Search results for: Political culture in All Content

The Allure of Analogy

Diskretni šarm analogije

Author(s): Vlado Azinović / Language(s): English / Issue: 6-7/2011

Keywords: Bosnia and Herzegovina - political situation; Europen foreign policy; Arab spring; political rethorics; revolutin

Revolution, as a rule, calls for international intervention. The People’s Spring in 1848 in the Habsburg Monarchy was ended through military intervention by Russian Tsar Nikolai I, which earned him the nickname “the policeman of Europe”. The Prague Spring, in Czechoslovakia in 1968, ended with the rush of Soviet tanks. Saudi Arabia was quick to send its army to end the rebellion in neighboring Bahrain recently, but it was more hesitant when it came to providing military support to Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Rebellion in Libya has seen military intervention by the West, in this case to help the rebels. Every era, it seems, has its own policemen.

Social Dimensions of Party Choice in Albania

Social Dimensions of Party Choice in Albania

Author(s): Teuta Starova,Kristen Ringdal / Language(s): / Issue: 01/2010

Abstract. The main purpose of this article is to examine whether the concepts of “class voting” and political cleavages used in studies of western democracies are of relevance in post-communist Albania. The analysis of voting behavior, based on a representative survey conducted in late 2003, resulted in only weak correlations between voting and socio-demographic variables such as gender, age, and education. A weak tendency for class voting was evident, but in the opposite direction to what is common in western democracies in that non-manual workers voted more frequently for the Socialist Party than did manual workers. The main political cleavage in Albania is the regional divide between the more-developed south, where the majority has preferred the Socialist Party, and the less-developed north, where the majority has voted for the Democratic Party.

Review: Charles Tilly, Democracy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007, 205 pages + References and Index.

Book review: Charles Tilly, Democracy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007, 205 pages + References and Index.

Author(s): Andrea Petres / Language(s): / Issue: 01 (3)/2008

book review

THE MARSHALL PLAN AND THE BEGINNINGS OF COMECON

THE MARSHALL PLAN AND THE BEGINNINGS OF COMECON

Author(s): Cristian Benţe / Language(s): / Issue: 2/2015

Keywords: Marshall Plan; COMECON; Cold War economic integration; Iron Curtain

The integration of the Eastern-European states into the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence at the end of the Second World War represented a complex process that aimed all the vital sectors in those states. In a relatively short period of time, the political, economic, social and cultural life of the Eastern-European states was radically transformed, according to the models imposed by Moscow. The Soviet Union imposed its control over Eastern Europe because it had strategic, political, military and economic interests in this region. The states in this region became, after the Soviet Union broke relations with its former Western allies, the main suppliers of resources for the recovery of the soviet economy. The soviet control over the Eastern-European economies took many forms: from the brutal transfer of raw materials, finite products and technology during the first years after the war, to more subtle methods, as the establishment of “mixed enterprises”, the initialization of bilateral agreements and finally by establishing the COMECON. The establishment of the COMECON in January 1949 was one of the measures taken by Moscow in order to counteract the effects of the Marshall Plan and to consolidate the Soviet influence in the satellite-states from Eastern Europe. This measure was preceded by other actions meant to strength

Party Behavior and the Formation of Minority Governments – Experiences in Denmark

Party Behavior and the Formation of Minority Governments – Experiences in Denmark

Author(s): Robert Radek / Language(s): English / Issue: 11/2015

Keywords: party leaders; minority government; coalition; Nordic States; Denmark; party behavior; elections; majority; parliamentary members

In many modern democracies, the leaders who make important influential political decisions are highly likely to be party politicians or indeed party leaders. Very often they cannot prepare an adequate strategy for their political parties because it is usually impossible to find out all necessary elements for projecting the goals. It is not surprising that political parties are the most important organizations in modern politics and in the contemporary world, only a few states do without them. The reason that political parties are well-nigh ubiquitous is that they perform functions that are valuable to many political actors. Political parties play a major role in the recruitment of top politicians, on whom the momentous and painful political decisions often fall. With very few exceptions, political chief executives are elected on the slate of some established political party, and very often the head of government continues to serve as the head of the political party that propelled him or her into office. Democracy may be conceived as a process by which voters delegate policy-making authority to a set of representatives, and political parties are the main organizational vehicle by which such delegation takes place. The main aim of this article is focus on the minority government, which are especially common in the Scandinavian countries. They can be more easily formed and maintained where the party system makes it difficult to secure support for an alternative majority coalition to be formed, a vote of investiture is not required, and a government can stay in office unless there is an absolute majority against it. In the article will be emphasized some case studies of Denmark minority government formation and durability. General findings will be confronted with empirical data, which will allow to formulate conclusions about the specific of minority cabinet in Denmark.

