Geopolitical Issues Research Articles

Влияние Ялтинской конференции на развитие современного международного права

Introduction: the article analyzes the contribution of the Yalta conference of 1945 to the formation of the modern international legal system. We believe that the role the decisions taken at this conference played in the formation of current international law is significantly underestimated these days. The purpose of this article was to identify the elements of modern international law the formation and development of which were influenced by the Yalta Conference. For this, the following objectives were set and consistently accomplished in the course of research: to determine the role of international conferences as mechanisms for the development of international law; to identify the features of the Yalta conference; to study international legal decisions that were made during the Yalta conference. Methods: we applied general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, interpretation, formal logic. In connection with the study of historical aspects of international legal science, the method of historical and legal analysis played a significant role. Of the specialized legal methodological tools used in the preparation of the article, we note the methods of formal legal analysis and legal modeling. Results: the article proves that the Yalta conference laid the legal foundations for new significant international legal regulations. We consider the following to be the main international legal achievements of Yalta-1945: final agreement on the creation of the UN; the creation of a completely new mechanism of international legal governance – the UN Security Council; participation in the formation of a new system of sources of international law; participation in the development of the basis of new international law; participation in the formation of a number of new branches of international law. Conclusions: the Yalta Conference marks the end of one era and the beginning of a new one, in which the UN will occupy the most important place in the system of management of international legal relations. Many decisions made in Yalta concerned the future of the international legal order, and not just the resolution of the geopolitical issues of the Second World War at its last stage.

Lokális geopolitika és területfejlesztés

A lokális geopolitika nem más, mint a geopolitikai módszerek alkalmazása a helyi konfliktusok értelmezésében. E terület csak a közelmúltban került a francia geopolitikai kutatások témái közé. A területfejlesztés geopolitikájának vizsgálata a lokális geopolitika egyik fontos szakterülete Franciaországban. A területfejlesztés középszintjének kérdése erőteljesen foglalkoztatja a francia szakembereket, éppen ezért érdemes megvizsgálnunk e kérdést, hiszen a magyar területfejlesztés középszintjével kapcsolatos viták Magyarország esetében is folyamatosan napirenden voltak az elmúlt időszakban.

Isu Geopolitik Timur Tengah dalam Kolaborasi Musik 'Ilahu ats Tsaurah'

This research is an interdisciplinary study involving the fields of literature and political science on musical collaboration entitled Il?hu ats-Tsaurah. This paper uncovers the relationship between the musical collaboration and geopolitical issues and the worldviews of the musicians involved in the conflict. This research will use the theory of Genetic Structuralism to dissect the contents of the lyrics in the Il?hu ats-Tsaurah music collaboration. The results of the study show that the geopolitical issue of the Middle East is one of the factors causing the prolonged conflict and the world view of the musicians shows their disappointment as an Arab nation which is now increasingly divided due to differences in race, religion, and country. Through this musical collaboration, the musicians also urge the Arabs to unite and not just be silent when they find out that their brothers are being oppressed.

Current Issues of Ensuring Energy Security

This article examines the theoretical and methodological aspects of the problem of energy security, which is becoming a topical geopolitical issue today. In particular, the interpretations of the concept of energy security, its transformation into a geopolitical factor and the structural elements of energy security are highlighted. The focus is on modern approaches and trends in energy security, as well as theoretical and methodological issues in the analysis of regional aspects of energy security. At the same time, efforts will be made to reveal the scale of threats to energy security and the destructive factors that make energy security relevant, their impact on interstate relations and political destabilization. The article summarizes the author's definition of the concept of energy security.

Twitter Sentimental Analysis

Twitter sentiment analysis (TSA) provides the methods to survey public emotions about the products or events associated with them. Categorization of opinions through tweets involves a great scope of study and may yield interesting results and insights on public opinion and social behavior towards different events, services, product, geopolitical issues, situations and scenarios that concern mankind at large. These attributes are expressed explicitly through emoticons, exclamation, sentiment words and so on. In this paper, we introduce a word embedding (Word2Vec) technique obtained by unsupervised learning built on large twitter corpora, this process uses co-occurrence statistical characteristics between words in tweets and hidden contextual semantic interrelation

Transboundary Water Conflicts as Postcolonial Legacy (the Case of Nile Basin)

