Complex International Relations Research Articles

UKRAINIAN MEDIA ON HUNGARY'S PRESIDENCY OF THE EU COUNCIL

This article examines the reaction and coverage by Ukrainian media of Hungary's presidency of the Council of the European Union. The aim of the article is to analyze and systematize the approaches of Ukrainian media to covering Hungary's presidency of the EU Council, assess their impact on shaping public opinion in Ukraine on this issue, and explore how the media interpret the potential consequences of the Hungarian presidency for Ukraine's European integration aspirations and its support from the EU in the context of Russian aggression. The relevance of the topic is due to the complex Ukrainian-Hungarian relations and Hungary's ambiguous position on the Russian-Ukrainian war, which causes concern in Ukrainian society and media space. The paper analyzes key aspects of this topic's coverage by leading Ukrainian media, including news portals, analytical publications, and television channels. Special attention is paid to how the media interpret the potential impact of the Hungarian presidency on EU support for Ukraine and Ukraine's European integration process. The study reveals that Ukrainian media demonstrate a balanced but vigilant approach to covering this topic. They carefully analyze statements and actions of the Hungarian government, especially regarding issues related to Ukraine. The media also focus on possible contradictions between the official EU position and Hungary's position on supporting Ukraine. The article also examines how Ukrainian media involve expert assessments for deeper analysis of the situation and its potential consequences. It highlights the media's role in shaping public opinion on this issue and their contribution to understanding complex geopolitical processes. Special attention is paid to how Ukrainian media cover this issue in the context of ongoing Russian aggression, which adds particular urgency to the discussion. It analyzes how media balance between the need for objective coverage and a patriotic position in wartime conditions. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the important role of Ukrainian media in shaping public discourse on international politics and Ukraine's European integration processes. It stresses the need for further development of a critical and analytical approach in media to ensure full and objective information to society about complex international relations and their impact on Ukraine.

Modeling the Interactive Patterns of International Migration Network through a Reverse Gravity Approach

The international migration network, comprising the movements of people between countries, is one of the most important global systems of interaction, which can reflect the complex international relations of economics, cultures, and politics and has huge impacts on global sustainability. However, the conventional gravity model cannot model its complicated interactions accurately. In this article, we propose a novel reverse gravity model using genetic algorithm to reconstruct the complicated interaction patterns with high accuracy. To verify the feasibility of our method, it was applied to a series of international migration networks. We found that the derived node attractions were highly correlated with socioeconomic factors and network metrics, and the calculated node positions outperformed the geometric centers from the perspective of human migration that related to economy and demography. Our approach could be a preferred choice to investigate the spatial–temporal interactive patterns in geographical space, facilitating comprehension of the mechanisms underlying their generation and evolution.

Politics Between Nations. Contributions to International Relations, edited by Adebowale Akande. Springer, Cham. 2023. XXVII, 645 pp. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24896-2.

This book comparatively analyzes global conflicts and diplomatic relations between international players, as well as the mechanisms of public diplomacy, the difficulties of peace diplomacy and hard power war. In the book, the authors pay special attention to the issues of the modern world order, relations between various geopolitical, regional and national actors in an environment of increasingly complex international relations, emerging challenges and threats. The authors pay special attention to the efforts of intergovernmental organizations, the problem of terrorism, including international terrorism, and the violation of global stability, which still remain serious challenges and threats that national states, as well as international institutions, are called upon to solve. The authors analyze various dimensions of the intensification of terrorism, military conflicts and threats to national states emanating from military blocs, and update the issues of terrorist danger and international instability. They note that this state of affairs in the world system puts on the political agenda the importance of enhanced interaction between national states with international weight, resources and capabilities. In this regard, constructive and civilized interaction of all countries in the international arena to counter terrorism and strengthen international stability is of particular relevance.