Romanian Constitutional Court and ist Active Role in Assuring the Supremacy of the Constitution

Romanian Constitutional Court and ist Active Role in Assuring the Supremacy of the Constitution

Author(s): Emil Bălan / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2015

Keywords: supremacy of the constitution; Constitutional Court; active role; loyal constitutional behaviour;

Having read this paper, someone should have a general idea of some main constitutional concepts and principles and how they relate to the Romanian legal system. Romanian Constitutional Court is - according to art. 142 (1) of the Romanian Constitution - the guarantor of the Constitution’s supremacy. By virtue of this role, the Constitutional Court shall exercise general control of the compliance with the Constitution and the constitutionality of laws. The quality of guarantor allows the Constitutional Court to exercise an active role so that, throughout the provision of the decisions, but also throughout their considerations, which are imposed with equal force to all the legal issues/all subjects of law, it is put in view that the public authorities have the obligation of conform application of decisions, including of effects determined by them.

The Personality of Kotys in the Ancient Literary Tradition

The Personality of Kotys in the Ancient Literary Tradition

Author(s): Dobriela Kotova / Language(s): English / Issue: 21/2014

Kotys remains in history as one of the most remarkable individualities in the first half of the 4th century BC. He was the great politician of the Odrysian kingdom, the king who turned the Odrysae into a factor of political life in the Balkans and in the Early Hellenistic world. His character and lifestyle were of particular interest to the ancient writers. Greek 4th century authors understandably painted his image in a deliberately maligned and biased manner, and cast the foundations for his extremely unfavourable reputation for centuries ahead. However, the intensive literary tradition surrounding his personality is actually fuelled by the great and unswervingly followed ambition of that Thracian ruler to find his prominent place in the Hellenic space and to become successfully an integral part of the trends in the Early Hellenistic world. The paper presents the evidence on the personality of Kotys, which has been left to us by authors from different historical periods and genres, and traces the evolution of his image.

The Long Road towards Reconciliation

The Long Road towards Reconciliation

Author(s): Sevan Pearson / Language(s): English / Issue: 02 (07)/2013

Keywords: Western Balkans;Serbia;Bosnia-Herzegovina;Bosnia-Herzegovina war

On April 6th 2012, 11,541 empty red chairs were placed on the main street of Sarajevo. Each chair represented an identified victim of the long siege. Twenty years ago, the Bosnian War broke out and lasted for more than three years. Today, there is peace,but are there any visible signs of reconciliation?

At the Crossroads of Democracy

At the Crossroads of Democracy

Author(s): Maryana Prokop / Language(s): English / Issue: 02 (07)/2013

Keywords: Book review;Mykola Riabchuk;Ukraine

Review of "Від “хаосу” до“ стабільності” .Хроніка авторитарної консолідації (From“Chaos” to “Stability” A chronicle of an authoritarian system). By: Mykola Riabchuk.

A playground between the East and West

A playground between the East and West

Author(s): Tomasz Grzywaczewski,Tomasz Lachowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 01 (20)/2016

Interview with Oazu Nantoi, Moldovan political commentator, analyst and politician. Interviewers: Tomasz Grzywaczewski and Tomasz Lachowski

Bulwarks of Christendom

Bulwarks of Christendom

Author(s): Gábor Tüskés / Language(s): English / Issue: 01/1995

The review of: Lajos Hopp: Az “antemurale” és “conformitas” humanista eszméje a magyar-lengyel hagyományban (The Humanist Notions of Antemurale and Conformitas in Hungarian-Polish Tradition); Humanizmus és reformáció 19 (Humanism and Reformation Series 19), Budapest: Balassi Kiadó, 1992, 208 pp.

CYBER WAR – A HARDLY CONTESTABLE REALITY NOWADAYS

CYBER WAR- A HARDLY CONTESTABLE REALITY NOWADAYS

Author(s): Constantin Mincu / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2016

Keywords: cyber war; cyber attacks; UK; US; Russian Federation;Romania;

This article is a follow-up of the material published in our journal no. 2 (42)/2016, entitled „CYBER ATTACKS, MAJOR THREATS AND VULNERABILITIES AGAINST STATES, ORGANISATIONS AND CITIZENS”. We considered this follow-up necessary due to the recent events and, mainly, to the situations created in Great Britain and United States of America by the massive and diversified cyber attacks intended to influence the political process in these countries. We also consider that it is very interesting to study the attacks against certain institutions and companies in some EU and/or NATO countries and the need to take some firm and diversified measures of defence.

