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Ситуационна оценка на тенденциите в екстремизма

Author(s): Rositsa Dzhekova,Luděk Moravec,Nadya Stoynova / Language(s): Bulgarian

Violent extremism is one of the major challenges Europe is currently facing. The threat is both external as well as internal as indicated by the rise in home-grown Islamist terrorists, as well as of nationalistic and anti-immigrant movements and far-right aggression. An accurate picture of the spread, nature and trends in the extremist and terrorist activity and actors is paramount to formulating strategic policy approaches and effectively allocating available resources. This publication provides a methodological framework for the establishment of a viable mechanism for monitoring and assessment of the state and developments over time in extremist acts and actors on the national level. The situational assessment is an instrument for systematic collection and analysis of statistical data, open source data and intelligence information pertaining to extremist actors and activities, for the purposes of developing regular situational reports of the spread, nature and trends in extremism and violent radicalisms. Following the application of the situational assessment tool, the publication presents main findings on extremist trends and monitoring capacities in three countries from Central and Southeast Europe: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Greece.

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Behind the Iron Curtain (3)

Author(s): / Language(s): English

This magazine is the English version of selected articles published in the pages of the review Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History) ISSN 1802-8241, which is issued by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes.This magazine is the English version of selected articles published in the pages of the review Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History) ISSN 1802-8241, which is issued by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. The original version of the journal Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History) is the part of CEEOL also.

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Behind the Iron Curtain (2)

Author(s): / Language(s): English

This magazine is the English version of selected articles published in the pages of the review Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History), which is issued by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes.This magazine is the English version of selected articles published in the pages of the review Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History) ISSN 1802-8241, which is issued by the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. The original version of the journal Paměť a dějiny (Memory and History) is the part of CEEOL also.

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Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2010

Author(s): / Language(s): English

This is only for the second time in the history of this edition, that the Yearbook assesses a year which saw a complete political power shift and thus an exchange of those who make and decide on foreign policy. It was an election year, a year of foreign policy accent shift, and a year of institutional and personnel changes (not only) at the Foreign Ministry. For the first time, the leader of the strongest coalition party became the Foreign Minister; a person with the real political power to move our foreign policy (and not only in the institutional or financial sense) a step (leap) forward. One can only hope that the current Government will also have the political will to do so. The first few post-election months have, however, already provided some indications. First of all, the integration of the diplomatic service, discussed often since 1993, became reality in 2010 and represents an important milestone in the future realization of our foreign policy. Progress was also achieved in strained neighborhood relations. Despite a complicated bilateral agenda, many open issues and rather different approaches, an open confrontation with Hungary was replaced with an unemotional and calm (sometimes even too calm) dialogue supplemented by European solutions. Slovakia’s new “leadership” also changed its stance toward our only neighbor being in a different international regime. It is very positive that our Government came to the understanding that irrespective of the political leadership, supporting the integration process of Ukraine into the EU is a part of our own policy of overcoming regional disparities within Slovakia and thus it is in our state’s interest. Progress was also made in regional cooperation in the field of natural gas supply security (sadly, once again we only resolved to risk-prevention measures after it had happened, but better late than never). It is a new and positive phenomenon in our cooperation with V4 partners and Austria. From Slovakia’s perspective, regional cooperation in energy mainly solves our problem. The loan to Greece along with the European Financial Stability Mechanism, were important issues before as well as after the elections. As of yet, we do not know the answers to gradually emerging questions, but we know that it is in our interest to have a stable currency and a stable euro zone with satisfied citizens. It is therefore crucial to answer the following question first: “Which decisions will contribute to the long-term stability of our currency, the euro.” A significant improvement was also achieved under the former leadership in relations between NGOs and the Ministry, when the NGDO Platform chair and the Foreign Minister signed a Memorandum of understanding in May 2010. It is only good that continuity is clearly visible in this direction after the elections. A positive signal was sent – not only to Europe, but to the entire world – by the determination of our representatives not to celebrate the anniversaries of totalitarian/ authoritarian regimes which violate basic human rights. We must also appreciate the principal position of our diplomacy on awarding the Nobel Prize to a Chinese dissident, on the release of Myanmar’s political prisoners, and the clear position on the Belarusian regime’s repression of its own citizens. These (and many other) events of the (entire) year 2010 are addressed in what is now the 12th Yearbook – whether in an assessment of our performance and promotion of our goals or interests in the international environment, an analysis of the realization of priority foreign policy goals, or in an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of instruments for their realization. Obviously, the book only offers an analytical assessment within the natural limits of the publication of this kind, covering not all the fields and regions in which our foreign policy was visible or active. Slovakia’s President is the first to assess the year 2010 in this year’s edition. Even though the Yearbook is primarily meant for analytical assessments, the editorial board considers an opening address and position of the only supreme official to be in office for all of 2010 to be a positive contribution. Traditionally, the views and opinions of the Foreign Minister are present in the Yearbook. In his contribution, he presents and assesses the issues and aspects of Slovakia’s foreign policy, which are thoroughly examined by other authors in the book, as well as his opinions on the future of our foreign policy under the new leadership. Both texts give the reader a unique opportunity of seeing the same issue from different (this time also politically) angles in one publication. The expert section is opened by the evaluation of Slovakia’s operation in the international environment. The contribution of Vladimír Bilčík from the Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA) assessing Slovakia’s performance within the EU is, as always, the introductory text of this section. He addresses issues related to the practical implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and the consequences of the financial and economic crises. He also analyzes how the election campaign prior to the June 2011 parliamentary elections in Slovakia influenced the positions of Slovakia’s politicians in the EU, i.e. the loan to Greece issue, the creation of the European Financial Stability Mechanism, as well as changes in the competences of individual governmental departments. Security and defense policy, or an analysis of our capacities and capabilities to participate on international security respectively, is offered by Ivo Samson, head of the International Security research program at the RC SFPA. He analyzes it through the prism of three key events of 2010: parliamentary elections in Slovakia, the new NATO Strategic Concept, and Slovakia’s strategic review of defense policy process. The ever more serious and urgent issue of climate change is addressed in the text of Juraj Mesík, an independent analyst. He takes a detailed look at developments between the Copenhagen and Cancun summits, including the summit conclusions, and maps the main climate events of 2010 – both in the global perspective and from Slovakia’s point of view – while outlining what the population will have to face in the future. The part focusing on Slovakia’s operation in the international environment concludes with the text of Irina Mattová, from the University of Prešov, characterizing global governance, mapping the agenda of non-formal groups (G8, G20), and indicating the driving forces that will determine the future agenda of these groups in relation to Slovakia. The second part of the Yearbook, focused on the priorities of our foreign policy, is opened by the article of Juraj Marušiak, from the Institute of Political Science of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He analyzes the issue being rich for developments every year – Slovak–Hungarian relations. Relations with Hungary represented a specific problem encompassing both a foreign and a domestic policy dimension. The domestic policy dimension not only concerned ethnical cleavages on Slovakia’s political scene but also relations between “Slovak” and “Hungarian” political parties within Slovakia respectively. Tomáš Strážay, head of the RC SFPA Central and Southeastern Europe research program, analyzes Slovakia’s Central European activities. Due to the Visegrad 2010 jubilees his analysis is split into two parts: an outline of the key factors that characterized Visegrad cooperation throughout the years and an analysis of V4 priorities in 2010 with an emphasis on the preparation and realization of Slovakia’s V4 Presidency. Director and head of the RC SFPA Eastern Europe research program, Alexander Duleba, gives an analytical “picture” of Slovakia’s relations with both, EU Eastern Partnership countries and Russia, while comparing the policies toward individual countries under the governments of Robert Fico and Iveta Radičová. Slovak activities in the Western Balkans which still belong to the regional priorities of Slovakia’s foreign policy and being a region where Slovakia has a good reputation and trustworthy political positions, were assessed by an independent journalist, Július Lőrincz. The third part of the book, devoted to the foreign policy instruments, is opened by a text from Nora Beňáková, Chairman of the NGDO Platform, Ján Mihálik, from PDCS, and Peter Brezáni, from RC SFPA, who focus their attention on the functioning of our most visible bilateral foreign policy tool – development cooperation. The authors evaluate the practical fulfillment of goals set in documents and attempt to provide an overview of Slovakia’s development assistance activities in 2010. The article offers a set of proposals and recommendations to improve the ODA quality and efficiency. The section dedicated to foreign policy instruments closes with a text by Ondrej Gažovič, from the Institute of European Studies and International Relations of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at the Comenius University in Bratislava, who assesses the changes in Slovakia’s public diplomacy in 2010. He also offers an overview of the practical activities of this policy, the opportunities that were seized and squandered, and a reflection on the future perspective of public diplomacy in the context of Slovakia’s foreign policy. The expert section is concluded with another new thing, the regularly irregular section: The history of Slovak foreign policy. Its inclusion will be conditioned by the commemoration of a significant anniversary related either to an important person or event in Slovak foreign policy. Since 2010 we commemorated the 130th anniversary of the birth of a prominent Slovak diplomat – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, we decided to begin with a study on his diplomatic and strategic successes written by the experienced diplomat and historian, Miroslav Musil. The expert section is traditionally supplemented by annexes, such as the chronology of the most important foreign policy events, a list of international treaties, information on the structure and representatives of state administrative bodies operating in foreign policy, a list of diplomatic missions and representatives of the SR abroad, the diplomatic corps of the SR, information on military missions abroad etc. We firmly believe that this Yearbook will once again find its readers and serve all those who are interested in the past, present, and future of Slovakia and her foreign policy. In conclusion, we would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic for its cooperation in this project and its support, and for the fact that thanks to this cooperation we are able to continue building this much needed tradition.

