Keywords: Maciejowski; mistyka; mysticism; herezja; heresy; ortodoksja; orthodoxy
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Keywords: Surdykowski; eros; Aborygeni; Aborigines; rodzina; family; żona; mąż; wife; husband
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Keywords: Rostworowski; Chrystus; Christ; serce; heart;
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Keywords: Masłowski; papież; Pope; romantycy; Romantics; Kościół; Church
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Keywords: Stempin; Genscher; Kohl; Niemcy; Germany
More...Keywords: Immigration Policy; return of emigrants; remigration;
In today’s world, migrations of populations are increasingly more frequent due to a variety of reasons. Different states approach this issue in a different way. Thus, we may distinguish between those that employ more restrictive immigration policies and those that are open to immigration. The Republic of Croatia has built its immigration policy on the fact that it is among the countries with the biggest diasporas in the world. Since its people emigrated from Croatia for many years after World War II, the new Croatian government after the independence shaped its immigration policy that was supposed to stimulate its emigrants to return to Croatia. The Ministry of Immigration was founded with the task of implementing the state’s policy of immigration regarding the return of emigrants.
More...Keywords: social sciences - tasks; political sciences - paradigm;
The author’s thesis is that today’s unsolved, fundamental political and social, as well as fundamental scientific problems are the other side of the coin of the existing paradigms from the point of view of time and place – and the toponymic indications of the new, the missing ones. Based on Commons’ observations about the types of socio-scientific paradigms that have been dominant in the last three centuries of modern age, in periods of prosperity and crises, the author concludes that we should not expect the appearance of a new paradigm soon. Today, searching for urgent solutions to social problems that science has not found answers to, we should design a research strategy that will look anew into the transitions among various paradigms that have been replacing each other during these three centuries, and look for the probably lost theoretical elements of the social and the political “form analysis” that will, aided by the contemporary empirical-research rigorousness enable us a better understanding of the transformation of the forms of social and political institutions and processes, and thus establish the new foundations for their more reliable normative, formal, and quantitative analysis, as well as their controlled change via appropriate public policies.
More...Keywords: Dag Strpic; Hobbes; Hayek;
More...Keywords: United States and Southeast Europe; U.S. Balkan Policy;
Following the disintegration of the socialist system in Europe and the end of the bloc-based relations, American politics has changed the course of its operation. In present-day circumstances, southeast Europe is becoming increasingly prominent in American foreign-policy projections, particularly during Clinton’s administration. Clinton has defined a clear-cut policy towards Europe’s southeast due to its vicinity to certain neuralgic points of American engagement (Near East, the Caspian region, the Gulf, eastern Mediterranean). In this way American politics has proved its leading global role. At the time of scarcity of foreignpolicy events, Clinton’s team has thus been served on a platter a major foreignpolicy arena, in which its engagement – which has all the symptoms of a longlasting one – has not proved too costly.
More...Keywords: Macedonia; Macedonia's independence;
After gaining independence in 1991, Macedonia set off on the hard path of maintaining independence and territorial integrity. Fully disarmed, rife with great internal problems and conflicts, surrounded by hostile neighbours, Macedonia has been building its national security system. Due to its modest economic and security resources, it has relied on generous foreign aid, primarily that of the USA, which have considered Macedonia the pillar of its politics on the Balkans. Regarding its national security system build-up and the integration into the international security organisations, Macedonia has accomplished a lot, but is still faced with an array of problems, caused by the internal (primarily ethnic) strifes and the volatility of its environment, particularly in Kosovo. In case of armed conflicts that might – due to any reasons – beset Macedonia, and concerning its economic underdevelopment and military might, there is a small chance for successful defence in a probable simultaneous conflict with the internal para-military units and armies of (possibly) several neighbouring countries.
More...Keywords: Energy Policy in Croatia; Dalmatia; ecology in Dalmatia;
The Croatian part of the Adriatic coastal belt and its hinterland are built of specific geomorphological material, karst. This is a highly sensitive system and basically marked by an extremely complex regime of peculiar karst circulation of water. 80% of Croatian capital is natural and only 20% man-made (anthropogenic). The particularly fast Croatian development, can use and even abuse natural capital without any concern for sustainability. Prevention of this type of development is possible with adequate laws and their enforcement. A list of legal provisions shows that they can guarantee sustainable development. The problems start with their implementation. The 1997 Strategy on Spatial Arrangement states that Croatia will direct its development by applying contemporary global principles of environmental protection. Adriatic coastal zone is proclaimed as a space of tourism which implies an increasing need for energy. Croatia is without a real energy strategy that would reflect the concept of sustainable development. A detailed description of a certain number of national energy programs is given to show that they are in their initial phase. The dominant role of HEP is easy to detect in the arena of Croatian energy policy. The provisions from 10 national energy programs aimed at sustainability have not been included in the scenarios regarding the construction of new plants by energents by 2010 and even less in the scenarios until 2030. The short-term strong influence of HEP is noticeable in their effort to impose two new coal-power plant in the Adriatic zone: Plomin II and Lukovo Šugorje – the region that is one of Croatia’s biggest natural assets. HEP policy represents a very heavy toll on the environment of the Adriatic zone, that might be heavier than this fragile karst area can bear.
More...Keywords: Local Democracy in Croatia; political participation;
The author presents the basic findings of the survey on political participation in Croatia. Data presented indicate that Croatian citizens still have rather satisfactory level of political interest and that they do follow the political information in the mass media, specifically on television. On the other hand, they express low levels of political efficacy and believe that there is very little that can be changed by political participation and activism. The formal forms of political participation, like voting, also show the declining rates. Levels of non-satisfaction with the quality of democratic life are high. Major problems in the country are perceived as economic and major strengths are seen in the natural resources and potential of the people.
