L’étude du matériel archéozoologique provenant d’établissement de Babadag

Studiul materialului arheozoologic din aşezarea hallstattiană de la Babadag

Author(s): Sergiu Haimovici / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 6/2008

Keywords: Babadag; la culture Babadag; la première Âge du Fer; archéozoologie; cultura Babadag; prima epocă a fierului; arheozoologie

Après une courte présentation de l’ambiance actuelle d’auprès la ville Babadag, on passe à l’étude du matériel faunique représente par 504 restes détermines. Le matériel appartient aux mollusques lamellibranchiates, aux poissons et aux mammifères. On exécute un étude détaillé, morphoscopique et biometrique (voir les tableaux) de chaque espèce. Apres la mise en évidence de ces donnes, on discute l’importance de l’économie animalière des habitants de l’habitat. La cueillette et la pêche, aussi que la chasse, mais surtout l’élevage représentaient leurs occupations. A la fin, on met en évidence l’ambiance probable de ces temps-la.

Du Pont à la Mer Majeure : notes de philologie et d’histoire

Du Pont à la Mer Majeure : notes de philologie et d’histoire

Author(s): Anca Dan / Language(s): French / Issue: 6/2008

Keywords: Pontus Euxinus; Black Sea – name; Greek geography; linguistics

The ancient name of the Black Sea, the Pontos Axe(i)nos/Euxe(i)nos, can be explained by the Greek word “povnto"” (derived from the Indo-European radical *pent-) denoting the sea as seen by a far-off mariner (contrarily to “pevlago"”, meaning the sea as seen by the inhabitants of its shores). As the Hellespontos and the Propontis, the Euxine kept its name of “difficult passage” and even became, at the latest in the 5th century B.C., the “Pontos”: its appellation by its inhabitants, who did not know or did not frequent other seas, could have been equally encouraged by its extreme position, in connection with the encircling Ocean, or by its overestimated dimensions, as it will be the case, in Byzantine times, for the name “Greater sea”. The epithet “a[xe(i)no"”, probably changed by antiphrasis or euphemism in “eu[xe(i)no"”, is a phonetic calque from an indo-iranian name of a northern, “black” sea, opposed to a southern, “red” one; borrowed from the Achaemenid geo-chromatic representation of the world, through different intermediaries, the two thalassonymes lost in Greek their original meaning. Even if the Black sea became “Black” again only through Turkish dialects, several “black” hydronymes and toponymes of the thraco-scythian region as well as the association, since the 6th century B.C., of the Black Sea with the infernal world probably encouraged the preservation of these adjectives, unusual in maritime designations.

A Tomb From The 4th Century A.D. Discovered In Tulcea (Aegyssus)

A Tomb From The 4th Century A.D. Discovered In Tulcea (Aegyssus)

Author(s): Georgică Costea,Iuliana Costea (Zvînca) / Language(s): English / Issue: 6/2008

Keywords: Roman-Byzantine period; 4th century A.D.; tomb of inhumation; funeral inventory; Aegyssus

This article presents the results of a salvation archaeological investigation in Tulcea, on 14 Noiembrie Street, in front of the gate of the Azizie mosque. The inhumation tomb has a rich inventory made of four black glass bracelets, six bronze bracelets, five of which have rolled up ends, and another bracelet made of two twisted bronze wire, a silver ring, glass paste marbles, one rushlight and a bronze coin – a follis from the time of Constantine the Great. Based on the funerary inventory, the tomb was dated to the 4th century A. D. The found objects permit analogies with other items from the Roman-Byzantine necropoleis at Callatis and Beroe

Anatomy of Hate

Anatomija mržnje

Author(s): Frederik Stjernfelt,Jens-Martin Eriksen / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 41/2004

Keywords: nationalism; ethnic hatred in ex-Yugoslavia

An investigation into the origins of nationalism and ethnic hatred in Former Yugoslavia: What unleashed the Balkan wars and what was the role and responsibility of Europe?