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Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2007

Author(s): / Language(s): English

The Yearbook of Slovakia’s Foreign Policy is a unique project which has for the past nine years been, we hope that successfully, contributing to the development of the tradition of the regular evaluation and analysis of the foreign policy of the Slovak Republic in the given year and supporting the cultivation of the foreign policy debate. This publication represents a significant and at the same time the only book source keeping record of the development of Slovakia’s foreign policy and the discussion on its further direction. The foreign policy of every country needs to build its own traditions especially in the case of a young state such as the Slovak Republic. Should the foreign policy be successful it must have its own form, its own language and its own institutions. In this sense under the term institutions it is necessary to comprehend not only the buildings of state bodies which are occupied by those who are responsible for the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. In a democratic state the public discussion is a part of the formulation of all public policies and foreign policy is not an exception. It is very important that public discussion gains institutional forms which become a tradition because without traditions there is no continuity and the absence of continuity means the repetition of old mistakes and always starting from point zero. In other words tradition is institutionalized memory. New knowledge is impossible without memory and without knowledge there can be no good political decisions. That is why traditions are so important especially in an area such as the foreign policy of a state. In this context it is possible to see the exceptionality of this publication as a ‘tradition’ as well as its specific position in the public debate on Slovakia’s foreign policy. It is a unique forum primarily dedicated to Slovakia’s foreign policy which provides space for those who bear the responsibility for the realization of the foreign policy of this country and those who are not indifferent to Slovakia’s foreign policy. The Yearbook serves for the exchange of opinions, knowledge, experience, positions and arguments with the goal of improving the quality of decisions in the area of foreign policy to best serve the interests of this country. We are convinced that it is very important to regularly evaluate the state of Slovakia’s foreign policy, which crucial events occurred in the past year and what challenges stand before the Slovak Republic in the near future. These were the main goals and intentions of the previous Yearbook editions; we prepared this year’s edition with identical objectives and we believe that we will do the same in the following years. The 2007 Yearbook evaluates the year of our foreign policy in the traditional structure. It analyzes Slovakia’s operation in the international environment, the realization of the priority areas of our foreign policy as well as the effectiveness of the instruments of its implementation. The introductory contribution of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic is however an exception compared to previous years. It summarizes and evaluates the foreign policy of the past 12 months from the viewpoint of the person bearing the responsibility for the formulation and implementation of foreign policy throughout the electoral term. This text thematically corresponds to individual chapters in the Yearbook which gives the reader the unique opportunity of seeing the same issue from two different angles. The expert section of the Yearbook is opened by the contribution of Vladimír Bilčík from the Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association who focuses on the process of the completion of the integration process as well as the challenge of the active contribution to the formation of the future EU which stands before the SR in the upcoming period. Our Permanent Representative to the UN Peter Burian evaluated the goals and conditions of our operation in the UN Security Council, analyzed threats and their solutions and didn’t leave out a thorough analysis of our February presidency. Tomáš Valášek, the Director of Foreign Policy and Defense at the Centre for European Reform in London, concluded the first chapter with his view of the Slovak security policy and our operation in foreign missions. The second section of the Yearbook devoted to the priority areas of our foreign policy is opened by the article of the High Representative of the International Community for Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Miroslav Lajčák. In his contribution on Slovak policy in the Western Balkans he instigates a reflection upon how most of all the EU but also NATO could strengthen our positions and how to maintain our long-term specialization on this agenda. Tomáš Strážay, RC SFPA analyst, focused his attention on the successes and some problematic areas of the cooperation of V4 countries as well as to the resolutions which they were not able to fulfill but which could increase the significance and effectiveness of the V4 in the near future. Alexander Duleba, RC SFPA Director and Head of the East European research program, attempted to evaluate the development of the political and economic agenda of Slovak relations with its eastern partners in the year 2007 including the fulfillment of the new foreign policy priority – the economic dimension of Slovak diplomacy. The contribution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR to external energy security was addressed in the article of Ján Šoth, the Director of the Analyses and Policy Planning Department and the Head of the Standing Work Group on External Energy Security. The concluding part of the expert section which is devoted to the institutional background and foreign policy instruments is opened by the contribution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Marcel Peško on the modernization of the Slovak Foreign Service and the future character of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The representatives of the Slovak Non-Governmental Development Platform Eva Havelková and Nora Beňáková focused on the functioning of presumably the most important bilateral instrument of the Slovak foreign policy in the year 2007 – development assistance. The authors offered their view of the institutional and legislative changes in the Slovak ODA and tried to compare the territorial and sector objectives of bilateral projects in the periods before and after the realization of said changes. The expert segment of the Yearbook is closed by the contribution of the Director of the International Economic Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Jaroslav Chlebo which is devoted to the possibly most frequently cited collocation in this electoral term – the economic dimension of diplomacy. The expert section is traditionally supplemented by annexes such as the chronology of the most important foreign policy events, chosen political documents, a list of international treaties, information on the structure and representatives of state administrative bodies operating in foreign policy, a list of diplomatic missions and representatives of the SR abroad, SR diplomatic bodies, military missions abroad etc. We firmly believe that also this year’s Yearbook edition will find its readers and serve to all those who are interested in the past, present and future of Slovakia as well as its foreign policy. In conclusion we would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR for its cooperation in this project and its support as well as for the fact that, also thanks to this institution, we can continue in building this much needed tradition.

