Political Issues Research Articles

The cost of war and peace: evidence from the impact of Russia–Ukraine war on European tourism

ABSTRACT Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the political turmoil and refugee issues have led to strong negative impacts on the tourism industries of neighbouring countries. This research explores the extent and the impacts of political instabilities or armed conflicts on tourism development in the European area. Difference-in-Differences design is built, and then various robustness checks are tested to investigate the relationship between the wars and significant decreases in tourism. A systematic comparison of the impacts of armed conflicts or wars on neighbouring countries or non-neighbouring countries using monthly time series data from January 2021 to February 2023 for 27 European countries. The results demonstrate that compared to non-neighbouring countries, neighbouring countries' tourism development was indeed hurt by armed conflicts. The novel contribution of this study is to tell the world that war impacts have far and deep-reaching consequences not only for Russia and Ukraine but also for their neighbouring countries. The findings also imply that political turmoil, especially wars, can devastate tourists’ security concerns for their travel destinations and then ruin the entire tourism industry.

Tiktok as a Political Communication Medium: An Examination of the United Nations

In contemporary society, TikTok has emerged as a preeminent platform increasingly used by political entities to facilitate the advancement of communication strategies and currently boasts over 1.1 billion active users. The United Nations (UN), established in 1945 as a quintessential international political institution, inaugurated an official TikTok account in 2020 in response to the exigencies imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. An examination of the extant literature reveals a marked paucity of scholarly inquiries critically evaluating the UN's social media communication strategies, particularly a notable dearth of analyses specifically addressing the UN's strategic engagements on TikTok. This study aspires to augment the existing corpus of literature concerning TikTok's role in global communication by scrutinizing the UN's communication strategies on this platform. The research entails a content analysis of 287 posts disseminated via the UN's TikTok account from March 31, 2020, to October 26, 2024. The findings elucidate that the UN has adeptly constructed a digital communication strategy characterized by the extensive integration of elements, including subtitles, captions, music, and hashtag within its TikTok posts. Moreover, the analysis indicates that the UN endeavors to transmit salient messages to its audience through a diverse array of audiovisual formats and affective tonalities. However, it is also observed that the UN inadequately addresses the exigencies of marginalized populations on TikTok, manifesting disparities in representational equity for specific demographic cohorts and exhibiting insufficient adherence to the principle of multilingualism. Finally, the UN was found to have a clear bias in its TikTok content regarding global political issues, a stance evident in the framing of the content.

Nation, Nationalism and Indian Hindi cinema

ABSTRACT In introducing this special issue on ‘Nation, Narration and Nationalism in Indian Popular Bollywood Movies’ this locates a shifting articulation of Indian national identity within the wider context of domestic social and political issues and the impact of globalisation. The 1980s are identified as a pivotal decade, as highlighted in the opening articles in this collection. These are followed by pieces which map the onset and varied impact of the Hindutva movement on Bollywood. This introduction further discusses the range of cinematic genres in which nationalistic tropes are inscribed and how these convey national identity.

The Concept of Happiness as an Ethical and Aesthetic Problem in the Philosophy of al-Farabi

The attitude towards the concept of happiness has been constantly changing since ancient times, depending on the views of human beings and the periods. The question of the possibility or impossibility of achieving happiness and its connection with virtue has also aroused the interest of philosophers. For this reason, despite being at the center of philosophers’ views of happiness as an ethical issue, it has been considered from different aspects. It can be seen that al-Farabi, one of the medieval Islamic philosophers, also focused on the importance of happiness as a concept and raised it as an ethical, political, and aesthetic issue. In this article, the concept of happiness will be discussed as ethical aesthetic issues based on the works of al-Farabi.

