Political Players Research Articles

Il soggiorno di Caterina da Siena a Pisa nel 1375

Abstract This essay aims to shed light on the period spent by Catherine of Siena in Pisa during the year 1375. Catherine was not only a woman of faith and devotion, but also a leading political player in late 14th-century Tuscany, in direct contact with the Apostolic See through the members of her clique. Why did the lord of Pisa, Pietro Gambacorta, summon her to his city? What networks of relations did Catherine’s arrival fit into? What were the tangible consequences of her stay in Pisa?

Relations between Sofia and Moscow against the background of domestic political processes in Bulgaria

The article analyses the development of Russian-Bulgarian relations after February 24, 2022. The author draws attention to the fact that in the post-socialist period Sofia has developed a practice of viewing bilateral relations with Moscow not as an independent direction of foreign policy, but as a secondary part of a more general task of integrating the country into Euro-Atlantic community. Because of that the reaction of the Bulgarian political mainstream to the beginning of a special military operation of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine does not represent anything fundamentally new, but rather looks like a logical development of the traditions of Bulgarian diplomacy of recent decades. At the same time, the article emphasizes the presence of political players in Sofia who are interested in adjusting the course of Bulgarian-Russian relations by reducing their dependence on ideological and geopolitical factors.

The dark side of entertainment? How viral entertaining media build an attention base for the far-right politics of The Epoch Times

To amplify their audience reach, far-right outlets need a calculated and coordinated array of acts to set the stage for audience attention and to build a communication network that spreads their messages. We examined the Facebook newsfeed history of The Epoch Times ( N = 117,274 posts from 2013 to 2020), which transitioned from a niche anti-China publication to an influential player in US far-right politics. We found that US partisan issues helped the outlet attract immediate audience engagement, but such content did not invite audience growth and engagement with future content. In contrast, viral entertaining videos, while seemingly benign and mundane, demonstrated superb effects in getting audience responses, accumulating followers, and boosting engagement with subsequent posts. We argue that entertainment media is a crucial component of the extreme politics landscape that directs the flows of political attention, which could exert a “ripple effect” on assembling audience networks.

Parasitical elitism in a sectarianized political system with a rentier economy: The power and practice of the Iraqi political elite after 2003

AbstractThis article theorizes the role of the elite in a sectarianized political system with a rentier economy. It argues that by virtue of the sectarian and ethnic representation of the sub‐identities, the long‐term interests of society are neglected. The reliance on natural resources creates a competition within the elite to seize the state's revenue for narrow interests. Finally, in such a setting, the elite attempts the monopolization of the flow of information to the public to shore up its legitimacy. The case study is Iraq since it is one of the few, if not the sole, sectarianized political system with a rentier economy. The political elite, despite an abysmal performance for nearly two decades, has been resilient and garnered more power. The continuous malpractice encompasses all the political players who agree on the governing rules by which they maintain their position within the system, and with limited circulation of the elite.Related ArticlesAli, Hamid E., and Shahjahan Bhuiyan. 2022. “Governance, Natural Resources Rent, and Infrastructure Development: Evidence from the Middle East and North Africa.” Politics & Policy 50(2): 408–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12451.Howie, Peter. 2018. “Policy Transfer and Diversification in Resource‐Dependent Economies: Lessons for Kazakhstan from Alberta.” Politics & Policy 46(1): 110–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12239.Khodr, Hiba. 2014. “A Preliminary Comparative Study of Policy Making in Two GCC Countries—Qatar and Kuwait: Processes, Politics, and Participants.” Politics & Policy 42(2): 271–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12068.

Communication Model of Three Indonesian Presidential Candidates Ahead of the 2024-2029 Election on Social Media Twitter

Government communication is an instrument used to disseminate information to the public. Political communication is any form of communication that involves political messages, political players, or anything related to authority, executive branch, or public policy. The percentage of Twitter users in Indonesia is increasing rapidly from year to year, along with the increase in social media users. Even 6.43 million users, or around 52% of all social media users in Indonesia, were Twitter users in 2019. The holding of elections is an important moment in the democratic process in Indonesia. This research looks at existing communication patterns between exhibitionists and the public in conveying information about the communication patterns of the three 2024-2029 presidential candidates through Twitter media. This research uses qualitative methods with a descriptive approach to data analysis using NVivo Plus 12 software, starting with data input through the NCapture Nvivo feature on the official accounts of the three presidential candidates @aniesbaswedan, @ganjarpranowo, and @prabowo, then coding, exploration, data visualization and, data presentation and conclusions. The result is that Ganjar Pranowo is the most active presidential candidate on Twitter social media compared to Anies Baswedan and Prabowo Subianto, with a percentage of 9.15% in the April-June 2023 quarter.