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Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2016

Author(s): / Language(s): English

A year ago I wrote in the foreword to the 2015 Yearbook that with respect to international affairs (and hence Slovak foreign policy), 2016 would not be any easier than 2015, and might be even more difficult. This has proven to be not far from the truth, in various aspects of foreign policy. Within the European Union we once again witnessed the sight of terrorism costing many lives. Internationally, ongoing wars – both far from and near to the EU neighborhood – brought more tension and instability to international relations. The EU itself faced its own internal struggles and challenges. Certainly the most consequential issue was the United Kingdom referendum, and their “yes” on the “Leave” vote. This is an unprecedented situation, whose end is still open and uncertain. Disagreements and misunderstandings among member states as to how to deal with the migration crisis continued, not to mention the ongoing ambiguity regarding the reform of EU institutions, the requests of Germany and France for a multispeed Europe, and the situation in Turkey, as well as an increase in general support among populations for populist leaders – for politicians without solutions that could actually work, or any clear agenda; politicians who, in the case of the UK, were so surprised at their success that they left almost immediately in order not to be held responsible for further developments. For Slovakia, 2016 was an extraordinary year. Not due to the fact that parliamentary elections took place in March, as their impact on Slovakia’s foreign and European policy was negligible. It was extraordinary because the Slovak Republic held its very first Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Slovakia presided during turbulent times, having to deal with issues (and even better with their impact) which no Presidency country has ever had to deal with. One must not forget this context when evaluating our Presidency. The year 2016 has shown us again that we must move fast and be constructive in searching for solutions to the EU’s problems. The EU’s political leaders, as well as its civil society, businesses, and academia – all of them must put an end to competing for the most politically beautiful, and pursue instead expert answers to current issues and problems. All of these matters, and perhaps more, are addressed here in what is now our 18th Yearbook – whether it’s an assessment of our performance in the promotion of our goals and interests in the international environment, an analysis of the actions taken in pursuit of our priority foreign policy goals, or an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of one of the instruments of their implementation. Obviously, the book can only offer its analytical assessments within the natural limits (capacities and financial resources) of a publication of this kind, not able to cover every field and region in which our foreign policy was visible or active. We offer here what we consider the most crucial. As per tradition, the views and opinions of the Foreign Minister are presented first in the Yearbook. In his contribution he presents and assesses various issues and aspects of Slovakia’s foreign policy – which are thoroughly examined by other authors in the book – as well as his opinions on the future of our foreign policy after the Presidency. His piece offers the reader a unique opportunity to see various issues from the angle of the person responsible for implementing foreign policy, as well as from the angle of experts who do not have to take party politics into consideration when writing. As our goal is constructive critical debate and the search for real answers to current challenges, in the following selection of authors you will find mainly experts from NGOs/think-tanks and academia, since we (the editorial board) assume that their distance from the practical implementation of foreign policy (with all the direct and indirect influences involved) might bring a certain added value to their perspective. The expert section of the book opens with an evaluation of Slovakia’s performance in the international environment. The contribution of Zuzana Gabrižová, editor in chief of Euractiv.sk, assessing Slovakia’s performance in 2016 within the EU, serves – as always – as the introductory text for this section. Her piece traces the sequence and milestones that defined those developments relevant both to the Slovak–EU debate and to Slovak actions vis-a-vis the EU. Martin Vlachynský, senior analyst at the Institute of Economic and Social Studies, in his economic analysis of 2016, defines the economic tone of the year as being one played by well-known instruments. The Eurozone financial system, the deficits, quantitative easing, and, of course, the Greek crisis, remained topics of the day. Pavol Szalai, senior editor at Euractiv.sk, focuses on Slovakia’s energy policy, which in 2016 faced a different challenge: to preserve its role as a gas transit country, and resume its role as an electricity exporter. The section focusing on the international environment concludes with an analysis of Slovakia’s security and defense policy in 2016, written by the Slovak Foreign Policy Association’s two security policy analysts, Samuel Goda and Dušan Fischer. The second part of the Yearbook, focused on the priorities of our foreign policy, opens with an article by Tomáš Strážay, head of SFPA’s Central and Southeastern Europe research program. He analyzes Slovakia’s Central European activities during what was the 25th anniversary year of Visegrad cooperation, while focusing also on the future role of the V4 in the EU after Brexit, and on the future of the V4 as such. Slovak involvement in what might be characterized as a turbulent year in the Western Balkans, with its progress shifting from positive hope to negative development, was discussed, as traditionally, by the independent expert Július Lőrincz. The bilateral and multilateral context of our Eastern policy was the main subject of the analysis of Juraj Marušiak from the Institute of Political Science, Slovak Academy of Sciences. He argues that our policy towards the Eastern Europe was largely determined by two things in 2016 – our Council of the EU Presidency and Minister Lajčák’s effort to become the next UN Secretary-General. The third part of the book, devoted to foreign policy instruments, deals with the functioning of our most visible bilateral foreign policy tool – development cooperation. Maroš Čaučík, director of Dobrá novina – the Development Cooperation Program of eRko – an experienced expert as well as practitioner, provides an analysis of the practical fulfillment of our set goals, in his overview of Slovakia’s development assistance activities in 2016. His piece also offers a set of proposals and recommendations for improving the quality and efficiency of Slovak ODA. As usual the expert section is supplemented by appendices, such as a chronology of the most important foreign policy events, a list of international treaties, information on the structure and representatives of state administrative bodies operating within foreign policy, a list of diplomatic missions and representatives of the SR abroad, the diplomatic corps of the SR, information on military missions abroad, etc. I firmly believe that this Yearbook will once again find its readers, and serve all those who are interested in the past, present, and future of Slovakia and her foreign policy. In conclusion, I would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic for its cooperation in this project and its support, and for the fact that thanks to this cooperation we are able to continue in building this much needed tradition.

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Ročenka zahraničnej politiky Slovenskej republiky 2015