From rebellion to revenue: Revisiting commercialisation and digital platforms in Kenyan political protest music

This study explores the commercialisation of Kenyan protest music and how it affects its original political intent, with a focus on the transition from underground struggle to mainstream success. It further examines how digital platforms, such as social media and music streaming services, have reshaped the dissemination, reach, and reception of protest music, influencing both its economic success and political efficacy. Anchored in Antonio Gramsci’s Cultural Hegemony Theory, this study explores how dominant cultural forces, such as the media and music industry, form popular ideologies and impact the political and economic roles of protest music. The research adopted a qualitative methodology, incorporating content analysis of chosen Kenyan protest songs and semi-structured interviews with Kenyan youth, particularly those involved in the recent Gen Z led protest in Kenya. The findings show significant growth in repurposed protest songs, driven by social media's role in their virality. These platforms, according to the findings, enhance accessibility, broadening audiences and boosting artists' critical and commercial success. Viral protest songs amplify public engagement with political issues, while commercialisation and digital platforms expand their reach and cultural impact, solidifying protest music as a powerful force. This study concludes that commercialisation and digital platforms contribute favourably to the transmission and influence of protest music, defying past notions regarding its dilution. Future studies should explore the potential development of Gramsci’s Cultural Hegemony Theory to include the transformative function of digital platforms in redefining cultural resistance.

Is the Environment a Political Issue? A View from Environmental Civil Society in the Aegean Region of Turkey

Abstract Is the environment a political issue or is it above politics? Do those who fight for environmental protection, the environmental civil society organizations (ENGOs), see the environment as an issue of politics or prefer to conceptualize it as a post-political phenomenon? In most societies, politics is viewed hesitantly. It is equated to activities undertaken legitimately only by the political parties and happening only in a parliamentary space. Political activities are perceived to be a call for destroying the social order and sometimes even an invitation for violence. However, whether the society views the issue of the environment as a political or an apolitical issue impacts the policy decisions. Hence, whether those pursuing environmental protection in environmental civil society organizations (ENGOs) see the environment as political or apolitical is highly significant. Through a survey of 119 ENGOs in the Aegean region of Turkey, this article explores the perspectives of ENGOs and examines how they perceive the nexus between the environment and politics.

Fighting the Minor Evils: Slavery and the Diverse Lives of Abolitionism in the Ottoman Empire

Abstract Historians have long argued that abolitionism, as a distinct political project, never fully took root in the Ottoman Empire. While anti-slavery measures emerged from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, they are often seen as state-imposed responses to diplomatic pressure. From a state-focused perspective, abolition indeed appears to be the result of actions by the Ottoman state and international community, inevitably so, given its entanglement with the emergence and development of the Congress system in the aftermath of the Congress of Vienna. Yet a focus on individuals, organizations, and institutions also suggests a subversive, practical abolitionism concerned with everyday injustices rather than lofty ideals. This paper examines such efforts, reframing abolitionism as a political issue rather than a moral one detached from broader transformations. By situating abolitionist thought within the late Ottoman Empire’s increasingly radical politics, it challenges the conventional state-centered narrative, highlighting the diverse actors who shaped anti-slavery discourse and action.

De l’exposition de Mannheim (1925) aux Réalismes (1980–1981) : pistes pour une réception de la Nouvelle Objectivité en France

Abstract This essay attempts to understand to what extent, and how, the term “Nouvelle Objectivité” (New Objectivity) is used in France to describe and understand the works of a number of German artists of the 1920s, to what extent it is considered to designate a movement, a trend, or even a category, and what artistic, cultural and political issues are at stake in its use. Although the works were not visible in France until the 1970s for collective exhibitions, the notions were used in France as early as the 1920s, although they were not firmly associated with specific artists. Invisibilised during the 1950s under the more general category of expressionism, “Nouvelle Objectivité” found a more specific use in France from the 1970s onwards. Even then, however, its use was fraught with questions about the range of artists falling under this term, its geographical extension, and its categorical specificity.