Hitler and the holocaust

Hitler i holokaust

Author(s): Robert S. Wistrich / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 41/2004

Keywords: Hitler; Holocaust

excerpt from the book "Hitler and the Holocaust"

The problems of Polish road to the euro zone in the face of crisis phenomena in European economy

Trudności polskiej drogi do strefy euro wobec zjawisk kryzysowych w gospodarce europejskiej

Author(s): Wawrzyniec Michalczyk / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 18/2012

Keywords: euro zone; economic crisis; monetary integration

The article aims to present selected aspects of the impact of the crisis in the European economy on the process of Poland’s monetary integration with the euro zone. The first part presents basic conditions resulting from problems with the balance of public finance in the EU countries and the increasingly negative perception of the euro zone by the authorities and society, the second one briefly shows the results of an analysis of several key indicators that determine the degree of convergence of the Polish economy with the euro zone and, in this context, fulfilling the conditions of optimum currency area. As the research methods there were used: a method of the statistical data analysis which is commonly used in the economic sciences and – to a lesser extent – the analysis of literature. The negative phenomena, occurring for some time in the world economy, made the Polish road to the euro zone more difficult. Fiscal imbalances and a significant increase in interest rates of securities Trudności polskiej drogi do strefy euro… issued by member states of the common currency area, and demonstrated little resistance of the monetary union to the global recession seem to make the perception of the process of monetary integration in Europe by Polish society less and less positive. Another problem is the revaluation of the indicators determining the possibility of meeting the convergence criteria and conditions of an optimum currency area. In this situation, Poland’s accession to the euro zone may lose its positive connotation. The scale of pessimism in this regard is increased, on the one hand, by an observed progressive difficulty in mastering the situation in European finan cial markets by the authorities, and on the other – by the propositions of the reconstruction of a common cur rency area, emerging from time to time.

Minimizing the costs of the introduction of euro experience of Estonia

Minimalizacja kosztów wprowadzenia waluty euro − doświadczenia Estonii

Author(s): Zbigniew Binek / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 18/2012

Keywords: euro; euro transformation; minimizing costs; Estonia

The established knowledge about euro transformation should foster the objective identification of the real challenges related to the functioning of the euro zone, as well as preparing the country for converting its currency. The care to design and manage the process of conversion of money will influence the ability to benefit from participation in this area and to minimize the occurrence of burdensome costs associated with this event. It is necessary to note that the accuracy, completeness and fairness in the transfer of information will help to protect both consumers and entrepreneurs. The experience gained by the euro zone countries Minimalizacja kosztów wprowadzenia waluty euro - doświadczenia Estonii (including Estonia) shows that a key element of a successful process of introducing euro is the positive attitude of citizens who should be fully informed and aware of the consequences of change; the main source of public resentment against the euro seems to be the fear of rising prices. Thus the key to raising public confidence in the process of introducing euro is early planning and effective management of information and educational activities aimed at reducing this risk. It seems important to design adequate monitoring system to safeguard the Polish society from the abuses of rogue traders. This should be a priority for a future campaign in Poland, with the involvement of as many organizations and institutions as possible. Very important seems to be good governance through the implementation of efficient and effective solutions on many levels so that no entrepreneur remained alone in relation to the incurring of costs to adapt to the new monetary situation in Poland after the introduction of euro.

The concept of bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility in relation to its stakeholders

Koncepcja społecznej odpowiedzialności banku w odniesieniu do jego interesariuszy

Author(s): Piotr Leszczyński / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 18/2012

Keywords: Corporate social responsibility; CSR; bank; stakeholder

The article presents the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) problem, focusing particular attention on the role and importance of stakeholders in relation to the bank. The paper is a synthesis of those entities that remain in the relationship with the bank and also the identification of what key areas of social responsibility are crucial in context of this cooperation (stakeholders and the bank). The article emphasizes that the company in its financial activity should be aware what entities it remains responsible for. The identification of these entities and the appropriate standards of conduct in a prism of CSR allow both the analysis of threats and opportunities in the process of cooperation between the bank and stakeholders. The first section describes the increasingly popular (in the context of the recent insecurity in financial markets) CSR conception. The second part is an analysis of the environment of the bank in the prism of social responsibility with focusing on stakeholder. The article deals with aspects relevant to the bank as a “public trust entity” which is expected to function correctly and more for just business gain. It is important, in the opinion of the author, to provide a clear message to the executives of banks that taking into account the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility in decision-making and strategy-making will allow not only the company to gain profit, but it will also be profitable for the whole society, which expects taking actions by banks.