Author(s): / Language(s): Slovak

Bezpečnostné hrozby a migrácia. Aj tak možno prostou vetou a veľmi zjednodušene charakterizovať dominantné témy uplynulých 12 mesiacov. Terorizmus sa ozýval v Európe. Asi častejšie ako po iné roky a ešte aj nahlas. Vojna u nášho východného suseda neprestala, i keď ju z mediálneho priestoru vytláčali boje v Sýrii, z ktorej boli zasa vytlá- čaní jej obyvatelia. Situácia na Blízkom východe, ale i na tom trochu vzdialenejšom, či „nátlak“ klímy v Afrike výrazne zvýšili intenzitu migračných vĺn, ktoré z európskej, ale aj tej slovenskej verejnej debaty vytisli ostatné témy aj rozumné argumenty a ostali v nej často len emócie a dojmy. Ani s dlhovou krízou sa nepodarilo príliš pohnúť vpred. Všetko ostatné s memoárnym a oslavným podtónom aj v roku 2015, podobne ako v roku 2014 – i napriek úprimnej snahe zainteresovaných –, ostávalo v úzadí. Či už išlo o 70. výročie konca druhej svetovej vojny, 70. výročie založenia OSN alebo 40. výročie OBSE, prípadne o novú dohodu na trvalo udržateľnom rozvoji zo samitu OSN v New Yorku či témy súvisiace s Európskym rokom rozvoja (aj keď možno nechcene nám to v druhom polroku pripomínali migranti). A pritom išlo o výročia udalostí a organizácií či témy, ktoré by nás mali pred podobnými scenármi uchrániť, varovať a predchádzať im. Migračná kríza, ktorá v slovenskom aj európskom priestore všetko ostatné odsunula nabok a stala sa jednoznačne najdiskutovanejšou témou druhého polroka, len potvrdila, že sa treba v rozmýšľaní o riešeniach pohnúť vpred, a to asi veľmi rýchlo. Ani migračnú krízu neminul osud vojny na Ukrajine – i tá sa ako zahraničnopolitická téma stala témou slovenskej predvolebnej kampane. Tentoraz však pre ňu nebola typická rôznorodosť názorov, ale vzácna zhoda medzi politickými stranami. Snáď jedinou výnimkou bol v rétorickej rovine prezident. V minulom roku som na tomto mieste napísal, že vďaka Ukrajine sme pochopili, že je potrebné reštartovať kritickú debatu nielen o domácej a európskej, ale najmä bezpečnostnej politike. Nie som si istý, že sa to podarilo, vecnú diskusiu opäť nahrádzajú preteky o politicky najkrajšie a nie odborné riešenia. Ostáva len zopakovať, že na reštart kritickej debaty a hľadanie i presadzovanie odborných riešení je stále priestor. Rok 2015 bol teda pre zahraničnú politiku SR opäť príliš náročný a rok 2016 nebude o nič jednoduchší. V neposlednom rade to vo svojom hodnotení naznačujú aj niektorí z autorov nasledujúcich strán. Čoraz náročnejšie finančné podmienky nám nedovoľujú z ročenky urobiť komplexnú publikáciu, ktorá by uchovávala čo najviac zo zahraničnopolitickej diskusie a reality, preto Vám na nasledujúcich stranách ponúkame primárne to, čo spolu s edičnou radou považujeme v uplynulom roku za to najpodstatnejšie. Zámerom tejto publikácie je kritická debata a hľadanie lepších riešení. Aj preto je v na- šom výbere skupina autorov, ktorí sa pohybujú hlavne v mimovládnom či akademickom priestore a majú určitý odstup od samotnej realizácie zahraničnej politiky (a zrejme aj vplyvov, ktoré na jej realizáciu pôsobia či už priamo, alebo nepriamo). Pohľad tých, ktorí sú za výkon politiky zodpovední, tu napokon prezentuje minister zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí. Ten vo svojom texte prezentuje problémy a aspekty slovenskej zahraničnej politiky z pohľadu inštitúcie zodpovednej za realizáciu a koordináciu zahraničnej a európskej politiky. Expertná časť ročenky je, ako už býva zvykom, rozdelená do 4 blokov. Prvý bilancuje a hodnotí slovenské pôsobenie a úspechy pri presadzovaní našich záujmov v medzinárodnom prostredí, druhý analyzuje našu politiku v prioritných oblastiach, resp. regiónoch a tretí diskutuje o kvalite a efektivite nástrojov na realizáciu zahraničnej a európskej politiky SR. Ani v tomto roku nechýba časť pripomínajúca si významné výročia súvisiace s dôležitými osobnosťami alebo udalosťami slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Prvá časť sa začína príspevkom Anety Világiovej z Katedry politológie Filozofickej fakulty Univerzity Komenského, ktorý analyzuje podstatné udalosti v európskej politike Slovenska počas roka 2015, vrátane krízy na Ukrajine a politiky EÚ voči Rusku, debatu o Grexite či Brexite a, samozrejme, hodnotí diskusiu o riešení migračnej krízy. Martin Vlachynský, analytik Inštitútu ekonomických a spoločenských analýz (INESS), sa zaoberal situáciou v eurozóne, jej pozitívami, no aj výzvami, resp. rizikami, ktoré na EÚ a eurozónu čakajú v ďalších rokoch, vrátane referenda o vystúpení Spojeného kráľovstva. Svoj pohľad na bezpečnostnú politiku Slovenska v roku 2015, ktorý uzatvára časť o pôsobení SR v medzinárodnom prostredí, spracoval Dušan Fischer zo Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku. Rok 2015 sa podľa jeho tézy niesol v európskej (islovenskej) bezpečnostnej politike v duchu hrozieb nekonvenčného charakteru, najmä medzinárodného terorizmu, migračných vĺn a pokračujúcej nestability na Ukrajine, ktorá súvisí s ruskou anexiou Krymu a pokračujúcimi bojmi na Donbase. Druhú časť ročenky, ktorá sa venuje prioritným oblastiam našej zahraničnej politiky, otvára príspevok Tomáša Strážaya, vedúceho výskumného programu Stredná a juhovýchodná Európa v Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku, ktorý analyzuje stredoeurópsku spoluprácu v roku 2015. Trochu vytratenú tému západného Balkánu (i keď najmä z mediálneho priestoru) už tradične hodnotil nezávislý novinár Július Lőrincz. Alexander Duleba zo Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku sa sústredí hlavne na realizáciu slovenskej východnej politiky. Argumentuje, že apriórna nedôvera voči Ukrajine, rovnako ako apriórna dôvera voči Rusku, patria k dvom základným chorobám slovenskej východnej politiky od roku 1993. A Slovensko nevyzdravelo ani v roku 2015. Tretia časť hodnotí fungovanie a efektivitu slovenskej rozvojovej spolupráce. Autor textu Peter Brezáni zo Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku svoju pozornosť upriamil na hodnotenie aktivít slovenskej rozvojovej pomoci vo významnom roku zá- sadných rozvojových reforiem na úrovni OSN, roku, ktorý EÚ vyhlásila za rok rozvoja. V záujme skvalitnenia a zefektívnenia ODA predložil – aj na základe minulých analýz – niekoľko návrhov a odporúčaní. Naďalej pokračujeme v rubrike Z histórie slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Keďže v roku 2015 sme si pripomenuli 200. výročie narodenia Ľudovíta Štúra, Juraj Marušiak z Ústavu politických vied SAV pripomenul politické aktivity jedného z najvýznamnejších predstaviteľov slovenského národného života a obrodenia v 19. storočí. Expertnú časť tradične dopĺňajú prílohy – chronológia dôležitých zahraničnopolitických udalostí, zoznam medzinárodných zmlúv, informácie o štruktúre a predstaviteľoch orgánov štátnej správy pôsobiacich v zahraničnej politike, zoznam diplomatických misií a predstaviteľov SR v zahraničí, diplomatického zboru v SR, informácie o vojenských misiách v zahraničí a podobne. Naozaj dúfam, že si aj takto limitovaná verzia ročenky nájde svojich čitateľov a poslúži všetkým, ktorí sa zaujímajú o minulosť, prítomnosť i budúcnosť Slovenska a jeho zahraničnej politiky. Opäť by som chcel na záver poďakovať Ministerstvu zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí SR za spoluprácu na tomto projekte a za to, že vďaka tejto podpore sme v budovaní tejto veľmi potrebnej tradície mohli aspoň v tomto formáte pokračovať.

