The Rise of Populist Electoral Authoritarianism in Turkey: a Case of Culturally Rooted Recidivism

Author(s): İlter Turan / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

The trend in Turkey’s politics toward “electoral authoritarianism” is rooted in the long history of modernization. Tensions between traditional society and modernizing elites (with strong links to the military) resulted in the series of military coups in the 20th century and weak civilian regimes. The originality of the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) since its coming to power in 2002 is that it has been able to consolidate the support of less privileged strata and to establish full control over the state. How durable is this system remains an open question.

Re-imaging nationhood: consolidating nativist and immigrant social bonding

Author(s): Raymond Taras / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2019

States are today defined less by the nation(s) in them and more by nationhood – a term that subsumes complex and diverse societies characteristic of an age of global migration. Nationhood involves a process in which otherwise different people share some combination of a language, set of values, faith, culture, identity and ideals. When managed successfully, immigration offers an opportunity to give a state the opportunity to expand the nation beyond utilitarian considerations such as labour needs and demographic decline. It begins with immigrant inclusion in the receiving society and the social cohesion that follows. Failed social integration policy results in unachieved, fragmented nationhood leading to different social pathologies. Derived largely from the French Republican tradition, nationhood emphasizes social bonding of a cross-cultural kind. Eurocentric bias focusing primarily on the origins of the nation is examined, non-Western critiques are assayed, and nation branding as a substitute for nationhood is questioned. When nationhood allows locals and immigrants to develop partnership, it is on the basis of an equilibrium established between minority and majority rights regimes.

Najbliższe czy wciąż „obce”? Integracja interakcyjna migrantek z Ukrainy zawierających małżeństwa mieszane w Polsce

Author(s): Anita Brzozowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2019

Intermarriage has been argued to be a key indicator of migrants’ integration into the host society. However, the data collected in the course of the qualitative research that includes in-depth interviews with migrants from Ukraine suggest that the relationship between intermarriage and integration of migrants is complex and multifaceted. The study presented in this article found that mixed unions do not have a uniform significance for the weakening of social boundaries as they do not necessarily serve to erode prejudices towards other groups associated with ethnic origin and nationality of potential partners.

CRIME OF AGGRESSION IN INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Author(s): Goran Bandov,Dorotea Ogorec / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

The paper focuses on the analysis of the problem of defining the crime of aggression in the international law and international relations, focusing primarily on the historical development of the term from its initial directed efforts, all the way to its modern outcomes. Observing in a historical manner, the establishment of the definition of the crime of aggression, as well as its aligning under criminal offences has encountered several obstacles which resulted in a continuous delay of clear defining what exactly would the crime of aggression encompass. In order to fully understand the matter, the importance of several international documents is undeniable, especially the Charter of the United Nations as well as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

SOFT POWER CONTEXT OF CHINESE INVESTMENTS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: CHALLENGES VS. OPPORTUNITIES

Author(s): Daniela Cvetanovska / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2020

This paper presents a constructivist take on soft power, by analyzing the contextual factors which influence Chinese investments (COFDI) to the EU as a relevant soft power resource. The contextual analysis shows which constraining and stimulating (internal and external) factors condition COFDI in leveraging soft power for China. Additionally, the article provides solutions for soft power optimization, since soft power resources aim to entice and foster cooperative relations toward a ‘win-win’ behavior. The issues presented here have profound implications for future studies on soft power and the political economy of Chinese investments in the EU.

THE PROBLEM OF THE ‘OLD’ WORKING CLASS DEPRESSION ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE USA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN 2016 AND 2020

Author(s): Slavejko Sasajkovski / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2020

Digital economic and overall social transformation does not shape the future in an economic-sociological/socio-economic direction and with content that contributes as an important factor for raising the level of social integration and cohesion that is social capital. In reality, the economic-sociological/socio-economic problem of the ‘old’ working class, a working class that is not optimally involved in the structures of digital technology, economy and society, is imposed as a key problem. The most provocative expression of the significance of this class, in particular the American white working class, that ‘old’ white working class, is its impact on the outcome of the presidential election in the US in November 2016. The decisive factor for Trump's victory was the acquisition of an economically-sociologically/socially-economically disadvantaged or even depressed American white working class concentrated in several major states in the US West and the Midwest, which carry a large number of electors in the electoral college. Therefore, the primary goal of potential democratic presidential candidates is to take, that is, to restore this American white working class as its electorate. То this end, ideological and political variants of the concepts of democratic socialism (exclusively Bernie Sanders) and democratic capitalism (practically all other Democratic presidential candidates) are being created.

