(023) TOWARDS AN EU HUMAN RIGHTS STRATEGY FOR A POST-WESTERN WORLD

Author(s): Susi Dennison,Anthony Dworkin / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2010

The shift of global power away from the West threatens to undermine the EU’s hopes of supporting human rights, democracy and the rule of law beyond its borders. The success of authoritarian states like China and the problems of some new democracies have cast doubt on the benefits of liberal democracy. The EU has lost influence to emerging powers that emphasize sovereignty over human rights, and there is resistance to any idea of the West exporting its model to the rest of the world. But the EU can still make a difference on global values if it follows a three-part strategy. It should join the battle of ideas, making a case for human rights and democracy that is not rooted in Western politics but recognizes that all societies should determine their own development in a fair and inclusive way. It should focus in its engagement with other countries on key ‘pressure points’ – achievable goals that will unlock further progress on human rights and create greater political space. And it should reach out to new partners, seeking common ground to support universal values in practice. To show it is not backing down on core beliefs, the EU should also set out a series of red lines on which it will not compromise. If Europe projects confidence in the values with which it is associated and at the same time pursues a realistic approach to supporting them, it is most likely to strengthen its global standing and help bring about an international order that matches its interests.

(024) THE EU AND HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE UN: 2010 REVIEW

Author(s): Richard Gowan,Franziska Brantner / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2010

Over the last year, the EU has struggled to make an impact on human rights at the UN, despite working more closely with the Obama administration than it was able to do with the previous administration. As a result, it is now clear that deepening divisions over human rights at the UN were not just a by-product of Bushism. The EU’s ‘voting coincidence score’ – reflecting the level of support from other countries for its positions on human rights in the General Assembly – has fallen from 52% last year to 42% this year. There have also been splits within the EU on votes in the Human Rights Council on Israeli actions in the Middle East, which has weakened the EU’s reputation for coherence on fundamental values at the UN. This update – the second annual update to ECFR’s 2008 report on the EU and human rights at the UN – underlines important longterm trends. The Obama administration’s policy of engagement at the UN has only persuaded a few countries to shift their stances on human rights and big non-Western democracies – especially Brazil – continue to drift away from the EU’s positions. Attempts to reverse this trend through technical reforms in the UN’s human rights system will likely fail. A European drive for broader UN reforms such as expanding the Security Council would be a gamble but could persuade rising powers to rethink their positions on human rights.

(Prawie) każda władza jest władzą pańską

Author(s): Andrzej Kojder / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 663/2016

10th Majlis Election in Iran: Structural, Institutional, Legal, and Political Issues

Author(s): Abdol Moghset Bani Kamal,Bakhrullo Ashurov / Language(s): English / Issue: 14/2017

The 10th Majlis election was held in the Islamic Republic of Iran on 26 February 2016. The election witnessed a record number of disqualified candidates by the Guardian Council. Notwithstanding this, the pro-government candidates were well-received by the voters. President Hassan Rouhani’s foreign policy and the nuclear deal that had concluded with the international community, held a special place in the political debates during the election. This paper first analyses the importance of the 10th Majlis election in Iran in the light of President Rouhani’s foreign policy. Secondly, it explores the election process. This paper argues that elections in Iran suffer from four types of issues. First characteristic is closely linked with the theocratic nature of the Iranian political system. Second one is connected with the Iranian electoral system. Third one arises from the inefficiency of electoral institutions. Finally, those issues caused by the discriminative approach of the Iranian ruling elites towards certain political parties and ethno religious groups.

A comparative analysis of the most popular models of local goverment

Author(s): Dragan Bataveljic,Dusan Jerotijevic,Dejan Logarusic / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2016

The authors point to the fact that the local government in Europe has a long tradition, so that in each of the European countries meet certain specifics regarding the structure, functioning and other characteristics, by which these countries differ from each other. It is quite natural, because such differences are a result of numerous factors that are, more or less, exerted influence on the formation of local self-government (its organization, jurisdiction code, position in society, the relationship between the state and the like). The authors pay special attention and give an analysis of the four major (the best known) model of local self-government - Britain, France, Germany and the United States. England and the United States can be considered the cradle of direct and independent forms of local government, while France was a prime example of the dependent (child) and indirect local government. In modern constitutional systems of much greater application has a two-stage local government, and its chief representative of the Federal Republic of Germany. Finally, there are some systems that do not distinguish between the state and local government, ie. between their bodies, because in such systems the organization of state power is unique and that, from the top all the way to the to the bottom (for example, the former Soviet Union, today’s People’s Republic of China and others).