The Complex Psyches of the Characters in Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind

Black women playwrights have contributed greatly to the world of theater by challenging stereotypes and misconceptions about Black women in media and society. Many of these writers discussed the numerous issues faced by Black women in White society, using theater as a platform to address social and political issues. One of these Black women playwrights is Alice Childress, who is well known for her contributions to American literature and theater. Her writings highlighted the racism, sexism, social injustice, and other issues that are still faced by African American people today. One of her most famous works, Trouble in Mind (1955), was one of the first to tackle the issue of racism in the world of theater. Indeed, the play deals with racial tensions and personal struggles and touches on various psychological aspects. The characters in the play include Wiletta Mayer, Director Al Manners, Millie Davis, and Sheldon Forrest, all of whom talk about the issues and the inner conflicts they face as people of color in the world of performance art. These characters are interwoven with their own complex psyches, with each character trying to implement defense mechanisms to relieve themselves from the clutches of racism and bigotry and prove their valor in their struggle to establish their own identity. Alice Childress brings out the complexities in the psyche and throws light on how the characters defend themselves in many tough situations throughout her most courageous of works.

Review And Status of the Maritime Silk Road; Cultural and Civilizational Opportunities

Given the importance of communications in the present era, this research seeks to study solutions for increasing cooperation and convergence among the Persian Gulf countries and seeks to examine the effects of the revival of the Maritime Silk Road on the proximity and cultural-civilizational cooperation of the Persian Gulf countries. The findings of the research, which are based on the theories of logical convergence and structuralism, indicate that the revival of the Maritime Silk Road will initially increase and strengthen the economic, communication and tourism fields between the countries of the region. This will lead to a change in the images in the minds of the nations and governments of the region of each other and ultimately enhance the level of cooperation and their relations on political and cultural issues.

A policy context and process analysis to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change in the health system of Iran.

Ensuring public health is crucial in any policy debate on climate change. Paris Agreement on Climate Change is a global contract through which countries have committed themselves to a public health treaty. This study was conducted to identify the challenges that lie ahead for policymakers and provide an evidence-informed framework for policymaking to increase the resilience of Iran's health system to health consequences of climate change. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with 25 experts. Purposeful and snowball sampling techniques were used for data gathering. Thematic content analysis was conducted with a deductive-inductive approach. Leichter's model, the stage's heuristic framework, and Kingdon's models were used for analyzing the context and process analysis respectively. MAXQDA 20 software was used. A total of four main themes and twelve sub-themes were identified concerning various contextual factors, including political, economic, international, and cultural/social challenges. The primary obstacles to implementing adaptation measures were found to be political considerations, economic sanctions, and the low-risk perception held by both the public and policymakers. Additionally, fifteen themes and forty-eight sub-themes related to the process were identified across several areas: agenda setting, which includes the problem stream, policy stream, and politics stream; policy formulation, encompassing governmental and managerial aspects, research, evidence-informed policymaking, and the role of Non-Governmental Organizations; policy implementation, which covers early warning systems, education, inter-sectoral coordination, architecture and engineering, and integrated databases; and policy evaluation, focusing on inadequate evaluation methods. The study identifies key challenges in implementing the Paris Agreement within Iran's health system, categorized into four main themes: political, economic, international, and cultural/social. Political issues stem from the politicization of climate change and national security concerns. Economically, reliance on oil and sanctions hinder progress, while high technology costs strain resources. Internationally, a lack of binding commitments and technological sanctions impede efforts. Culturally, low public awareness and inadequate inter-organizational collaboration limit engagement. The study emphasizes the need for cohesive policies, enhanced public education, and improved coordination among sectors to effectively address climate change impacts on health.

Polarization in Online Public Discourse

Afghanistan has witnessed increasing polarization in the online public discourse in the post-2021 period, highlighting a widening division of perception over critical social and political issues. This research explores the evolving socio-political polarization trends and aims to analyze and categorize Twitter conversations using keyword frequency analysis, clustering algorithms, and trend analysis over time. We use topic modeling in Natural Language Processing (NLP) with Machine Learning (ML) to analyze positive and negative sentiments across predefined themes such as governance, gender, social justice, terrorism/security, and culture. The study reveals significant shifts in the focus of Twitter conversations with varying emphasis on different themes and the interrelation of discussions over time intervals from 15 August 2021 to 9 May 2023. As the first study to pinpoint central issues in Afghanistan’s public discourse and polarization trends in the online public sphere, this study highlights key trends and thematic clusters. It offers a timely contribution to understanding the complex dynamics of political discourse in Afghanistan.