Food security in the face of globalization

Bezpieczeństwo żywnościowe w obliczu globalizacji

Author(s): Joanna Michalczyk / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 18/2012

Keywords: globalization; food security; international actions

Food security is one of the most important social needs. In the hierarchy of basic needs according to Maslow, it is represented by two basic categories – striving to satisfy the hunger and desire of a sense of security. The particular importance of the need to maintain food security lies not only in their effect on the quality of human existence, but also in its significant connections with other categories of security (also strongly felt by society), such as economic, energetic, social and ecological security. The article aims to identify the essence of the problem of food security and to link it with the glob alization process. The determinants responsible for the escalation of the problem are presented. There are also shown the remedial actions of international character and the most common systems and standards to ensure food safety throughout the production chain. In the study, a typical research method of economic sciences was used, i. e. the analysis of literature. The analysed phenomena, typical of contemporary globalization, caused that actions on food safety must be subject to current confrontation with changing environment and be implemented not only nationally, but especially on the international level. In connection with the ongoing process of liberalization of trade, borders for transported goods, including food, have been obliterated. For this reason, it is extremely important to develop systems and solutions for inspection and labelling of food products to prevent the uncontrolled spread of diseases and similar threats. In addition to the health dimension, the other two, i. e. physical and economic accessibility, are of great importance for the preservation of food security.

Global capital flows in the time of the crisis. The significance of developing countries in capital flows

Globalne przepływy kapitałowe w czasie kryzysu. Znaczenie krajów rozwijających się w przepływach kapitału

Author(s): Marta Ostrowska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 18/2012

Keywords: international capital flow; foreign direct investment (FDI); developing countries; BRIC; economic crisis

The main goal of this article is to discuss the issues associated with global capital flows to countries at the low level of economic development, as well as to analyze the impact of global economic crisis on capital flows – especially on the foreign direct investments (FDI). International capital flows, being one of the signs of advanced globalization, liberalization and international financial market integration processes, play a key role in forming phenomena that are taking place in global economy and influence the economic situation of every country. During the last years, we could observe a change in geographical concentration of FDI - the loss of the considerable majority in terms of an inflow of capital through the developed Globalne przepływy kapitałowe w czasie kryzysu… countries in favor of developing ones, which is especially visible during the current economic breakdown. The text also presents a problem of the control of capital flows, applied by some countries in order to avoid the imbalance in the balance of payments, excessive appreciation of currency, what we start to discuss particularly during the economic slump. The growing role of developing countries in economy will contribute to the increase of capital inflows to these regions. A progressive economic convergence will be supporting it among so far poor countries - mainly from Asia and South America - and the rich European countries and the United States. This paper was written basing on the literature review and a statistical analysis of quantitative data and descriptive analysis of qualitative data.

Structure and characteristics of the international trade and its impact on the vulnerability of the economies to the external shocks

Struktura i cechy handlu zagranicznego w kształtowaniu wrażliwości wzrostu gospodarczego na wpływ otoczenia ekonomicznego a transmisja kryzysu 2007-20

Author(s): Agnieszka Domańska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 18/2012