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Ročenka zahraničnej politiky Slovenskej republiky 2014

Author(s): / Language(s): Slovak

V uplynulom roku sa opäť po chvíli relatívneho pokoja otvorila Pandorina skrinka medzinárodných vzťahov. To, čo sa dialo, deje a bude diať v blízkej budúcnosti u nášho východného suseda, bolo bez akýchkoľvek pochybností udalosťou roka číslo jeden. Nielen v našom regióne. Počas uplynulých 12 mesiacov roku 2014 sme v Európe nemali v politickej debate komplikovanejšiu tému. Všetko ostatné ostalo v tieni bojov na Ukrajine, resp. sme sa na to „ostatné“ dívali cez prizmu situácie na Ukrajine. Pripomenutie si 100. výročia od začiatku prvej svetovej vojny či 70 rokov od vylodenia v Normandii, alebo nášho slovenského povstania v druhej svetovej vojne tak malo trpkú príchuť. Podobne aj oslavy desiatich rokov Slovenska v Európskej únii a NATO mali v ukrajinskom kontexte inú dimenziu. Konflikt na Ukrajine či anexia Krymu, ale aj pomerne rozpačité reakcie toho, čomu hovoríme trochu vágne medzinárodné spoločenstvo, ukázali, že medzinárodný systém a pravidlá, na ktorom stojí, resp. chce stáť, majú veľmi krehké základy. Pre Slovensko, ktoré je dlhodobým podporovateľom integračných ambícií Ukrajiny (bez ohľadu na to, čo hovorí premiér) a zároveň susedom, je tento vojenský konflikt Ukrajiny s Ruskom ešte osobitejší. Po dlhom čase bola zahraničnopolitická téma intenzívnou a pravidelnou témou vnútropolitickej debaty, zasiahla aj ako jediná takáto téma do predvolebnej kampane pred prezidentskými voľbami, rozdelila nielen vládu a opozíciu pri interpretácii toho, čo sa deje, ale charakterizovala ju kakofónia úradu vlády a ministerstva zahraničných vecí, ktorého práca bola touto situáciou poznačená azda na každom kroku. Bohužiaľ, až „vďaka“ Ukrajine sme si (nielen v SR, ale aj na medzinárodnej úrovni) uvedomili, že je potrebné reštartovať v desiatom roku nášho členstva v Aliancii a EÚ upadajúcu debatu o bezpečnosti, o budúcnosti spoločnej zahraničnej politiky EÚ a úlohe Únie vo svete, o budúcnosti Východného partnerstva (a rozširovania vo všeobecnosti). Nielen pre vojnu medzi Ukrajinou a Ruskom, ale aj v jej dôsledku sme sa posunuli vpred i v téme energetickej bezpečnosti, keď Slovensko v septembri spustilo reverzný tok plynu na Ukrajinu. Ukrajina bola aj témou nášho predsedníctva vo V4, počas ktorého sme koordinovali humanitárnu pomoc (a sčasti aj rozvojové aktivity) pre Ukrajinu. Okrem Ukrajiny nám oči pootvorili (pevne v to verím) aj voľby do Európskeho parlamentu. Účasť 13 %, jedna z úplne najnižších v EÚ, len potvrdila to, čomu hovoríme slovenský paradox. Aj to nás čiastočne prebudilo a donútilo (aspoň vo forme vyjadrení plánov a potreby sebareflexie) bilancovať a predefinovať priority. Uvidíme, ako sa s týmito výzvami, ktoré sme v roku 2014 ešte nechali „odležať“, popasuje naša domáca i zahraničná politika v roku 2015. Rok 2014 bol pre zahraničnú politiku bez akéhokoľvek preháňania veľmi ťažký a úvod roka 2015 naznačil (veľmi priamo a bez pretvárky), že nebude o nič jednoduchší. Napokon, odráža sa to aj v nasledujúcich textoch už 16. ročenky. Bohužiaľ, z rozličných dôvodov nie je možné vyskladať publikáciu, ktorá by rok 2014 zhodnotila komplexnejšie, ale snahou bolo poskytnúť priestor témam, ktoré sme spolu s edičnou radou považovali v uplynulom roku za tie najpodstatnejšie (a nie náhodou takmer všetky reflektovali problémy súvisiace so situáciou na Ukrajine). Cieľom bolo, aby autori udalosti nielen opísali, resp. odprezentovali, ale poskytli aj svoju analýzu, videnie či odporúčania. I preto sa do výberu dostali autori s istou mierou odstupu, t. j. z mimovládneho či akademického prostredia, a mali tak prednosť pred úradníckym vnímaním problému. Napokon, pohľad na zahraničnú politiku tu za realizátorov zahraničnej politiky poskytol minister zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí. Ten vo svojom texte prezentuje problémy a aspekty slovenskej zahraničnej politiky z pohľadu inštitúcie zodpovednej za výkon zahraničnej a európskej politiky. Expertná časť ročenky je, ako už býva zvykom, rozdelená do štyroch blokov. Prvý bilancuje a hodnotí slovenské pôsobenie a úspechy pri presadzovaní našich záujmov v medzinárodnom prostredí, druhý analyzuje našu politiku v prioritných oblastiach, resp. regiónoch a tretí diskutuje o kvalite a efektivite nástrojov na realizáciu zahraničnej a európskej politiky SR. Ani v tomto roku nechýba časť pripomínajúca si významné výročia súvisiace s dôležitými osobnosťami alebo udalosťami slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Prvá časť sa začína príspevkom Zuzany Gabrižovej, šéfredaktorky informačného portálu EurActiv.sk, ktorý analyzuje podstatné udalosti v európskej politike Slovenska počas roka 2014, keď sme oslávili 10 rokov nášho členstva v Únii. Martin Vlachynský, analytik Inštitútu ekonomických a spoločenských analýz (INESS), analyzoval situáciu v eurozóne, jej pozitíva, no aj výzvy, resp. riziká, ktoré na EÚ a eurozónu čakajú. Slovenskú energetickú politiku v kontexte globálnych a regionálnych udalostí s minimálne strednodobým dosahom na SR poskytuje analytik RC SFPA Karel Hirman. Ten za najvýraznejšie udalosti považuje sprevádzkovanie reverzného toku plynu, znižovanie dodávok plynu Gazpromom pre SPP, ako aj situáciu okolo Slovenských elektrární. Svoj pohľad na bezpečnostnú a obrannú politiku Slovenska v roku 2014, ktorý uzatvára časť o pôsobení SR v medzinárodnom prostredí, spracoval Róbert Ondrejcsák, riaditeľ Centra pre európske a severoatlantické vzťahy. Podľa neho rok 2014 znamenal renesanciu diskusií o bezpečnostnej politike na Slovensku. Druhú časť ročenky, ktorá sa venuje prioritným oblastiam našej zahraničnej politiky, otvára príspevok Tomáša Strážaya, vedúceho výskumného programu Stredná a juhovýchodná Európa v RC SFPA, ktorý analyzuje stredoeurópsku spoluprácu v roku 2014. Aj v jeho článku je prierezovou témou situácia na Ukrajine. Riaditeľ RC SFPA a vedúci výskumného programu Východná Európa Alexander Duleba sa sústredí hlavne na zmapovanie politiky SR voči Ukrajine a Rusku, vrátane postojov oficiálnych predstaviteľov SR, parlamentných strán a slovenskej verejnosti k hodnoteniu príčin a priebehu rusko-ukrajinskej krízy, ktorá trvá od konca februára 2014. Slovenské aktivity na západnom Balkáne, kde majú naše aktivity i diplomacia dlhodobo vysokú kvalitu, už tradične hodnotil nezávislý novinár Július Lőrincz. Tretia časť hodnotí fungovanie a efektivitu slovenskej rozvojovej spolupráce. Autori textu Nora Beňáková z občianskeho združenia Človek v ohrození a Peter Brezáni z RC SFPA svoju pozornosť upriamili na hodnotenie uskutočňovania cieľov nastavených v strednodobej stratégii ODA na roky 2014 – 2018, snažili sa poskytnúť sumár aktivít slovenskej rozvojovej pomoci a v záujme skvalitnenia a zefektívnenia ODA predložili niekoľko návrhov a odporúčaní. Naďalej pokračujeme v rubrike Z histórie slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Keďže v roku 2014 oslávila Slovenská republika desať rokov svojho členstva v Európskej únii a NATO, do tejto edície bola zaradená krátka, ale obsažná analýza trendov v postojoch verejnosti k NATO a EÚ, ako aj vnímania členstva Slovenska v oboch zoskupeniach, ktorú spracovala analytička Inštitútu pre verejné otázky Oľga Gyárfášová. Expertnú časť tradične dopĺňajú prílohy – chronológia dôležitých zahraničnopolitických udalostí, zoznam medzinárodných zmlúv, informácie o štruktúre a predstaviteľoch orgánov štátnej správy pôsobiacich v zahraničnej politike, zoznam diplomatických misií a predstaviteľov SR v zahraničí, diplomatického zboru v SR, informácie o vojenských misiách v zahraničí a podobne. Pevne verím, že aj táto ročenka si nájde cestu k čitateľom a poslúži všetkým, ktorí sa zaujímajú o minulosť, prítomnosť i budúcnosť Slovenska a jeho zahraničnej politiky. Na záver by som sa rád poďakoval Ministerstvu zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí SR za spoluprácu na tomto projekte a za to, že vďaka ich podpore sme v budovaní tejto veľmi potrebnej tradície mohli aspoň v tomto skromnom formáte pokračovať.