THE ALBANIAN QUESTION AT THE PARIS PEACE CONFERENCE DURING 1919-1920

Author(s): Erjon Dervishi / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2020

This paper aims to bring to the public one of the most important moments in the history of modern times of Albania. After the Albanian independence on 28 November 1912 and international recognition of Albanian state on 29 July 1913, in 1919-1920, many national and international events unraveled which initially posed a real danger for Albania to become an independent state. The Paris Peace Conference, organized after the First World War by the Great Powers which win the war, and in which 27 winning states took part, became the real world center of that time. The Albanian point of view was headed directly at this Conference, with the hope to gain its independence and to win the right of self determination for its people. The main issues of the Conference were: border correction, especially in the southern part of Albania, relations between the Balkan states regarding Albania, the position of Italy, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and the position of Greece over Albania, and the real threat of secret pact during the First World War and the new role of American President, Woodrow Wilson. This paper also aims to bring the attitude of the Albanian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference and the position of Italy, France, Great Britain and Greece.

Populizm jako forma przywództwa politycznego: trzy tradycje teoretyczne i perspektywy badawcze

Author(s): Jan Pakulski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2020

In a contemporary political sociology, experiencing a renaissance in political leadership studies, the populism – defined as a specific type of anti-establishment leadership – is quite well known not only from current „rises”, but also from former cyclic „tidal waves”. Even if there are visible parallels to former waves of populist politics, few socio-political analyses of the current „third wave” sweeping across Europe and the US benefit from the theoretical body of researches of previous waves. The current approach focuses on a shallow theoretical-historical approach to populism as a sui generis novum, as a critical backlash to contemporary development trends (ie. globalism, centralized government, neo-liberal politics, etc.). Thus this paper aims at reminding three important analyses relating to three consecutive waves of populism. All three point at populism as a manifestation of democratic trends and focus attention on leadership groups. Alexis de Tocqueville viewed populist campaigns of Louis Napoleon in France as manifestations of a „despotic democracy”. Max Weber judged European populisms he witnessed as manifestations of a „plebiscitary democracy”. Contemporary neo-elitists focus their attention both on leaders and on the structure of leadership groups as well as on relations between leaders and their „electorate”. Such leadership focused perspective is a necessary addendum to the research on contemporary populism.

National identification in a democratic society. A view from the psychosocial perspective

Author(s): Piotr Radkiewicz / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

As some researchers note, national identity is probably the only form of identity forwhich people are ready to give their own lives. Deprived of the experience of personalcontact, the strong sense of belonging to the national group must consist of imagining oneself as entwined with crowds of anonymous compatriots in an invisible, butrealistically experienced bond. Though, the concepts of national identity and national identification are often treated interchangeably. they are not equivalent. Group identitymeans the fact of belonging to a specific group, combined with having its cognitive representation. Identification refers to the individual-group personal relationship, and describes the strength of the emotional bond felt with other members and the importance of a given group identity. This paper presents psychological origins of national identification, linking them to the deepest and most basic epistemic, motivational and existential human needs. Awareness of identification with the national group determines the whole range of psychological phenomena from various levels of analysis. From relatively simple manifestations of affect to complex ideological orientations – they all have specific relationships with how people understand democracy and what type of democracy they prefer. The empirical evidence cited in this text proves that the strengthening of the liberal democracy and its cultural values is accompanied by the devaluation of national/patriotic identification in the utilitarian (as a socially dysfunctional phenomenon) as well as in moral sense (as a source of hostility and intolerance). However, other empirical results show national identification as a necessary component of social bonds, and a basis of social mobilization around important collective goals.