Keywords: international trade; global crisis; transmission of the crisis

The aim of the paper is to present the general picture of the characteristics and structure, i.e geographical and basket structure of the international trade (with the special accent on the export diversification versus specialization) as factors of exposure to the external economic impacts (also the crisis shocks). The exposure itself is meant as the average tendencies in the GDP growth and fluctuations implied by the changes in demand of the trading partners. There will be the chosen literature, i.e research, working papers etc. covering the issues of the geographical and basket structure of the export in the economic growth presented together with the main stylised facts accepted in literature and leading conclusions from the analysis. Some part of the paper is devoted to the outline of the main downward tendencies observed in the international trade during the 2007-2009 time period and the special attention is attached to the dominant role of the demand’s drops in generating those drops as well as the transmission mechanisms of the crisis. It is very important that during the 2007-2009 recession (mainly in the year 2009) we observed the synchronized tremendous downturns (generated by shrinking and resigning of the consumption and investment expenditures) in exports in the cross-country perspective in almost the whole world. In particular in 2009 no country of the global economy was left untouched by those drops. Downward trends can be partly attributed to the characteristics of the basket structure of the international trade, i.e. the substantial share falls on the manufactured goods, hi-tech products such as cars, machinery equipment, electronic tools, some chemicals etc. which are in general vulnerable to the demand fluctuations and any foreign business cycle changes. This tendency, together with the fact that the main world producers of those particular goods come from the most developed countries (who are on the other hand also the main consumer of the traded goods on the international markets) has contributed -through the fact that registered drops refer mainly to those counties - to deepening the negative trends in the global perspective. The combination of presenting the trends in international trade during the 2007-2009 crisis with the previous research on the role of the trade structure in the economic growth and its fluctuations in exposing the country’s economy to the external demand influences will bring some suggestions as to the further research on the transmission of the crisis. Such an empirical analysis is planned by the author to be executed in the following steps of working on the subject.

January 2007

Ianuarie 2007

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 01/2007

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Author(s): Matúš Mišík,Peter Plenta / Language(s): English / Issue: 03/2011

The European Union and Central Asia By Alexander Warkotsch, ed., Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2011. 224 p. ISBN 978-0415562362 Small states in the European Union: coping with structural disadvantages By Diana Panke, Aldershot: Ashgate, 2010. 243 p. ISBN 978-1-4094-0528-3

Problems of security sector reform in Slovakia

Problems of security sector reform in Slovakia

Author(s): Ivo Samson,Jozef Ulian / Language(s): English / Issue: 03/2011

Keywords: security sector reform; Slovakia; armed forces; arms export

Security sector reform is a rather complex and complicated issue. There are various aspects to security system reform. The article focuses primarily on an analysis of security sector reforms implemented in relation to the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic, the export of arms and especially arms export control, and on the specific features of Slovakia’s approach to security sector reform. The ultimate aim of this study is to provide a particular perspective on the series of problems Slovakia has had to struggle with up to the present day.

Security sector transformation in the Czech Republic

Security sector transformation in the Czech Republic

Author(s): Miroslav Mareš,Zdeněk Kříž / Language(s): English / Issue: 03/2011

Keywords: security sector reform; Czech Republic; armed forces; homeland security; intelligence agencies; the police

The transformation of the security sector occurred as part of complex changes to the political regime in the Czech Republic, changes to state sovereignty and profound changes in the security environment. Since 1993, the military sector has been undergoing permanent transformation. The process has converted the Czech Army from a mass army intended for territorial defense to small sized armed forces whose anticipated deployment will primarily be in expeditionary operations under the auspices of various international organizations. The homeland security sector was confronted with the grim legacy of the communist repressive apparatus. Nevertheless, the reform of homeland security occurred without a clear conceptual multi-department framework. In fact, the police reform has yet to finish; there are also discussions on the aptness of the selected system of intelligence agencies.

German defense policy at another crossroads: structural transformation with a European dimension?

German defense policy at another crossroads: structural transformation with a European dimension?

Author(s): Christos Katsioulis,Marius Müller-Hennig / Language(s): English / Issue: 03/2011

Keywords: Bundeswehr; reform; NATO; EU; Afghanistan

The current transformation of the German Armed Forces will probably result in a military that is better equipped and capable of deploying more soldiers. However, there is no cle ar provision specifying in what sort of missions and within what politicomilitary framework it will engage in the future. Equally, the envisaged transformation precedes any coherent strategy development and defense policy reformulation on the national or international level. It also focuses narrowly on the aspect of efficiency, while a focus on effectiveness and flexibility would be more appropriate. With regard to NATO, the EU and other partners, the current transformation appears ambivalent: while the transformation will probably make more resources available for expeditionary missions, the requirements of classic defensive capabilities are more-or-less ignored. The defense budget cuts which triggered the current transformation process cannot be met if the current transformation proceeds as planned. The consequences of this transformation for the civil–military relationship, which has been of crucial importance for German defense policy ever since rearmament in the 1950s, have not been sufficiently considered. Demands for more public awareness alongside support for and critical monitoring of the military are not new and face the reality of a benign lack of public interest at best.

