Political Threats Research Articles

Угрозы гуманитарной безопасности в Латинской Америке

Like any other region of the world Latin America is a subject to threats that negatively affect the standard of living of people. The author identifies and analyzes the main economic, social, political, and environmental threats of the region, referring to the documents of international organizations such as the UN, the World Bank, Human Rights Watch and experts studying the problems. The author notes that the immediate economic threat to human security arises from a drop in production, loss of income and rising unemployment, which leads to a significant increase in poverty and a decrease in citizens’ confidence in the future. Against the backdrop of global crises, the World Bank forecasts a modest increase in the GDP of countries in the coming years. The author identifies three social groups that are most vulnerable to threats to human security: migrants, indigenous people, women, and children. A common problem for the region is the high percentage of cases of violence that also come from the authorities. The main threat to the political security of citizens is the weakness of democracies, since this political system in the region has existed for about forty years and is not yet as developed as in other regions of the world. The high level of corruption among officials aggravates the situation in the country, which often leads to rallies and strikes throughout the region. Among the transnational threats to human security, the author notes terrorism and organized crime, including money laundering and drug trafficking, as well as trafficking in short-barreled weapons. These threats pose a direct danger to people’s lives. Against the background of deforestation of tropical forests, the threat to environmental security is extremely acute. The danger is that deforestation leads to the deprivation of indigenous peoples of their habitat, which directly affects the human security of the region.

The politics of glyphosate regulation: lessons from Sri Lanka’s short-lived ban

BackgroundGlyphosate is the world’s most used herbicide and a central component of modern industrial agriculture. It has also been linked to a variety of negative health and environmental effects. For instance, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015. This has motivated widespread political demands for stricter glyphosate regulation but so far few governments have followed through.MethodsWe conduct a case study of Sri Lanka, which in 2015 became the first and so far only country in the world to adopt and implement a complete glyphosate ban. But this ban proved to be short-lived, as it was partially reversed in 2018 (and later fully revoked in 2022). To explain the political causes of Sri Lanka’s pioneering glyphosate ban and its subsequent reversal, we employ process tracing methods drawing on publicly available documents. Our analysis is theoretically guided by the multiple streams framework and the concept of self-undermining policy feedback.ResultsGlyphosate regulation rose to the top of the Sri Lankan political agenda in 2014 when a local scientist linked glyphosate exposure to an epidemic of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu). A glyphosate ban was eventually adopted in June 2015 by the newly elected government of Maithripala Sirisena. The ban was a political commitment made to the Buddhist monk Rathana Thero and his party, which had supported Sirisena during his presidential campaign. The ban’s partial reversal in 2018, implemented through sectoral exceptions, was the result of continued lobbying by export-oriented plantation industries and increased political concerns about potential negative effects on the large and structurally powerful tea sector. The reversal was further aided by the scientific community’s failure to corroborate the hypothesized link between glyphosate and CKDu.ConclusionsThe case of Sri Lanka suggests that strict glyphosate regulation becomes more likely when coupled with locally salient health risks and when decision-making authority is de-delegated from regulatory agencies back to the political executive. Meanwhile, the short-lived nature of the Sri Lankan ban suggests that strict glyphosate regulation faces political sustainability threats, as the apparent lack of cost-effective alternative herbicides motivates persistent business lobbying for regulatory reversal.

The paradox of parental influence in Danish schools. A Swedish perspective

In this article I discuss the boards of compulsory schools in mainly Denmark and Sweden to a less extent where parents are in majority. Questions of interest for my study are: Why is parental interest in being elected to school boards so low? Why do teachers react negatively to questions about school boards? How are the various interests of teachers, pupils, parents and politicians balanced in the actual partnership? What impact do neo-liberalism and marketplace policies have on the participation of parents in schools? All the questions emanate from the paradox that traditional Danish ways of ensuring parental influence no longer seem to work with the current type of school boards. Utilizing concepts from the frame factor theory I explore the consequences of this for school boards. Data collection is designed as case studies and the methods used are interviews, participation in board meetings, school visits and document analysis. The conclusion shows that school boards are complex and even contradictory. Politicians´ aims regarding boards are not clear. Boards cannot be a relevant response to the political threat from private school policy or a general solution to problems of local democracy.

