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International Terrorism - Current Challenges and Legal Means of Protection in the Czech Republic
Issue:
2017 - Volume 11, Issue 2
The article analyses two current issues relating to the contemporary international terrorism. Firstly, it is the ingrowth or merging of international terrorism with organised crime, as a criminological or sociological problem. Secondly, it is the threat posed by the growing number of persons referred...
The EU’s Normative Impact on its Neighbourhood
Issue:
2017 - Volume 11, Issue 2
The paper examines the relevance of Ian Manners’ ‘normative power Europe’ concept and argues that the concept benefits from its closer integration into the general norm diffusion literature in international relations. The paper emphasises that the European Union’s capability of having an impact on what...
The Challenge from Merkel’s Right: Alternative for Germany and the Alliance for Progress and Renewal in Bavaria and Eastern Germany
Issue:
2017 - Volume 11, Issue 1
Abstract: In the past three years two new political parties have been established in Germany and both approach recent economic, social and civil issues from the political Right. The Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD) can indeed be viewed further to the right than the Alliance...
Causes of Conflicts and Methods or Resolution in the Caucasus
Issue:
2017 - Volume 11, Issue 1
Abstract: After the collapse of the USSR and the outbreak of armed conflicts in the Caucasus, international relations scholars and practitioners have sought explanations about causes of conflicts and ways to their resolution. This article poses why conflicts have erupted in the countries of the former...
The Role of Internet Based Social Networks in Russian Protest Movement Mobilization
Issue:
2017 - Volume 11, Issue 1
Abstract: One of the unmistakable characteristics of Russia’s “White House” uprising that led to regime change in August 1991 was its broad popular support. The political upheaval that initially found buttress in Muscovite urban middle classes soon transcended all social strata and geography ending dominance...
Overcoming the “Dutch Disease”: The Economic Modernisation of Gulf monarchies into the 21st Century
Issue:
2017 - Volume 11, Issue 1
Abstract: This article deals with necessity of oil-rich countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to move away from commodities export in favour of more diversified economies in times of low prices of crude oil. Issues, including the rise of alternative branches of industry, shifts in agriculture...
The Role of European Security Organisations in the Conflict in Ukraine
Issue:
2017 - Volume 11, Issue 1
Abstract: The present conflict in Ukraine is considered one of the most significant crises in Europe since the disintegration of Yugoslavia. And, it is taking place in a very specific area with special interests of external actors. The conflict, which has escalated into a war, has been regulated and,...
Regime Theory as IR Theory: Reflection on Three Waves of ‘Isms’
Issue:
2017 - Volume 11, Issue 1
This article analyzes the significance of regime theory, or regimes theorization, for the field of International Relations. It tries to reflect on theoretical affinities between the two, with an intention to recast regime theory as IR theory. While this may not be surprising given that regime theory...
Biafra’s Resurgence: State Failure, Insecurity and Separatist Agitations in Nigeria
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 3
Abstract: This work critically examines the issues undermining the unification of Nigeria, using indicators and concepts including failed state, separatist agitation and insecurity. It forays into the inherent issues underlying the Biafran movement and the ways in which those issues, as well as Biafran...
NATO and Environmental Security: Understanding the Limits of the Alliance`s Transformation during Détente
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 3
Abstract: The article explores the founding of NATO’s Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society (CCMS). The founding of CCMS made NATO—an organisation which was established mainly for territorial defence—deal with the issue of environmental protection. Thus, NATO received, for the first time, a task...
Criminal, Religious and Political Radicalisation in Prisons: Exploring the Cases of Romania, Russia and Pakistan, 1996-2016
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 3
Abstract: Ironically, prison and imprisonment plays a significant in role in the development of radicalised and extremist individuals and movements—a point highlighted by the recent enquiry into the radicalisation process of Islamists in Europe. The fact that prison might act as a ‘school of crime’ is...
European Union at Risk: The Judiciary under Attack in Romania
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 3
Executive Summary
Many of the methods used by the Communists in Romania pre-1989 to create a politicised system of justice and law enforcement are still in existence in contemporary Romania.
The control of judicial institutions and the subordination of the rule of law by the Romanian executive...
Dynamics of Middle East Peace Process in the Era of US Hegemony: 1950-2000
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 2
Abstract: This article begins with the observation that the US has over the course of the 20th century, exerted an unrivalled influence on international affairs. In exerting this influence, which is manifested within various dimensions (military, economic and technological), successive American...
The Concept of Border Security in the Schengen Area
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 2
Abstract: This article contributes to the discussion about border security in the Schengen Area, particularly regarding the dramatic increase of illegal immigration since 2013. It first outlines the competency of the European Union regarding protection of Schengen’s external borders and identifies the...
Why did the 2011 Egyptian Revolution Fail?
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 3
Abstract: This article examines why the Egyptian revolt of January 2011 was not a revolution. It shows that the revolt did not change the fundamental political structure of the country, which eventually ended up under military rule. Several theories of revolution will be presented and reasons for the...