AUKUS AS AN EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO THE PROSPECTIVE LIMITATION OF AMERICAN DOMINATION IN THE INDO-PACIFIC

The establishment of the AUKUS system by the USA, Great Britain and Australia is a tangible proof of the change in the American maritime strategy and the rivalry with China for influence in the Indo-Pacific. Including Australia in the efforts to curb Chinese regional expansion is an undoubted success of Washington, which has skilfully used both the weaknesses of the QUAD agreement and the Australia-India-Indonesia trilateral cooperation to persuade Canberra to redefine its policy towards China and the region itself. As a result, Australia is becoming not only the second most important ally of the USA after Great Britain, but also the most important maritime player in the Indian Ocean. This status also poses a threat to the US, as it will weaken the community of interests with India and – to a lesser extent – with Saudi Arabia. Moreover, American politicians must accept the fact that they will be co-makers of policies in the Indo-Pacific region and that sometimes – in their own interest – they will be forced to remain passive in the face of actions taken by Canberra. The aim of the article is to analyze the political significance of the AUKUS agreement for American politics and to assess the possibility of its potential transformation into a political alliance or a regional maritime security complex. This assessment will be made based on the analysis of strategic documents of the signatories of the agreement and political and economic conditions in the Indo-Pacific region. The issue of approval by the American political establishment for recognizing Australia as an independent political player in this region was considered a major threat to the implementation of this political concept.

Ignorance, Disinformation, Manipulation and Hate Speech as Tools of Political Power

The outbreak of the pandemic, military conflicts and political maelstrom have changed the constellation of the information environment, generating a noticeable increase in ignorance, disinformation, manipulation resulting in fake news, conspiracy theories and the hate speech. The phenomena are escalated and intensified by rapid technological progress, widespread digitization and its impact on all areas of life, especially political activity. Due to the changes brought about by the digital revolution, a new social formation has emerged, known as the information society represented not only by politicians and social activists. The modified architecture of digital space causes the formation of new instruments, influence factors, and harmful social phenomena – previously present and recognized, but never before so intense. This article describes and analyses the issue of ignorance, misinformation, disinformation and manipulation as potential and actual tools of political power and terrorism. The study assesses the impact of disinformation, manipulation and hate speech disseminated through social media sites and abused by politicians who use it to build and extend political power. It also examines the impact of these detrimental and injurious phenomena on the functioning of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental human rights. The article defines the terms of ignorance, misinformation and manipulation proving that a language, as a means of communication should be neutral, is actually used for promoting ideology, coming to power, serving hatred, violence, and inciting criminal acts and crimes. Thus, political players worldwide use language and media to justify violence and to spread false ideologies and improve their public image.

USA–Myanmar relations: democratization and beyond

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the USA's policy toward Myanmar or Burma, analyzing the bilateral relationship between the two countries from the pre-colonial period to the present day. It highlights the implications of political shifts in the system of government in Myanmar for the bilateral relationship with the USA, particularly after the 1962 coup and the emergence of rising regional powers like China. The paper also shows how the economic role of Myanmar has increased, leading to more equal relations with the United States of America.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employs a qualitative research design, analyzing data from both primary and secondary sources. The methodology includes a literature review and document analysis to gain a comprehensive understanding of the USA–Myanmar bilateral relationship. The research also analyzes political and economic developments in Myanmar and the region, placing the USA policy in a broader context.FindingsThe research finds that the USA has been an influential player in Myanmar's politics and economy. However, with Myanmar's integration into the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and its accession to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), its economic role has become more significant, leading to a more balanced relationship with the USA. The paper also shows that the USA's policy toward Myanmar has undergone significant changes, particularly after the 2011 easing of sanctions by former President Barack Obama.Originality/valueAlthough many works have traced the history of USA–Myanmar ties, this study provides a fresh perspective by setting past events against the backdrop of contemporary geopolitical upheavals, therefore highlighting the complex evolution of their bilateral dynamics. The paper contributes to the literature on the USA–Myanmar bilateral relationship by providing a comprehensive analysis of the relationship from a historical perspective. The research also adds to the discussion of the implications of political and economic developments in Myanmar for the bilateral relationship with the USA. The findings of this study have important implications for policymakers and scholars interested in the USA's role in Southeast Asia and its relations with rising regional powers like China.

