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The mobilization of bias is considered a contemporary but also important political phenomenon in the democratizing world. This paper intends to find the organizational bases that precondition the mobilization of bias, having understood that the level of democracy inside a political society is the crucial determinant on the latter phenomenon. At the outset, this paper discusses the mobilization of bias phenomenon, by specifically being based in the Bachrach & Baratz scholarship, given the explanation of the tension between pluralism and elitism. Following that, the paper shows some of the instruments the elites use to mobilize the bias. Finally, in its body the paper builds a set of organizational / systemic bases which arguably precondition or give terrain to the mobilization-of-bias practice.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Different trajectories of post-socialist societal transformations and their alternativeconceptualizations are discussed. The paper addresses the specific mode of post-socialist societydesignated as "state capture" and its economic, political and social dimensions. The paper offers atheoretical model of the captured state, identifying its differentia specifica and its economic,political and social effects. The interaction between state institutions, political and economicpower networks and their rational strategies to capture the state is identified. The implementationof these strategies involves the formation and operation of politico-economic power networks thatseek to control key public legislative, executive and judiciary institutions and to extract economicand political benefits. The state capture has fundamental political, economic and social consequences that could become serious barriers to deepening European integration and even stimulate disintegration processes.
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Despite the internal destabilization and ongoing asymmetric crises, European Unionstill tends on extending its borders. The main target destinations are Western Balkans countries,which, undoubtedly, present a more complex case compared to previous rounds of the EU enlargement. In the same time, as a result of acceleration, EU has set standards higher than ever. Inthe strive to cover the EU-set acquisition standards, and to attract foreign investments, WesternBalkans countries produce different degrees of political risk which affects the business and investors. The article presents a part of the results of a complex authors’ research with а main focus of evaluating the Western Balkans countries political, economical, social, and risk environment inthe Eurointegration processes in the region. A specially designed modification of the well-knownPEST analysis (PES(I)) analysis is applied on 10-year period (2007-2017). It is concluded thatWestern Balkan accession to EU is more a political rather than an economical issue. Based on theanalysis, Republic of Albania is shown to be the best performing country among the region, doingthe biggest progress in economic and political aspects, generating the lowest political risk levels.Keywords: Western Balkans, political regime, democracy score, exchange rate regime, GDP,GDP per capita, population growth, age and educational structure, key interest rate, sovereignspreads, sovereign credit risk, credit rating, financial markets, political indicators, political risk.
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In the process of globalization, refine on the one hand, we must focus on the formation of a rational weakening and geographical structure of implementation and export and over time to take into account the increasing competition in the world markets. It is of particular importance to use and be regarded as members of the World Trade Organization and the favorable prospects evident from NATO and EU membership abroad. The integration process is influenced by no one factor – it compares the level of economic development, geographical proximity to the former, the political will of integrate on the pages, creates the integrated structure of the mechanisms and is created in the Initiative Center by the existing ones, to unite and partners.
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The connotations of the term individualism have been debated many time throughout history, giving it a wide range of meanings, more vague or more precise, depending on those who use it - historians, writers, anthropologists, philosophers of social sciences, politics or political theorists. Each gave it its own meaning and thus integrated it into their work. The promoters of individualism have as their ultimate goal the individual goals and desires, in other words, individualism is the opposite of holism, collectivism, totalitarianism, which support the community objectives of society. The last part of the twentieth century was the period when neoclassical market policies began to dominate the globe. This was due to two series of major events: the crisis of the welfare state and the fall of communism. The triumphalist spirit of this age, present in works such as Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History and the Last Man" was the New Spirit of the New Age. The term individualism was the one that best captured this spirit better than any other.
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Over the course of millennia power laid in the hands of generals and rulers and their ability to act – but so did their downfalls. Thus, the first part of this presentation will be focused on the importance of strategy and tactics in any kind of rule. Furthermore, Japanese warfare will be anatomized – how the samurai became elite warriors, weaponry, the transition of samurai warfare during the Sengoku Period and its importance to the fight for supremacy between the Japanese Clans. The goal of this paper is to unravel the conundrums of The Age of War from a political frame of reference, under three powerful influences – Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. The discussion will then shift towards analyzing the impetus that put in motion their plans and the ways they achieved power, their brilliant strategies and their undoing, whilst using the knowledge regarding Political Science and International Relations to determine the political legacy of their actions.