Długi marsz przez instytucje kultury. Polityka Zjednoczonej Prawicy a wymiana elit w nowym ładzie kulturalnym państwa po roku 2015

Author(s): Piotr Kulas,Paweł Śpiewak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2020

This text aims to analyse the project of elite change implemented by the United Right in Poland in the field of cultural production. The authors argue that culture is recognized by right-wing politicians and intellectuals as a particularly important way of legitimizing its domination also in other fields. The special role of culture can be interpreted by the nature of the public sphere in Poland and the importance of the intelligentsia, who converted cultural capital into other types of capital (the political, the social, and especially the symbolic capital). The authors argue that the replacement of cultural elites serves the revision of history and assertion of power. Although, the elite change project is conducted not only within the cultural field, however, the latter is seen as a particularly important for the right-wing intelligentsia. We argue, that this exchange is based on the long-formulated announcements and is justified by the right-wing intellectuals and politicians who argue for a traditional, Polish model of culture. However, it also conceals political goals. The main goals of the replacement are to change the old elites with people favouring new order and, in the long run, to form right-wing elites, who, referring to the one-dimensional model of culture, will play a hegemonic role in the social life.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN TIMES OF COVID-19: CHILLING EFFECT IN HUNGARY AND SERBIA

Author(s): Kristina Ćendić,Gergely Gosztonyi / Language(s): English Issue: Suppl./2020

New technologies have opened several risks to safety of journalists. More importantly, in the state of emergency caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, journalists and media actors have shifted their activities online more than ever, which also made them more prone to digital threats and attacks. In some regimes there are even organized intimidation campaigns against political opponents causing chilling effect and self-censorship, and jeopardizing freedom of expression in general. Hungary as a member of the European Union since 2004 and Serbia as a leading candidate to join the EU are two countries where the problems and concerns about media freedom is growing every day. The fear from the unknown during the international pandemic gave opportunity to some governments to hide their real political agendas and cover their desire for the 'good-old-fashioned' censorship. The number of countries where some kind of censorship could be found is growing every day. The authors will show two country-case-studies from Hungary and Serbia, where the leaders and the political situations are very similar and could show a (good or bad) example to other countries that would like to follow the illiberal views on media issues.

VIETNAM AND INDIA’S APPROACH TO THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION: IMPLICATION FOR BILATERAL RELATION PROMOTION

Author(s): Nguyen Thi Oanh,Pham Thuy Nguyen / Language(s): English Issue: 03/2021

There have been tectonic shifts in the Indo-Pacific region, impacting relations among international actors, including traditionally close partners like Vietnam and India. By using the approach of realism and constructivism in international relations, this paper discusses Vietnam and India’s approach to the Indo-Pacific region to expand their substantive strategic relationship. The paper finds out that geopolitical changes in the Indo-Pacific directly influence the bilateral relation and create challenges as well as opportunities. By using the SWOT model, the paper analyzes driving factors and challenges to the Vietnam- India relations. Through the findings, it suggests both countries need to take advantages of the regional cooperation to further Vietnam-India’s strategic comprehensive partnership.

CHINA’S PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: EVOLUTION, CHALLENGES, AND THE GREEK CASE

Author(s): Georgios Zacharias / Language(s): English Issue: 03/2021

The construction of a positive international image is profoundly correlated with advancing one’s national interests abroad. Influencing foreign audiences and creating multisided links with countries of interest, is the main objective of public diplomacy. In the highly interconnected XXI century, countries have increasingly invested in that practice, assisted by major technological advancements. China is not an exception. The current paper will examine in which ways the latter conducts public diplomacy and through which actors. The study will also try to showcase the evolution and challenges that took place in this domain. Afterward, the case study of Greece will be considered, presenting the Chinese actors engaging in the country, the practices they use, and how the bilateral relationship has been affected. The essay will conclude with estimating the total effectiveness of the practices, possible challenges that exist, and several insights for future reference.

THE ESCALATION OF CONFLICT BETWEEN ARMENIANS AND AZERBAIJANIS AND THE PROBLEMS OF PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH WAR

Author(s): Valeri Modebadze / Language(s): English Issue: 03/2021

This article explains why it is so difficult to achieve peace in Nagorno-Karabakh and what factors prevent the peaceful resolution of the conflict. This conflict is very difficult to resolve because the conflicting parties have contradictory geopolitical interests and cannot achieve consensus during negotiations. We have to take into account Russia’s geopolitical interests in South Caucasus that Kremlin is interested in freezing this conflict to weaken both states, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and bring them back to Russia’s orbit. Moscow aims to establish firm control over South Caucasus which was viewed in the past as a ‘Russian backyard’. Russia still views South Caucasus as its zone of influence and tries to bring this region back into Russia’s orbit.

