Issues Of Conflict Research Articles

When the Dam Breaks

This article provides an overview of the key events in Catalonia during 2019. In order to put the events in context, the article begins with a brief overview of the recent history of Catalonia and its relationship with the rest of Spain. Particular attention is placed on the events of 2014 through 2017 and, in particular, the second unauthorized referendum and its aftermath. The article then focuses on the protests, counter- protests and clashes with the police that followed the sentencing of Catalonian officials in October 2019. The article concludes with an examination of the lack of role the European Union has had on this conflict and minority issues generally and what this all means for Spain and Catalonia moving forward.

Seismic signal analysis for the characterisation of elephant movements in a forest environment

Monitoring of pachyderm movements in the neighbourhood of a forest is an important area of research for mitigation of human-wildlife conflict issues. This paper reports the feasibility study for the detection of elephants using seismic sensors inside a forest environment and further characterisation of the seismic signals. Seismic signals generated during elephant locomotion are analysed for various distances. Frequency analysis of these signals shows an average dominant frequency of 15.80 Hz (±1.03 s.d.) and 16.52 Hz (±1.20 s.d.) in the range of 0 m to ~20 m and 20 m to ~40 m respectively. Based on frequency information of the seismic signal, different filter bands were incorporated and the highest accuracy of detection was achieved corresponding to the filter band of 10–20 Hz. The paper also illustrates the statistical analysis of three signal detection algorithms; short and long time averaging (STA/LTA), amplitude spectrum of Fourier transform (ASFT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) as a function of the distance from the sensor and elephant group size. Comparative analysis of the preliminary dataset was carried out where CWT based detection approach shows F1-score improvement of ~28% and ~14% in comparison with STA/LTA and ASFT respectively for a radial distance 0– 20 m whereas, ~2% for a radial distance 20– 40 m from the sensor. Furthermore, CWT outperforms with a detection accuracy of ~90% on the preliminary dataset.

ROHINGYA, A STRUGGLE FOR RECOGNITION AS “INDIGENOUS”

Rohingya first came to Arakan State, Burma (Myanmar) between the eighth and ninth centuries. They are a Muslim minority ethnic group who have been struggling for their indigenous identity. Their arrival in Arakan correlated with the British colonialism and Japanese colonialism (1942-1945) which played a crucial role in initiating the conflicts between Muslims and Buddhists. In consideration of various definitions, Rohingya are obviously defined indigenous because they have lived in a specific territorial for long with their own language, culture and religion. This paper aims to argue that the Rohingya issue should be seen as indigenous group. To address the issue, we use a qualitative approach relying on the available secondary sources by giving historical background, theoretical framework and discussing on inter-religious conflict issue, a form of struggle for indigenous recognition. It is found that despite qualifying the standards to be admitted as indigenous, the Rohingya have been still refused to be minority ethnic group, even not accepted to be legal citizen by the Myanmar government, they are seen as foreigners or illegal immigrants instead. Three lessons are learned from this study on the failure of Rohingya’s recognition. First, the two colonialists were the “dark records” of the Rohingya conflicts. Second, the Myanmar governments have not treated the Rohingya with fair and similar policy during the historical time. Third, all protests and demonstrations conducted throughout the world to condemn the Myanmar government and all financial supports should be done on behalf of humanity, not a religious-solidarity to avoid unexpected effects for inter-religion conflicts nationally and internationally.

VIOLATIONS OF CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN SUDAN AND THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES: THE CURRENT SITUATION AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SOLUTIONS

This paper aims to demonstrate the main aspects and weaknesses of children's rights in Sudan and describe how to work towards enhancing the immediate response to violations against children. This discussion will help develop future plans to strengthen the enforcement of children’s rights in Sudan and create an environment that protects children's rights against all kinds of violations. This paper presents the current situation of children’s rights violations in Sudan and factors that have a great and direct impact on these situations, especially social and cultural factors concerning female circumcision, genital mutilation, and marriage of underage girls; and laws that violate the dignity of Sudanese children, such as laws related to flogging, imprisonment, and death. The article also addresses issues of wars and internal conflicts and their impact on children, including their recruitment and trafficking. It also discusses the weaknesses of laws in place to protect children in Sudan and the changes these laws have undergone in recent years, especially the fundamental changes following the revolution that broke out in Sudan in 2018, which replaced the dictatorial military regime with Islamic orientations and trying to find objective solutions.