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It is well known that weapons of mass destruction and the possibility of using chemical, biological, radiological/nuclear substances called CBRN are a risk of the century we live in and a threat that some state and even non-state actors are very interested to bring to the attention of international public opinion. The effects of these substances have a particular impact on environmental factors (for example, air, water, soil) and consequently on the health of the population or, as the case may be, the military actors involved. Of particular interest to specialists in the field are, on the one hand, the possibility of obtaining or, where appropriate, developing devices to determine CBRN contamination and, on the other hand, response mechanisms to ensure credible protection of those who may be affected.The issue of CBRN protection, as defined according to the NATO Crisis Response Manual, conjunction with the requirements for resilience - the initial requirements through civil emergency response measures - including the preparedness and protection of the civilian population, critical infrastructure and vital resources against CBRN threats must be elements of national interest
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The state, through public authorities and institutions, must be concerned with knowing and keeping records of its inhabitants. The adaptation of the public administration to the evolution of the Romanian society determined measures that were realized through changes and transformations, also in the field of personal records. European influences determined the militarized system of records of persons to impose the acceleration of the establishment of public services of records of persons at the level of the public administration, which transformed the management of these entities. Between the two systems, administrative and internal (personal records), the central place was occupied by the citizen, the only beneficiary of the reorganization of the activity of the personal records services and who managed to impose his ideas in front of the authorities and public institutions, regarding the way of exercising the duties in the field of records of persons. The management practiced at the level of public services in the field of personal records has demonstrated the effective merging of two different systems (administrative and military), supported by the political one for the benefit of citizens.
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As an EU member, Romania must applies the rules of the Union in all areas covered by it, including home affairs, in order to provide Romanian citizens and European citizens with the assurance of fundamental rights and freedoms. This paper aims to address Romania’s obligation to apply EU law in the police field from two perspectives: The advantages of a uniform framework for the application of regulations on this subject, but also the challenges resulting from the need to include them at national level. As a novelty element and with the conviction that the academic environment is a good one for debates, I intend to integrate in the proposed paper information obtained from the dialog conducted through artificial intelligence in the form of ChatGPT, As a result of the controversies raised in the academic world and to identify whether artificial intelligence of this type can formulate pertinent arguments regarding the application of EU home affairs legislation in Romania.
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Through the system of lessons identified, those features can be identified that have the potential to make the work of security organisations more effective. In this context, a viable lessons learned system has been adapted and implemented at NATO level and has become a fundamental strategic component of the management system responsible for organisational development. The implementation of the Lessons Learned System at the level of the Ministry of Internal Affairs arose also from the need to have a mechanism that would allow the transfer of knowledge in an efficient and rapid way to all staff, against the background of a particular staff dynamic, the model being mainly the one adopted at NATO level that has proven successful over time. The lessons learnt system at Ministry of Internal Affairs level has been institutionally adapted from the one developed at NATO level, which was previously taken over also by the Ministry of National Defence. Lessons learned implemented on the basis of the NATO model are of value through their use in: the planning of actions carried out by military organisations and those responsible for maintaining, ensuring and restoring public order; ensuring interoperability between the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of National Defence; the development of operational, procedural and technical standards; the field of logistical procurement; the field of education.
