Eurasian Countries Research Articles

THE FORMATİON AND EVOLUTİON OF EURASİAN THOUGHTS AND CONCEPTS

The concept of "Eurasianism" is rooted in the philosophical ideas of the early 20th century, emphasizing the unity of the post-Soviet space and its special, non-Western path of development. Recently, the world order has been put to the test of strength: global challenges put states in front of the need to revise the existing world order, which forms a favorable ground for the implementation of the idea of Eurasianism in a regional perspective. Today, the idea of Eurasianism is institutionalized within the framework of the CIS and the EAEU and is especially relevant in the context of new global challenges (economic instability, changing nature of the international order, epidemiological threat, etc.), which allow us to talk about the emergence of a new world order. The article also examines the development of the Eurasian economy through the prism of the relationship between the processes of globalization and regionalization. Globalization is interpreted as an objective process of internationalization of the world economy, the peculiarities of the involvement of the economies of the Eurasian countries in it are revealed. The subjective side of globalization as a form of economic policy of the developed countries of the world in their own interests and its consequences are shown. The trends of regionalization in the economies of the Eurasian countries are revealed. It is proved that the increasing regionalization objectively leads to a significantly different world order than globalization — to a multipolar world.

Social Transition and Modernization of Eurasian Countries

Abstract Unlike political and economic transitions, the social transition of Eurasian countries exhibits a certain degree of passivity. Eurasian countries prioritize solving political and economic issues, with strict control over social aspects leading to a relatively delayed modernization of the social sector. The market-oriented economic transitions have resulted in a disparity in wealth among the populace, and political transformation has generated various conflicts and social divisions, which pose significant challenges to the simultaneously initiated social transformation. Currently, some Eurasian countries are still undergoing systemic reforms aimed at modernization, implemented as a long-term national strategy. The progress and prospects of these reforms depend on the interplay of multiple factors, and their future trajectory warrants continuous attention. The modernization of Eurasian countries is destined to follow a development path different from that of other countries, determined by their unique cultural traditions, social structures, and specific national conditions. Meanwhile, the social changes over more than 30 years of independence have profoundly altered the cultural and social characteristics of Eurasian countries. While preserving traditions, they need to incorporate valuable experiences from the modernization of other countries and seek development paths best suited to their own contexts.

World Heritage: features, composition, and tourist significance

It is proved that the idea of world heritage and its conceptual form of legal imple- mentation created a new institution of world heritage in international law. At the end of the 20th century for the first time, the term «world cultural and natural heritage» became widely used to define those natural and cultural objects that are of outstanding importance not only for the people of a certain country but also for all humanity as a whole. Among the main advantages of granting the status of a world heritage site are the following: additional guarantees of preservation and integrity of unique natural and cultural complexes; increasing the prestige of the territories and institutions that take care of them; promoting the promotion of objects included in the List and the development of alternative types of nature use (primarily, ecological tourism); ensuring priority in attracting financial funds for the support of objects of world cultural and natural heritage, first of all, from the World Heritage Fund; promoting the organization of monitoring and control over the state of preservation of natural and cultural objects. Currently, the World Heritage List consists of three categoriesof objects: cultural heritage, natural phenomena, and cultural-natural (mixed) objects. It is noted that every year the number of world heritage sites is steadily increasing, and by 2020 their number has already reached 1,121 sites, including 869 cultural sites, 213 natural sites, and 39 mixed sites. From 1978 until now, the number of nominated objects has constantly increased. However, in order to achieve representativeness, balance, and credibility of the UNESCO Heritage List, certain restrictions on the number of nominations per year have been introduced since 2018. Now their total number cannot exceed 45 nominations per year and only one nomination from the state. They are distributed very unevenly by regions of the world. More than 75% of the world’s cultural heritage is concentrated in Eurasian countries. The countries of America and Africa hold the leadership in the number of natural monuments in the world. The basis of the interest of the countries of the world in the inclusion of objects in the List of World Heritage is the possibility of obtaining profits from the visit of numerous tourists to this cultural or natural attraction. About 225 historic centers of cities around the world are included in the UNESCO Heritage List, including Paris, London, Istanbul, Vienna, Athens, Florence, Venice, St. Petersburg, Krakow, Riga, Jerusalem, Mecca, Mexico City, Quito, Quebec, Rio de Janeiro -Janeiro, etc. It was found that individual objects of cultural heritage are also very popular (the Great Wall of China, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, the Colosseum, etc.).