The Birth of a University Music Genre in Iran's Woman, Life, Freedom Uprising

Aside from the obvious and central role of women in Iran's Woman, Life, Freedom (Zan, Zendegi, Azadi) uprising that began in the fall of 2022, two other (f)actors have played a crucial role in defining the movement's demands and propelling it forward, namely, students and music. University students have a long tradition of serving as righteous agitators of uprisings in Iran, both before and after the 1979 revolution, as does music in inspiring and soundtracking them. But in this arguably greatest ideological and political threat to the Islamic Republic since its founding, something unprecedented happened: the fusion of student activism and song in the form of a recognizable genre, unattached to a specific political ideology although fully supportive of the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising and its demands for liberation and freedom for all.

Threats to public health workers

Media reports and data from public health professional membership organizations have demonstrated high levels of harassment experienced by public health workers throughout the COVID-19 response. We documented personal and political threats to public health workers across the first 12 months of pandemic response through a longitudinal survey completed in Fall 2020 and Summer 2021. The web-based survey was distributed to respondents using the Qualtrics survey platform. Survey items measured domains including demographic information, public health roles and training, mental and physical health, and work-life balance. Respondents were also asked if they had received any personal or political threats, from whom these threats were received, and completed an open-ended question describing the nature of the threats. Among the 85 public health workers completing both surveys, threats from members of the public and from elected and appointed leaders were most prevalent at both timepoints; however, as the pandemic response progressed, the nature of threats to public health workers changed. While those remaining in the public health workforce may be more resilient to these threats, increased prevalence of personal and political threats has the potential to deter new graduates from entering the field, impacting the public health system's future response capacity.

Caught up by Geopolitics: Sanctions and the EU's Response to Russia's War Against Ukraine.

Russia's war against Ukraine unfolded unprecedented geopolitical, economic and energy-related tension in the European Union (EU). Amidst this situation, decision-makers and scholars alike have returned to concepts of geopolitics to reflect the EU's external affairs and its position in the international (trade) system. Indeed, geopolitical considerations help us to understand the sanctions imposed by the EU against Russia. The restrictive measures against Russia and the Russian-controlled areas in Ukraine are, to date, the most comprehensive measures adopted autonomously by the EU. They reflect the EU's geopolitical considerations in carving out a strong response to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and the unparalleled political and security threat in Europe.

Securitization of gender as a modus operandi of populism: anti-gender discourses on the Istanbul Convention in the context of AKP’s illiberal transformation

ABSTRACT This article examines how the discursive politics of securitization of gender operates in AKP’s recent framing of the Istanbul Convention (IC) and its decision to annul it. It demonstrates that AKP’s securitization of gender is structured as a populist discourse in the context of the party’s illiberal transformation marked by the intensification of populist antagonisms. At the national level, it is operationalized to protect the ‘pure’ nation from the ‘destructive’ effects of ‘gender ideology,’ while at the transnational level, it relies on the civilizational dichotomies framing the Judeo-Christian West as ‘alien’ to the nation. As a result, the article stresses the centrality of anti-genderism in the construction of political frontiers, antagonisms, and threat perceptions in AKP’s illiberal populist regime.

The Walt Disney Company and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill

Research methodology This secondary source case is based mainly on legislative documents (that tracked the initiation and progress of the Parental Rights in Education bill that later became an Act), corporate documents (published by The Walt Disney Company) and news articles from publications such as The New York Times and Bloomberg. All sources are cited in the case narrative and as end notes. Case overview/synopsis In April 2022, The Walt Disney Company and its CEO, Robert Chapek, were at the center of a controversy over the company’s opposition to the State of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill. The bill, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by its critics, prohibited instruction on sexual identity and gender orientation in the state’s elementary schools. The controversy stemmed from Disney’s initial non-reaction to the bill and its later strident opposition and call for its repeal. Chapek was pressured by negative media publicity and employee disgruntlement on the one hand and adverse economic consequences for opposing the bill by the state’s Governor, Ron DeSantis. Chapek and the Board had to respond to the political threats to Disney’s economic well-being while appeasing its employees and other stakeholders who wanted the company to be a corporate champion in diversity, equity and inclusion. Complexity academic level The case is best suited for advanced undergraduate or graduate leadership, strategic management and marketing courses. From a leadership and strategic management perspective, the case is well-suited for demonstrating the evolving expectations of leaders and corporate social responsibility, as well as the concepts of issue framing and nonmarket management. Instructors may also leverage the case in marketing courses (e.g. brand management), as CEO activism (i.e. messaging and practice) is one characteristic of brand activism (Animation Guild, 2022).