Effects of Climate Change on Society: An Analysis of Role of Pakistani Media

Climate change is not the problem of one country; it’s a global issue. In today’s modern world, especially South Asian countries like Pakistan are facing the most sensitive issue of climate change. The climate change has diverse effects on society. The public awareness is necessary regarding the impact of climate change on society. In the modern era, media is one of the most important tools to educate the people on any issue. Due to the importance of media, this study investigates the role of media in covering the climate change issue and its effects on society. For this purpose, the researcher collected the data from environmental journalists through the purposive sampling technique. The result of the study shows that the media is not giving importance to climate change or environmental issues in their coverage. The result also shows the diverse obstacles that journalists encounter while covering climate change, ranging from organizational limitations to audience involvement. Media coverage on political issues is high, but on the other hand, media coverage on environmental issues is less. Given the sensitivity of the issue, the media needs to educate people about the impact of climate change on society. The study suggested that the media needs to change its coverage priorities and give more space or coverage to environmental issues to reduce this gap.

FOREIGN MEDIA’S REACTION OVER POLITICAL DYNASTY IN INDONESIA

This study aims to determine the perspectives of foreign media over the issue of political dynasty issue at the last presidential election in Indonesia. This study employed a qualitative approach. The data used is news from South China Morning Post titled “Nepotism May Win Indonesia’s 2024 Election”. To analyze the political text, two theories were applied. They are appraisal theory (Martin & White, 2005) focusing on the affect as part of the attitude aspect, and the ideological square concept (van Dijk, 2006). Based on the analysis, the findings showed that the reporter felt anxious (insecurity as a part of affect) about Joko Widodo leading through political dynasties, because this could hurt Indonesia. To show his negative view, the reporter emphasizes negative points about "them" (Jokowi and his party). In contrary, The post editor felt secure (security as a part of affect) in Jokowi, despite political dynasties based on his past success and popularity. However, he still emphasized the negative sides of political dynasties, even though he liked Jokowi. Meanwhile, the Indonesian analyst felt fear (disinclination as a part of affect). He worried that political dynasties would damage trust and may cause a long-term chaos. Thus, he emphasized the negative of Joko's strategies, not his qualities.

Representation of Memory of the Second Sino‑Japanese War in Contemporary Chinese and Japanese Media: Factors of Disagreement

The Second Sino-Japanese War is one of the most painful chapters in history for both – the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Japan. The memory of this war still sparks serious disputes between the two countries and leads to severe conflicts in their bilateral relations. Considering the significant role of mass media in shaping historical memory, it is intriguing to observe how traumatic historical events are portrayed in the media of the countries involved. The purpose of this study is to identify the main discrepancies and features of memory representation related to the Second Sino-Japanese War in the mass media of China and Japan. After comparing the political and social roles of mass media in the two countries and analyzing media publications related to major war anniversaries the author concludes that the memory of the Second Sino-Japanese War is intertwined with a wide range of contemporary political issues, sometimes exacerbating those unrelated to the war. Under current circumstances, the representation of war’s memory in the media is a key factor contributing to mutual negative attitudes, and it is difficult to envision an improvement in the situation unless each of the countries takes its own steps towards reconciliation.

A Educação Estatística Crítica para jovens em vulnerabilidade social, econômica e ambiental por meio de Projetos de Aprendizagem Estatísticos

We present a research, part of a doctoral investigation, on Critical Statistical Education (EEC) in a pre-professionalizing institution that serves young people in situations of social, economic and environmental vulnerability, who developed Statistical Learning Projects (PAE). Our objective was to investigate the aspects of the EEC contemplated in the implementation of the PAE. It is field research of the participant-observer study type and uses data collected in interviews carried out after the conclusion of the PAE. The analysis of the answers to two questions revealed that the young people worked with real situations, enabling the debate of social and political issues. This process boosted the development of EEC characteristics by promoting evidence of a critical awareness of statistics in the social context, preparation to interpret the world and engagement in improving society, for example. The research demonstrated that the PAE is a potential strategy for training citizens with skills related to EEC.