Intangible cultural heritage: a benefit to climate-displaced and host communities

Climate change is borderless, and its impacts are not shared equally by all communities. It causes an imbalance between people by creating a more desirable living environment for some societies while erasing settlements and shelters of some others. Due to floods, sea level rise, destructive storms, drought, and slow-onset factors such as salinization of water and soil, people lose their lands, homes, and natural resources. Catastrophic events force people to move voluntarily or involuntarily. The relocation of communities is a debatable climate adaptation measure which requires utmost care with human rights, ethics, and psychological well-being of individuals upon the issues of discrimination, conflict, and security. As the number of climate-displaced populations grows, the generations-deep connection to their rituals, customs, and ancestral ties with the land, cultural practices, and intangible cultural heritage become endangered. However, intangible heritage is often overlooked in the context of climate displacement. This paper presents reflections based on observations regarding the intangible heritage of voluntarily displaced communities. It begins by examining intangible heritage under the threat of climate displacement, with place-based examples. It then reveals intangible heritage as a catalyst to building resilient communities by advocating for the cultural values of indigenous and all people in climate action planning. It concludes the discussion by presenting the implications of climate displacement in existing intangible heritage initiatives. This article seeks to contribute to the emerging policies of preserving intangible heritage in the context of climate displacement.

Modern-day slavery? The work-life conflict of domestic workers in Nigeria

Purpose The trend of domestic employment thrives almost in every society. It is most common in developing countries and Nigeria is no exception. This paper aims to examine the nature of the role of a domestic worker in Nigeria and the work-life conflict issues involved in such work. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a qualitative research approach to examine the nature of the role of domestic workers and the associated work-life conflict issues. Findings The findings show that the nature of the jobs of domestic workers in Nigeria gives rise to a situation of modern-day slavery in which an employee works without a formal employment contract, with little or no rights to private time. Long and unstructured working hours, employers’ perceptions about domestic workers and a huge workload fuel and exacerbate work-life conflict amongst domestic workers in Nigeria. Research limitations/implications The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample of the research and the research context. Practical implications The primacy of the employer over the employee in domestic employment means that both time and work-based conflicts continue to buffer work-life conflict if domestic workers’ working hours remain unscheduled and their employers’ perceptions about them remain unchanged. This invariably has a negative impact on the domestic workers’ health and productivity. Therefore, domestic employment should be regulated by law and domestic workers should be treated like other formal employees. Originality/value This study contributes to the debates on the work-life conflict by highlighting the nature of the role of domestic workers in a non-western context, Nigeria and provides a nuanced insight into the work-life conflict issues involved in such work. The findings add conceptual thought and empirical evidence to the debate on work-life conflict.

Анализ отношения к Китаю в разных типах сообщений Российских СМИ.

As a world power, Russia is China's largest neighbor and plays a special role in strengthening my country's international communication capabilities. Russia's reports related to China have both positive and negative content, but the viewing angle is more practical and objective. China's image is rarely distorted, belittled, and vilified by political bias and ideological divisions. The overall image of China and China in the international arena The role is positive. Media reports are mainly political and economic news, with a particular focus on information on political and economic and trade exchanges between China and Russia. What are the tendencies in the attitude of the Russian media towards China? How does society and theory view the situation in the trilateral relations between Russia, China and the United States? Are there any new trends in the perception of China's image by political elites and ordinary people? What has been causing concern about China in the Russian media lately? What direction are the media and think tanks showing on the burning issues of the Sino-Indian border conflict? These problems reflect Russians' perception of China's image, are related to the effectiveness of my country's "telling Chinese stories" and external communications, and also reflect the development of Sino-Russian relations and the level of my country's influence in the international arena.