Political Disillusionment and the Fine Line Between Independence and Neo-colonialism in Early Post-colonial Africa: A Literary and Historical Perspective from Senegal with Aminata Sow Fall

ABSTRACT Focusing on the role of the French empire in the emergence of political disenchantment in the early post-independance Francophone African society, this paper draws from Aminata Sow Fall’s literary texts La Grève des bàttu (1979) and L’ex-Père de la nation (1987) to examine the political history of Senegal. Analysing these texts, we highlight two key aspects in this political history: the continuous external influence and contemptuous complicity of the former colonial power in various aspects of governance in post-independent Francophone African countries, and the complicity of the post-colonial leaders whose limited conceptualisation and interpretation of independence create conducive conditions for disenchantment. I argue that these dynamic influences which impact the validity of independence in Senegal, also represent the reality of many francophone African societies. To foreground the arguments in this article, I shall employ the post-colonial theory which facilitates the understanding of the impact of imperialism on ex-colonies, and sociological criticism which articulates the relationship between these texts and the social realities of the society from whence they emanate, drawing out specific insights about how they align with the interpretation of the chosen literary sources. In conclusion, I proposed that a re-evaluation of the role of internal and external political players is needed for the advancement and genuine emancipation of post-colonial African societies.

O Brasil é sempre ensolarado: imagens, estereótipos, desconhecimento e o status internacional do país

Brazil is an emerging country with tremendous potential and the ambition to become a major player in global politics. Achieving high international status, however, depends not only on aspiration, but on the intersubjective perceptions of states that are already established as great powers. Brazil’s rise is connected not only to its attributes of power but to how the country is perceived by others. This article advances the study of Brazil’s status by analyzing the image of the country according to the perceptions of the foreign policy community of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. It contributes to International Relations scholarship by addressing the relation between images of a nation and its level of prestige. The article argues that knowledge about Brazil is limited even among global elites and is mostly associated with superficial stereotypes.

The irony of Indonesia's democracy: The rise of dynastic politics in the post-Suharto era

This essay aims to study why politicians engage in dynastic politics within democratic institutions and how they reject institutional changes that may limit their ability to pass on political power to family members. While scholars have emphasized institutions as an enabling factor, it is unclear how the power struggle manifested to preserve the institutions that continually suit the interests of aspiring dynasts amidst the democracy shift and pressure. This study seeks to fill the gap by delving into how political players struggle to preserve the structures that allow them to form political dynasties. This study also presents an original empirical conclusion demonstrating that Indonesian political dynasties more than tripled between 2010 and 2018, or in only one election cycle. This study contends that the primary cause of the rapid growth of political dynasties in Indonesia is inextricably related to the gradual institutional changes following Indonesia's democratic transition in 1998. In the process, the parasitic symbionts—i.e. the aspiring dynasts—were able to make institutional drifts.

The Far-Right Redox Reaction: The Transformation of Populist Radical Right Parties from Marginal ‘Groupuscules’ into Considerable Political Forces

ABSTRACT The paper examines the factors for the ‘big moment’ of the far right, its Big Bang, i.e, when far-right parties transform from marginal ‘groupuscules’ into considerable political players. It is the moment when political supply and social demand interact, like two elements in a chemical reaction, and are transformed into far-right vote; the far-right redox. What are the conditions and the catalyst that allow the far-right redox to take place? Discussing the importance of the media as a resource for all political actors, and especially the far-right party family and analysing examples from three Balkan countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia), Greece and France, the working hypothesis is that a necessary and sufficient condition is the occurrence of a media-induced event that acts as a catalyst, leading to their rise from the political margins to the political mainstream.