UKRAINIAN-POLISH RELATIONS DURING THE WAR: FINANCIAL ASPECT

This article delves into the complex international relations between Ukraine and Poland amidst the backdrop of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Focused on military, financial, and humanitarian aspects, the study examines the extent of support provided by various nations, emphasizing the role of Poland as an early and significant contributor. Utilizing extensive data, the article reveals the magnitude of financial aid, with the United States and Germany leading the contributions. Additionally, it explores non-refundable aid, highlighting the diverse sources and amounts. The authors scrutinize military, financial, and humanitarian commitments, shedding light on the substantial assistance directed towards priority state budget expenditures. Despite challenges, Poland's multifaceted support, including the provision of residential modules and social benefits for displaced Ukrainians, underscores the depth of collaboration. However, the article acknowledges hurdles in fostering transparent diplomatic relations, citing the influence of political elites and speculative discourse surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The study concludes with a snapshot of the refugee situation, emphasizing Poland's significant role in providing legal recognition and social assistance to over 1,7 million Ukrainian citizens. Overall, the analysis paints a nuanced picture of the evolving dynamics between Ukraine and Poland during this critical period. Keywords: military situation, Ukrainian-Polish relations, financial support, cooperation

“Cold war 2.0”: Simulation of possible conflict scenarios of the Western world and russia and their satellites after the hot stage of the russian-Ukrainian war

Currently, the development of complex international relations and further dialogue between the collective West and Russia is the most important topic discussed in political circles in many countries. This issue is particularly relevant both considering the escalation of the active phase of the russian-Ukrainian war and the difficulty of predicting further developments in the situation. The research aims to present various options for the development of events in the international arena in the sphere of relations between Western countries and the russian federation and its satellites after the end of active hostilities in Ukraine. The main scientific method used in the research is historical, comparative, analysis, observation, systematic approach, and prognostic methods. The research identified the key characteristics and peculiarities of bilateral relations between the leading Western countries and russia at the present stage of development; studied the official policy of Western countries towards the satellites of the russian federation; predictions on the development of relations between the main players in the international arena within the framework of this study after the end of active hostilities in the russian-Ukrainian war. The research results, as well as the conclusions drawn, can be used as a basis for future research, both by researchers and scholars specializing in related areas of research; in addition: for the diplomatic service – in the process of studying the history of relations between Western countries and the russian federation and determining its role and position as a third party in these relations; for higher education, primarily for the specialties of history, international relations, and international politics, for the science of conflicts as a historical example of the development of complex relations between separate subjects on the international arena; for other scholars studying the issue

Features of the management activities of A.M. Pozdneev, the founder of oriental studies in the Far East of Russia (late XIX – early XX centuries)

The paper analyzes the management activities of professor-orientalist A.M. Pozdneev, the first director of Oriental Institute in Vladivostok, who also served as the head of the Vladivostok Men’s Gymnasium. The study was conducted in the context of the problem of the formation and development of oriental studies in the Russian Far East. It highlights the role of the directorial body in the management of two different educational institutions is particularly important The paper also shows the difficulties of the director’s working conditions related to the specifics of the educational process at the university and the gymnasium, the difference in the contingent of students, which required the head to search for various scientific and pedagogical approaches, the ability to work with both the faculty of Oriental Institute and the pedagogical staff of the gymnasium, as well as the territorial remoteness of the Far Eastern outskirts from the center, which significantly complicated the organization and management and administrative activities of the director A.M. Pozdneev. It demonstrates the results of a hard work of Professor A.M. Pozdneev on the implementation of the state policy tasks in the field of development of higher oriental education in the Far East in the conditions of complex international relations with neighboring Asian states.

Research Status and Future Development of Deep Space Security

As deep space exploration activities increase worldwide, the exploration environment becomes increasingly complex and the exploration tasks become increasingly difficult. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to research on deep space security issues. In this study, we first clarify the basic connotation of deep space security, briefly describe the significance and key issues of deep space security research, and summarize the research status and future development of four key deep space security issues: space radiation threat, planetary protection, space heritage protection, and space legislation. The study indicates that space radiation has the characteristics of multiple threat sources and high radiation intensity and should be researched from the perspectives of physical, biomedical, and chemical protection. Planetary protection mainly faces the challenges of pollution and impact of deep space spacecraft, and research should be conducted from the perspectives of deep space microbial detection and disinfection technologies as well as policy formulation. Space heritage protection is controversial in terms of evaluation and protection measures owing to political, cultural, and legal differences among countries, and it should be researched from the perspectives of international cooperation, deep space spacecraft, and reduction of human impact. Due to the complex international relations among countries, it is difficult for the effectiveness of current laws and regulations to become the consensus of the international community; therefore, research should be conducted from the aspects of international legislative organizations, domestic research institutions, and the improvement of domestic legal systems.