A constitution for Erdoğan. Consequences of the political conflict in Turkey

Author(s): Mateusz R. Chudziak / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2016

Since mid-2015 Turkey has been affected by a deep internal crisis, caused by rising political polarisation, increased levels of terrorist threat (posed by the Kurds and Islamic radicals) and the revived conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). As a consequence of this crisis, over 350,000 residents of south-eastern Turkey have been forced to leave their homes. At the same time, due to the migration crisis and despite mutual distrust in relations between Turkey and the EU, cooperation between Ankara and Brussels has been intensifying. Turkey’s ongoing destabilisation does not challenge the status of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which is de facto controlled by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; paradoxically, it strengthens the party. The internal crisis which the authorities have been deliberately fuelling is an element of a plan to rubber-stamp political change by introducing a presidential system of government. This is happening amid a thorough reconstruction of the socio-political order which has been underway for over a decade. In the upcoming months it is expected to result in the constitution being changed and, as a consequence, the institutionalisation of Erdoğan’s autocratic rule.

A Critical Insight into Policy Implementation and Implementation Performance

Author(s): Anisur Rahman KHAN,Shahriar Khandaker / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2016

Policy implementation involves translating the goals and objectives of policy into action. Although seen as an integral part of the policy cycle, substantial research has not yet been carried out in this area. This paper examines the state and status of policy implementation as a discipline and the factors associated with implementation performance, based on a review of the literature and analysis by researchers.The assessment in this study confirms the dearth of theoretical development of this subject as a major concern for this discipline and a barrier for perfect execution. It was also found that multiple factors are linked to poor policy performance, such as a lack of coordination, funding, commitment, capabilities among implementers and top-downsupport. Finally, by critically looking into loopholes associated with performance in policy implementation, five theoretical models were developed for improving performance.These respectively had a rational, organisational, political, bureaucratic and management basis. It is expected that the application of these standards would help to overcome issues, leading to successful policy performance.

A Framework for Assessing Sustainability of Farming Enterprises

Author(s): Hrabrin Bachev / Language(s): English / Issue: 1 (39)/2016

This paper gives an answer to two important questions: „what is sustainability of farming enterprises?“ and „how to assess sustainability of farming enterprises?“. First, major shortcomings of dominating approaches for assessment of sustainability of farming enterprises like individual and family farms, agro- companies, agro- cooperatives etc. are summarized, and the needs for improvement underlined. Second, evolution of the “concept” and the major approaches for assessing sustainability of farming enterprises is discussed. More adequate definition of the farming enterprise’s sustainability is suggested as ability of a particular form to maintain its governance, economic, social and ecological functions in a long term. Finally, a specific for the conditions of Bulgarian agriculture framework for assessing sustainability of farming enterprises is proposed. The later includes a system of appropriate principles, criteria, indicators, and reference values for evaluating governance, economic, ecological and social aspects of farming enterprise’s sustainability as well as an approach for their integration and interpretation. The ultimate objective of this study is to work out an effective framework for assessing sustainability of farming enterprises of different type in the specific economic, institutional and natural environment, assist farm and agro- business management and strategies, and agricultural policies and forms of public intervention in agrarian sector.

A game played according to Lukashenka’s rules: the political opposition in Belarus

Author(s): Tomasz Bakunowicz / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2015

The Belarusian opposition is currently experiencing its deepest crisis since Alyaksandr Lukashenka took power in 1994. Following many months of negotiations, opposition leaders failed to select a joint candidate for the presidential election scheduled for 11th October. The failure of this latest round of talks has proven that not only is the opposition unlikely to threaten Lukashenka’s rule; it will not even be able to demonstrate to society that it could provide a genuine alternative to the present government.The presidential election in 2010 was a painful landmark for the opposition. The repression that accompanied the election has largely weakened political circles opposed to the government. Against this backdrop, the traditional internal problems of the opposition have worsened, such as its incapacity to reach agreement and develop a common, coherent operational strategy, the excessive ambitions of the leaders of particular groups, the low level of political maturity, mutual distrust and frequent personal conflicts. As a result the opposition has for years been unable to gain confidence in society and reach beyond the limited number (20%) of staunch proponents of democratic transformations. Given the fact that the Belarusian opposition is fragmented and lacks one clear leader, the readiness to support individual leaders does not exceed several per cent, according to independent surveys. Lukashenka’s present political opponents rather resemble a group of dissidents, than constitute a genuine opposition to the government. The crisis and helplessness of opposition circles are more acute given Belarus’s internal situation since for the first time Alyaksandr Lukashenka will run his presidential campaign in the context of the economic crisis and a forecasted fall in GDP.