Гръцката политемигрантска общност в България (1956–1983) и политиките по опазване на културното наследство

Author(s): Daniel Fokas / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2020

The article is dedicated to the Greek refugees, political emigrants, who arrived in Bulgaria in the middle of the twentieth century because of the Civil War in Greece (1946–1949). The author studies the reasons for the formation of the new community of people of Greek origin and the organizational structures that this community established with the cooperation of the Bulgarian state. Attention is drawn to the characteristic features and peculiarities of the community and the ways in which they influence its development. The focus is on the approaches for preservation and transmission of cultural tradition. The study also dwells on the development of specific set of regulations that allowed the development of amateur art among the Greeks in Bulgaria by the foundation of an educational structure and a network of clubs in the country. These activities are presented in relation with the cultural policies of the Bulgarian socialist state.

Песните на село Чавдар – част от живото културно наследство на България

Author(s): Radka Bratanova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2020

Intensified cultural exchange in the twenty-first century lead to a specific process of globalization of musical folklore. That is why the preservation of valuable archaic traditions demands active endeavours.In 2018, in the Bulgarian village of Chavdar, an interactive Folklore Centre was founded. It offers interesting ways of collecting, archiving, preserving and exhibiting local cultural traditions. In the Centre, old phenomena intertwine with new technologies and museum exhibits “come to life” by means of interactive activities designed mainly for children and young people. In 2019, the team of the Centre continued their work on widening and completing the exhibition and the interactive activities. A central place in the new developments is given to music, dancing and children’s games.

Różnice w podejściu do zwalczania dążeń separatystycznych i niepodległościowych mniejszości Pomorza Gdańskiego w latach 1900-1939. Analiza czynników kreujących odmienne stanowiska władz Rzeszy Niemieckiej i Polski

Author(s): Andrzej Gąsiorowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2020

The article presents the conditions of the policy towards the minority inhabiting the area of Gdansk Pomerania in the years 1900-1939. The focus was on determining the reasons for conducting a different policy by the German Empire and the Polish state established after the end of World War I towards Pomeranian indigenous people. It was shown that the main factors determining the manner of conducting this policy were the characteristics of individual national groups, the way the countries of origin influenced, and the reaction of this population to the actions of administrative authorities, which were considered a violation of their sense of security.

Nowoczesne technologie kontroli bezpieczeństwa stosowane w portach lotniczych

Author(s): Marek Magniszewski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2020

The subject of the article concerns security at airports using modern technologies. The most advanced safety inspection devices were discussed in the study. A very important aspect affecting airport security was discussed, such as procedures and organization of work at security checkpoints. The challenges faced by modern security control operators have been taken into account. The latest generation devices have been described, including 3D X-ray scanners, magnetic gates with hazardous objects location, and manual metal detectors.

Percepcja zagrożeń terrorystycznych w Polsce oraz w Wielkiej Brytanii w XXI wieku na tle analizy orzecznictwa sądów i trybunałów

Author(s): Cezary Golędzinowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2020

The subject of the article is the assessment of statistical data on the operational activity of British and Polish secret services against the background of perception of terrorist threats and current case law of courts and tribunals. The purpose of the article is to present a socially important problem, which is the correlation between the perception of terrorist threats by citizens and their awareness of the degree of violation of human and civil rights and freedoms in the name of combating terrorism. The main research methods used in this work include the dogmatic and legal methods and statistical data analysis. The conclusions of the conducted research are observations of changes in the perception of terrorist threats, which result to a large extent from the problem of the migration crisis and from the experience of a given country in carrying out terrorist attacks on their territory. The article, through the analysis of domestic and international case law, indicates the need for further development of research on limiting the rights and freedoms of the individual in order to ensure security.

Od redakcji

Author(s): Weronika Kostecka / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2020