Государственная и частная почта: почтовый эпизод советско-германских отношений периода действия Брестского-Литовского мира 1918 г.

Mail and postage stamps are a single entity, maintaining such a connection even in times of serious socio-political upheavals. After the events of 1917, the new leadership of the postal and telegraph department was almost immediately concerned to stop the process of further destruction of postal and telegraph communications in Russia, which had begun in the previous period. Attempts were made to maintain the functioning of international postal communications by this time, although in the conditions of the actual state of war of Soviet Russia, primarily with Germany, this was seriously hampered. Only after the signing of the Brest Peace and its ratification on March 15, 1918, the international postal service began to revive. Nevertheless, in the difficult conditions of the initial period of the civil war, foreign nationals who were on the territory of Soviet Russia had to find alternative ways to send correspondence abroad to the state postal service. One of these methods was the creation of private mail. In the conditions of complex international relations in the spring - summer of 1918, the functions of private mail could be assumed by special structures that were created at foreign missions in Soviet Russia. One of these structures was the “German-Baltic Committee” in Petrograd, created at the German Consulate, opened after the signing of the Brest Treaty. Сommittee initiated the issue of a special stamp, which was first described in his memoirs by the Russian emigrant G. Shenets, and one of the most prominent representatives of Russian philately, K. Schmidt, conducted a study of its functioning. The circle of people who used this private mail was very limited. Letters and small packages were accepted, for the dispatch of which a fee of one ruble was charged, a stamp of the corresponding denomination was pasted by the committee's employees on all mailings and stamped with special stamps in German. These stamps were not sold to the public. From the Baltic provinces, special couriers brought back correspondence, which was again issued in the committee itself with the same stamps at the same tariff. Probably, the activity of this “private mail” turned out to be short-lived. The need for it, in fact, disappeared after the signing on August 8, 1918 of the agreement between Russia and Germany on postal, telegraph and railway communication, according to which all postal and telegraph relations between the two countries were regulated by the Convention on the Universal Postal Union and bilateral treaties and agreements concluded in this area between the Russian Empire and Germany, the effect of which were resumed according to the peace concluded in Brest-Litovsk. In general, the short-term activity of the German-Baltic Committee in the field of postal services, apparently, was more of a forced, extraordinary measure, although it fits well enough into the international situation associated with the period of the Brest Peace in relations between the RSFSR and Germany. On the other hand, this episode of international postal activity indicates that the leadership of Soviet Russia systematically followed the path of strengthening control over those areas of activity that ensured the monopoly right of the state to receive income from international activities.

Метафорическая креация дихотомии „вертикаль– горизонталь” в цифровом политическом дискурсе (на примере корпуса мемов о встрече Путина и Лукашенко в Сочи)

Internet memes are defined as the main structural unit of the modern media space (A. Kvyat), possessing a high persuasive potential. They are viewed not only as an instant reaction of users to events but also as a way of expressing political opinion. The aim is to analyse the metaphorical creation of vertically oriented relations in digital political discourse using the example of a corpus of memes on the theme of the meeting of Presidents Putin and Lukashenko in Sochi in 2020. We interpret the meme as an elaborate semantic complex capable of instant replication, usually of verbal-iconic expression, referring to different spheres-sources that the communicant must identify. In this regard, a high intertextual density of Internet memes is their constitutive feature, and the key requirement for their adequate perception is the general apperception base of the communicants and the recipient’s ability to see the cultural signs embedded in the meme. When comprehending complex international relations in political memetics, the conceptual metaphor of vassalage is actualized. To solve the research problems, the methods of interpretive and intersemiotic analysis, the main provisions of the theory of conceptual metaphor by J. Lakoff and M. Johnson, as well as the theory of conceptual integration (blending, or conceptual amalgams) by G. Fauconnier and M. Turner are used. The emphasis is on considering the iconic component. As a result of the research, the slots of the amalgam „Lukashenko is Putin’s vassal” represented by memes were identified and described taking into account the connections of this metaphorical construct with other fragments of the collective cognitive space. The seme of „subordination and dependence” that gave rise to the conceptual amalgam is explicated through the integration of the sphere of politics with the conceptual spaces of other asymmetric relations (family, feudalism, love relationship). When analysing the corpus of memes, their characteristic property – the realization of valence – was clearly revealed. Due to their topicality, anonymity and prevalence, Internet memes are an indicator of public sentiment and a means of forming the mental attitudes of society.