It is not shortage or lack of water that leads to conflict but the way how water is governed and managed. It is said that water will be, much more than oil, the major geopolitical issue of the 21st century. Although it is difficult to demonstrate this, it is clear that the increasing scarcity of the resource, on the one hand, and the configuration of its availability, on the other, are conflict-generating. In the particular case of the African continent, the large catchment basins of the Nile, Niger and Chad, shared by many states of unequal power, are the scene of inefficient hydro-diplomacy. Indeed, north to south, the Nile Delta is 161 km long and covers the coastline of Egypt from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east. Egypt with 100 mln population is de facto the principal hydro-hegemon state in the Nile basin. Nevertheless, a couple of riparian states, as Ethiopia (105 mln population), have taken measures in order to challenge this status quo: the signature and launching of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), the signature of Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the signing of the Declaration of Principles Agreement. The article attempts to analyse the urgency of the problem of water resources allocation in Africa with particular focus to the Nile basin and the complexity of agreements regulating the issue dating back to the colonial era. The study also emphasizes the difficulties bilateral and multilateral aids faced while trying to solve a conflict. As Nile for many states is not just a source of water, it is the host of a fragile ecosystem, essential for maintaining the environmental and ecological balance of North-East Africa.

The Influence Of The Energy Factor On Modern International Relations

This article examines the theoretical and methodological aspects of the problem of energy security, which is becoming a topical geopolitical issue today. In particular, the interpretations of the concept of energy security, its transformation into a geopolitical factor and the structural elements of energy security are highlighted. The focus is on modern approaches and trends in energy security, as well as theoretical and methodological issues in the analysis of regional aspects of energy security. At the same time, efforts will be made to reveal the scale of threats to energy security and the destructive factors that make energy security relevant, their impact on interstate relations and political destabilization. The article summarizes the author's definition of the concept of energy security.

On shale shaker’s structural optimization and performance improvement

Recent trends, predictions [1] and overall assessments [2] in extractive industries show there will be changes in many aspects of business, varying from geopolitical issues up to the optimization of working processes and machines. In severe conditions of drilling stations usually based quite a way off to cities and are difficult to access, it is important for all the equipment and machines to operate without failure and provide forecasted level of durability, because unexpected shutdown may lead to halting of production and economic losses. This article is focused on investigation of shale shaker primary characteristics and its behavior during operational loads. In the result of the work an optimization has been performed on the basis of kinematic, strength and NVH performance. Special emphasis was put on the value of vibrational acceleration which reflects an overall possibility of a shale shaker to sift drilling mud. It is a widespread practice to implement optimization tools into different fields. The methods of usage topology optimization can follow the same ideas as it is done in automotive [3] or agricultural industries [4]. Advantage of this paper based on intense cooperation between manufacturing department of the customer and CAE engineers which is the basis of a good design process [5] and overall approach to successful development [6], that includes manufacturing restrictions and that allowed to prove sustainability of the models through validation phases, in the beginning of the project for the initial structure and in the middle of the project for several newly assembled prototypes. So the results of the work have been confirmed by real experiments. Another strong point was a possibility to obtain a feedback right from drilling stations about the condition of optimized shale shaker after it started to work under common operational loads. Constant monitoring, predicting systems and other methods to evaluate overall condition of the machines under operational loads or drilling fluids [7] during the extraction process are important measures in order to prevent unexpected failures. Process and result of this work can be assembled in a step-by-step method for simplified evaluation of shale shakers with vibrators of different amounts and powers. Such method allowed to obtain an overall glimpse on main characteristics, performance, to locate durability weak zones and shows potential for possible structural optimization. The new approach has been used in this research by using the CML-Bench platform, which is a system for managing the simulation driven design projects field of digital design and modeling [8]. This system allows tracking and observing all necessary variables, simulation history and mutual influence of different parameters on different structural changes. Such a method for design engineering allows easily carrying out multidisciplinary optimization of the objects and always being aware of the performance state of the whole system [9].