A journey upstream: New meanings of the border

Author(s): Vesna Goldsworthy / Language(s): English / Issue: 6/2016

A difference between Serbia and Britain might be that the former is emptying and the latter is filling, both at speeds which can affect their ability to flourish. Much of the current debate about the European Union, in either place, appears to me to be a distraction from this bigger story. The new global migrations do not listen to national votes.

A kraków to… Miasto innowacji. Gospodarka kreatywna jako czynnik rozwoju miast na przykładzie Krakowa – adaptacja koncepcji 3T Richarda Floridy

Author(s): Patrycja Kumiega / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1/2017

The subject of the paper is to analyze the concept of the creative class in relation to the conditions of Cracow and their impact on the local and regional development. The aim of the article is the justification that Cracow meets the requirements of a creative city and for its development are responsible the interaction of three factors (talent, technology and tolerance).

A new national story?

Author(s): JEAN-YVES Potel / Language(s): English / Issue: 6/2016

Since coming to power in 2015 Poland’s Law and Justice party (PiS) has enacted its historical policy aimed at ending the “pedagogy of shame”. President Andrzej Duda has brought back the mythology of an innocent and martyred Poland and expressed his wish to reunite the nation around common values, such as independence and Christianity in order to regain the nation’s pride. However, instead of bringing Poles together, the new plan is dividing the society.

A new paradigm for sharing transition experience within the EU’s contested democracy support?

Author(s): Miriam Lexmann / Language(s): English / Issue: 3-4/2016

More than a decade after the completion of the democratic transition of the Visegrad Four countries, crowned by their membership of the EU, it is legitimate to ask whether the concept of “transition experience sharing” is still relevant to either the EU’s democracy support programs or the Visegrad Four ODA1 programs. This paper seeks to provide a basic empirical account of some of the fundamental processes of transition sharing while describing its core trends. It also makes recommendations, addressed partly at the V4 governments, but mainly at the respective EU institutions, on how features of “transition experience sharing” could be incorporated into democracy support schemes, thereby tailoring them in response to actual needs.

A partial success of trade cooperation within the ‘16+1’ formula: the case of food exports to China

Author(s): Jakub Jakóbowski / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2015

When in 2012 China approached the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with a proposal of cooperation in the ‘16+1’ formula, it declared it was willing to meet the needs of CEE countries. Beijing had been aware of the political importance of the problem of trade deficit (which has been ongoing for years) and launched cooperation with the governments of 16 CEE countries to boost imports from these states. The years 2011–2014 brought an improvement in the balance of trade between China and: Hungary, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia. The remaining ten CEE countries recorded an increase in their trade deficits. Changes in CEE countries’ balance of trade with China resulted only slightly from political actions. Instead, they were due to the macroeconomic situation and to a deterioration of the debt crisis in the EU which, for example, caused a decline in the import of Chinese goods in some of these countries. Multilateral trade cooperation was successfully developed in the entire region only in the agricultural and food production sector – the area of greatest interest to China. The pace of bilateral cooperation with specific countries varied, with the fastest being Poland, Latvia, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria. Actions by governments of CEE countries resulted in Chinese market opening up to hundreds of local companies which, in turn, translated into an increase in the volume of foodstuffs sold by ‘the 16’ to China from US$ 137 million in 2011 to US$ 400 million in 2014. The success achieved in the agricultural and food production sector has demonstrated the effectiveness of trade cooperation in the ‘16+1’ formula. It is, however, insufficient to generate a significant improvement of the trade balance. At present, the sector’s share in the total volume of goods sold to China by CEE states is a mere 3.7%, and any reduction of the trade deficit would require long-term and more comprehensive solutions still to be implemented by the governments of individual CEE states.

