and media, talent development in large organizations. Another group of researchers offer in-depth reviews of the current EU institutional framework, emerging questions related to the energy security and the EU energy policy as well as the environment on a global level, healthcare and business innovations. ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Eight Years Later’ is an annually organized academic event with the vision to foster open dialogue, offer contemporary research and exchange of ideas between fellow academics, policy makers, businesses, stakeholders and the public.
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This book collects scientific papers and reports presented on the conference ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Six Years Later’ organized by the International Economic Relations and Business Department at University of National and World Economy (UNWE), Sofia, Bulgaria. The conference, held on 11 October 2013, traditionally provided a stage for prominent academics, dedicated PhD students and professionals to discuss contemporary topics related to multiple aspects of the European integration, its effects on the Bulgarian economy, socio-economic environment, international business and relations, finance and politics. The contributors to this edition discuss the economic and monetary union (EMU) development, the effects on it as a result of the crisis in Cyprus and the progress of the economy in the Southern Europe, the multiannual financial framework of the EU for 2014-2020, Cohesion and industrial policy. Another group of articles are dedicated to the competitiveness of the national economy and companies, the regional economic development and measures to enhance it, an analysis on specific market segments is conducted by several authors – related to the aviation, tourism, food and beverage industry, agriculture as well as behavioural aspects of the households’ purchasing decisions.Among the research topics are analysis on the banking union of the EU, emerging matters such as green economy and the EU emission trading system, ongoing trends in the global trade and international relations. ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Six Years Later’ is an annually organized academic event with the vision to foster open dialogue, offer contemporary research and exchange of ideas between fellow academics, policy makers, businesses, stakeholders and the public.
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The Jubilee International Scientific Conference on the "Economic Science, Education and the Real Economy: Development and Interactions in the Digital Age", held on 11 – 12 May 2020, is dedicated to the 100th anniversary оf the University of Economics-Varna. Against the background of the cultural and economic rise from the end of the XIX and the beginning of the XX century, on May 14, 1920 the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Varna decides to open a Higher School of Commerce in the city. This marks the beginning of higher economics education in the country. For the period of its existence the university has trained over 155,000 specialists with successful self-realization in the country and abroad. Today, more than 8,000 Bachelors, Masters and Doctorates from 52 countries study in 27 Bachelor's, 29 Master's and 16 Doctor‟s programs. One hundred years for a Bulgarian university is a remarkable anniversary. Some European universities have a much longer history, but when we give assessments, we must always consider the historical context. From this point of view and within the post-liberation period, 100 years of existence, for a Bulgarian university, is a remarkable achievement. The University of Economics – Varna is one of the oldest universities in Bulgaria and the university is rightly proud of its history. The Jubilee International Scientific Conference is focused on digitalization and all those profound transformations it causes in the economy and society. The theme of the conference has been chosen in the period preceding the outbreak of the global coronary virus pandemic. This is important to note because the current economic situation has changed dramatically. As a result of the state of emergency and the imposed social isolation, the economies all over the world have entered a recession. The business, our social and cultural lives have come to a standstill. The economic crisis that has begun is unprecedented both in its cause and most likely in its scale and scope, and it is currently confronting us with specific economic problems. But we believe in science and medicine, in the human mind and intelligence, and we have no doubt that the epidemic will be brought under control and sooner or later the world will return to normal. Then the fundamental determinants of economic activity shall start to operate, one of which is the ongoing process of digitalization. The present economic situation has confronted us with specific economic problems, but it has also shown in a clear and unequivocal way how important new technologies are in modern life, in particular in the conditions of emergency and social distance. It is in these conditions that all our communication, the opportunity for public institutions to continue with their work, online university and school education, etc. rest on digital technologies today. This conference has also been made possible by modern technology. The crisis, from a certain point of view, has given a new impetus to the digitalization of society. In the context of current events and the explanations given above, the topic of the conference is focused on the long-term development of the economy and society as a whole. The scientific event aroused considerable interest. The conference was attended by 340 scientists, researchers, lecturers, PhD students and students from 23 Bulgarian and 15 foreign universities and research organizations from Germany, Lebanon, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia and Ukraine, as well as representatives of business and various institutions. Plenary reports of the conference have been presented by: Prof. Evgeni Stanimirov PhD - Rector of the University of Economics – Varna, "Quo vadis, education?", Prof. Daniela Bobeva PhD, Institute for Economic Research at BAS, "Costs and Benfits of Euro Adoption in Bulgaria: lessons Learned from the Long Path of Bulgaria to the Euro' Mr. Plamen Rusev PhD, one of the successful alumni of the University of Economics-Varna, Executive Chairman of the Webit Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of Endeavor Bulgaria, addressed the plenary session with a speech on "Bulgaria – a platform for creating global initiatives." The proceedings covers 263 reports, in 4 volumes. The range of problems in the reports is wide, in line with the idea of the scientific forum: to analyze the manifestation of digitalization not only in business and economy, but its social, institutional and legal aspects, as well. A very important part of the conference is the reports that examine the impact of digitalization on education and science.