Epidemiology and evolution of human-origin H10N5 influenza virus

H10 subtype avian influenza viruses were endemic in wild and domestic avian species worldwide. Strikingly, it frequently crossed the species barrier to infect mammalian hosts. Human infection with H10N3 and H10N8 were reported previously. Recently, a 63-year-old woman from Anhui province of China who died from a mixed infection of H3N2 and H10N5 influenza viruses, which have drawn widespread public health attention. Here, we perform the evolutionary dynamics of H10N5 influenza viruses of bird- and human-origin worldwide, and found that wild bird-origin H10N5 influenza viruses from China did not cluster together with human-origin H10N5 influenza viruses, while grouped together with LPAIV gene pools circulating in wild birds that derived from other Eurasian countries. Human-derived H10N5 virus is a novel reassortant, which frequently reassorted with wild bird-derived influenza viruses, and in turn, spillover into humans. Collectively, our results suggested that H10 subtype influenza viruses continuously pose threat to public health.

Patients With Non-Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease and Polyvascular Disease. Sub-Analysis of the Real-World Registry KAMMA (Clinical Registry on Patient Population With Polyvascular Disease in the Russian Federation and Eurasian Countries).

To study the clinical status and data of laboratory and instrumental examination of patients with non-obstructive ischemic heart disease (IHD) and multifocal atherosclerosis (MFA) included in the KAMMA registry. The subanalysis included 1,893 IHD patients who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) and ultrasonic examination of peripheral arteries. Based on the CAG data, patients were divided into two groups: group 1, patients with obstructive coronary atherosclerosis (CA) (maximum stenosis ≥50% and/or history of percutaneous coronary intervention/coronary artery bypass grafting, n=1728; 91.3%) and group 2, patients with non-obstructive CA (maximum stenosis <50%, n = 165; 8.7%). A comparative analysis based on the degree of coronary obstruction in patients with verified IHD who were included in the KAMMA registry showed that 8.7% of them had coronary artery stenosis of less than 50%. The overwhelming majority of patients with non-obstructive CA had MFA affecting the brachiocephalic arteries in 94.3% and the lower extremity arteries in 40.2%. Among patients with non-obstructive IHD, women predominated; risk factors such as smoking and type 2 diabetes mellitus were less frequent in this group than in the obstructive IHD group. Patients with non-obstructive CA more frequently had a history of dyslipidemia; they had higher total cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; and they more frequently received moderate-intensity statin therapy than patients with obstructive CA (55.8% vs. 34.5%). Characteristic features of patients with non-obstructive CA were less severe IHD and less frequent history of acute coronary syndrome. However, the incidence of stroke, peripheral arterial thrombosis, and chronic arterial insufficiency of the lower extremities did not differ in groups 1 and 2, whereas the incidence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was higher in the non-obstructive IHD group. IHD patients without coronary obstruction also require assessment of the peripheral arterial status, as they may have advanced MFA, which should be taken into account when choosing the "aggressiveness" of therapy.

Volatility Spillover Effect from Energy Markets to Foreign Exchange Markets: The Case of Central and Eastern European and Eurasian Countries

Volatility Spillover Effect from Energy Markets to Foreign Exchange Markets: The Case of Central and Eastern European and Eurasian Countries

Drivers of Arab Countries’ Growing Interest to the Eurasian Geopolitical Space

Facing the dynamic development of diversified contacts between Russia and the Arab world amidst the steadily increasing political and economic interest of Arab countries[1] in the Eurasian geopolitical space, an adequate assessment of the causes and the strength potential of such growth has acquired particular importance. This enables us to hedge both political and business risks by predicting scenarios for the future development, and, which is even more important, to address effectively challenges and problems. The successful implementation of the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation approved on March 31, 2023 in the medium and long terms depends on the survivability of the new paradigm of relations between Russia and the Arab countries, regardless of the anti-Russia Western sanctions. This fully correlates with Russian efforts to promote integration processes in Eurasia, primarily under the within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as well as outside Eurasia with the involvement of big Eurasian states (India, China) and the non-Eurasian “rising powers” (Brazil, South Africa, etc.) on the BRICS platform. The comprehensive analysis of the factors which have been stimulating the interest of the Arab countries in Eurasia, complementing the already existing sporadic domestic and foreign studies, is intended to form a list of arguments in favor of proving the hypothesis of the strategic, rather than purely tactical nature of the intentions of Arab elites to cooperate with Russia and other Eurasian states. Such arguments imply among other things the common perception by Russia and the Arabs of the current historical transition from the unipolar to a multipolar world.