Psychological Impact of COVID-19 in India: A Survey Study of Mental Health During the Pandemic

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc worldwide, challenging science, basic humanity, and mankind by posing various physiological, psychological, social, economic, and political threats. We conducted an online survey in some regions of Maharashtra, prominently Pune and Mumbai to understand the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the general population and the mental health of the public. The motive behind the research was to focus on the positive as well as the negative impact of the coronavirus crisis on the public. Social distancing, quarantine, and lockdown have affected different people in different ways. Major emphasis was laid upon the dominant factors that affect the mental well-being of an individual such as sleep routine, work schedule and social life. The survey responses were analysed to obtain useful results. We present the statistical analysis of the collected data and discuss important correlations between various factors using Cramer’s V correlation method. It is critical to study the responses of the human brain in such cases, so that mankind can prepare for any other catastrophic events in future.

Моделі дослідження стійкості високотехнологічних виробництв в сучасних політико-економічних умовах

The task of studying the stability of high-tech enterprises (aviation, space, engineering industry) to the manifestation of threats and the occurrence of losses (economical, technological, etc.) is formed and solved. The relevance of this study is connected with the increasing risks that arise in the external environment and lead to the degradation of high-tech enterprises. The risks of functioning and development of high-tech enterprises connected with modern political and economic threats and the consequences of war are analyzed. It is concluded that the stability of high-tech production is one of the actual problems of restoring the country’s economy in the post- military period. Therefore, the topic of the proposed article is relevant, which explores possible ways to ensure the resilience of high-tech enterprises in the conditions of the turbulence of the world economy and the difficulties that arose as a result of the martial law of the country. An analysis of the direct security of the sustainability of high-tech enterprises in the post-military period is carried out. The possible expenses for the security and stability of the enterprise in the conditionals of the risks of causing possible threats (political and economic, climate, terrorist, military) are modeled. A model for the study of logistics processes, the formation of new supply chains of components, in the event of a delivery disruption, has been created. The expenses of restoring the supporting infrastructure of the enterprise because of the consequences of martial law and the aggressor’s actions are analyzed. The process of relocation (evacuation) of enterprises to new places is modeled as an example of ensuring the sustainability of enterprises during the war period. A simulation model is created to study the impact of threats and the emergence of expenses, to adopt preventive measures to ensure the sustainability of an enterprise. The scientific novelty of this study is connected with the development of a set of models that help to directly study the stability of high-tech enterprises to contemporary challenges and threats. The results of the research can be useful for modeling preventive action plans before the appearance of threats and expenses that improve the stability and reliability of the functioning of high-tech enterprises.

Group Positions Beyond the Binary: The Determinants of Immigration Attitudes Among Black, Hispanic, and White Americans

ABSTRACT Research on racial policy attitudes has primarily focused on the attitudes of black and white Americans. However, given the shifting racial landscape in the United States, it is important to understand how other racial groups view important social issues. Using Blumer’s group positions model, this research seeks to determine the predictors of five immigration attitudes among white, black, and both U.S. and foreign-born Hispanic Americans. Results using data from the 2004 and 2008 National Politics Study show that black, white, and U.S.-born Hispanic Americans display more anti-immigration attitudes than foreign-born Hispanics, with Black and White Americans showing the most anti-immigrant attitudes. Further, results show that whereas individual economic threat has a similar effect on immigration attitudes for Americans of all racial backgrounds, whites’ attitudes are also shaped by group-based economic and political threat and racial affect. These findings indicate that whites’ unique position as the dominant economic and political group in the United States makes their immigration attitudes uniquely sensitive to group-based threats to their dominant position.