Regional Power Competition and the Middle East Regional Order, 1945–2010
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 3
Abstract: To understand the current character of the Middle East, a clear picture of the context in which the prevailing order was formed is necessary and the relationships between parties, the dominant behaviour patterns of the entities and institutions that created and shaped the regional order and...
Revolution and Democracy: Socio-Political Systems in the Context of Modernisation
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 3
Abstract: The stability of socio-political systems and the risks of destabilisation in the process of political transformation are among the most important issues of social development; the transition to democracy may pose a serious threat to the stability of a respective socio-political system. This...
Urban Counterterrorist Sieges: The 2008 Mumbai Attack and Police (In)Capacity
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 2
Abstract: The Mumbai terrorist attack of 2008 exposed key vulnerabilities in India’s defences against urban terrorism. Not only did it reflect an unprecedented degree of sophistication on the part of jihadist planners, but the attack also demonstrated that the Indian policing system was woefully inadequate...
Inconsistencies between Libya and Syria? Pragmatic Revisionism and the Responsibility to Protect
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 2
Abstract: The on-going debate on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) concept revolves around its problematic and inconsistent implementation, particularly while comparing the military intervention to protect civilians in Libya (2011) and the inadequate response to the Syrian crisis. The article traces...
The Implementation of Sanctions Imposed by the European Union: A Comparison of the Czech and Slovak Republics’ Compliance
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 1
Abstract: This study focuses on the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, two countries which do not carry out autonomous sanctions, but are, nevertheless, obliged to implement sanctions adopted by international organisations because of their membership commitments. The study explores the fulfilment...
The “Black Widow” Media Discourse: “Desperation, Irrationality and Vendetta” in Dagestan
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 1
Abstract: This work examines how the media representation of the female self-martyrs of Dagestan and Chechnya, often dubbed “Black Widows,” portrays them as irrational, hysterical and/or desperate. The replication of the “Chechen Black Widow” narrative, applied to any female self-martyr striking on Russian...
How Criminals Infiltrate Public Procurement: Organised Crime and Corruption in Legal Markets and Public Sectors
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 1
Abstract: Criminal infiltration in the legal economy – particularly public procurement and corruption – are among the most pronounced challenges facing European states. This work analyses the strategies and methods used by organised criminal groups to tamper with the procedures for the execution of public...
Is Gazprom Pushing East?: Exploring Gazprom's Behavioural Patterns in the Asian Market
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 1
Abstract: This article examines whether the Russian Eastern Energy Policy (EEP) corresponds to the widely shared perception that Russia uses energy resources as part of its domestic and foreign policy goals and to assess the role of Gazprom in Russia’s overall governmental strategy. For this purpose,...
The European Union as an Actor in Energy Relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran
Issue:
2015 - Volume 9, Issue 4
ABSTRACT: The final phase of the nuclear negotiations with Iran has coincided with a profound crisis in the EU-Russia relations. Due to the crisis in Ukraine, the uncertainty about European energy security has increased significantly. Against this background, Iran, with its vast natural gas resources,...
What is the Threat Perception of the Slovak Republic?
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 1
ABSTRACT: This work examines security threats as perceived by the independent Slovak Republic based on the analysis of official state security documents and offers a reflection of the evolution of the security environment and how the Slovak Republic has confronted these. The conducted research led to...
Criminal Governance and Insurgency: The Rio de Janeiro Experience
Issue:
2015 - Volume 9, Issue 4
ABSTRACT: The issue of governance by non-state armed groups has been gaining increasing attention from a range of social scientists. This study considers the territorial governance and authority of armed gangs in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, applying a notion of insurgency as competition for the support...
The Limits, Dilemmas and Challenges of European Security in Uncertain Times
Issue:
2016 - Volume 10, Issue 1
ABSTRACT: This article assesses the current state of European security and its future prospects against the backdrop of several key processes: the rising political and economic power of non-western actors, US and European economic problems, the dynamic of the changing security environment and threats—especially...
Constraining or Encouraging? US and EU Responses to China’s rise in East Asia
Issue:
2015 - Volume 9, Issue 4
ABSTRACT: China’s consolidation of power in East Asia has been reshaping regional security dynamics. This has challenged US regional leadership and confronted Asian states with a new strategic dilemma of major power rivalry. Similarly, China’s rise has confronted the EU with challenges to its strategy...
The Nature of Separatism and Its Weak Reverberations in the Americas
Issue:
2015 - Volume 9, Issue 3
ABSTRACT: Secessionism opens up a myriad of interesting debates related to the very ontology of borders and states and the nature of the international system. The main aim of this study is to shed light on the under-scrutinised phenomenon of separatism by problematising and theorising on it. To this...
A Place with None and a number of Frontiers: Changes and Continuities in Interethnic and Power Relations in 19th Century South-Western Amazon
Issue:
2015 - Volume 9, Issue 3
ABSTRACT: This study presents a range of research into interethnic and power relations in the upper Madeira area in the southwest Amazon over the course of the 19th century. After providing a preliminary evaluation of the impact of both international treaties and internal political changes at the end...