The ongoing range expansion of the invasive oak lace bug across Europe: current occurrence and potential distribution under climate change

In recent years, the oak lace bug, Corythucha arcuata, has emerged as a significant threat to European oak forests. This species, native to North America, has in the last two decades rapidly extended its range in Europe, raising concerns about its potential impact on the continent's invaluable oak populations. To address this growing concern, we conducted an extensive study to assess the distribution, colonization patterns, and potential ecological niche of the oak lace bug in Europe.We gathered 1792 unique presence coordinates from 21 Eurasian countries, utilizing diverse sources such as research observations, citizen science initiatives, GBIF database, and social media reports. To delineate the realized niche and future distribution, we employed an ensemble species distribution modelling (SDM) framework. Two future greenhouse gas scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) were considered across three-time intervals (2021–2040, 2061–2080, and 2081–2100) to project and evaluate the species' potential distribution in the future.Our analysis revealed that significant hotspots rich in host species occurrence for this invasive insect remain uninvaded so far, even within its suitable habitat. Furthermore, the native ranges of Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) and Hungarian oak (Quercus frainetto L.) species offer entirely suitable environments for the oak lace bug. In contrast, the pedunculate oak and sessile oak distribution ranges currently show only 40 % and 50 % suitability for colonization, respectively. However, our predictive models indicate a significant transformation in the habitat suitability of the oak lace bug, with suitability for these two oak species increasing by up to 90 %. This shift underlines an evolving landscape where the oak lace bug may exploit more of its available habitats than initially expected. It emphasises the pressing need for proactive measures to manage and stop its expanding presence, which may lead to a harmful impact on the oak population across the European landscape.

Genetic Characterization of African Swine Fever Italian Clusters in the 2022-2023 Epidemic Wave by a Multi-Gene Approach.

The first report of African swine fever virus (ASFV) genotype II in Italy in 2022 marked the beginning of a significant invasion in at least eight Italian regions with different infection clusters. In this study, we used the multi-gene approach to investigate the epidemiological associations between ASFV strains causing cases and outbreaks in wild boar and pigs in Italy from January 2022 to the end of 2023. Our results confirm that all the tested ASFV-positive Italian samples belonged to genotype II and show high homology with genotype II ASFV sequences previously collected in Eurasian countries. Molecular characterization revealed the presence of four genetic groups in Italy. The majority of African swine fever (ASF) samples analyzed in the current study (72%) belonged to genetic group 3, which was the most representative in Europe. The results also provide evidence of the prevalence of genetic group 19 (15.9%). In addition, we identified new putative genetic groups, genetic group 25 (9.1%) and genetic group 26 (3.0%), which have never been described before. This is the first detailed report on the molecular characterization of more than 130 ASFV strains circulating in Italy.

Contribution of Finance and Transport Indicators on Carbon Emissions: Evidence from Eurasian Countries

Contribution of Finance and Transport Indicators on Carbon Emissions: Evidence from Eurasian Countries

Integration Potential of Public Diplomacy in Implementation of Social Projects by Patient NPOs in the Field of Orphan Diseases: Eurasian Experience

The subject of the article is the Eurasian experience of the integration potential of public diplomacy in the implementation of social projects by patient NPOs in the field of orphan diseases. The aim of the study is to describe and generalize the project practices of the Association for Assistance to Patients with Rett Syndrome in promoting public diplomacy in the Eurasian space. The initial data consisted of the activities and results of the social projects implementation in the countries of Eurasia (Russian Federation, Republic of Kazakhstan, Armenia, Moldova, Republic of Belarus). The methodological basis of the study was the concept of methodological pluralism, consolidating the approaches of constructivism to public diplomacy and the classical scientific school to positioning the activities of non-profit organizations. Research methods include design, description, evaluation of qualitative and quantitative results, feedback from the target audience of the project in the form of a review. During the implementation of the projects, the knowledge and skills of the parent and professional (medical, pedagogical) audience were strengthened; the geography has been expanded: 4 countries of the Eurasian space have been joined by partners from a fifth country — the Republic of Belarus, with voluntary participation. The scientific contribution consists of verifying the integration potential of NPOs in the development of public diplomacy in the project activities of domestic patient SO NPOs with friendly NPOs in Eurasia in joining forces, holding events, developing communication channels, and helping families. A model of a social resource has been created for replication in all countries of the post-Soviet space (4 countries are covered, but in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, there are children with Rett syndrome, and they all need social resources for a quality life).