Characterization of Customized Encapsulant Polyvinyl Butyral Used in the Solar Industry and Its Impact on the Environment

Taking climate and geopolitical issues into account, we must shift our thinking towards “eco” and focus on renewable energy. The accessible solar energy represents 400 times the amount of consumption, while its potential represents 10,000 times the amount of demand. The paper aims to analyze recycled, customized polyvinyl butyral (PVB) with high purity (more than 98%) concerning its physicochemical and mechanical properties and its possible applicability in the photovoltaic industry as an encapsulating material. The detailed investigation on polyvinyl butyral starting from characterizations, homogenization, and moulding process to tensile tests and used exposure testing in laboratory apparatus are performed. Samples of recycled polyvinyl butyral were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation of the value 0.76 W.m–2.nm–1 at 340 nm, water spray, drying at 50 °C and condensation for 320 h when the radiation was turned off. The results obtained were more controlled in a laboratory environment than those found in external, uncontrolled environments. These conditions subsequently accelerate any degradation of polyvinyl butyral as a material and subsequent degradation of the final product.

Transnational Jihadism and the Role of Criminal Judges: An Ethnography of French Courts

AbstractLower national courts are increasingly asked to perform a transnational role, being directly involved in major geopolitical issues such as conflicts, migration, and transnational terrorism. Based on an ethnography of French criminal courts, this article aims to examine this emerging role of national lower courts as transnationalized players. Through an examination of terrorism prosecutions in France and the positions of the different judicial actors, it is argued that lower criminal courts, acting within a transnational context, can offer more robust resistance to states’ policies than supreme courts. This is because of the routine and the banality of their function and the direct interaction with the accused persons coupled with the judges’ own professional ethos and notion of judicial independence. Unlike supreme courts, whose role is more visible, and thus under the constant scrutiny of the political branches of the state, lower courts can operate in a more distant, independent space.

Coppiced Biochars as Partial Replacement of Carbon Black Filler in Polybutadiene/Natural Rubber Composites

Although carbon black has been the dominant filler material for rubber composites for over a century, it is a finite, fossil fuel-based product that is sensitive to geopolitical issues and economics. Renewable sources of carbon need to be developed to replace carbon black in order to reduce dependence on petroleum. Biochar is the solid material left over after the anaerobic treatment of biomass at high temperature. In this work, two biochars made from coppiced hardwoods, Paulownia elongata and Populus tremuloides were used to partially replace carbon black in rubber composites using a 50/50 blend of butadiene rubber and natural rubber. Rubber composite samples using these biochars were able to replace 30% of the carbon black with virtually no loss in tensile strength, and improved elongation and toughness compared to the reference sample containing 100% carbon black.

Science and Diplomacy around the Earth

In this article we discuss two phases in the evolution of global environmental programs, namely the Man and Biosphere Programme and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, with the aim of showing their hidden diplomatic ambitions from both US and Soviet perspectives. In the 1960s and 1970s, Soviet views on the biosphere prevailed thanks to the influence of Soviet scientists in the International Council of Scientific Unions and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. In the 1980s, the domination of this field by US scientists ushered in the establishment of Earth system science as a new research trend based on Earth observation technologies. We argue that despite the influence of Soviet ecologists in directing international coordination of research on the biosphere, Earth system science did not set in a trajectory of environmental cooperation. This outcome can be explained if we take the environmental and ecological turn that arose during the Cold War as being intertwined with political concerns and national interests in both the US and the USSR. Security, scientific diplomacy, and geopolitical issues limited East-West collaboration on the interdisciplinary study of the earth, which instead turned into a sort of cooperative antagonism. The transition from biosphere studies to Earth system science reveals a changing strategy toward environmental problems, which in turn reflects changes in Cold War policy. This essay is part of a special issue entitled Science Diplomacy, edited by Giulia Rispoli and Simone Turchetti.

Toxicological evaluation of MnAl based permanent magnets using different in vitro models

Due to economic, environmental and geopolitical issues, the development of permanent magnets with a composition free of rare earth elements and with acceptable magnetic properties has been considered a priority by the international community, being MnAl based alloys amongst the most promising candidates. The aim of this work was to evaluate the toxicity of powders of two forms of newly developed MnAl(C) permanent magnets through exposure experiments applying three model organisms, using as a benchmark powders of a commercial rare-earth-containing magnet (Nd2Fe14B). For this purpose, the direct exposure to the different particles suspensions as well as to magnets leachates was evaluated. Both viability and oxidative stress assays were applied in an adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell line (A549) and in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, together with the bioluminescent inhibition assay in the Gram negative bacterium Vibrio fischeri. The obtained results indicate that MnAl(C) permanent magnets, in general terms, presented similar toxicity than the Nd magnet for the selected biological models under the studied conditions. Overall, the presented data provide, for the first time, an in vitro toxicity analysis of MnAl based magnets.