Communication gatekeepers and moral arbiters: mothers’ roles when fathers are incarcerated

While studies show that quality communication during incarceration can contribute to better family relationships, the security and correctional requirements of prisons place heavy constraints on the form and frequency of contact. We interviewed families who have an incarcerated father in the Singapore Prison system to understand how they negotiate the various forms of constrained contact and the meaning they attached to such encounters. We found that families tend to use visitations as opportunities for play or bonding instead of serious talk for working through conflict or interpersonal issues, which require more frequent and extensive dialogue. Letter writing afforded an opportunity for the latter, but the screening of content hindered the sharing of intimate details and exploration of personal issues. Additionally, as mothers inherited an unexpected expansion of their roles—as primary caregiver, advocate for the incarcerated spouse, and sole breadwinner—they tended to become the de facto gatekeeper, not just of access and communication to the father, but also as a powerful arbiter of his moral standing. The study points to the significance of more family-centric communication policies in correctional settings.

CONFLICT CONTROL IN THE OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT TEAM

The article considers the concept of "competition". Namely, competition in the team in the operating system. The impact of this concept on the general atmosphere, which significantly affects the work of staff, and if it is negative, it can lead to reduced productivity, conflicts, and in general to deepen the problems of the organization or enterprise and the emergence of new, reduced efficiency. In general, it is determined whether competition is a positive phenomenon. Also, the issues of conflicts in the operational team, which may arise, including due to negative competition, are considered. This phenomenon has been considered by many scientists and managers, but it is still relevant in the modern development of entrepreneurship and management, because the correct interaction of staff and interpersonal relationships is a complex point that constantly needs control and regulation, so when disputes arise within the team , the operations manager must control their progress, and in the absence of a rational solution to the problem and the reluctance of staff to compromise, there is a need to intervene and resolve this issue; it was found that the competitiveness of staff is ensured not only through the skillful use of individual competitive advantages, but also through an effective personnel management system and enterprise management system; competitive staff is an important point in operational management, and in the enterprise as a whole, so competition can have negative features, the article identifies positive and negative competition, so that later it can be operated, because the negative impact of competition in the team can lead to conflicts of interest and the emergence of conflicts.

Moderation Effect of Supervisor Support between Flexible Working Arrangement andWork-Family Conflict in Malaysia

There have been major changes in current workforce competitiveness trends. The changes in workforce demographics particularly in the increase of dual-earner families and single-parents have resulted in increased multiple role conflicts. Working couples must cope with the problem of combining work and family responsibilities in their daily life. Many industries adopted the current trend of the flexible working environment into their organizations. This study explores the moderation effect of supervisor support between flexible working arrangements (FWA), the effect on work interference with family conflict (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW). The population for this study primarily focused on the organizations that adopt the flexible working arrangement such as flexible working time, working from home, and compressed work-week practices in Malaysia. The companies selected is based on the listing of global organizations practices FWA mentioned in Talent Corp Malaysia Flexible Working Arrangement collaboration with Malaysian Federation Employer report, 2015. The questionnaires were distributed through the Human Resource Department of each organization. The result demonstrated that there is relationship between FWA and WIF and there was moderation effect of supervisor support (SS) between FWA and WIF. However, the result showed no moderation effect of SS between FWA and FIW. This study supports the idea that supervisor support is a resource that helps employees to manage the occurrence of interference from work to family and to overcoming FIW, supports particularly from family members either siblings, parents and spouse is important. The implication of this study is that, work conflict issue requires the proactive effort and support not only from the organization in terms of supervisor support through FWA but also support within the family circle. Organizations approach in adopting FWA in their attempts to minimize WFC is recommendable but it should be applied across occupation and organizations as one of employee benefits policy.