Teorijski dometi izučavanja energetske bezbednosti kao globalnog izazova u međunarodnim odnosima

From the first discoveries of fossil fuels in the late nineteenth century to the present, the importance of energy resources has been gaining global proportions, not only in economic, political and social terms, but has become an indispensable aspect of national and international security. Energy has become an important factor in international cooperation (gas pipelines, oil pipelines), but also of open and covert conflicts and tensions (oil shocks, gas crises, economic sanctions). The work analyzes the development of theoretical directions for post-Second World War security studies and its weaknesses in understanding the importance and role of energy security in complex international relations. The aim of the work is to analyze and explain energy resources as an important factor of national and international security and its interdependence and complexity of economic, military, political, social and ecological phenomena with the aid of sector theory and global sociological approach.

(Zlo)upotreba fudbala - analiza izveštavanja medija o utakmicama Srbije i Hrvatske 2013. godine

Within the qualifications for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014, two football matches were played between Serbia and Croatia. Due to complex international relations between Serbia and Croatia, there were many controversies about the matches. Through the analysis of the articles from Kurir and Večernji list (as an example of yellow and tabloid press of both countries) and articles from Politika and Index.hr (as an example of more professional approach to journalism) the article critically regards the nature of press reports about those two matches. Exceeding the phenomenon of football, hostile, nationalistic, chauvinistic and sensationalistic implications were present in the press alongside numerous historical connotations. Such method of journalism has profound consequences, firstly for the progress of the entire sports culture in Serbia as well as in Croatia, and secondly it affects the decrease of long-lasting international tensions and hostilities.

Under non-stationarity securitization contributes to uncertainty and Tragedy of the Commons

Uncertainty is a defining characteristic of hydrologic investigations, with increasing recognition of parameter, structural, measurement, and prediction uncertainty. Here we suggest that an additional form of uncertainty—(geo)political uncertainty—is locally important, but commonly neglected. We define geopolitical uncertainty in hydrology as indefiniteness of water balance processes, the relative magnitude of hydrologic fluxes, or causality as a consequence of complex international relations amongst riparians of a transboundary basin forced by internal economic, political, and nationalistic drivers (as well as interactions amongst these drivers) under a regime of non-stationary climate. We suggest that such (geo)political uncertainty has developed in the Jordan River basin as a consequence of intentionally ambiguous language in the Israel Jordan Peace Treaty, outstanding discussions regarding water allocations to the Palestinian Authority, and lobbying by the powerful agricultural sector. In the presence of economic motives requiring consumption of water these drivers promote securitization manifested as secrecy regarding water management and consumption by the upstream riparian, which given non-stationary climate opens a void of (geo)political uncertainty in which the relative importance of climate variability and change becomes indeterminate relative to changing water consumption, thereby perhaps allowing the upstream riparian to increase water consumption. The consequence of this (geo)political uncertainty for hydrologic studies is large water balance uncertainty, inability to reproduce water consumption studies due to data secrecy, and disagreement regarding the relative importance of pertinent drivers (i.e., climate versus consumption). Greater acknowledgement and awareness of (geo)political uncertainty’s impacts on hydrologic studies is needed, as are concerted efforts to reduce this uncertainty for the benefit of transparent water dialogue among riparians and knowledge-based management of common-pool resources.

