... grouped into external and internal factors. The external dimension relates to what is seen as the destabilizing activities of Western NGOs in Serbia and attempts to unsettle the political situation.
Internal factors stem from the lack of dialogue between society and the government, as well as public dissatisfaction with socio-economic conditions, including high levels of corruption.
Serbia’s geopolitical situation is complex, as the country is surrounded by unfriendly states, most of which are NATO ...
... place can be described as a kakistocracy. It is the root cause of the deep-seated dissatisfaction in the Alienation 2.0 phase. Notwithstanding its utmost pertinence to the current condition, this word is hardly mentioned in discussions aimed at solving society’s ills. Instead, democracy and other concepts characterizing liberal international order are advocated at compounding rates. Such a rendition is not incidental at all. The concept of democracy in its essence and exercise of—particularly through ...
Twists and turns of the conflict in eastern DR Congo
In January 2002, the city of Goma, located in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lay in ruins. The cause was not the Great African War,
[1]
which had been ravaging the country for several years. The war’s first rebellion had, in fact, started here in August 1998, when Banyamulenge-Tutsi fighters, led by a former ally of President Laurent-Désiré Kabila and backed by Rwanda (where Paul Kagame has ruled since the 1994 genocide), seized...
... principles, as clearly seen in the cases of U.S. and EU pressure on Georgia and their support for Moldova.
Under these circumstances, even governments that support European integration are no longer willing to be a revolving door for transnational “civil society.” Standards and rules provide less and less protection to anyone. Tomorrow, your government may face demands for another concession—for example, joining restrictions against Russia—and find itself transformed from an ally into a target for ...
Emotion and frustration seem to be taking over the political world, but especially so in the UK
Introduction
This paper attempts to uncover why England (and later the United Kingdom) has a deep historical dislike of Russia and Russian society. Starting with William Pitt’s verbal attack on Russia in 1791, the same sentiments moved onto the Dardanelles, the so-called “Great Game”, the Crimean War, the acquisition of Cyprus, Mackinder’s obsession with Russia, the Bolsheviks, the ...
... candidate) and the Republican candidate (almost certainly Trump) in the presidential election is not solely political but fundamentally about values: a clash of ideological trends, worldviews, and ultimately conceptions of human nature, one’s place in society, and one’s goals and responsibilities.
The phenomenon of Donald Trump’s popularity, which represents the hopes of the conservative segment of the American electorate, has been the subject of numerous academic studies. Trump is characterized ...
... remarks were delivered by Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Academic Director, and Vitaly Naumkin, IOS RAS President and RIAC Vice-President.
The substantive basis of the conference was the RIAC monography "Conversations about the Arab World: Politics, Power, Society". The book was presented by its authors: Aleksandr Aksenenok, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia, RIAC Vice-President, and Vasily Kuznetsov, Deputy Director for Science of the IOS RAS, RIAC Member.
During the discussion,...
... that a more competent government would take their place. This is what Georgia’s unofficial patron Bidzina Ivanishvili promised voters, and the presence of such an influential figure, who had no personal interest in a political career, helped Georgian society achieve a peaceful and democratic transfer of power. People believed that their lives would be better under Ivanishvili than under Saakashvili.
Indeed, the Georgian dream of a healthy socioeconomic life became a reality in the eight years from ...
... to seek loyalty from religious leaders and to pursue its own interests in this area. However, this issue should be settled privately (i.e., through agreements between state and church elites), outside of public legislation, avoiding polarization of society and discrimination. Pope Francis also implicitly invokes the idea of the “common good” (“those who truly pray always pray for all”).
Overall, it is fair to say that Law 8371 is painted by its Western critics as a one-off and exceptional ...
... gradually fading from the Afghanistan-related agenda. The problem of human rights in Afghanistan—strongly emphasized by Western nations, especially regarding women’s rights and education—should be recognized as an internal matter, belonging to Afghan society and its government. Afghanistan was one of the first Muslim states to sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but this only formally obliges the country’s leadership to adhere to its principles. In addition, the crisis of the UN has ...