Child witchcraft confessions as an idiom of distress in Sierra Leone; results of a rapid qualitative inquiry and recommendations for mental health interventions

BackgroundReports about child witchcraft are not uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study we approach child witchcraft as an idiom of distress. In an environment that may prohibit children from openly expressing distress, the shared imagery of witchcraft can provide a cultural idiom to communicate about psychosocial suffering. We used an ecological approach to study how some children in distressing circumstances come to a witchcraft confession, with the aim to set out pathways for mental health interventions.MethodsWe employed rapid qualitative inquiry methodology, with an inductive and iterative approach, combining emic and etic perspectives. We conducted 37 interviews and 12 focus group discussions with a total of 127 participants in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Inductive analysis was used to identify risk and protective factors related to witchcraft accusations and confessions.ResultsWe identified risk and protective factors related to the individual child, the family, peer relations, teachers and other professionals in a child’s life, traditional healers, pastors and the wider society. We found that in the context of a macrosystem that supports witchcraft, suspicions of witchcraft are formed at the mesosystem level, where actors from the microsystem interact with each other and the child. The involvement of a traditional healer or pastor often forms a tipping point that leads to a confession of witchcraft.ConclusionsChild witchcraft is an idiom of distress, not so much owned by the individual child as well as by the systems around the child. Mental health interventions should be systemic and multi-sectoral, to prevent accusations and confessions, and address the suffering of both the child and the systems surrounding the child. Interventions should be contextually relevant and service providers should be helped to address conscious and subconscious fears related to witchcraft. Beyond mental health interventions, advocacy, peacebuilding and legislation is needed to address the deeper systemic issues of poverty, conflict and abuse.

FUTURE OF THE INTERNAL CONFLICT IN MYANMAR

The conflict in Myanmar “formerly known as Burma” is one of the main ongoing internal conflicts in the world. This conflict is due to ethnic, religious and historic reasons. Each party involved in this conflict wants to control and dominate the other parties, in a process that lacks to democracy “through power”. This paper will tackle the issue of the internal conflict in Myanmar by showing some historic facts and presenting main details about the conflict. In this study conflict mapping will be used to illustrate the positions of each party involved in this conflict. This study suggests options to transform the conflict and to create sustainable peace in Myanmar. In this paper empirical approach will be used to state some facts about the conflict in Myanmar. Also, normative approach will be used to ask about the internal conflict in Myanmar and its future.