More...Keywords: nation-building; nation state; nation and transition;
The author’s starting point is the claim that, despite integrative tendencies, the number of national states in the world is on the increase. The opposing national interests and conflicts may be mitigated or avoided if the central concepts and issues, the ways of the accommodation of interests and the features of the post-communist transitions are known. The author explains the concepts and issues such as nation, ethnic group, national state, nationalism, protection of minorities, the right to self-determination, decentralisation, autonomy, federalism, consociational democracy, non-territorial autonomy. He focuses on the issues that reflect the current controversies of the global and the national policies. He concludes that, among other things, the national issues are central to the process of transition and that they cannot be ignored (since nations are a reality which must be coped with), that there are principles and mechanisms of the regulation of the conflicting national interests, that democracy and nation-building are not incompatible but contradictory notions, that democratic societies are nationally tolerant, that the resolution of the national question is a prerequisite for democratic transition.
More...Keywords: humanitarian aid; humanitarian NGOs; concepts of humanitarian campaigns;
In the last ten years, international organizations have defined more clearly the role and the tasks of humanitarian aid in contemporary international relations. The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a good illustration of the advantages but also of the disadvantages of today’s humanitarian operations. The peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the largest operation of this kind that has been set in motion by the international community. In its humanitarian aspect it is complex and multi-layered. Humanitarian campaigns today are more philanthropically- than organizationally-driven, but it is the latter aspect that makes them fail or succeed. It is not enough to provide humanitarian aid, but its distribution to the recipients who need it must be organized. That process involves several essential factors: international and inter-state organizations, governmental organizations as well as non-governmental (international and local) organizations and associations. The example of Bosnia and Herzegovina shows to what extent the mentioned factors contribute to the success of a humanitarian operation, but also the problems which stem from their undefined role and tasks.
More...Keywords: journalism in Croatia; journalist education;
Mass media today are an unavoidable part of life of contemporary civilization. Central to the information system of the mass media are journalists as the key “producers” of information. Their working methods have changed under pressure from state-of-the-art technological advances that have facilitated the functioning of the mass media. In the 1960s, journalists began their careers with a notepad and a pencil, and they are going to retire by using PCs, satellite communication, digital cameras, and electronic data bases. With time, journalists have become educated experts who continually broaden their knowledge and professional training. That is why permanent in- service training is a must for their future, since educated journalists are the most effective barrier to manipulations. A Croatian survey has shown that Croatian journalists are very interested in permanent education.
More...Keywords: Minority policy in Croatia; Ethnic Rights;
The author gives an outline of constitutional and legal provisions regulating the rights of ethnic minorities in the Republic of Croatia as well as the site-based policy of the protection of minority rights. The major areas in which the Government of the Republic of Croatia has been supporting the activities of the minority groups’ organisations are: publishing, cultural societies, libraries, minority curricula, preservation of the minority cultural heritage and research projects. Between 1992 and 1997, the Government of the Republic of Croatia earmarked 22 million DEM for the minorities’ activities. The author concludes that the ethnic minorities in Croatia, despite the political and economic hardships, have enjoyed a high degree of minority rights and freedoms.
More...Keywords: European security structure; NATO and the War in the Former Yugoslavia;
The new European security structure is being created and has been emerging in the changed circumstances, marked by three developments: the weakening of Russia’s power and influence, the bigger political, foreign-policy and strategic ambitions of the EU and the US desire to confirm itself in the new Europe in its role of the world leader. The sway of each of these factors on that process will depend on their relations, and their economic, political, and military power. The war in the former Yugoslavia and the American efforts to stop the war have confirmed the US geostrategic interests and its readiness to define a common security policy in the post-cold war Europe together with its European allies. US defined the peacekeeping policy of the international community, mediated in hammering out the peace accord, and with its political clout and military forces took over the leadership in the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this pragmatic way, they have tried to fortify the transatlantic alliance and their presence in Europe. However, among the partners in that alliance there are different, even contradictory approaches, which makes the process of the creation of the European security system quite uncertain. The war on the territory of the former Yugoslavia was the best illustration of the disagreements among the Euro-Atlantic allies.
More...Keywords: Transitional Model; From Socialism to Capitalism;
The article deals with transitional countries that, after initial successes, found themselves beset by a plethora of predicaments, among which massive foreign loans are only the tip of the iceberg of the exigencies they have to cope with. The author argues that due partly to subjective reasons and partly to inapt advice, there has occurred the deliberate devastation of manufacturing capacities and the indiscriminate capital influx that has on the one hand stimulated economic recovery, but on the other created considerable quandaries, so that the professed achievements are increasingly dubious. The author places the transitional countries’ foreign debts into the context of universal excessive borrowing in the world that exceeds 2,000 billion dollars. The author is trying to shed some light on this global problem by means of the theory of the “third way”, that has been gaining legitimacy in the debates on the future of world industry and society.
More...Keywords: Jürgen Gebhard;
The author elaborates his proposition concerning the distinction of cultural-historical and political identity by differentiating cultural-historical majorities and minorities from political winners and losers. He points out to a democratic paradox according to which a state is governed by political minorities of winners and not by political majorities of losers. In multi-ethnic societies, holds the author, both popular and political culture have to be developed, that is, both the cultural and the political tolerance.
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