A Educação Estatística Crítica para jovens em vulnerabilidade social, econômica e ambiental por meio de Projetos de Aprendizagem Estatísticos

We present a research, part of a doctoral investigation, on Critical Statistical Education (EEC) in a pre-professionalizing institution that serves young people in situations of social, economic and environmental vulnerability, who developed Statistical Learning Projects (PAE). Our objective was to investigate the aspects of the EEC contemplated in the implementation of the PAE. It is field research of the participant-observer study type and uses data collected in interviews carried out after the conclusion of the PAE. The analysis of the answers to two questions revealed that the young people worked with real situations, enabling the debate of social and political issues. This process boosted the development of EEC characteristics by promoting evidence of a critical awareness of statistics in the social context, preparation to interpret the world and engagement in improving society, for example. The research demonstrated that the PAE is a potential strategy for training citizens with skills related to EEC.

Indonesian Netizens’ Impoliteness Toward Government Loudspeaker Policies: A Cyberpragmatic Approach

The issue of politeness on social media has become increasingly important and requires attention from various stakeholders. This is crucial due to the rise in impolite behavior by netizens when commenting online. This study aims to describe the forms of impoliteness in comments on the guidelines for the use of loudspeakers in mosques, a policy issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. A qualitative approach was employed, with data consisting of impolite comments responding to the policy. The data were drawn from netizens' reactions to the Ministry’s announcement. Data analysis utilized the referential and pragmatic matching methods, supported by Leech’s (2014) theory of impoliteness and Yus’ (2011) cyberpragmatics framework. The findings revealed that impolite comments regarding the loudspeaker policy were manifested in four main forms: 42.5% as deviations from the maxim of wisdom, 27.5% as deviations from the maxim of politeness, 15% as deviations from the maxim of agreement, and 15% as deviations from the maxim of sympathy. These findings serve as a basis for evaluating government policies and could also be incorporated into educational programs on politeness, particularly at the elementary and secondary school levels, in the context of today’s multimodal communication environment.

Navigating Workplace Dynamics: Understanding Favouritism and Organisational Politics

The case highlighted the issue of favouritism and organisational politics at Swift University, based in Delhi. Dr. Mayank is the primary protagonist in this case. Dr. Mayank Sharma joined as an Assistant Professor at Swift University with the hope that his career would advance and reach new heights. It showcased how his hopes got setback due to the ongoing favouritism and organisational politics. The case discusses his various experiences in the form of narration and story. It highlighted the attitude of the top management in handling the new employee's expectations and its impact on his morale and motivation level. It also conveyed the new hire's concerns and anxieties about his future. This case provided profound insights into the academic environment and its related challenges. It also provided fuel for thought for academicians, both current and future, as they had to deal with similar situations and the consequences that might result from them. All identities of organisation, individuals, and events mentioned in this case are altered to maintain anonymity without compromising on the integrity. Any similarity would be purely coincidental.

Simulation and the reality gap: Moments in a prehistory of synthetic data

This paper sketches a prehistory of synthetic data in the development of simulation technologies. Synthetic data is connected to simulation by the technical problem of the reality gap: the gap between the synthetic data a model is trained on and the real-world data it is deployed on. The reality gap is presented as a novelty both generated and solved by synthetic data. We demonstrate that the reality gap has plagued simulation technologies since their inception in the mid-20th century. We contend that the reality gap is not something synthetic data can solve. To illustrate this, we examine three episodes in the prehistory of synthetic data. These episodes are representative of three distinct regimes of simulation : (a) the statistical regime , (b) the discrete-event regime, and (c) the visual - interactive regime . Each regime reveals a reality gap; from before the advent of digital computers to the present. Synthetic data, like simulations, require data about a given domain in order to model it. It requires the real-world data which it purports to dispense with. The reality gap is thus an epistemological issue as well as a technical one. We argue that it is also a political economic issue: it complicates existing means of producing data, adding new layers of mediation and labor. Synthetic data thus indicates the emergence of an alternative stack for the production of AI systems. This suggests that the political economy of AI must take account of the proliferation of new technical means for creating data.