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Ročenka zahraničnej politiky Slovenskej republiky 2011

Author(s): / Language(s): Slovak

Rok 2011 bol pomerne bohatý na udalosti, na ktoré slovenská zahraničná politika musela bezodkladne reagovať. Priniesol tiež množstvo tých, ktoré si nevyžadujú okamžité riešenie, rutinných i takých udalostí, ktorých hladký priebeh považujeme už za samozrejmý. Dlhodobou ambíciou ročenky je zanalyzovať všetky tieto úrovne, avšak limity, ktoré máme, nám nedovoľujú zmapovať všetky oblasti a regióny, v ktorých bola naša zahraničná politika viditeľná či aktívna, ale len tie, ktoré považujeme v príslušnom roku za kľúčové. Takouto kľúčovou európskou témou s dosahom nielen na zahraničnú, ale aj domácu politiku v roku 2011 bolo schvaľovanie eurovalu a s tým súvisiaca debata o hľadaní východiska zo stále pretrvávajúcej krízy a koniec koncov aj o budúcnosti Európskej únie. To, že išlo o naozaj významnú tému, potvrdzuje fakt, že na Slovensku sa konsenzus o riešení tejto otázky dosiahol len za cenu predčasných parlamentných volieb. Za jeden z úspechov našej európskej politiky možno označiť podpísanie prístupovej zmluvy, a teda aj splnenie integračných ambícií Chorvátska, ktoré Slovensko dlhodobo a aktívne podporovalo. Treba vyzdvihnúť i skutočnosť, že aj vďaka podpore slovenskej diplomacie, vrátane aktivít slovenských mimovládnych organizácií, sa podarilo urobiť významný pokrok v prístupovom procese Čiernej Hory. V roku 2011 bolo tiež nevyhnutné sledovať vývoj v blízkom južnom susedstve EÚ, kde dozrievala arabská jar, ktorý naznačil, že ďalší spoločenský, politický a bezpečnostný vývoj bude ešte dosť komplikovaný. Slovensko muselo zaujať stanovisko k občianskej vojne v Sýrii, ozbrojenému zásahu NATO v Líbyi či iránskemu jadrové- mu programu. V oblasti regionálnej spolupráce možno vyzdvihnúť zvládnuté slovenské predsedníctvo vo V4 vrátane dôstojnej oslavy 20. výročia vzniku tohto zoskupenia. Slovensko celkom aktívne pristupovalo k regionálnej spolupráci najmä v oblasti energetiky či Východného partnerstva. Aj vďaka SR sa podarilo navýšiť rozpočet Medzinárodného vyšehradského fondu na projekty zamerané na krajiny Východného partnerstva. Počas nášho predsedníctva sa podarilo v Bratislave podpísať tretiu vyšehradskú deklaráciu. Aj v roku 2011 platilo, že naše vzťahy so susedmi boli dobré. Vláda i MZV SR pokračovali v nekonfrontačnom štýle komunikácie s Maďarskom, čo však neznamená, že sa problémy podarilo vyriešiť. Tieto i ďalšie udalosti roka 2011 si našli priestor v 13. ročenke, a to tak v časti o bilancovaní nášho pôsobenia a presadzovania cieľov, resp. záujmov v medzinárodnom prostredí, analýze uskutočňovania prioritných oblastí našej zahraničnej politiky, ako aj pri hodnotení efektivity nástrojov na jej realizáciu. Už po piatykrát je úvodným odborným príspevkom analýza Vladimíra Bilčíka, vedúceho európskeho programu Výskumného centra Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku (RC SFPA), ktorý hodnotí podstatné udalosti v slovenskej európskej politike. Pri svojej analýze berie do úvahy tri rôzne kontexty – miesto SR v súčasnej EÚ, perspektívy budúcej integrácie a domácu tvorbu európskej politiky. Analýzu bezpečnostnej a obrannej politiky Slovenska v roku 2011 s čiastočným presahom do roku 2012 spracoval Ivo Samson, vedúci výskumného programu Medzinárodná bezpečnosť v RC SFPA. Vo svojom príspevku analyzoval jednak slovenskú reflexiu vonkajšieho bezpečnostného prostredia, ako aj vývoj na domácej politickej scéne vrátane vývoja v Ozbrojených silách Slovenskej republiky. Druhú časť ročenky, ktorá sa venuje prioritným oblastiam našej zahraničnej politiky, otvára príspevok Juraja Marušiaka z Ústavu politických vied SAV ponúkajúci pohľad na vývoj slovensko-maďarských vzťahov, v ktorých striedanie spolupráce s konfliktnými momentmi pokračovalo aj v roku 2011. Zameriava sa na analýzu našej bilaterálnej relácie, vnútropolitickej dimenzie týchto vzťahov, ako aj vzájomnú spoluprácu. Tomáš Strážay, vedúci výskumného programu Stredná a juhovýchodná Európa v RC SFPA, už tradične analyzuje naše stredoeurópske aktivity. Jeho text sa primárne zameriava na kľúčové témy z oblasti sektorových priorít, dôraz kladie aj na teritoriálne priority, respektíve formát V4 + a aktivity Medzinárodného vyšehradského fondu. Neobchádza však ani aktuálne výzvy, ktoré súvisia so súčasným dianím v rámci EÚ. Riaditeľ RC SFPA a vedúci výskumného programu Východná Európa Alexander Duleba mapuje vzťahy Slovenska s východnými susedmi v roku 2011 jednak v kontexte nášho predsedníctva vo V4, ako aj v rámci bilaterálnych vzťahov, pričom hlavnú pozornosť venuje vzťahom s Ukrajinou. Ponúka i stručnú charakteristiku vzťahov s Ruskou federáciou. Slovenské aktivity na západnom Balkáne, kde majú naše aktivity i diplomacia určitú autoritu, hodnotil nezávislý novinár Július Lőrincz. Tretiu časť, ktorá je venovaná nástrojom zahraničnej politiky, otvára spoločný príspevok Nory Beňákovej z občianskeho združenia Človek v ohrození, Petra Brezániho z RC SFPA a Jána Mihálika z PDCS, ktorí svoju pozornosť upriamili na fungovanie rozvojovej spolupráce. Zhodnotili uskutočňovanie cieľov nastavených v dokumentoch, snažili sa poskytnúť sumár aktivít slovenskej rozvojovej pomoci v roku 2011 a v záujme skvalitnenia a zefektívnenia ODA predložili niekoľko návrhov a odporúčaní. Stať venovanú nástrojom zahraničnej politiky uzatvára príspevok Ondreja Gažoviča z Ústavu európskych štúdií a medzinárodných vzťahov FSEV Univerzity Komenského v Bratislave, ktorý sa zameral na hodnotenie slovenskej verejnej diplomacie. Rozhodli sme sa pokračovať aj v rubrike Z histórie slovenskej zahraničnej politiky vytvorenej v minulom roku, ktorej zaradenie je podmienené pripomenutím si významného výročia súvisiaceho s dôležitými osobnosťami alebo udalosťami slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Keďže v roku 2011 uplynulo 265 rokov od narodenia a 225 rokov od úmrtia prvého šľachtica s identifikovaným slovenským pôvodom, ktorého v modernej terminológii medzinárodných vzťahov možno označiť za ekonomického diplomata, do tohtoročnej edície sme zaradili stať o Móricovi Beňovskom, ktorú spracoval skúsený diplomat a historik Miroslav Musil. Expertnú časť tradične dopĺňajú prílohy – chronológia dôležitých zahraničnopolitických udalostí, zoznam medzinárodných zmlúv, informácie o štruktúre a predstaviteľoch orgánov štátnej správy pôsobiacich v zahraničnej politike, zoznam diplomatických misií a predstaviteľov SR v zahraničí, diplomatického zboru v SR, informácie o vojenských misiách v zahraničí a pod. Pevne veríme, že aj táto ročenka si nájde cestu k čitateľom a poslúži všetkým tým, ktorí sa zaujímajú o minulosť, prítomnosť i budúcnosť Slovenska a jeho zahraničnej politiky. Na záver by som sa rád poďakoval Ministerstvu zahraničných vecí SR a Nadácii Konrada Adenauera za spoluprácu na tomto projekte a za to, že vďaka ich podpore sme v budovaní tejto veľmi potrebnej tradície mohli pokračovať aj v tomto roku.