International Legal Rules for Adjudicating Matters of State Contracts ('State Contract Rules'). Informal Reflection on Public International Law in Its Current Development Phase

Rules pertaining to State contracts is the most intricate part of public international law dealing with foreign investors. While earlier this branch predominantly focused on safeguarding interests of foreign business, the attitude of international commercial community has evolved. Still, the major focus on committing the State to honor its voluntary contractual undertakings throughout the business project's life is maintained. At the same time, nowadays Tribunals tend to refer to various subsets of sustainable business environment principles when assessing implications of changed Government policies, conduct of the Investor, or workings of International Governmental Organizations. This paper aims to be the first codified set of modern public international rules regarding full plethora of major issues regarding State contracts. Especially, it gives position on such issues commonly facing Tribunals as: hierarchy of applicable laws to a State contract; conflict between terms of a State contract and EU law; whether defenses of force majeure and similar tools are applicable to State contracts at all (with regard to a Host State); or - when hardship has occurred and Parties are obliged to renegotiate terms of the deal. It is frequently forgotten (even by reputable Arbitrators) that, in the first half of the 20th century, when protection of State contracts was developing as a specific subset of public international law, the whole system was implicitly based on assumption that a Home State of the Investor permits direct dealing by the Host State with Investor only on condition as if the direct international bond existed between the two States regarding the agreed rules for operation of business of the Investor in the Host State. In other words, intention was to avoid opportunistic behavior on part of the Host State (that could formally cite changes in its laws - or impetus from international organizations - as ground for deviation from the contract). There are Tribunals committing a grand mistake of letting political factors influence their decisions - while it is true that, especially lately, international scene has witnessed various high level misuses of corporate power and links (and so, one shall be careful enough to properly assess each case), Tribunals shall persistently maintain a realistically juristic attitude rather than making politics or becoming popular with States (in terms of, potentially securing appointments as arbitrators in further proceedings). Of course, there are more and more known or publicized instances when Investor has been so exploitively, speculatively, or grossly negligently keen to secure the deal that it would run contrary to basic tenets of international justice to protect its interests, when later the deal brakes off and various risks turn against the Investor. But, for a proper and comprehensive assessment of peculiarities of each case, Tribunal would much benefit from existence of codified rules and guidance, such as put forward in this Paper. As a final note, these Codified Rules have been amalgamated from workings of both (i) Tribunals specifically formed under State contracts, or bilateral or multilateral investment protection treaties (including, the Energy Charter Treaty), and (ii) general international courts and tribunals (including, International Court of Justice and Permanent Court of International Arbitration). The latter referred general courts are an extremely useful source for inspirations concerning efficient and progressive adjudication of modern complex international relations.

Using dating as an analogy to teach ir theory

Active learning techniques tend to emphasize simulations, research projects, and the use of popular media to the relative neglect of problem-based approaches. This paper introduces a new problem-based exercise specifically for teaching international relations (IR) theories that builds on existing problem-based approaches by incorporating analogies and an exemplar-based approach to concept learning. Teaching complex IR theories to students, who are often early in their academic careers, can be a challenge for many academic staff. Our approach uses a carefully structured analogy, based on a dating scenario, to challenge students to explain and theorize the behaviour of the key actors in a way that is transferable to an IR analysis of state behaviour. The exercise yields an intuitive understanding of core theories that facilitates subsequent learning and application.

ВАЛИДНОСТЬ МЕЖСТРАНОВЫХ СРАВНИТЕЛЬНЫХ РЕЙТИНГОВ И ГЛОБАЛЬНЫХ БЕНЧМАРКОВ С ПОЗИЦИИ ТЕОРИИ СЛОЖНЫХ СИСТЕМ В МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЯХ

The article discusses the validity of the leading cross-country comparative rankings and the global benchmarks from the standpoint of the theory of complex international relations theory. The pro-cesses of globalization provoke both universal schemes and projects, which are reflected in cross-country comparative indexes and benchmarks, and doubts about their validity due to the growing complexity and diversity of political institutions, values and systems in the contemporary world. The article analyses certain theoretical schools in political science, representing both of the aforementioned approaches.