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Created in 1945 primarily for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security, the United Nations (UN) plays a vital role in restoring and maintaining peace and stability in countries still affected by conflicts or large-scale crisis. This is achieved through peacekeeping missions and operations, which have constantly evolved and developed. Thus, there has been a gradual shift from the simpler, traditional missions and operations carried out in the spirit of Chapter VI of the UN Charter on the peaceful settlement of disputes, without any military objective or task, to today's multidimensional missions, which have to manage much more complex crisis situations. The United Nations is committed to promote cultural awareness and diversity in all its peacekeeping operations. In recent years, the United Nations has taken significant steps to improve the cultural awareness and sensitivity of its peacekeepers. This includes providing training on cultural competency and cross-cultural communication, as well as developing policies and guidelines that consider the unique needs of each mission. The UN perspective is that peacekeeping operations are often conducted in cultures very different from those of the peacekeepers themselves. As such, it is important for peacekeepers to be aware of the local culture and customs. By taking steps to promote cultural awareness and diversity, the UN is working to increase the efficiency of its peacekeeping forces.
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The methodology of English for specific purposes has long been employed and developed, capitalizing on the latest language research and linguistic traits. Using semantic analysis and more specifically semantic frames (in the sense of Fillmore ) to deconstruct the meanings of a lexical unit or word is a complex and rewarding methodological approach; this can facilitate the comprehension of cultural and social concepts behind the lexical units, contrasting concepts and situations and contextualizing them with more semantic precision. Law enforcement concepts favour this approach due to the social and historical complexity of law enforcement systems and their impact on cross-cultural communication. This paper explores two semantic frames of law enforcement concepts – ‘Criminal attempts’ and the ‘Power to stop and search’ - to demonstrate the rationale and applicability of frame semantics to English law enforcement vocabulary teaching.
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Dans l’article « Le paratexte, l’incipit et la clôture narrative dans le roman policier Maigret se trompe de Georges Simenon » nous cherchons à découvrir les éléments paratextuels (titre, nom de l’écrivain, incipit, clôture narrative, etc.) que Georges Simenon, l’un des plus grands auteurs de romans policiers, père du fameux commissaire Maigret a choisi d’utiliser dans son roman, dans le but d’augmenter l’envie des lecteurs pour acheter son livre. Tous ces éléments ont le rôle d’offrir au lecteur les premières informations sur le livre qu’il a choisi pour lire, en l’aidant à se situer dans une perspective adéquate, « puisque s’y conjuguent la reconnaissance d’une appartenance d’un livre à un auteur (et à l’ensemble d’une œuvre) et la mise en relation de l’ouvrage à la personnalité historique que désigne le nom » .
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The organisational behaviour represents the way in which members of an organisation understand to adopt certain attitudes or modes of action in their relationship with the organisational environment, as individuals or as members of a group. The understanding of organisational behaviour as an essential variable of the organisation is directly dependent on the human component that forms the core of organisations, without which we could not conceive their existence. The study of organisational behavior is relevant for the deep understanding of the mechanisms that engage the entire organisational life. In the specialised literature, the organisational context is viewed as the influencing factor of human behaviour, and, therefore, as the variable that has a direct impact on the type of behaviour that is created at the organisational level. As a matter of fact, this study aims at highlighting those dimensions of the organisation that act as determinants of organisational behaviour.
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Organized crime groups are in full expansion and development, with ever-increasing revenues obtained from illicit activities. Drug trafficking represents an important source for these groups, constituting a permanent threat to the security of states. In smaller or larger proportions, each state is faced with this problem born from drug consumption and trafficking. The period 2010-2020 was a flourishing decade for the cocaine market, setting new records in terms of production, and a permanent increase in consumption among the population (the global area of coca leaf cultivation – 234,000 cultivated hectares, 1982 tons of cocaine pure produced – up by 11% compared to the previous year, 1424 tons of different purity confiscated by the authorities – up by 4.5%, the total number of consumers – 21 million.). The western and central European area represents the second market after North America (in Europe the cocaine market is the second largest after the cannabis market, only at the level of the European Union, in 2021 the number of consumers aged between 15 and 64 was 3.5 million (young consumers between the ages of 15 and 35 – 2.2 million), and the number of people who have consumed cocaine at least once in their life amounts to 14.4 million.). In the next article we will take a look at the global cocaine market; we will analyze the main producing countries: Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, we will also analyze the main traffic routes and methods, the key moments of the last years of the market, the European cocaine market and we will conclude with a series of conclusions.
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