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Ročenka zahraničnej politiky Slovenskej republiky 2000

Author(s): / Language(s): Slovak

Basic idea of periodic publishing the Yearbook of Slovak Foreign Policy is rooting in the need to consolidate tradition of regular balancing the whole complex of Slovak foreign policy on all levels. Last volume as well as this one has approved the initiative of organising an evaluation conference and based on it to publish a Yearbook of Slovak Foreign Policy. This has been proved not only by interest from the side of expanding professional community and media, but above all from the key actors of foreign policy of the SR, state administration representatives, non-governmental institutions and academic and scientific circles. Specific role of the Yearbook is a presentation and statement of tasks of foreign policy of the SR from its primary actors view, analysis of key trends of specific period as well as providing current data of practical character. Our ambition is to make the Yearbook of Slovak Foreign Policy into a practical tool for everybody who is dealing with this area and to help to diversify and expand information sources focusing on this field. As for the content, this year the Yearbook is modifying and extending the structure proved last year. Except of presentations from the Conference Slovak Foreign Policy in 2000 - Progress in Integration and topical annexes it is opening the possibility to publish analyses of selected problems of foreign policy of the SR in the year 2000. The last year's conference was significant for the intentions defining 1999 as a break-through in Slovakia's integration effort. This year the conference characterised the level of using opened chances and evaluated Slovakia's progress and as many presenters stressed, progress in the newly started direction. Confirming political stability in the home country and position of a trustworthy partner towards foreign partners presents the basis of Slovakia's proceeding in integration ambitions to Trans-Atlantic and European structures. Harmony of home and foreign policy has been extremely important in this tendency, the harmony between declared objectives and the government's policy. This stipulated the already mentioned consolidation of newly gained Slovakia's trustworthiness in the eyes of the public abroad. Some of the presenters stressed, that integration is a challenge for the whole society. Public discussions focused on key topics of foreign policy play an important role in this process. In the elapsed time in Slovakia it was gradation in intensity of debate on national security. An important role is played by the Programme of the Government of the Slovak Republic focused on increase of information of the society on the reasons and consequences of integration of Slovakia into NATO in the framework of the PRENAME programme. Also in this nexus the Conference and the Yearbook provide the necessary space for presentation intentions of the SR and a public discussion on the intentions. It would not be possible to organise the Conference without a financial support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the assistance of the Slovak branch office director Frank Spengler, as well as enthusiasm and effort of everybody involved. I'd like to express my thanks first of all to PhDr. Alena Kotvanová from the Slovak Institute of International Studies, who prepared the Conference as a project author and who compiled the Yearbook and to JUDr. Štefan Šebesta from the Institute of State and Law in the Slovak Academy of Sciences for his valuable advisory and judgment of the analytical part of the publication. Invaluable work during editing the Yearbook was done by PhDr. Tatiana Lauková and Mrs. Katarína Žáková. The Conference would not be possible without assistance of associated professor L'udmila Lipková, Dean of the Faculty of International Affairs of University of Economics in Bratislava and the students studying in this faculty.

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Why Do Countries Break Up? - The Case of Yugoslavia

Author(s): Vladimir Gligorov / Language(s): English

The book deals with the violent and inconclusive break up of Yugoslavia. The author relies on the rational political choice approach to construct an explanation that (i) given the preference of the exYugoslav nations for ethnic justice over individual liberties and rights, and (ii) given the influences of the long terra ethnic strategies and rivalries, the legacy of the four decades of communist rule, and the complexities of the post-socialist transformation process, the break up of their common country was what it took the Yugoslav nations to try to realize their political preferences. In Chapter 1 the process of “Balkanization” is discussed. First, the theory of constitutional choice is criticized. It is shown that the assumptions (stated and unstated) on which the theory is founded are not mutually consistent. Second, it is argued that that makes the idea of self-determination inoperable and self-destructive. Yugoslavia was founded on the principle of self-determination; it has been dissolving in accordance with the same principle. Third, the illusive idea of individual and ethnic identity, of the “self”, in the Balkans is described and analyzed. Fourth, the implications for the failure of any constitutional idea to be accepted as legitimate in Yugoslavia are drawn. In Chapter 2 the process of the discovery of liberalism during the communist rule is discussed and the reasons for its failure given. All the classical liberal ideas were discovered in Yugoslavia in conflict with the socialist principles; they failed to play a key role in the transformation of the country because they did not arise from an idea of a Yugoslav state. In Chapter 3 a “straightforward explanation” of the break up of Yugoslavia is given. It is argued that the state did not break up for economic reasons (as a way to get out of socialism), but for the following two reasons: (i) independent ethnic state is the long term strategy of Serbs and Croats (the two dominant Yugoslav nations); (ii) political preferences came to dominate the economic ones in the process of transformation. Given the goals and the preferences and given the facts of the ethnic configuration, the break up of Yugoslavia was inevitable and it inevitably had to be inconclusive. In Chapter 4 the contribution of the communist legacy is discussed and the record of individual and collective rights left in the ex-Yugoslav states is reviewed. It is shown that none of the newly established states has achieved a significant increase in those rights and is far from any ideal of a liberal state. In the conclusion, the idea that “Balkans are different” is rejected and it is argued that the failure of the principles of civic rights and international order to be respected and implemented will invariably lead to the same set of outcome. In that the importance of the case of Yugoslavia lies.

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Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2017

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis. As an old Latin adage has it, times change, and we change with them. The year 2017 was no different in that regard, and change continued to be the buzz word in the realm of international relations. Political trends became unpredictable and complex, sometimes even tectonic. It does not come easy to me to say that the world did not become a more stable and safer place last year. We saw turmoil and regional tensions, with the international community starting to lose consensus on some key issues previously understood as common interests. These changes are no longer situational. They are early warnings of new, long-term tendencies, stemming from protracted conflicts, social inequality, isolationism and lack of trust. Changing constants have placed new demands on our foreign policy, and on us as diplomats.