الترجيح بالمصلحة وأثره في فتاوى الزکاة المعاصرة دراسة فقهية مقارنة

الترجيح بالمصلحة وأثره في فتاوى الزکاة المعاصرة دراسة فقهية مقارنة محمود محمد بهجت عبد الرحمن محمد قسم الشريعة الإسلامية، کلية دار العلوم، جامعة المنيا، المنيا، مصر. البريد الالکترونى: mahmoudmbahgat@mu.edu.eg ملخص البحث: فالمصلحة مصطلح مشهور في المعجم الفقهي المستخدم لدي الفقهاء والأصوليين، فکتب الفقهاء وعلماء الأصول زاخرة بلفظ المصلحة تعريفا ، وتحديدا، وبيانا للأثر المترتب عليها. غير أن ما ينبغي الإشارة إليه في نظر الباحث هو بيان أثر مصطلح المصلحة في المستجدات الفقهية المعاصرة. فرعاية المصلحة أضحت رکن لا يمکن إنکار أثره في العديد من قضايا النوازل المعاصرة، إذ إن کثيرا من فتاوى المفتين تبنى على المصلحة، سواء أکانت المصلحة هي سنده ومقصده الأساسي في بناء الحکم الفقهي، أم عاملا مؤثرا من عوامل أخر. ويهدف هذا البحث إلي بيان دور المؤسسات الشرعية في تکييف قضايا النوازل المستجدة في فقه الزکاة ارتکازا إلي ما تقتضيه المصلحة، وبما يرجع نفعه على المجتمع ، وبيان الرأي الراجح في هذه النوازل . وسوف أقوم بإتباع المنهج الاستقرائي التحليلي المقارن من خلال استقراء فتاوى الهيئات الفقهية، وسأقتصر في ذلک على فتاوى دار الإفتاء المصرية، والمجمع الفقهي باعتبارهما مؤسستين ذات مرجعية فقهية وسطية مجمع على آرائهما لدي جموع المسلمين. وأخيرا يمکننا القول بأن الهيئات الفقهية التزمت منهجا وسطيا لاعتماد الفتوي، وقامت باعتماد الترجيح بالمصلحة أصلا أصيلا من ضمن هذا المنهج، حيث أنها تستأنس بآراء الفقهاء، وترجح قوة ما يقتضي ترجيحه لشدة الحاجة إليه، أو لمصلحة الناس في فتاوي الزکاة وفي کثير من القضايا کجواز إخراج الزکاة علي المستشفيات والمشاريع الخيرية وغيرها من القضايا. الکلمات المفتاحية: النظر المصلحي- المصلحة- الترجيح- الزکاة المعاصرة - مستجدات الزکاة . Page BreakInterest Outweighing Other Considerations and its Effect on Contemporary Fatwas of Zakat: A Comparative Juristic Study Mahmoud Mohammed Bahgat Abd Elrahman. Jurisprudence Deoartment, Faculty of Dar Al Uloom, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.‏ Abstract: Maslaha is a well-known term in the fiqhi lexicon used by the jurists and fundamentalists, so the books of jurists and scholars of origins are rich in the term “interest” in definition, specificity and an explanation of the impact thereof. However, what should be indicated in the researcher's view is an explanation of the effect of the term (interest) on contemporary jurisprudential developments. Taking care of interest has become an undeniable pillar whose impact on many contemporary issues of conflict, as many of the fatwas of the muftis are based on interest, whether the interest is his support and his primary purpose in building jurisprudential judgment, or an influential factor among other factors. Zakat is an essential pillar of our true religion. It brings the servant closer to his Lord, and it is one of the paths of piety. And since the jurisprudential institutions fulfill their original and supreme duty to explain the jurisprudential rulings, these contemporary bodies and scholars have issued fatwas on issues related to Zakat. Therefore, I thought that in this research I would collect fatwas based on the implementation of interest in contemporary fatwas on Zakat and compare them with the sayings of the jurists Keywords: Reformed consideration , interest , weighting ,contemporary zakat, developments in zakat.

Zionism and Identity Crisis: Ethnic Conflict between Israelis and Palestinians

The Palestine issue is attributed to be the most complicated problem in the region of the Middle East. However, few researchers analyze the problem through the lens of ethnic conflict. This research paper investigates that the use of Zionism as a metaphor for colonialism and its role in fostering an ethnic conflict between Israeli and Palestinians. Qualitative content analysis is used to analyze secondary data on ethnic conflict in present Israel. In addition to that bargaining model of war is used to identify the underlying issues of the ethnic conflict. The findings reveal that Zionism and identity contribute to accelerating the ethnic conflict between Israeli and Palestinians. Despite international interventions and signing many peace agreements, the problem remains unresolved due to a trust deficit between both ethnicities.

First-mover disadvantage: the sovereign ratings mousetrap

Using 102 sovereigns rated by the three largest credit rating agencies (CRA), S&P, Moody’s and Fitch between January 2000 and January 2019, we are the first to document that the first- mover CRA (S&P) in downgrades falls into a commercial trap. Namely, each sovereign downgrade by one notch by the first-mover CRA (S&P) results in 2.4% increase in the probability of a rating contract being cancelled by the sovereign client. The more downgrades S&P makes in a given month, the more their sovereign rating coverage falls relative to Moody’s. Our results are more pronounced for downgrades on small sovereign borrowers than on large sovereign borrowers. This paper explores the interaction between three themes of the literature: herding behaviour amongst CRAs, issues of conflict of interest and ratings quality.