Reform of security sector and securitization: contradictions in Russian policy in 2000–2011

Reform of security sector and securitization: contradictions in Russian policy in 2000–2011

Author(s): Andrei Anatolyevich Kazantsev / Language(s): English / Issue: 03/2011

Keywords: security sector reform; security agencies; Russia; corruption

The article analyzes the reforms of the Russian security sector during the two Vladimir Putin presidencies (2000–2004, 2004–2008) and the Dmitry Medvedev presidency (2008–until present). The functioning of the security sector in Russia is analyzed within the context of the general evolution of Russia’s political system. The author employs the theory of securitization in his exploration of issues such as changes in the structure and functions of security agencies within the context of the evolving way in which the Russian leadership perceives security threats. Most specifically, the paper analyzes the key contradiction between the policy directed at modernizing and rationalizing Russia’s security sector, on the one hand, and the policy directed at expanding the security agenda, widening the authority of different security agencies, and increasing their control over society, on the other hand. The role of the courts in the Russian political and administrative system, the pace of military reform, relations between the military-industrial complex and the Ministry of Defense and recent developments in the FSB, police and other agencies are analyzed from this point of view.

Security sector reform: Hungarian experiences in the defense sector

Security sector reform: Hungarian experiences in the defense sector

Author(s): Gergely Varga / Language(s): English / Issue: 03/2011

Keywords: Hungary; security sector reform; armed forces

Transforming a country’s security system is a never-ending task, with each nation trying to adapt to the ever-changing internal and external security challenges. Security sector reform can be a struggle in war-torn countries and failed states, such as Afghanistan or Iraq, but neither is it a simple process in countries going through major peaceful transformation of the political–economic system. In the last two decades, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary, found this out the hard way. This article takes a look at the Hungarian experience on security system reform, focusing on the defense sector. After the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, NATO accession and integration into the Western military alliance were the main driving force for the defense policy of Hungary, which had just regained its freedom from Soviet rule. This was a highly important and useful strategic objective and was an incentive for reform, but it was not enough to prompt the comprehensive, deep transformation and modernization of Hungary’s military capabilities. As we show in this article, the lack of a long-term predictable strategy and political attention, decreasing resources and slow structural changes were key features in the challenge of reforming Hungarian defense.

Macedonian Security Issues, Intelligence Reform and Contemporary Politics: Interview with Stevo Pendarovski

Macedonian Security Issues, Intelligence Reform and Contemporary Politics: Interview with Stevo Pendarovski

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/2010

Stevo Pendarovski is a former national security advisor to two presidents, and before that a career interior ministry analyst. He is now a professor at American College, Skopje, a newspaper columnist for Dnevnik, and is often cited in the Macedonian media for his outspoken opinions on subjects ranging from daily politics to issues of national security. Balkanalysis.com Director Chris Deliso recently caught up with Mr Pendarovski to get his views on the security and political situation in Macedonia, and the issues affecting it. The following text provides an intriguing view not only on the contemporary situation, but also on how it was conditioned by the recent history of ‘transition,’ as witnessed by one man particularly involved in shaping it.

Early Elections in Kosovo Possible for February, Coalitions to Be Decided

Early Elections in Kosovo Possible for February, Coalitions to Be Decided

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Issue: 10/2010

The currently fractious political situation in Pristina may be resolved with new parliamentary elections as early as this coming February (but not during 2010) the country’s acting president, Jakup Krasniqi has stated. The acting president made the announcement after meeting with leaders of Kosovo political parties officially represented in parliament. Kosovo has been affected by the September 27th resignation of its president, Fatmir Sejdiu. He quit after Kosovo’s Constitutional Court ruled that he could not simultaneously be both the national president and the head of a political party- in his case, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). The Economist recently noted that Sejdiu quit at the present moment because he may have aspirations to run against Thaci to be the next premier, since the position is more powerful than that of the presidency.