A Quintessential Lesson from European Union Integration to African Union

Author(s): Endris Mekonnen Faris,Hasan Korkut / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

The African Union -a multipurpose cooperation platform which most believe inspired by the European Union- came to exist to transform the continents fate into a prosperous one. European Union unprecedentedly becomes the crucial factor to speed up the Europe’s integration. European Union is an economic community and was not meant, first, a political one. Hence European Union can be a quintessential lesson for the African Union if the later understands the formers achievement came because of the exclusive emphasis given to the economic approach. The paper empirically argues that economic integration leads to an outright continental political unity. Accordingly the continent’s integration can only be achieved when economic approach is given prior emphasis. The political approach is a default which by nature follows the achievements gained from economic approach.The African Union -a multipurpose cooperation platform which most believe inspired by the European Union- came to exist to transform the continents fate into a prosperous one. European Union unprecedentedly becomes the crucial factor to speed up the Europe’s integration. European Union is an economic community and was not meant, first, a political one. Hence European Union can be a quintessential lesson for the African Union if the later understands the formers achievement came because of the exclusive emphasis given to the economic approach. The paper empirically argues that economic integration leads to an outright continental political unity. Accordingly the continent’s integration can only be achieved when economic approach is given prior emphasis. The political approach is a default which by nature follows the achievements gained from economic approach.

A Spanish “yes, we can!” against the two-party system

Author(s): Guillermo López García / Language(s): English / Issue: 13/2016

This article develops an analysis of the internal functioning of the Spanish party Podemos and its structural make-up. The used methodology consists of: 1) a descriptive analysis of the development of Podemos, based on the available information in the media; 2) an analysis centered on the presence of Podemos in social networks and the mainstream media, in addition to electoral results and polls. The analysis attempts to determine the following: the party’s decision- making process, along with the type of relationships established between leaders and supporters; to what extent the Internet is used as a primary tool for organization, mobilization and political propaganda; and the extent of the clash or harmony within the interparty’s dynamics: on one hand, the bottom-up structure of the citizen assemblies and, on the other, the top-down structure inferred from Pablo Iglesias’s hyper-leadership and the media presence of the party’s principal leaders.

A system approach in the political-administrative management

Author(s): Igor Reshevets / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

The article presents the results of the study on a system approach in the political-administrative management in order to improve the efficiency of administrative activity under the social transformation conditions. The system approach value in the process of a modern Ukrainian state development is grounded.

A Tengerentúl szerepe a 19. és a 20. század spanyol alkotmányaiban (1808–1978)

Author(s): Iván Harsányi / Language(s): Hungarian / Publication Year: 0

ABD VE TÜRKİYE ÖRNEKLERİ İLE SİYASAL ALANDA ÖTEKİLİK

Author(s): Taylan Maral / Language(s): Turkish / Issue: 14/2012

It is commonly known that the institution of politics uses every kind of concepts, rules and systems, for its own sake for governing society. While doing this, it especially uses mass media. The term of “otherness” individual discrimination to social discrimination can be analyzed in different form. The politicians using the ethnic origins sometimes directly or generally indirectly use the discrimination concepts against portion of the groups that they target. With the presidential nomination of Barack Hussain Obama the White&Black discrimination has arised at The State which is commonly known as the land of freedoms. But in our country a different case is observed on the attitude of Party of Peace and Democracy. The difference for this case is known for refusing to be part of unity as cultural richness but acting in accordance with the separatist terrorist activity. In this study the definition and functions of otherness in Turkey and the States will be analyzed on the cases of politicians.

Abkhazia’s ‘creeping’ incorporation. The end of the experiment of a separatist democracy

Author(s): Wojciech Górecki / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2015

On 5 March 2015 a Russian-Abkhazian treaty on alliance and strategic partnership came into effect; it had been signed on 24 November 2014. In fact, the treaty provides a “roadmap” for the incorporation of Abkhazia into the Russian area of defence and economic and social affairs: as soon as the transition periods defined in the treaty expire, Russian standards and legal regulations will be rolled out in these areas. Despite maintaining the formal status of the Abkhazian government institutions and attributes of statehood (which, however, is a fact of minor importance, as Abkhazia is not internationally recognised as a state), the treaty’s entry into force will de facto bring the current model of functioning of this para-state to an end.