Political Decision-Making in the Context of the Migration Process in Russia at the Present Stage (Problems and Prospects)

Relevance. The genesis and conjuncture of the development of the modern migration process on a global scale and at the level of individual states are accompanied by the dynamization and intensification of most political risks and threats in the actualized conditions of increasing international and interstate interdependence and interdependence. In turn, this requires the development and coordination of optimal mechanisms and tools for making political decisions on migration issues, taking into account national specifics. For Russian political realities, the most preferable option is to operate with the terminology of socio-political stability and security. Accordingly, it is necessary to transform the system of approaches to understanding the modern migration agenda adopted at the level of the Russian political leadership.Purpose. The main purpose of writing the article is to offer the author's methodological recommendations for making political decisions on migration problems.Objectives: determination of the features of the migration process in Russia at the present stage, formulation of the main problems and prospects for the development of the modern Russian migration process.Methodology. The author mainly used the following group of methods in the process of writing the article: secondary analysis of information data, content analysis, event analysis, sociological analysis, formal legal analysis, statistics.Results. Taking into account, firstly, the peculiarities of the migration process in Russia at the present stage, and secondly, the main problems and prospects for the development of the modern Russian migration process at the present stage, some author's methodological recommendations for political decision-making are proposed within the following key blocks: ideological and value design, normative activity, the work of specialized state authorities, the implementation of monitoring of political decision-making.Conclusion. At the present stage of Russia's political and socio-economic development, there is a rather serious and extensive block of unresolved issues and problems in the field of migration, requiring the appropriate joint active participation of various social groups and forces. It is assumed that within the framework of Russian national realities, when making political decisions, a practice-oriented approach based on full consideration of cultural characteristics and maximum provision of socio-political stability is most appropriate.

CPEC is Blessing for Regional Peace and Prosperity

CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) is expected to be a significant opportunity to bring peace, development and prosperity to China, Pakistan and the wider region. The CPEC program takes into account a wide range of perspectives, including but not limited to promoting domestic employment prospects and strengthening regional connectivity. The project's ability to handle many political, economic, and geopolitical difficulties and threats facing Pakistan is one of the project's many multifaceted components that are examined in the article, which principally relies on extensive literature research. The goal of the present study was to examine whether the CPEC project could be a practical means of fostering regional peace and development.This paper attempts to examine the importance of the CPEC initiative in developing domestic employment opportunities and enhancing regional connectivity, although considerable work has already been done on the CPEC project. The qualitative method is adopted to deal with the objectives. The article concludes that the CPEC initiative is poised to usher in a new era of economic development and prosperity for the people of Pakistan, thereby serving as a major turning point for the region. In addition, the study identifies several limitations that may warrant further investigation in future research on the topic.

Modus Operandi on Repatriation of Afghan Refugees: A New Wave Towards Peace in Pakistan

Pakistan had a long historical background as a host country for Afghan refugees from the 1970s Soviet-Afghan to after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Pakistan has been a host to one of the largest refugee populations in the world, with millions of Afghan refugees living in the country for decades. With the passage of time, Pakistan is facing security threats internal as well as external. So, the presence of millions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been questioned by a number of Pakistanis. They are considered a huge burden on the economy, environment and infrastructure of the country. At the time of NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, Several countries and international organizations were involved in efforts to evacuate Afghan refugees and provide them with safe haven. Pakistan has also provided them shelter. Now the government of Pakistan warned and ordered forced repatriation to Afghanistan by October 2023. It planned for 1.73 million illegal Afghan people who are living without any documents. The study finds the problem of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is a social, economic and political threat to the country. However, a great deal of repatriation is another wave towards peace after the decision.

Социальная безопасность как условие воспроизводства территориальных систем в приграничных регионах

In modern conditions, local territorial systems are undergoing serious transformations. The major vectors of the evolution of most communities and local societies nowadays are the increasing complexity of technological infrastructure and its expansion into absolutely all spheres of life, as well as the awareness of the costs and risks of globalization and the desire to avoid them by modeling local and national identity with the actualization and ideologization of traditional values (religious, ethno-cultural, etc.), which is usually of a highly conflictual nature. These multi–vector and often unmanageable transformations dramatically increase the level of risks and threats at various levels – from global to local – and pose the task of forming a new architecture for man-aging territorial systems, built taking into account regional conditions. It is emphasized that all socio-territorial systems in border regions are being transformed due to the increase of military and political threats, which en-tails changes in the axiosphere of residents. Social security becomes a priority, which can be ensured through the consolidation of efforts of government and civilian structures.

'Scorched Earth: The portrait of health in Brazil after the Bolsonaro's administration and the first 100days of the Lula Government in health'.