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Država, politika i društvo u Bosni i Hercegovini – Analiza postdejtonskog političkog sistema

Author(s): Damir Banović,Saša Gavrić / Language(s): Bosnian

Državna struktura Bosne i Hercegovine u međunarodnoj stručnoj literaturi smatra se kompleksnom i nefunkcionalnom. nerijetko, ova država se zbog administrativne podjele naziva“monstrumom“ ili “haotičnom demokratijom“. a unutar Bosne i Hercegovine i samo stanovništvo je skeptično u odnosu na državu i njene strukture. stoga političari zahtijevaju radikalne reforme, kojima bi država bila uređena kao centralistička, federalna ili decentralizovana država. većina tih zahtjeva je nerealna, budući da ih je nemoguće usuglasiti, tako da nema konsenzusa o budućnosti Bosne i Hercegovine i njenoj unutrašnjoj strukturi. [...]

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Srpski ratovi rečima 1844-2000. Fragmenti iz istorije političke propagande

Author(s): Mihailo Bjelica / Language(s): Serbian

Prvi moj zadatak u Institutu za novinarstvo bio je da analiziram sadržaj desetak vodećih jugoslovenskih listova prema projektu jednog apoljnjeg saradnika, metodologa, koji je prethodno bio na nekoj specijalizaciji u Americi. Koliko se sećam, glavno moje "otkriće" bilo je da se svi analizirani listovi uređuju po agitpropovskom šablonu - da veličaju politiku vladajuće partije i kritikuju svakog ko se ne slaže sa tom politikom. Novu fazu u mom istraživačkom radu predstavlja ulazak u istorijske arhive, a to se dogodilo krajem šezdesetih, kada sam prijavio doktorsku disertaciju pod nazivom "Počeci političke štampe u Srbiji 1834-1872". Prekopavajući staru arhivsku građu, ustanovio sam da su svi politički listovi onog vremena primali finansijsku pomoć iz državne ili neke druge kase, što znači da su bili u službi propagande. Rezultate istraživanja ubjavljivao sam u svojim knjigama i raznim zbornicima sa naučnih skupova. U poslednjoj deceniji dvadesetog veka Srbija je imala više nedaća nego mnoge evropske države za ceo vek: raspad SFRJ, rat u okruženju, pa rat na sopstvenoj teritoriji, međunarođne sankcije, hiperinfiacija, nezaposlenost, političke svađe i podele. To je i decenija žestokog medijskog rata koji je srpska vlast vodila protiv stranih država i domaće opozicije. [...]

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INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE STRATEGIES XXI. The Complex and Dynamic Nature of the Security Environment - Volume 1

Author(s): / Language(s): English

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE STRATEGIES XXI. The Complex and Dynamic Nature of the Security Environment - Volume 1

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9.99 €

Politics and Law in Turkish Migration

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Increasingly more scholars and analysts argue that migration controls are deemed to fail simply because of the dynamic nature of human mobility. Nevertheless, migration remains to be a hot topic on political agenda as well as a key area of legislation. Turkey has recently implemented some serious structural changes through a new law of migration and creation of a specialist central general directorate responsible for handling almost anything and everything about migrants and foreigners in the country. On the other hand, politics and political participation of the Turks abroad is part and parcel of the integration debates strongly shaping the mainstream politics of immigration countries in Europe and beyond. This book offers a number of research accounts investigating the political participation and integration, new legislations, and implications of policy and law on migration practices. CONTENT  Introduction – Philip L. Martin and Ibrahim Sirkeci  Chapter 1: Irregular Immigration in the EU Legal Framework: Where are the Human Rights? – Annalisa Morticelli and Dr Jessica Guth  Chapter 2: The Making of Immigration Policies in Turkey: An analysis of the Law on Foreigners and International Protection Drafting Process – Deniz Eroğlu  Chapter 3: The principle of non-refoulement a comparative analysis between Turkish national law and international refugee law – Doğa Elçin  Chapter 4: To What Extent Are Migrant Workers’ Rights Positioned within the Discourse of Human Rights? – Süreyya Sönmez Efe  Chapter 5: In the Nexus of Stigma or Prestige: Politicians with Migration-background – Devrimsel Deniz Nergiz  Chapter 6: How Berlin’s local politicians of Turkish background perceive their access to party networks and ability to succeed? – Floris Vermeulen and Ayten Doğan  Chapter 7: After the Hamburg Cell: the Integration Debate and Turkish-German Representation in Post-9/11 Media and Politics – Emily Joy Rothchild  Chapter 8: Can Turks be Germans? – Symbolic Boundary Perception of Turkish Residents in Germany – Nils Witte  Chapter 9: The Second Generation’s Discovery of Transnational Politics via Social Media – Necdet Coşkun Aldemir  Chapter 10: Political integration of the German-Turkish youth in Berlin – Mine Karakuş  Chapter 11: The role of Turkish community organisations in Berlin: Their role in Turkey-Germany and Turkey-European Union relations – Selcen Öner  References 

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9.99 €

Movilidad humana en Latinoamérica: nuevos patrones, nuevos retos

Author(s): / Language(s): Spanish

Migration as a process has countless approaches and edges to study, from forced migration caused by war, failed states or natural disasters, to the migration of retirees to paradisiacal sites in order to improve quality older adults' lives. However, the bulk of migration studies persist in analyzing and clarifying labour force migration from the economic south to the north. In this sense, the present book "Human Mobility in Latin America; new patterns, new challenges" implies a serious effort on the part of publishers to bring new discussions to human mobility from multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary, so that, the reader will find a series of ten articles that address the problem of migration in Latin America, as an expulsion region of migrants, but always attending to the object of study in a rigorous and new way.

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Членството на България в Европейския съюз: дванадесет години по-късно

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Bulgarian

This book collects scientific papers and reports presented on the conference ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Twelve Years Later’ organized by the International Economic Relations and Business department at University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria. The conference, held on 25 October 2019, was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of prof. D.Sc. (Econ) Marin Petrov. The book contains select papers by leading economists from the university, dedicated researchers and Ph.D. students as well as external experts who provide valuable practical insights and contribute to the contemporary topics reviewed during the conference: EU Cohesion policy and its effects on SMEs; European Green Deal and its economic/geo strategic implications; The contribution of the existing gas infrastructure for EU’s and Balkans’ energy security; Expenditure factors for Eurozone growth; Income inequality in the EU; Fiscal stability of the EU; safe heaven assets; Digital single market; Environmental sustainability; renewables; comparative research for perceptions towards electro mobiles; Knowledge management system evolution. ‘The Membership of Bulgaria in the EU: Twelve 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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Има ли достатъчно Европа и съюз в Европейския съюз?

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Bulgarian

This book presents reports from the Third International Conference of the European Studies Department, Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The conference was organized in May 2016 with the support by Hanns Seidel Foundation. The participants discussed in their reports contemporary issues of the EU related to the political course of the union, the socio-economic implications of the recent crisis, the recovery process, trade and economic cooperation with external partners as well as prospective for EU’s expansion.

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Европейският съюз след 2020 г. – нова Европа в нов свят

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Bulgarian

This book presents reports from „EU Post 2020 – New Europe in a New World“, Sixth International Scientific Conference of the European Studies Department, Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. The conference was held in May 2019 with the support of Hanns Seidel Foundation and Erasmus+ programme.

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