CONDITIONS AND OPERATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EVOLUTIONS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE NATO ADHESION PROCESS

CONDITIONS AND OPERATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EVOLUTIONS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE NATO ADHESION PROCESS

Author(s): Constantin Mincu / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2014

Keywords: Romania; NATO; Adhesion; SIC Systems; C4I

In the article are briefly presented the main political, diplomatic and military events taking place in the pre-adhesion period. Furthermore, the author presents the operational and technical evolutions to develop some Communications and Information Systems (CIS) compatible and interoperable with ones of NATO and Member States. There are underlined efforts often done in a climate of hostility and careless of some political and military leaders.

The Impact of Electoral Cycle Upon Local Public Expenditures in Case of Romanian Municipalities

The Impact of Electoral Cycle Upon Local Public Expenditures in Case of Romanian Municipalities

Author(s): Marius Sorin Dincă,Gheorghiţă Dincă,Maria Letiţia Andronic,Ioan Bogdan Robu / Language(s): English / Issue: 46/2016

Keywords: public interest; local public expenditures; electoral cycle; local spending externalities; mayors’ political affiliation;

This paper addresses the link between level and structure of Romanian local government expenditures and electoral cycle, as well as spending interactions among Romanian municipalities. We have obtained the research results using general linear models with cross fixed- effects and time fixed- effects. We have also included mayors’ political affiliation and some socio-economic factors in the proposed models. We have noticed increased public spending during election years, preceded and respectively followed by decreased spending in pre- and post- election years. Others findings revealed that mayors’ political affiliation, other local administrative units’ public spending policies and some socio- economic factors have had a significant influence upon Romanian municipalities’ public expenditures.

COMBATING TERRORISM. CLASSIFICATION OF TERRORIST ACTS

COMBATING TERRORISM. CLASSIFICATION OF TERRORIST ACTS

Author(s): Oleksandr Fedotov / Language(s): English / Issue: 12/2014

Keywords: terrorism;anti-terrorist coalition;international terrorism;

This paper examines the fight against terrorism and the classification of terrorist attacks. Mass and geographic prevalence of terrorist acts and their output in most cases beyond one particular country, as well as the availability of sustainable and carefully conspiratorial network connection between different terrorist groups that operate even in different regions of the world to characterize contemporary terrorism as a phenomenon having an international character.

Georgia’s thorny path to constitutionalism

Georgia’s thorny path to constitutionalism

Author(s): Yulia Oreshina / Language(s): English / Issue: 03+04 (27)/2017

Keywords: Georgia; Constitutional reform

An interview with Zaza Rukhadze, dean of the School of Law, Social Sciences and Diplomacy at the Georgian American University and member of the state constitutional commission.

MOBILITY, NATIONALISM AND COSMOPOLITISM

MOBILITY, NATIONALISM AND COSMOPOLITISM

Author(s): Andrea Musio / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

Keywords: light music; European broadcasting; cultural intimacy; mobility; musical nationalism

Through a state rhetoric that served the construction of a national cultural intimacy in the context of the Portuguese regime in the 1960s, light music has become the target of a creation of nationalist identities, inside the contrast with the organization of a common aesthetic of the European countries, supported, among others, by the broadcasting system, the commercialization of the singers and the advertising of the music industry. In this thematic case, mobility reveals its elusive meanings, where the technical and human exchanges between various radio and television European production, stressed an aesthetic-political will, through the use of the languages of light music, building a self-evident national soul in the proclamation of a national isolation.

To challenge Putin’s regime

To challenge Putin’s regime

Author(s): Konstantin Eggert / Language(s): English / Issue: 02 (31)/2018

Keywords: Russian politics;Vladimir Putin

The Kremlin has nothing to offer Russian citizens except stability without economic growth and no clear perspective. This will eventually bring down Vladimir Putin’s regime. The opposition, however, is not yet fully ready to take power when that happens.

Theatre Reviews

Theatre Reviews

Author(s): Zorica Bečanović Nikolić,Xenia Georgopoulou / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

How to buy a republic

How to buy a republic

Author(s): Jakub Janda / Language(s): English / Issue: 02 (36)/2019

Keywords: republic

The strategic dynamics of elite capture often take place when three main interests fall in line. First, it is the clear geopolitical interest of a foreign power. Second, it is the political interest of a significant portion of the domestic political establishment which has reason to turn its politics and policies in that direction. And third, a major domestic economic actor, in line with the new policy, drives and lobbies for it. The Czech Republic is a good case study of how the processes of elite capture works.