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1101. The Perceptron of Security in the Programs of Czech Political Parties

Author:
Marcin Czyżniewski
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Polish Political Science Yearbook
Institution:
Polish Political Science Association (PPSA)
Abstract:
Author analyzed the programs of all Czech political parties which have their representatives in the Chamber of Deputies in the parliamentary term 2013–2017, assuming that political programs are a reflection of the public discourse, and of the public eye. Security is one of the most important categories in the programs of Czech political parties, in some literally the most important, however, this importance is determined through quantitative, not qualitative, perspective. Diagnosis and solutions are similar in all cases, what allows to conclude that security is not a factor differentiating the Czech political scene
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1102. The Relocation of the Iron Curtain to the Middle East: the Polish and Slovak Position Towards the EU Migration and Asylum Policy

Author:
Hanna Wiczanowska
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Polish Political Science Yearbook
Institution:
Polish Political Science Association (PPSA)
Abstract:
The current EU migration and asylum policy crisis has been perceived to constitute one of the most serious challenges for European security. The attitude of fear and reluctance towards admission of cultural others (including: refugees, asylum seekers and the immigrants) has been particularly visible in the V4 countries. The aim of this paper is therefore to examine the grounds of such a position with reference to general European tendencies as well as specific features of attitudes of Poland and Slovakia as the representatives of V4 countries in the light of their particular economic and social situation. Due to volume limitations the author will focus mainly on the two presented States. The decision regarding choice of Poland arises from the fact that as the only V4 State it has voted in favour of the mandatory quota of relocation of 120.000 refugees. Instead Slovakia constitutes the most vivid example pro-European parties changing rhetoric for more national which is quite transparent for the V4 countries. The whole analysis has been conducted in the specific context of relocation of the symbolic division of Europe an replacement of ideological Iron Curtain with cultural Velvet Curtain which leads to the phenomenon of culturalisation.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Eastern Europe

1103. Threats to Armenia’s Security in the National Strategy and Practice with Special Emphasis on External Security

Author:
Krystyna Gomółka
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Polish Political Science Yearbook
Institution:
Polish Political Science Association (PPSA)
Abstract:
The national security strategy adopted in 2007 provided a detailed definition of security and identified its threats. The key threat to the Armenian state was considered to be the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The document indicated the Collective Security Treaty Organisation main guarantor of security, with Russia being Armenia’s main partner in bilateral relations. The second position in the strategy was assigned to cooperation with the NATO and the OSCE. One of the priorities identified was to intensify the economic and trade connections with the European Union and participation in the European Neighbourhood Policy as a step towards integration with European structures. As to bilateral relations, the most significant were Armenia’s contacts with Georgia and Iran. If we compare the assumptions of the strategy with the policy pursued by Armenia after 2007, it is clear that the measures taken are in line with the provisions of the document. By the end of 2016, the most serious threat to Armenia – the Nagorno-Karabakh issue – remained unresolved. Russia reinforced its position as Armenia’s strategic ally. The talks conducted between Armenia and the NATO are of little significance in view of the obligations assumed by Armenia. The same goes for the talks with the European Union after Armenia’s withdrawal from signing the association agreement, accession to the Eurasian Economic Union on 01 January 2015 and signing bilateral agreements with the Russian Federation.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Armenia

1104. Between Russia and the West: Belarus as a Challenge for European Stability and Security

Author:
Anna Kuleszewicz
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Polish Political Science Yearbook
Institution:
Polish Political Science Association (PPSA)
Abstract:
This paper aims to explain that the stable situation of Belarus is important for Western Europe and why any fluctuations may present a challenge for European integrity and stability. Belarus, since the beginning of its independence in 1991 seems to show a great willingness to cooperate closely with Russia, claiming Western Europe and NATO as a potential enemy. In reality, the Belarusian position is much more complicated and ambiguous. Despite it’s close military cooperation with Russia, different tensions between Minsk and Moscow regularly happen and Belarusian authorities are still looking for new foreign partners and new energy suppliers (what was clearly visible in the last months of 2016 and the first period of 2017). Russia, old Belarusian partner, may actually even pose a threat for Belarus, so the country’s authorities have a hard challenge to maintain its stability. Western countries may be open for a new chapter of cooperation with Minsk but any rapid changes in Belarusian foreign preferences may result in unpredictable results and Moscow reaction that – in turn – would be very challenging for the whole European stability and security
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Russia