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This book collects scientific papers and reports presented on the conference ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Four Years Later’ organized by the International Economic Relations and Business Department at University of National and World Economy (UNWE), Sofia, Bulgaria. The conference, held on 3 October 2010, traditionally provided a stage for prominent academics, dedicated PhD students and professionals to discuss contemporary topics related to multiple aspects of the European integration, its effects on the Bulgarian economy, socio-economic environment, international business and relations, finance and politics.The conference was opened with a keynote speech by Meglena Kuneva who used to serve in the European Commission and is a prominent figure in the Bulgarian political life associated with the European integration process and accession to the European Union. She highlighted that the Bulgarian membership in the European Union is a rare example of widely shared national consensus in the past 22 years. Meglena Kuneva presented arguments in favour of this membership while noting challenges that remain unsolved years after our accession – we shall understand better the signs given by Brussels as well as put an emphasis on the human factors. Kuneva shared the view that commitment and high ethical and professional standards are required when appointments are made for the EU funds governance on a national level. We shall be more active towards EU in our contribution, she concluded. The participants in the conference presented research about the multiple effects on the Bulgarian economy as a result of the EU membership and access to the Single market. Authors discussed the international competitiveness of the Bulgarian export industry, they dedicated analysis on the Bulgarian trade with the other EU member states as well as industrial concentrations among the countries sharing single market. The liberalization of the telecommunications market in Bulgaria, reforms in the regulations of the pension funds and public procurement is among the topics presented. Another group of academics discussed current trends in the global economy, regional and global challenges to the EU. Those processes would have implications on the entire EU bloc. This could be related to the role of the Euro as an international currency as well as the development of the economic and monetary union (EMU) within EU. Contributors review topics related to the real and nominal convergence of Bulgaria and other countries in the EMU and the Bulgarian contribution and participation in key EU policies. Some authors present research on the challenges and achievements regarding the absorption of the EU funds in Bulgaria and implementation of the operating programs. Group of papers is dedicated to the international business environment, transnational organizations, international standardization through ISO, quality assurance and management, employees’ performance, and organizational culture. ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Four Years Later’ is an annually organized academic event with the vision to foster open dialogue, offer contemporary research and exchange of ideas between fellow academics, policy makers, businesses, stakeholders and the public.
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Proceedings Ecofeminism: between women's and green studies, edited by Goran Đurđević and Suzana Marjanić (Durieux Publisher, Zagreb, 2020), consists of 40 texts from the humanities and social sciences (anthropology, journalism, political science, sociology, literary theory, science of education) and art (poetry and prose), written by 37 authors from Croatia, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The starting point for edited book was workshop cycle on the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb organized with help of professor Drago Roksandić and there was created idea for book by Mirjana Grabovac, Karmen Ratković and Suzana Marjanić. Also, various colleagues such as Dražen Tončić and Mirta Maslać from Durieux, artist Kristina Pongrac and reviewers Ivica Bakota, Zlatko Bukač and Ana Stojanović have been an important part of this volume. The aims of the collection are to actualize ecofeminism and encourage critical reflection and analysis of long-term ecofeminism in Croatia and Southeast Europe; permeation of global and local approaches and knowledge transfer; openness to young authors. For these reasons, the book can be read on several levels: theoretical as a contribution to the knowledge of the theory of ecofeminism in the context of contemporary trends, socio-political as an analysis of social processes and structures, activist through the analytical perspective of activism of individual groups and actors in public, performative and political life. The final part of the volume are poems and this piece of book shows a holistic approach to ecofeminism and integration of scholarship, essays and art which is leading back to the roots and indigenous perspectives of life and community understood as integration.
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The present Proceedings of the Graduate School of Security and Economics (Volumes I and II) reflect the highly academic and highly productive International Research Conference on „Risks to Ethno-religious Peace in the Context of National and International Security in Southeastern and Central Europe“ held in November 2023. The edition contains the main and plenary papers. They are structured in four scientific panels focusing on topics such as „National Security and Ethno-religious Peace – Dilemmas, Challenges and Prospects“, „Risks to Ethno-religious Peace and National Politics – Security Aspects“, „State Politics, Ethnic Relations, National and International Security“ and „Ethno-religious Peace, National Security and Social Sciences“. Among the authors are Bulgarian and foreign proven names in scientific and academic circles.
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The Accounting Research Institute (ARI) of the biggest university in Southeast Asia – University Teknologi MARA (Malaysia) and the Faculty of Business Studies (FBU) at Burgas Free University are launching the VIth edition of the International Conference on Governance and Strategic Management (ICGSM). After holding the previous conferences of the ICGSM in Kuala Lumpur, Manchester, Seoul and Oxford, this year Burgas Free University (BFU) again has the honour to be selected as the host for the event. The Conference is to be held at BFU, Burgas, Bulgaria on June 08-10, 2023 and the topic of this year’s edition will be “ESG Standards and Securing Strategic Industries”.
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