Globalizing from the inside out: national responses to international soft law in Latin America’s banking sector

Building from historical institutionalist contributions, this article explains why domestic regulators implement global rules to govern their banking markets. Although this question is not new, this paper tackles it with a novel approach. It frames regulatory globalization as an inside-out process in which domestic coalitions leverage international soft law’s power resources to advance their local agendas. The article highlights how local players utilize Basel’s power resources to build state regulatory capacities and market compliance conditions and, subsequently, strengthen those capacities and conditions to prompt regulatory convergence. To test this argument, the author conducts comparative case studies with Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, which challenge the conventional wisdom on rule harmonization. While the literature correlates convergence to externally driven, market-based economies and divergence to state-led, crony economies, case studies show the highest rate of convergence in Brazil’s state-led economy and the lowest rate in Chile’s market-based economy, with Mexico in between. The article concludes that regulatory politics is an iterative institutional process that does not necessarily coincide with a country’s variety of capitalism. It also points out that local policymakers are not merely standard followers but political players who mobilize global resources to further their interests while governing finance.

Spatial analysis of Lithuanian youth turnout: Results of 2016-2020 parliamentary elections

The paper analyses spatial differences in voter turnout during the 2016 and 2020 Lithuanian Parliament elections. The article delves into the problem of spatial differentiation of young voter turnout, paying special attention to the most segregated metropolitan regions. The relationship between youth turnout and changes in the support of individual parties in different polling units is also sought. The results show that the voting activity of young citizens depends on their political preferences towards right-wing parties. Political preferences and turnout are polarised in central and peripheral regions and new political players such as the Freedom Party can influence young residents’ political behaviour.

Civil society of Western Ukraine and Europe in the context of the Ukrainian Holodomor events of 1932-1933

The article examines the Holodomor national tragedy of 1932-1933 in the context of the reaction to it by the population of neighboring Ukraine and more distant countries, as well as international organizations. It is emphasized that the Holodomor was a deliberate action of the communist authorities against the Ukrainian peasantry as a source of disobedience to the authorities and national resistance. It is shown that despite the efforts of the Bolshevik government to hide the glaring facts of the famine and the conformist support of the majority of foreign journalists accredited in the USSR, this information still received publicity in the world thanks to individual journalists of influential British newspapers and the work of foreign embassies and consulates in the USSR. It provoked a civil wave of help in various countries, but did not cause official condemnation of the Bolshevik policy by the member states of the League of Nations and the Catholic Church as an influential player in the international politics of the time. The role of public organizations and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the organization of assistance to illegal refugees from Ukraine and protest movements condemning the policy of the USSR towards Ukrainian peasants is considered. It was concluded that the first and subsequent recognitions of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine as genocide at the level of influential countries and international organizations, as well as the criminal proceedings carried out in Ukraine on the fact of committing the crime of genocide of 1932-1933 in Ukraine as a crime against humanity permit modern Ukrainians not only to consolidate the memory of the Holodomor as a significant historical narrative for the entire society, but also to re-understand this traumatic experience, renewing the nation and its values and outlook guidelines.

Basic Methods of the History of Political and Legal Doctrines and the Possible Transformation of the Object of Legal Science

This article shows the importance of the methodology of the history of political and legal doctrines, characterizes the basic (basic) methods, and illustrates their cognitive capabilities. At the same time, the emphasis is placed on the fact that each doctrine has a methodological basis, which to some extent allows us to evaluate the content of the doctrines and the real possibilities of their implementation in the practice of state-legal construction. The importance of the history of political and legal doctrines is shown in the present period, when the ideological confrontation has become especially aggravated, behind which there is a discrepancy between the interests of global political players. Methods make it possible to study reality and not only political and legal. It seems that it is part of a broader phenomenon, which can be conditionally called sociality. At present, such a category as the techno-social sphere (system) has firmly entered the scientific circulation. The synthesis of natural, social, technological systems is an example of the transformation of the subject area of legal science, and as a result, the interdisciplinarity of scientific research.