Social Conflict Issues and Searching for Future Signal since COVID-19: Focusing on the Keywords in the News Articles

Social Conflict Issues and Searching for Future Signal since COVID-19: Focusing on the Keywords in the News Articles

An Analysis from the English School Perspective on conflict issues in the Arctic Region of the Russian Federation and the United States

When the current literature on RF and the USA's Arctic doctrines, strategies and disputes are examined, it is seen that there are two basic approaches that provide analyzes from realist and liberal perspectives. A large body of these analyzes focus on singular and linear dimensions, primarily on energy security and military issues. The number of studies which examine the dimensions of the conflict from a realistic perspective and synthesize with the cooperation and governance offered by the liberal perspective is relatively low. There is a need for a more in-depth understanding of the region, so extensive studies involving multidisciplinary dimensions that can promote collaboration and expertise sharing as well as resolution of disputes among security actors. In this study, the subject dispute matters were examined from the perspective of English School, which can present a unique framework by synthesizing the traditions of realism, rationalism and revolutionism. In conclusion part, possible solution suggestions in accordance with the international law for the resolution of disputes are discussed within a broader framework offered by the English School perspective. In addition, the role and functions of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the struggle for dominance of the region as the third actor, which led to various discussions with large–scale investments and cooperation agreements across the region, were also included. In today's world where power-based approaches are replaced by binding international rules, it is concluded that in order to develop the cooperation in the Arctic Region, the international community, especially in terms of the the littoral states; developing policies that support joint scientific studies and prioritize measures to increase the socio-economic conditions and human development levels of indigenous peoples and communities living in the region are more significant than being a commercial and economic gain center provided by the rich energy resources and new maritime trade routes which emerged due to global warming. Özet RF ve ABD’nin Arktik politika, doktrin, strateji ve uyuşmazlık konularını ele alan güncel literatür incelendiğinde realist ve liberal bakış açılarından analizler sunan iki temel yaklaşımın olduğu görülmektedir. Söz konusu analizlerin büyük bir kısmı başta enerji güvenliği ve askeri konular olmak üzere, tekil ve doğrusal boyutlar üzerine odaklanmaktadır. Uyuşmazlık boyutlarını realist bir bakış açısıyla irdeleyerek, liberal perspektifin sunduğu iş birliği ve yönetişimle sentezleyebilen çalışma sayısı ise oldukça azdır. Bölgeye yönelik daha derinlikli bir anlayışı, dolayısıyla, güvenlik aktörleri arasında uyuşmazlıkların çözümünün yanı sıra iş birliği ve uzmanlık paylaşımını teşvik edebilecek çok disiplinli boyutların analize dâhil edildiği kapsamlı çalışmalara ihtiyaç bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada bahsi geçen uyuşmazlık konuları, gerçekçilik (realism), akılcılık (rationalism) ve devrimcilik (revolutionism) geleneklerini sentezleyerek özgün bir çerçeve sunabilen İngiliz Okulu perspektifinden irdelenmiştir. Sonuç bölümünde anlaşmazlıkların çözümü için uluslararası hukuka uygun olası çözüm önerileri İngiliz Okulu yaklaşımının sunduğu daha geniş kapsamlı bir çerçevede tartışılmıştır. Ayrıca bölgeye yönelik büyük çaplı yatırımları ve iş birliği anlaşmaları ile çeşitli tartışmalara yol açan Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti’nin (ÇHC) üçüncü aktör olarak bölge hâkimiyet mücadelesindeki rolü ve işlevi de incelemeye dâhil edilmiştir. Güç temelli yaklaşımların yerini, bağlayıcılığı bulunan uluslararası kuralların aldığı günümüzde Arktik Bölgesi’ndeki iş birliği potansiyelinin geliştirilebilmesi için başta kıyıdaş devletler olmak üzere uluslararası toplumun; küresel ısınma nedeniyle ortaya çıkan zengin enerji kaynaklarının ve yeni deniz ulaşım / ticaret yollarının sunduğu ticari ve ekonomik bir kazanç merkezi olmaktan ziyade ortak bilimsel çalışmaları destekleyen ve bölgede yaşayan yerli halkların ve toplulukların sosyoekonomik koşullarını ve insani gelişim düzeylerini artıracak önlemleri önceleyen politikalar geliştirmelerinin daha önemli olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Partisan theory in forest nature conservation policy: Empirical evidence based on four German conflict issues