Research on Optimization Strategies of Regional Cross-Border Transportation Networks—Implications for the Construction of Cross-Border Transport Corridors in Xinjiang

Facility connectivity plays a pioneering role in the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping in 2013. Xinjiang, as the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt bordering eight Eurasian countries, plays a crucial role in cross-border transportation and humanistic exchanges and is the focus of the national connectivity initiative. While the current analysis on regional accessibility has become more diversified, analyses on long-distance cross-border corridors are still relatively rare. Therefore, this paper takes the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China as the main study area extending westward to the five Central Asian countries. Modified accessibility accounting methods and gravity models are used to analyze the current status of accessibility and the strength of economic ties between Xinjiang and the five Central Asian countries. The results showed that the distance decay effect of transportation accessibility between Xinjiang and the five Central Asian countries is obvious; the constraints of “natural geography + transportation economy” affect the accessibility level from each state in Xinjiang to the five Central Asian countries and shows a trend of strength in the north and weakness in the south. From the optimization of the regional planning road network in a reverse projection, G3033 and other highways and the construction of the Yi-A railroad will improve the status quo of “east-west access but not north-south access” in Xinjiang. The “corridor effect” and spatial polarization characteristics of economic connection intensity from Xinjiang to the five Central Asian countries are significant. This study has important theoretical and practical significance for the construction of cross-border corridors.

The economic consequences of armed conflicts in selected Eurasian countries at the turn of the 21st century

The economic consequences of armed conflicts in selected Eurasian countries at the turn of the 21st century

Analyzing and Simulating Evolution of Subsidy–Operation Strategies for Multi-Type China Railway Express Operation Market

The China Railway Express stands as a crucial facilitator of trade across the land routes of Eurasian countries. During its initial developmental phase, the China Railway Express heavily relied on subsidies to establish a market presence. This dependency hindered its independence and sustainability. Hence, there exists a paramount need to regulate the subsidy market and institute more rational operation strategies. This study focuses on the dynamics of the subsidies and operations in the market for the China Railway Express under different types of development models. It uses evolutionary game theory and the Activity-Based Costing (ABC) method to describe the dynamic evolution of four cases between local governments and operating-platform enterprises. Four corresponding lines were selected as instances: from Xiamen, Wuxi, Changsha, and Zhengzhou to Malaszewicze, Poland. The findings conclude that the optimal conditions for the development of the China Railway Express market exist when operating-platform enterprises possess higher assets and the local government’s supervision and punishment of the market are relatively weaker. This study offers valuable insights for guiding subsidy and operational decision-making processes for the China Railway Express.

Rangelands and Pastoralism in Globalized Economies: Policy Paralysis and Legal Requisites

Growing quest for globalization and expanding economies have resulted into fragmentation, enclosure, grabbing, militarization and devastation of rangelands. Grasslands – covering 70% of the global agricultural area – are the basis for livestock production. In most of the countries, governments have little recognition of communal tenures of agro-pastoralists. Consequently, both pastoralists and rangeland ecosystems have suffered a grim fate. On the contrary, the subsistence pastoralism is an established sustainable strategy of livelihood and ecosystem conservation in the rangelands. Unfortunately, some of the most nutritive foods and other sustainable products of nomadic pastoralists have not desirably been priced in modern markets. With the demonstrated cases exhibiting the nomadic pastoralists, such as Hutsul shepherd communities of Ukraine, as most sustainable societies on planet Earth, there is urgent need for reshaping the popular paradigm and State policies on rangeland commons. In isolation of pastoralist people, the rangelands cannot truly be conserved or protected. To begin with, the resilience of pastoralists to the changing environments and their (unique) rangeland management can first be pondered. Accordingly, the policy and legal frameworks of States need to be reoriented and revised. In particular, Eurasian countries should review their laws and policies on rangeland sustainability and pastoral grazing.

Green gross domestic product: A bibliometric analysis

AbstractGreen gross domestic product (GGDP) is a measure of economic performance that takes into account environmental aspects. This paper analyses the bibliographic data of 1321 articles retrieved from the Scopus database to shed some light on the GGDP literature for the past 47 years (1976–2022). Using VOSviewer, a combination of performance analysis (publication trend, top authors, top countries, top journals) and science mapping techniques (co‐citation and co‐occurrence) were employed. The co‐citation analysis reveals three thematic clusters, namely: (1) political and social science dimensions of social and environmental reporting, (2) environmental disclosures, and (3) systematic review of social and environmental accounts. The co‐occurrence analysis indicates a trend towards climate change and corporate governance, with a notable shift in focus from European and Eurasian countries to China. More importantly, this study offers valuable insights into the growing body of literature on GGDP, while emphasising the need for greater geographical representation and collaboration to advance the field.