The role of Chittagong port to support MSR in providing maritime transport facilities through intermodal in Asia

Among the seaports in the Bay of Bengal, Chittagong port is in a lucrative position to cover the maximum spatial transportation in Asia. Probably, China-proposed Maritime Silk Road (MSR) under the banner of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) had overlooked Chittagong port as maritime load centre in the South Asian region due to geopolitical issue. A recent performance of Chittagong port in terms of container throughput and considering the hinterland potentiality by MSR, Chittagong port is visualized load centre or connector in the region attractively. The intermodal freight transportation system brought the new dimension in the port regionalization. Driven in particular, Chittagong port’s geographical position and performance are two important indicators in serving through the intermodal system to the region timely and economically. The main objective of port development in Bangladesh is to act as maritime load centre of MSR and offer port services not only for Bangladesh but also to provide maritime transport facilities as well as seaport access to the landlocked countries Nepal and Bhutan, naturally locked part of India, southwest part of China and neighbouring country Myanmar for regional development. In addition to the literature review, this research used a qualitative research method with the combination of primary and secondary data collected from the field. Moreover, one network model is designed on how Chittagong port will provide the hinterland services to the region and implement the dictum of MSR and BRI. Overall, this paper aims to investigate the potentiality of Chittagong port to serve as a regional maritime load centre of MSR for developing an integrated intermodal freight transportation system in Asia.

Geopolitical Television Drama Within and Beyond the Nordic Region

Abstract This article presents a framework for thinking about the intersections between geopolitics and Northern European television drama by examining the contemporary Nordic Noir genre of crime drama. Nordic Noir features not only the double plot that combines sociopolitical critique with crime drama, but also a third “gaze” that engages aesthetics and territorial features that further individual series’ geopolitical critique. Nordic Noir has become especially attuned to contemporary geopolitical issues specific to its setting (climate change, East-West rivalries, etc.), through which viewers engage with region-specific geopolitical codes and visions. However, what happens when Nordic geopolitical television drama series are exported and transculturally adapted to different geopolitical and cultural realities? By examining the Southeast Asian localisation of The Bridge (Viu/HBO Asia, 2018–) that transforms Nordic Noir into “tropical noir”, this article critically reflects on the geopolitical power and societal engagement of the Nordic Noir template both within and beyond the Nordic region.

Culture, tourism, and territory: Analyzing discourses and perceptions of actors in Byblos and Baalbek in Lebanon

ABSTRACT Lebanon is a laboratory of cultural and territorial mobilities. The civil war caused the emergence of communal cultures and diverse modalities of locals/visitors encounters dependent on locals’ religions and visitors’ origins, and to the submission of territorial development to geopolitical interventions. This paper focuses on an empirical approach that determines cultural dynamics, tourism encounters, and mobilities as fundamental pillars of territory development in two Lebanese cities with different religious backgrounds, Christian in Byblos and Muslim in Baalbek. The discursive analysis of documentation reveals the focus of local, national, and international actors in both cities on the valorization of archaeological sites with the inclination of the local actors towards inclusive development. 264 and 245 qualitative surveys distributed to locals and visitors in Byblos and Baalbek respectively and analyzed statistically disclose their perceptions oriented primarily towards cultural tourism, with leisure tourism emerging in Byblos and religious tourism prospering in Baalbek. The discourses of multilevel actors and the surveys reveal that the degree of consensus between actors, locals, and visitors on cultural, touristic, and territorial dimensions is more significant in Byblos than in Baalbek. This paper points out the impacts of locals’ religions, locals/visitors encounters, and geopolitical issues on the mobilization of territories.