This article is a rejoinder to the rebuttal letter authored by Jair Bolsonaro's former Minister of Health and Secretary of Primary Care to our initial article, 'From Bolsonaro to Lula: The opportunity to rebuild universal healthcare in Brazil during the government transition,' published in the International Journal of Health Planning and Management. We aim to refute the claims that we consider unsubstantiated and disconnected from reality, while reiterating the risks posed by authoritarian and antidemocratic far-right governments, such as Bolsonarism in Brazil, to the sustainability and resilience of universal health systems. This political threat is gaining momentum across several countries worldwide, thereby endangering the Democratic Rule of Law, institutions, and social policies. Furthermore, we emphasise the significant actions implemented during the first 100days of President Lula's government, which align with the priorities established during the governmental transition process and strengthen the prospects of reconstructing and fortifying the Brazilian universal health system.

ENSURING FOOD SECURITY OF KAZAKHSTAN IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE EAEU

The level of food security of the member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union lags behind the developed countries, despite the fact that the Eurasian Economic Union occupies a significant place among international economic organizations. The problem of food security of the Eurasian Economic Union is the focus of the member countries and each of them independently acts against economic and political risks and threats on the way to ensuring the country&s national food security. Each of them has formulated and applies its own food security assessment and control systems. However, due to the complex nature of the problem of ensuring food security in the conditions of the Eurasian Economic Union, it must be considered and solved through the implementation of state programs not only within the country, but also within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union as a whole. The article examines topical issues of ensuring food security in the conditions of the Union, assessment, and also identifies the main obstacles.

Political ideology and belief change in the face of counterevidence

AbstractThis paper investigates the role of political ideology with regard to changes in beliefs on political and non‐political issues. In line with the political asymmetry hypothesis and threat sensitivity accounts in relation to ideology, it was assumed that right‐wing adherents would change their prior beliefs (on political and non‐political issues) to a lesser extent in response to counterevidence than left‐wing adherents. We also expected that the mechanism responsible for this effect would be accounted for by individual differences in threat sensitivity. To test these hypotheses, we conducted two experimental studies (total N = 576) in which participants holding right‐ and left‐wing views were exposed to new information, inconsistent with their prior beliefs, on political and non‐political issues. Contrary to expectations, we found that individuals with right‐ and left‐wing beliefs did not differ in the degree of change to their prior beliefs in response to counterevidence. Nor did we find evidence indicating that threat sensitivity was responsible for the link between ideology and belief change. The paper's findings contribute to the ongoing discussion around ideological (a)symmetry and the controversies concerning threat‐related ideological differences.

Study of the Financial Crisis in the Countries of the Eurasian Economic Union: Marxist Approach

The financial crisis is a serious problem for the Eurasian economic union development as international organization (hereinafter referred to as the EAEU), where is violated the economic and financial institutions’ functioning principle, the values, traditions and norms are lost. It is considered that one of the main crisis causes are the interstate economic policy of the EAEU member countries failures. The article proposes the ways to restore the EAEU countries’ economies from the crisis consequences, which periodization falls on 2015–2018, 2020–2022, that negatively affects on the single currency area they are creating, and examines potential economic and political threats during its formation. It is revealed that if the crisis inflicts damage on some EAEU members, then for other union members it will become a favorable deriving benefits environment, which will lead to inequality and even greater exacerbation. This paper shows that the Marxist crisis theory is the most acceptable approach in explaining economic inequalities and disproportions in the countries development. This approach led to the conclusion that the expansion of the Russian ruble circulation, the profits and capital accumulation, the formation of a new EAEU financial system based on the principles of capitalism and neoliberal values will lead to another crisis turn and increase inequality.

Peaceful entry: Entrepreneurship dynamics during Colombia’s peace agreement

The end of internal conflict is often shaped by political uncertainty and threats of violence recurrence. This implies that the effects of conflict termination on economic activity and specifically entrepreneurship can go in either direction, and we know little about this relationship. Studying Colombia’s recent peace agreement with the FARC guerrilla, and using a difference-in-differences empirical strategy, we document that dynamics of entrepreneurship in traditionally violent areas closely mapped the politics that surrounded the peace agreement. When the agreement was imminent after a 5-decade conflict and violence had plummeted, local investors from all economic sectors established new firms and created jobs. Instead, when the agreement was rejected in a referendum, the party that promoted this rejection raised to power, and violence re-escalated, the rate of firms’ creation rapidly reversed.