1105. A Fresh Examination of the Proliferation Dangers of Light Water Reactors

Author:
Victor Gilinsky
Publication Date:
10-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Nonproliferation Policy Education Center
Abstract:
Even before the ink was dry on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in l968, officials in the U.S. State Policy Planning staff had privately warned their superiors that non-weapons member states to the treaty could come within weeks of acquiring a nuclear arsenal by amassing nuclear weapons useable fuels claiming that these were intended for peaceful purposes. The advice was quietly filed away. Six years later, with India’s “peaceful” nuclear explosion, the warning seemed more salient. Still, even after a series of studies pointing out the military risks associated with proliferating civilian nuclear technology, most policy makers believed that the danger was speculative and still, at worst, many years away.
Topic:
Arms Control and Proliferation and International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1106. Automate This: Building the Perfect 21st-Century Worker

Author:
Rachael Stephens
Publication Date:
04-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Third Way
Abstract:
Based on our review of skill shortages, growth trends, and labor market demands, Third Way has identified the four skillsets that will make people successful and resilient in the new economy. They are the personal skills and thinking skills that automation can’t easily replicate, the digital skills to work with new technology, and job-specific skills for sectors facing major labor shortages.
Topic:
International Affairs and Global Political Economy
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1107. Mind the Gap: The State of Skills in the U.S.

Author:
Rachael Stephens
Publication Date:
07-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Third Way
Abstract:
Third Way conducted an original, multi-dimensional analysis of skill gaps across the country using five kinds of data to identify patterns in industry labor markets.
Topic:
International Affairs and Employment
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1108. A State Affair: Privatizing Congo’s Copper Sector

Author:
The Carter Center
Publication Date:
02-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The Carter Center
Abstract:
The Carter Center’s in-depth report, “A State Affair: Privatizing Congo’s Copper Concessions,” is the culmination of the Center’s analysis of mining sector trends in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the end of the Zaire era 20 years ago, with a strong focus on the DRC’s key state-owned mining company, Gécamines. The report draws on the Center’s detailed analysis of the mining contract review process in the DRC following the 2006 elections and includes a broader economic and political analysis of mining privatization in the former Katanga province, a region particularly rich in copper and cobalt.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1109. Momentous Change in the Nile Basin

Author:
Basel Ammane
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
The Nile Basin is among numerous areas around the world that experience water scarcity. Many of the countries that are in it fail to meet the minimum of 2,740 litres per person per day needed to avoid being listed as a country with chronic water scarcity. 1 To make matters worse, the collective population of these countries is expected to rise to around 647 million by 2030, a 52 percent increase from what it was in 2010 according to the UN Population Division
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

1110. Brazil: President Temer’s Attempt to Revive the Former Latin American Powerhouse

Author:
Marcelo Lopez de Aragon
Publication Date:
08-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Council on International Policy (CIP)
Abstract:
Thanks to the ruling majority in the Brazilian Parliament, President Michel Temer, a self-styled political centrist, was barely saved on August 2, 2017, from undergoing a corruption trial that could have led to his dismissal and potential imprisonment. The Brazilian president is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for granting political favours to various Brazilian companies and politicians since 2010. According to secret telephone recordings taken of the president, these illegal practices reportedly continued after Temer took the presidential reigns. Regardless of the judicial fate of the Brazilian president, the fact that his mandate is peppered with scandals reflects how corruption has spread throughout the Brazilian political system like a cancer metastasized across the halls of power.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus