International Tensions Research Articles

Why It Takes a Village to Manage and Share Data

Implementation plans for the National Institutes of Health policy for data management and sharing, which takes effect in 2023, provide an opportunity to reflect on the stakeholders, infrastructures, practice, economics, and sustainability of data sharing. Responsibility for fulfilling data-sharing requirements tends to fall on principal investigators, whereas it takes a village of stakeholders to construct, manage, and sustain the necessary knowledge infrastructure for disseminating data products. Individual scientists have mixed incentives and many disincentives to share data, all of which vary by research domain, methods, resources, and other factors. Motivations and investments for data sharing also vary widely among academic institutional stakeholders such as university leadership, research computing, libraries, and individual schools and departments. Stakeholder concerns are interdependent along many dimensions, seven of which are explored: what data to share; context and credit; discovery; methods and training; intellectual property; data science programs; and international tensions. Data sharing is not a simple matter of individual practice, but one of infrastructure, institutions, and economics. Governments, funding agencies, and international science organizations all will need to invest in commons approaches for data sharing to develop into a sustainable international ecosystem.

Areas for development of corporate governance in Russia with regard to the escalation of international tension

Subject. The article investigates approaches to corporate governance in Russia in the context of international tensions. Objectives. The aim is to analyze policy of the Bank of Russia in the sphere of corporate governance. Methods. We employ general scientific research methods. Results. We performed an analysis of scientific and practical approaches to corporate governance, considered problems related to transparency of corporate governance. Conclusions. In the face of sanctions, Russian companies should strike a balance between the non-disclosure of important information about shareholders and top managers and the need to comply with corporate governance standards.

NATIONAL INTERESTS OF UKRAINE BETWEEN WAR AND PEACE

The prospects for international security are closely linked to solving the age-old problems of war and peace, especially on the European continent. The long period of residence of European peoples in this part of the world, their communication with each other revealed numerous models of coexistence from armed confrontation to the formation of political integration with focus first on the economic component and then on socio-political unity. The creation of the European Union has changed relations between European countries. European states have committed themselves to resolving all disputes peacefully and to cooperating closely within the framework of pan-European institutions. However, the military conflict in Eastern Ukraine has reminded us that the war has not disappeared from the European continent and that Europe is facing new threats and challenges. Rising international tensions and the threat of large-scale military conflict in Europe are becoming a central theme of contemporary political discourse. The article analyzes the reasons for the increase in international conflict and new challenges to Ukraine’s national security. The author emphasizes that in order to understand the reasons, it is important to find out what interests each of the parties to the conflict pursues and what role our country plays in the East-West geopolitical confrontation. It is noted that the difference in views of Russia and the West on international relations leaves little room for compromise on Ukraine. The Kremlin’s demands for security combined with the “rattling” of weapons on Ukraine’s borders have provoked mixed reactions in the European Union and the United States. It is clear that Russia’s blackmail is bearing fruit and the start of the negotiation process marks a revision of European security policy. Given these circumstances, the author emphasizes the importance for Ukraine to be an active subject of the negotiation process in order to protect its own national interests.

Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan as a Vector of Eurasian Integration

The study analyzes the areas of cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan within the framework of Eurasian integration.Aim. To identify the presence of factors contributing to the strengthening of relations between Russia and Kazakhstan at the present stage and obstacles hindering the deepening of integration processes.Tasks. To analyze the current state of cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the Eurasian Union, to identify obstacles to deepening integration processes, to show forecast scenarios of interaction between Russia and Kazakhstan. To analyze how these scenarios will affect the relationship between the two countries, and what consequences will be if each of them is implemented.Methods. The article uses general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, a systematic approach, as well as an empirical method of expert evaluation.Results. The study showed that there are strong relations between the two countries in the economic sphere within the framework of the EAEU. Russia is the main trading partner of Kazakhstan. Projects related to the Caspian Sea are being developed and look very promising. Joint military exercises and supplies of Russian weapons are of great interest to Kazakhstan. Russia acts as a guarantor of Kazakhstan’s security in the region and its main partner in the Eurasian space. The Collective Security Treaty Organization also plays an important role in the relations between the two countries, which proved its effectiveness in the January 2022 events, contributing to the resolution of the political crisis and preventing extremist actions of armed terrorist groups. At the same time, the role of Kazakhstan as its closest neighbor and ally is also important for Russia, especially in the context of escalating international tensions.Conclusions. Both Russia and Kazakhstan are interested in further cooperation in the economic, military and cultural spheres. At the same time, the further deepening of integration processes is hindered by the absence of large joint investment projects and the multi-vector nature of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy. In the context of the information war of the West against Russia and the increasing international tension, it is extremely important to deepen cooperation between the two countries.

The Long Shadow of Hiroshima: Capitalism and Nuclear Weapons

ABSTRACT Few realise that amid rising international tensions, inter alia over Ukraine, Taiwan of China, Iran and AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States), nuclear arms control is today almost entirely dismantled and a manifestly declining and desperate US has launched a new nuclear arms, now also targeting China, making war and even nuclear war seem increasingly possible. The political and geopolitical economy of nuclear proliferation and control here highlights the singular role of the US in driving the arms race, arguing that the US desire to dominate the world economy, not the Cold War, caused the nuclear arms race; that the only surviving arms control treaty, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), has become more a channel for proliferation than a dam against it; and that the US used the NPT to justify its post–Cold War international aggression against some countries while violating it to aid allies.

Greenland’s ambiguous action space: testing internal and external limitations between US and Danish Arctic interests

ABSTRACT As a self-governing nation that exercises jurisdiction over most policy areas, Greenland is constantly testing its foreign policy and self-determination action space. Predominantly having aimed at increasing its action space towards Denmark, especially since inaugurating home rule in 1979 and self-government in 2009, Greenland has for the past decade been increasing its engagement as a direct partner to the US. In this paper, I analyse three cases where the Greenland-Denmark-US relations in different ways are delimited and affected by great power relations between the US, China, and Russia. In doing so, I demonstrate how Greenland increasingly uses its action space to affect the outcome of policies and initiatives that lie within the ‘grey zones’ between Greenlandic and Danish power relations. The paper contributes to the understanding of how state-like actors balance their relations in ambiguous ways towards larger states and creates action spaces to determine their own futures. The article argues that Greenland, by balancing the internal and external limitations determined by Greenland’s relations to Denmark and the US, is creating an ambiguous action space, where Greenlandic politicians can and do affect their action options. At the same time, these politicians must acknowledge that Greenland’s action space is constantly evolving against a backdrop of deepening relations between Nuuk and Washington, as well as increasing international tensions. The article is based on an analysis of official documents, media outlets and elite interviews.

Ballet in the Cold War: A Soviet-American Exchange

Ballet in the Cold War: A Soviet-American Exchange

School Textbooks on the National History of Russia and EU Countries in the late XX – early XXI Century as a Dialogue Between Science and Politics

Introduction. One of the priorities in the development of modern historical education in the context of the globalization of the humanities space has become the formation of social practices that make it possible to discuss and coordinate world, national, regional and local content in the content of textbooks on Russian history. When organizing the system of teaching history in schools in Russia and EU countries, the position of the state is still decisive everywhere. The need to form a consensus in the interpretation of the past is caused by the growth of confrontation due to the polarization of public discourse and the growth of international tension. The increased attention of the world community to the politics of memory has intensified the interest of researchers in this topic. Methods. The methodological basis of the work was formed by modern methods of analysis of the historical and cultural heritage of the past. The study was carried out in line with the concepts that substantiate the periodic replacement of the ideals of education and upbringing, depending on the nature of state authorities. When studying the meanings of the ongoing modernization of historical education, the content analysis of media publications was widely used. The principles of historicism, objectivity, and consistency made it possible to fully, deeply and comprehensively consider the object of study in the context of modern development. Discussion and Conclusion. The study has showed that school history education in the early 2020s still remains a conflict field in which the interests of states, interstate associations, public and confessional structures oppose in a variety of manifestations of influence on the formation of the worldview of young people. From 1996 to 2006, the modernization of historical education in Russia took place within the framework of the project “European Dimension in the Study of History”. Since 2007, a new intergovernmental educational project “Image of the Other in History Teaching” has been planned for three years, aimed at adapting the school process to the conditions of growing cultural diversity. However, in 2006, with the creation of a new historical and cultural educational standard on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, the reform of the school system of historical education no longer fit into the program for creating Greater Europe. Nevertheless, cooperation with the European Union in coordinating the content of school textbooks was continued. To prevent the deepening radicalization of public consciousness, our country, among 17 participating states, became a co-organizer of the Observatory for the Teaching of History, created at the initiative of France in November 2020, and on October 4–5, 2021, the First World Congress of School Teachers of History was held in Moscow. A study of the significant experience of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the European Union in the field of school education that has been accumulated since 1996 shows that a coordinated policy of memory is possible only with the expansion of cooperation between historians, a dialogue of specialists in the search for consensus on the most debatable and difficult to resolve issues in the history of Greater Europe, as well as the desire of politicians to peaceful coexistence and stability, the development of guarantees of equal security.

Demographic aging in Russia and new social reality

For the third year the population of Russia has been in the situation of a "perfect storm": under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid technological changes connected with digitalization of the entire living space, increasing international tensions against the background of the aging population of the country. These processes have contributed to the formation of a new social reality. The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics of demographic aging in the context of the pandemic, to identify the specifics of socio-demographic challenges to the country in these conditions, to present opportunities and obstacles in the direction of forming a strategy of active longevity in the Russian Federation. The relevance of this project is due to the need to study the potential of the older generation in the conditions of the second stage of depopulation for the socio-demographic development of the country. The information base is the data of Rosstat, international organizations, as well as the works of Russian and foreign authors on this issue. The author's methodology of measuring the resource potential of the older generation is used. It is shown that Russia implements active aging programs. However, the development of infrastructure to support the older generation is not yet consistently combined with the goals of socio-economic development of the country. It is proposed to make a wider use of the methodology for preserving and developing the resource potential of the older generation, which allows a differentiated approach to the formation of an active longevity strategy with the account of the capabilities and motivation of various groups of the elderly and old people.

Evolutionary Analysis of Supply Chain Integration Strategy on Chinese Steel-Producing Firms considering Policy Risk Cost Factor.

Despite a number of adverse factors, China's steel industry has maintained a rapid growth trend. China continues to consume two-thirds of the world's iron ore, the majority of which is imported. In this context, Chinese steel companies have begun to consider integrating their supply chains to increase efficiency and lower costs. However, the increasingly volatile international environment makes this an extremely risky proposition. As a result, the issue of how Chinese steel producers should participate in global supply chain integration has emerged as a critical research question that requires investigation. In this paper, we examine the supply chain integration problem using a typical China–Australia steel trade as an example. Specifically, we discuss in detail whether relevant firms should continue to promote supply chain integration in the Chinese–Australian steel industry, as well as the decision boundary of influence, using evolutionary game theory and policy risk cost factors. The empirical analysis demonstrates that policy risk has a range of effects on different types of steel firms. Even when international tensions are considered, smaller steel companies may retain a greater willingness to integrate their supply chains. Overall, the above findings can provide necessary decision support for enterprises to formulate supply chain management strategies.

Nanomaterial‐Based Sensor Arrays With Deep Learning for Screening of Illicit Drugs

AbstractRapid and accurate screening techniques are demanded for illicit drugs that have raised international tensions. Bovine serum albumin‐stabilized gold nanoclusters (BSA‐Au NCs), carbon dots (C dots), thiosalicylic acid‐stabilized silver nanoclusters (TA‐Ag NCs), and Marquis reagent as photoluminescent sensing probes for five common illicit drugs are demonstrated in this study. Cocaine, 4‐chloroethcathinone (4‐CEC), and ketamine induce different degrees of photoluminescence changes of BSA‐Au NCs, C dots, and TA‐Ag NCs. Detection of heroin and methamphetamine (MA) is based on their formation of fluorescence polymer particles with Marquis reagent. To provide a unique pattern for each analyte, 2 × 4 sensor arrays are prepared. A deep learning‐drug screening platform and system (DL‐DSPS) is established and applied to differentiate the five illicit drugs, each with unique code based on its response to the probes. For example, codes of (−1, −1, 1, 0), (0, −1, 1, 0), (0, 0, 1, 0), (0, 0, 1, 1), and (0, 0, 0, 1) are for 4‐CEC, cocaine, ketamine, heroin, and MA, respectively. The cost‐effective and compact DL‐DSPS is validated for screening of real‐world illicit drug samples, with results in good agreement with that from GC‐MS, showing its potential for multi‐drug screening at crime scenes.

Моделирование последствий ядерного удара

The risks of increasing international tension have sharply exacerbated the possibility of a nuclear conflict. The main geopolitical players in the international arena have actually recognized the possibility and even expediency of using nuclear weapons. In this context, the need to simulate the consequences of a nuclear strike in order to prepare for emergencies of a critical nature has become extremely urgent. The present article analyzes foreign experience of using digital simulators to this end. The authors outline Russian views on applying agent-based simulation methods for this purpose in the analysis of non-military (civilian) aspects of a nuclear blow effects.

Soil Chemical Pollution and Military Actions: A Bibliometric Analysis

Contrary to the optimistic expectations three decades ago, global military expenditure is increasing rather rapidly, fueled by the increasing intensity of international tensions. As a consequence of this, the military-caused soil pollution gains in importance. On the basis of a bibliometric analysis of 3500 articles, it is obvious that the level of interest in this topic has been rather fluctuating in the last decades, but in the last years, more than two hundred and fifty new publications have been appearing annually. The majority of publications are authored by US, Chinese, and Western European authors. Five main research areas could be identified by the cluster analysis of the following keywords: Heavy metal pollution, water resource pollution, consequences of soil pollution in the food chain, pollution by organic components and soil remediation, and analytic method development. The most central problem of research is heavy metal contamination. The basic topics of research are risk management, water contamination, and the depleted uranium problem. There is a further need to study the possibilities of decreasing of level of chemical pollutants, especially heavy metals.

International Educational Partnerships for a Troubled World: One Educator’s Experience

Abstract This article describes international educational partnerships developed in the intellectual tradition of John Dewey’s philosophies of pragmatism and progressive education. In his international work in China and Japan, Dewey sought what might be called “collective intelligence” via cross-cultural experiences fostering democracy through international understanding of the multiple “truths” endemic to different cultures. These partnerships provide models for consideration at a time of growing global unease in the wake of contemporary international tensions somewhat reminiscent of what was described in the United States after World War ii as the Cold War. If anything, current tensions are more complex, intractable, and dangerous because they are driven not only by “superpower” rivalries, but also by regional conflicts involving religious ideologies, mass human migrations, urgent environmental problems, and widespread terrorism and violence. Created primarily during the 1970s and 1980s, the described educational partnerships were intended to foster international understanding through exchanges that paralleled the citizen “people to people” movements of the time that provided critical popular support enabling leaders in the United States, Europe, and the Soviet Union to bring an end to the Cold War and, for a time, collaborate in the optimistic expectation of creating a new world order of cooperation, understanding, and stability.

Свобода вибору країни проживання: рееміґрація з Канади в Українську РСР (1955–1960-ті роки)

The article examines the peculiarities of the Soviet policy of return-to-the-homeland campaign from Canada to the Ukrainian SSR, which since 1955 was conducted by the Committee for Repatriation to the Motherland. The Ukrainian Diaspora in Canada occupied a special place in the committee’s efforts. The propaganda campaign for re-emigration was aimed at forming a positive images of the Soviet Union / Ukrainian SSR, in particular their economic achievements. The emotional component that was used to stir up nostalgia among the Diaspora was also fully used. The Ukrainian pro-communist press published numerous letters by Ukrainians who had lived in Canada but returned to their native land as evidence of the wonderful life in Ukraine. The return-to-the-homeland campaign was helped by leftist Canadian organizations (such as Association of United Ukrainian Canadians) through their own newspapers. It regularly published letters to friends in Canada from recent returnees. The return-to-the-homeland campaign was conducted in the context of the Cold War and the difficult relationship between Canada and the Soviet Union. However, re-emigration from Canada did not become so massive, as hoped for by its organizers, and by its scale was inferior to reminiscences from other countries (for example, from Argentina). The hundreds of Canadians who resettled in the Soviet Union in the second half of the 1950s represented only a small part of the Ukrainian origin community in Canada. But even in this situation, the Canadian government’s position on the return-to-the-homeland campaign was clearly considered too passive by members of the Ukrainian Canadian Committee. Canadians who returned to the U.S.S.R. felt duped and were not easily integrated into Soviet life. Those who succumbed to the manipulation of Soviet propaganda were quickly disappointed with the realities of life in the Ukrainian SSR and began to appeal for a return. Such persons immediately fell within the sight of the Committee of State Security, whose staff conducted “preventive conversations” with them. From the Canadian government’s perspective, there were no problems for people who had been born in Canada and they were eligible for Canadian citizenship. From the Soviet point of view, such steps were equivalent to political betrayals and were completely prevented. Separate cases of successful returns to the ocean were fixed at the beginning of the 1970s, which became possible due to the detente of international tensions during the Cold War and more persistent actions by Canadian authorities. A small number of repatriates managed with considerable difficulty to return to Canada. Some of them (N. Demydenko, E. Lenko) have been seeking permission to go to Canada for several years.

Nostalgia for the Maoist Era or for the Cold War? An Exploration of Third Front Workers’ Privileged Experiences in the Cold War Context

In the mid-1960s, a massive number of industrial projects were launched in China’s interior, known as the Third Front Movement, a response to international tensions created by the Cold War. Although they were abandoned at the end of the Cold War, the Third Front projects left a significant impact on the country. As an embodiment of these ongoing influences, nowadays, elders sharing recollections about the Third Front projects have formed a considerable part of China’s nostalgists for the Maoist era. Based on the Third Front workers’ life experiences in Mao’s China, this article explains Maoist era nostalgia when Chinese people generally live a better life in comparison with that during the rule of Mao Zedong. Furthermore, this article explores the question of whether their nostalgia is also for the Cold War. This exploration adds to a better understanding of the rebirth of nationalist fervor in today’s China.

Press bulletin "On Soviet Ukraine": content analysis of editions 1973—1975

The presented article is devoted to the problem of printed source studies. According to the author, the study of the latter significantly expands the documentary horizons of all Ukrainian studies topics, including those from the Soviet period of Ukrainian history. Based on the traditions of domestic press studies, the author conducted a content analysis of the currently little-used publication of the Ukrainian SSR, namely, the press bulletin "On Soviet Ukraine". The chronological boundaries of the elaborated copies (1973—1975) were determined by the specifics of the then historical conditions in world politics, in particular, the easing of international tensions and preparations for signing by 35 countries, including the United States and Canada, the Final Act cooperation in Europe, which took place in the capital of Finland, Helsinki. The update of the press bulletin "On Soviet Ukraine" is also related to its auditory and publishing specifics: this magazine was intended for distribution outside Soviet Ukraine and the USSR, in general. The latter was prepared for the foreign reader and required other approaches to finding both topics and ways to reveal them. In addition, the press bulletin "On Soviet Ukraine" was a typewritten manuscript and, according to existing standards, did not belong to the press products of the USSR. Meanwhile, the obligatory copies of this magazine were sent to the Book Chamber of Ukraine in a timely manner and are still stored in the repositories of its State Archive of the Press. A meaningful analysis of the journal, conducted in the presented article, showed a significant interest of the editorial board in the personalized coverage of socio-economic and cultural events that took place in Soviet Ukraine.

Февральский кризис 1948 г. в Чехословакии: реакция, оценки и последствия для внешней политики США

Introduction. The article examines the reaction of American diplomatic, political and media circles, who were involved in the development of the US political course and the formation of mass sentiments, to the crisis in Czechoslovakia in February 1948. It reveals connections between the perceptions of political processes in Eastern Europe by various segments of the American political elite and the nature of political decisions made by the US government. Methods. The research is based on archival documents and articles of leading American papers. Their analysis allows us to consider the transformation of the image of Czechoslovakia, perceptions of its domestic and foreign policy, the evolution of assessments of Czechoslovak realities in the US, depending on the domestic and international situation and changing world situation. Analysis. In February 1948, during the tense political crisis, a communist regime was established in Czechoslovakia. This event completed the creation of the Soviet bloc in Europe, and influenced the development of the US containment policy towards the USSR and the escalation of the Cold War. The February crisis caused a tangible reaction in the United States. It was considered in American media, diplomatic and political circles in general context of growing international tension and Soviet-American controversies. Results. The author concludes that the US government was convinced that the communists’ coup d’état was inspired by the Kremlin. The Americans were shocked by its suddenness and speed, the lack of resistance from democratic forces. This effect was used by the US government to whip up anti-Soviet sentiments and to adopt the Marshall Plan.

Military Orders at Maltsov’s Factories in the Middle of the 19th Century

Introduction, Materials and Methods. The paper is devoted to the study of the history of the military order at the factories of Sergey Ivanovich Maltsov in the middle of the 19th century, as well as the influence of the Crimean War (1853–1856) on the development of production. The problem is considered in the context of the current challenges of that time. The relevance of the study is due to the demand for experience in economic development in the context of escalating international tension and military actions. The source base of the work is both published and archival materials. The research was carried out within the framework of traditional methods of historical analysis in the paradigm of modernization theory. Results. The author analyses the process of fulfilling a military order for the supply of industrial products. The article gives a broad panorama of the sectoral specialization of the family business and the current activities of the economy. Also, the mechanisms for modernizing production are highlighted, and the role of the owner in the formation of production policy is shown. Discussion and Conclusion. The need to fulfill military orders, the growth of their volumes and assortment at private factories are associated with the depletion of resources of the state-owned industry, traditionally focused on supplying the army and navy. The Crimean War showed the depreciation of factory equipment, outdated production technologies, and the inefficiency of serf labor.

Memorial War in the Modern World: History and Theory

2022 marks the anniversary of the Battle of the Caucasus, one of the fateful battles of the Great Patriotic War. The multinational Russian people are sensitive to the historical memory of their heroic ancestors, the great feat of the Soviet people who saved Europe and the whole world from fascist enslavement. This fully applies to the residents of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. However, today in the world the “cold” war and the détente of international tensions have been replaced by the “memorial” war. Historical reality and people’s memory are distorted, monuments to the dead are overthrown. Scientists engaged in the analysis of historical and legal problems need to do everything possible to defend historical truth and expose lies and distort the results of World War II. The authors, based on the analysis of normative and historical sources, focus on the problems of the so-called “memorial war”, the factors that determine the current state of our society, which needs to build up and modernize the system of patriotic educational work based on historical search. The article applies an interdisciplinary approach that allows using the methods of historical and historical-legal research, which is consistent with the order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated November 10, 2017 №. 1093 on the approval of a new nomenclature of scientific specialties. This makes the issues raised in the article very relevant. The materials of the article can be used in the methodology of teaching historical disciplines, conducting educational work in educational institutions.