Does Political Stability Matter for Foreign Direct Investment in Eurasian countries? Examining the Role of the Business Environment and Macroeconomic Variables

This In recent years, developing countries have placed a strong emphasis on attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), which is ostensibly regarded as the most important external resource for increasing industrial activity and real income growth. Indeed, the subsequent benefits of FDI, one of which is increased economic growth in developing countries, have been widely acknowledged. As a result, the goal of this study was to look into the impact of foreign macroeconomic factors, political instability, and the business environment on foreign direct investment in Eurasia countries. Many developing countries have softened their stances on foreign direct investment (FDI) in the hopes of luring more of this kind of investment and thereby bolstering their economies. This is due to the fact that there are many benefits to utilizing foreign capital during the expansion process. The panel data method was used to analyse information gathered from ten different Eurasia countries over a twenty-six-year period, from 1996 to 2021. The study's findings support the predicted outcomes of the hypothesized research. This study is one of the few in Eurasia countries that can be considered a pioneering study on the subject. This study will help policymakers and researchers understand the relationship between macroeconomic risk, political instability, the business environment, and foreign direct investment.

Current status of Nosema spp. infection cases in apis mellifera in eurasian countries and Ptp3 gene haplotypes in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.

The current status of Nosema spp. infections in A. mellifera throughout Eurasia was characterized using electronic databases. Although N. ceranae was predominantly detected in southwestern and south-central regions and N. apis in northwestern and north-central areas, most studies reported the occurrence of both species in Eurasia. In addition, the occurrence of Nosema spp. and Ptp3 gene haplotypes was investigated in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. Most of the examined honey bees were infected with both N. apis and N. ceranae. N. apis and N. ceranae isolates were either heterozygous or belonged to different strains and showed infection with more than one strain. New haplotypes were found for N. apis and N. ceranae in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. This study expands the data regarding existing haplotypes of Nosema species: there are currently 9 shared and 56 unique Ptp3 nucleotide sequence haplotypes of N. ceranae, and 2 shared and 7 unique haplotypes of N. apis, respectively.

Russia-NATO and Ukraine-NATO relations: from “a new quality” to “a shattered peace”

Political and legal foundations of the relations between Russia and Ukraine with NATO are examined in a comparative manner. The basic documents for interaction were studied in detail: Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation and Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Ukraine.An analysis of statements by offi cials of the USA, NATO, Russia and Ukraine in connection with Russian special military operation in Ukraine is provided. NATO continues its provocative policy of expansion unwinding a spiral of militarization and aggravation of geopolitical tensions in order to achieve superiority. The notorious “open door” doctrine has become so ossifi ed and hardened in its immutability that there is no reason to expect any changes, corrections or simply rethinking of its consequences for the security interests of NATO itself, its members and invitees. A stream of spells and predictable ritual statements, which do not contain the slightest element of novelty, is pouring out from Brussels. Moscow’s view on this is also well known and opposite to NATO’s one: the origin of the current deepest security crisis in the Euro-Atlantics was the destructive policy of the collective West thoroughly saturated with anti-Russian approaches and completely negating the proposals and initiatives that Russia had put forward as a possible solution to existing problems. The naked double standards and rough actions of NATO countries in Eurasia and other regions of the world testify to their desire, through the so-called controlled chaos and suff ering of millions of people, to prevent the establishment of a just multipolar world order implanting in its place a fl awed “rules-based order.” The architects of a unipolar world will be disappointed: hegemony led by the United States is impossible since there are Russia, China and India on the Eurasian continent. American elites cannot help but understand that they live in a country isolated by two oceans, the history of which is far shorter than Russian, Chinese and Indian which stretch back thousands of years.

Genetic and virological characteristics of a reassortant avian influenza A H6N1 virus isolated from wild birds at a live-bird market in Egypt.

The first detection of a human infection with avian influenza A/H6N1 virus in Taiwan in 2013 has raised concerns about this virus. During our routine surveillance of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in live-bird markets in Egypt, an H6N1 virus was isolated from a garganey duck and was characterized. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Egyptian H6N1 strain A/Garganey/Egypt/20869C/2022(H6N1) has a unique genomic constellation, with gene segments inherited from different subtypes (H5N1, H3N8, H7N3, H6N1, and H10N1) that have been detected previously in AIVs from Egypt and some Eurasian countries. We examined the replication of kinetics of this virus in different mammalian cell lines (A549, MDCK, and Vero cells) and compared its pathogenicity to that of the ancestral H6N1 virus A/Quail/HK/421/2002(H6N1). The Egyptian H6N1 virus replicated efficiently in C57BL/6 mice without prior adaptation and grew faster and reached higher titers than in A549 cells than the ancestral strain. These results show that reassortant H6 AIVs might pose a potential threat to human health and highlight the need to continue surveillance of H6 AIVs circulating in nature.