Karen-Sue Taussig: Ordinary Genomes: Science, Citizenship and Genetic Identities

Of the many contexts in which one might research the social significance of biological and biomedical knowledge and technologies, the contemporary landscape of national identities and cultures is perhaps the most challenging and the least documented. Historians of science have crafted penetrating analyses of how science and technology have and have been shaped by the politics, economics and specific social systems of European nation states, particularly France, Great Britain, Germany and of course the United States. Such analyses become more difficult and controversial when tackling contemporary national contexts, with their volatile politics, diverse social constituencies, complex international relations and evershifting layering of power and class. Few scholars have dared to confront the nation as a unit of analysis in the social studies of science and technology, and those who did—like, most recently, Jasanoff (2005)—had to bear the brunt of critique from all corners of the humanities and social sciences, including sometimes justified complaints that such work tends to reify dangerous stereotypes of national culture by oversimplifying social trends on the basis of insufficient data. And yet, addressing the notion of national culture and its significance in our globalised and pluralistic social reality is a crucial task for scholars interested in understanding the social role of science and technology. STS scholarship has long argued that the social status, role and significance of scientific knowledge and technological artefacts is situated within specific local contexts, and thus cannot be assessed in any general or universalistic fashion. What is still far from being understood is how the local worlds of groups (or, to use a more fashionable term, networks) of actors intersect, fuse together and separate within specific national and international contexts.

Adiós a un maestro generoso: Friedrich Katz (1927-2010)

Adios to a generous maestro: Friedrich Katz (1927-2010) offers an intellectual profile of the Austrian historian Friedrich Katz, scholar of Mexico, both ancient and contemporary. His contributions to the renewal of studies of the Mexican revolution were wide-ranging: from the social history of the late 19th century and revolutionary period to the analysis of the complex international relations of the period, and in particular reestablishing the role of Pancho Villa as revolutionary head of Chihuahua and as national leader.

Curses and Cursing in the Ancient Near East

AbstractAs many extant texts demonstrate, the world of the Ancient Near East was replete with curses. They managed almost every feature of life from simple business affairs to complex international relations. Of significant importance for the survivability of any society at that time was the maintenance of the happiness of the local deity or deities whose ongoing presence and patronage was inexorably linked to the preservation of their respective tribe, city, or empire. Cursing importuned these patron deities, as well as personal deities, to injure others so that the well‐being of their tribal or city residents might be sustained. A curse's ultimate purpose was to inspire heavenly rage by soliciting supernatural powers to intercede in situations that were believed to be beyond mortal control such as injustices, disease, injury, or just plain bad luck. The following study will review the underlying features of all curses in the Ancient Near East. The deities, as will be shown, played a central role in the execution of maledictions. They were viewed as the agents who would, in one way or another, realize the requested punishment should they judge in the speaker's favor. This analysis will be followed by an examination of the most common types of curses the Ancient Near Easterners used.

The fifth debate and the emergence of complex international relations theory: notes on the application of complexity theory to the study of international life

The climate of post-Cold-War interactions remains uncertain. Rather than a transitory stage, the resilience of the pervasive randomness of international life has challenged the dominant frameworks for the study of world politics. Some commentators have therefore advocated the infusion of international relations theory with the conjectures of complexity theory. This article brings together the claims of the different proponents of such intersection and suggests the emergence of complex international relations theory. Although it requires further critical elaboration, the claim here is that this theory outlines the fifth debate in the study of international life and proffers intriguing heuristic devices that both challenge conventional wisdom and provoke analytical imaginations. It is also possible that hard imaginative thinking has not increased so as to keep pace with the expansion and complication of human societies and organisations. That is the darkest shadow upon the hopes of mankind. HG Wells (1945, 34)

The Brandt Report as a Development Strategy

Søgaard Pedersen, V. and Gebert, P. The Brandt Report as a Development Strategy. Cooperation and Conflict, XX, 1985, 41-57. This article deals with the proposal by the first Brandt Report for a development strategy for the Third World. Emphasis is laid on the analysis of the Brandt Com mission's recommendations for international and national reforms on the statement about interdependence and mutual interests. The analysis of the development strategy has been carried out in order to examine whether the recommendations of the Brandt Report are sufficient to fulfil its goals. One point is that interdependence as a conception is inadequate for understanding the complex international relations and the underlying dynamics. The statement about the existence of mutual interests is partly too inaccurate and partly exaggerated. The central element in the development model of the Brandt Report is an export-oriented industrialization, which has to be combined with a strategy for solving the Basic Needs of the populations. From our point of view, which is based on a Marxist analysis, it is not likely that this model could solve the development problems of most developing countries. One of the major problems is that the Brandt Report does not deal with the problem of political power.