Oil price jumps and the uncertainty of oil supplies in a geopolitical perspective: The role of OPEC’s spare capacity

The contribution of this paper is threefold: first, it introduces a new geopolitical risk index that incorporates recent geopolitical events ignored in Caldara and Iacoviello (2018)’s index. In addition to war threats and acts, terrorist threats and acts and nuclear threats, the new indicator accounts for global trade tensions, the changing fundamentals of U.S.-China relations, the escalated U.S.-Iran conflict, Saudi Arabia’s uncertainty, Venezuela’s crisis, and OPEC news that rise in response to important OPEC meetings and events connected with OPEC production levels. Second, it addresses how the volatility of six oil prices (the Nigerian Bonny Light, Brent, Dubai, OPEC, Tapis, and WTI) behave when the developed geopolitical risk index unexpectedly changes. Third, it examines whether OPEC maintains a buffer of spare capacity that it uses to respond to potential crises that reduce oil supplies. We show that an increase in the geopolitical risk index is significantly associated with unanticipated oil price changes, though with varying sensitivities. Our findings also reveal that OPEC’s use of spare capacity reduces the reaction of oil price to geopolitical risks but moderately, thus suggesting a limited stabilizing influence on the oil market. The limited amount of spare production capacity leaves the oil market on a knife’s edge as it deals with a host of potential supply disruptions stemming from geopolitical issues.

Third-generation biorefineries: a sustainable platform for food, clean energy, and nutraceuticals production

Sustainable transformation of biomass into a wide range of valuable chemicals, fuels, and materials is the eventual goal of a biorefinery. Algal feedstock (microalgae and macroalgae) is a principal component of third-generation (3G) biorefinery empowering the bio-renewables industry. While first-generation (1G) biorefineries are commercially viable, products (fuels and commodity chemicals) from second-generation (2G) and 3G biorefinery are not yet commercially competitive due to the gross technical challenges, scalable and production cost issues. Because of the inherently diversified nature of feedstock used in 3G biorefineries, a myriad of specific bioproducts can be produced. Furthermore, stable food/feed supply, environmental concerns, climate change, and geopolitical issues have necessitated the exploration of 3G feedstocks into fuels and renewable chemicals. Considerable success has been seen in research laboratories in the last two or three decades which led to mature technical developments in algal biomass conversion. However, the scale-up issues are still posing a big challenge for the commercial exploitation of algal feedstock into fuels and chemicals. Nevertheless, various products such as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics are successfully being produced from algal feedstock. This review paper describes the technical developments, industrial scenario, environmental issues, and range of diversified products from 3G biorefineries. Specially, we focus on the exploration of algal biomass into fuels and biochemicals via multidisciplinary technological routes.

Iran's military defense strategy against the formation of Military-Arabian Coalescence in the Persian Gulf region with an Emphasis on Security

In the years leading up to 2020, the geopolitical regions in South-West Asia, influenced by some geopolitical factors such as the efforts of some Arab countries to form a Military-Arabian Coalescence, has undergone many changes that have increased tensions in the region. The Military-Arabian Coalescence, which is influenced by geopolitical issues in the region, has raised questions of what are the security threats posed by these efforts against the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and what should be Iran's military defense strategy against such efforts? Based on the new theory of realism, the present study seeks to identify and analyze the geopolitical factors influencing this military coalescence, and has tried to investigate the most appropriate strategies for the Islamic Republic of Iran's approach to the formation of such a coalition. The results of the present study showed that Iranian officials need to increase their military capabilities in the face of any threat from the Persian Gulf states, as well as try to take advantage of religious, cultural, economic and political opportunities to reduce the tensions in the Persian Gulf and take mutual trust.

The Exclusive Economic Zone is in reality a sovereign right of a State? The dispute over the Southeastern Mediterranean natural gas fields

Abstract The notion of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a relatively new one. Its gestation during the second half of the 20th century was slow and arduous. But, after its birth, it gained a very important and crucial place within the sector of International Law and especially the branch of the Law of the Sea. Furthermore, it implicates strong and unprecedented geopolitical issues, emerged between a lot of neighbouring states. Pursuant to the rule establishing its notion, the EEZ confers upon a State a sovereign right, subject to a number of restrictions, which do not, nevertheless, affect the core of its integrity. But, in real international life this integrity is seriously jeopardized. International Law, because of its particularity, cannot be equipped by and enjoy the means of forced execution, which are inherent to the national legal system of every sovereign State. The EEZ, as it is provided by the International Law and especially the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea, is not in reality a sovereign right of a State. It depends on the consensus of the State with adjacent coast and overlapping EEZ, which is a ‘prerequisite’ legally not existing.