During the last decades, political parties have still appeared as an almost unknown factor within the substantial expansion of topics in forest policy research. While discriminating between green, state/protection and market/use orientated parties, this study aims to reveal the influence of different governing parties on forest nature conservation policy in Germany, contributing to partisan theory. The analysis covers 247 politically relevant cases between 1998 and 2018 in 15 German Bundesländer (regional level). The analysis model distinguishes between positive, negative and non-decisions, linking results of governing parties' activities in the agenda-setting and the policy-formulation phases of the policy process. It examines the manifestos of the governing parties and the results of the government's actions concerning four of the main conflict issues. Both the demands in manifestos and the policy outputs are evaluated using the interests of the forest and the nature conservation policy sector as a benchmark. As a result, two-thirds of the non-decisions arrived at during issue-relevant periods led to a status quo, as well as 6% of demands blocked, and 27% were positive decisions that led to a renewed policy output. Among these, only few corresponded to the interests of nature conservation. In proportion to their government participation, the Greens have contributed most frequently to policy outputs, and they have contributed the most to nature-conservation oriented outputs. The small liberal party, FDP, is the corresponding counterpart and fosters forest interests the most, but it has governed only seldom. The two major parties are more balanced. The SPD, as a state-orientated party, clearly leans towards nature conservation, whereas the CDU/CSU presents a market-orientated party, and prefers forest interests. In conclusion, political parties make a significant difference in German forest nature conservation policy. The details on the parties contribute empirical insight into partisan theory in environmental policy.

ABKHAZ-GEORGIAN ETHNOPOLITICAL CONFLICT AS A COMPLEX CONFLICT AND PROSPECTS FOR ITS SETTLEMENT

The paper addresses the issue of Abkhaz-Georgian ethnopolitical conflict treating it as not a single process but as the complex case that consists of several consecutive self-sufficient conflicts or sub-conflicts during which different parties had various goals and escalated the situation trying to achieve miscellaneous aims. Although each of these sub-conflicts are looking like historical phases of one conflict, each of them has its own logic and, therefore, requires to be analyzed separately. The first sub-conflict of 1991-1994 can be quite accurately explained from the structuralist perspective as an attempt of the Abkhaz to reconsider their status and break the discriminative social structures developed during imperial and Soviet rule. The second phase 1994-2008 was the period of nationalist mobilization and the new clashes and atrocities were the result of the Georgian and Abkhaz elites’ intention to strengthen their legitimacy and power. Russia's role in this case fits well with the concept of "humanitarian intervention" and does not correspond to the Roger Brubaker’s famous “triadic nexus” (1996). Finally, the last phase of conflict since 2008 can be hardly called an ethnopolitical conflict itself since peace and the military status quo were established after the war of 2008 which neither side can challenge. Therefore, after 2008, it is more appropriate to speak about the need of post-conflict reconciliation instead of Abkhaz-Georgian ethnopolitical conflict. However, none of the parties has taken steps towards this reconciliation yet because the settlement of the conflict is impossible while it continues to be used for nationalist mobilization.

Cardiac implantable devices during exercise: Normal function and troubleshooting.

Normal function and the most common problems that occur during pacemaker operation while performing physical exercise, are discussed. Physically active individuals with an implantable cardiac device, should be evaluated during exercise, because some conflicts issues may arise that are not detectable during routine, at rest, telemetry.