Ignorance, Disinformation, Manipulation and Hate Speech as Effective Tools of Political Power

The outbreak of the pandemic, military conflicts and political maelstrom have changed the constellation of the information environment, generating a noticeable increase in ignorance, disinformation, manipulation resulting in fake news, conspiracy theories and the hate speech. The phenomena are escalated and intensified by rapid technological progress, widespread digitization and its impact on all areas of life, especially political activity. Due to the changes brought about by the digital revolution, a new social formation has emerged, known as the information society represented not only by politicians and social activists. The modified architecture of digital space causes the formation of new instruments, influence factors, and harmful social phenomena – previously present and recognized, but never before so intense. This article describes and analyses the issue of ignorance, misinformation, disinformation and manipulation as potential and actual tools of political power and terrorism. The study assesses the impact of disinformation, manipulation and hate speech disseminated through social media sites and abused by politicians who use it to build and extend political power. It also examines the impact of these detrimental and injurious phenomena on the functioning of the rule of law, democracy and fundamental human rights. The article defines the terms of ignorance, misinformation and manipulation proving that a language, as a means of communication should be neutral, is actually used for promoting ideology, coming to power, serving hatred, violence, and inciting criminal acts and crimes. Thus, political players worldwide use language and media to justify violence and to spread false ideologies and improve their public image.

Why did Trump call prayers politically correct? The coevolution of the PC notion, the authenticity ethic, and the role of the sacred in public life.

Trump's crusade against PC played a key role in his political rhetoric and resonated well among his supporters, yet his notion of PC differed greatly in meaning from earlier uses of the term and was used to denounce a much wider range of socio-political behaviors. Based on a systematic analysis of Trump's use of this notion, I identified five main normative propositions organizing Trump's anti-PC rhetoric. Viewed together, these propositions add up to a rehabilitation of White working-class culture but also outline an emerging late-modern version of the authenticity ethic, whose power extends far beyond the working class. This ethic (as manifested in Trump's anti-PC rhetoric) transforms the role of morality and the sacred in political drama and in symbolic struggles over social worth. Rather than presenting his commitment to moral values, ideals, and allegedly-universal rules, Trump used anti-PC rhetoric to expose and criticize the symbolic self-interests of others who speak on behalf of these values, rules, and ideals to claim superiority (and thus ironically mimicked the sociological critique of symbolic violence to legitimize bigotry). Yet, the sacred is not completely banished from political drama: authenticity as a principle of worth guiding moral evaluation and argumentation is revealed as a sacred in denial. The case of Trump's anti-PC rhetoric thus allows theorizing the implications of the authenticity ethic for the dynamics of social struggles over recognized worth and for the role of ideals in the presentation of self in politics and beyond.

William Drennan and the Poetry of Presbytery

Abstract: Belfast Presbyterian radical Dr William Drennan (1754–1820) is widely regarded as the premier poet of the United Irishmen movement. However, while his significance as a key player in the political drama of the 1790s has been well documented, and his political poetry anthologized, few of Drennan's other poems have received critical attention. Permeating such neglected work from this poet of presbytery is an Irish dissenting, non-subscribing Unitarian Presbyterianism, which also crucially colors his famous political poems. It is proposed here that Drennan's muse is predominantly moral, specifically New Light, being the signature watermark of his chief poetical statements.

The party "Ciudadanos" in the context of the crisis in Catalonia (March 2017 - June 2018)

The article examines the activities of the national party "Ciudadanos" with a focus on its initiatives during the acute phase of the crisis of separatism in Catalonia, associated with the referendum on the independence of the region (оctober 1, 2017) and the political struggle between supporters and opponents of the state unity of Spain. The reaction of the "Ciudadanos" to the activation of the separatist movement revealed the specifics of its ideological image. Special emphasis is given to the tactics of the "Ciudadanos", the analysis of its relationship with the leading political players at the regional level.Using the example of the studying the activities of the "Ciudadanos" in the conditions of catalan separatism, can be analyzed its ability to adapt to daily "challenges"; to understand the prospects for overcoming the catalan crisis. The maneuvers of the "Ciudadanos" in Catalonia in 2017 - 2018 are considered as evidence of the changes taking place in the political system of Spain.