Actors In Space Research Articles

The Role of Religion in Moldovan Populist Mobilization Strategies: A Competition between Traditional and Religious Values?

ABSTRACT The article contributes to the study of the relationship between religion and populist mobilization strategies of non–right-wing-populist actors in the post-Soviet space. It analyzes how religious references are employed to appeal to voters’ collective identities in the Republic of Moldova. The analysis of two Moldovan parties’ electoral campaigns in 2019–2020 highlights how notions of “religious values” and “traditional values” are used to evoke the “cultural toolkit.” By stressing the homogeneity of voters or the dichotomy between “the people” and “the elite,” the parties tie their religious references to different geopolitical narratives and society’s sets of core values.

The Securitization of Cyberspace: From Rulemaking to Establishing Legal Regimes

With the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs), the Internet has become increasingly important in terms of national security, economic development, and global leadership. Apparently, conflicts and contentious issues in cyberspace requires creating rules and development of regulation. The authors examine the process of making up rules in cyberspace from the perspective of M. Castells’ network society theory and B. Buzan’ securitization theory. According to M. Castells, key challenges have gradually altered in the network society and power relations and social management are based on the control of communication and information which embraces a network society. Furthermore, the authors investigate the development of the Internet in the context of securitization theory. It is stressed that cyberspace has become a full-fledged political space with the central position of digital sovereignty and information security. The article for the first time proposes a comprehensive periodization of international relations’ transformation in cyberspace. Afterwards, the authors consider the appearance of tensions between actors in cyber space, which include political and economic threats. It encourages state actors to establish a preliminary regulation and to agree on norms regulating state behavior in cyberspace. These mechanisms have become a venue for promoting different concepts of cyber law and establishing legal regimes. In conclusion the authors analyze the hierarchy of actors in global Internet governance to assess the actors’ influence on the establishment of legal regimes in cyberspace. The main assessment criteria are as follows: ability to influence global production chains of high-tech goods, ability to conduct offensive and defensive cyber operations, and influence on the formation of international legal regimes. The authors divide actors into two major groups - rule-markers capable of influencing the global information space and constructing legal regimes, and rule-takers that are an object of great powers competition in cyberspace.

Update of Methodological Principles for Studying Political Participation of Citizens in the Conditions of Digitalization of Democratic Political Process

The article presents the results of a study of the main trends in updating the methodological principles for studying the political participation of citizens in the context of the digitalization of the democratic political process. It has been established that in modern political science, e-democracy is a term by which scientists describe a wide range of practices of online involvement of citizens in political decision-making. The relationship we established between the concept of e-democracy and classical models of democracy, which indicate the specific content of political participation, indicates that e-democracy is based on models of participatory democracy and deliberative democracy. It is substantiated that due to the potential of e-democracy in the formation of new ways of communication between citizens and actors in the political space, its tools of political participation begin to integrate into the subject space of the liberal model of democracy, in which the political participation of citizens is deployed in social networks, therefore it has a decentralized nature and status. instrumental value. The analysis of the content of scientific discussions regarding the relationship between the categories of e-democracy and digital democracy in the context of the problem of political participation proved that the term digital democracy better reflects the essence of digitalization processes in the political space, but it is used as synonymous with the term e-democracy. Political participation by means of digital democracy involves a combination of virtual and traditional instruments of influence on the political system, while in the classical approaches of democracy, e-participation is defined as the result of the evolution of forms of citizen participation in politics. It is proved that the process of digitalization of democracy determined the need to update the methodological principles of the study the influence of mobilization practices on the nature of political participation. The conceptualization of this problem is most fully realized by van Dijk, who means digital mobilization practices as a mechanism for updating the connection between the functions, forms and tools of political participation, which clearly demonstrates that digital democracy is a way to improve the quality and legitimacy of political decision-making.

The development and implementation of international UN guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities

In recent years the world has witnessed a rapid increase in the number space actors and new satellites being launched into space. Coupled with the steady increase of orbital debris from the space activities of previous decades, this has given rise to concerns about the long-term sustainability of space activities. This paper describes the international process to develop the UN Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (usually referred to in abbreviated form as “the LTS Guidelines”). We present the general content of the guidelines and the first steps by the international community to implement these guidelines. To frame this discussion in the context of the present Special Issue focusing on space environment management and space sustainability, we present some suggestions on how COSPAR could support the implementation of the LTS Guidelines and further multilateral work on space sustainability.

Agents of meta: Institutional actors in the journalism space and the innovation of local news

This study sheds light on the increasingly important roles that meta-level organizations, a type of institutional actor, play in the processes of local journalism innovation. Examples of meta-level organizations in journalism include journalism professional associations, training and research centers, nonprofits, and trade publications. Definitionally, metalevel organizations embrace the functions of coordination, regulation, agenda-setting, information diffusion, and the boundary negotiation of an institutionalized space. This qualitative study uses in-depth interviews to explore the roles of meta-level organizations in relation to the troubles of local journalism, how these roles are enacted at professional association conferences, and how they are conceptualized by journalists and representatives of meta-level organizations. We found evidence of three traditional roles of meta-level organizations – information, interaction, existential roles – across different types of meta-level organizations. Respondents tended to view these roles through a lens of resource scarcity. We also found evidence of the role of self-maintenance—i.e., meta-level organizations have their own institutional spaces and an interest in self-preservation—as well as the role of conceptualization or theorization, of innovations, and an emergent role of translation. Translation involves adaptation of abstract ideas to local-level sites, as well as communication of results from local-level experimentation back to the field level, an increasingly important role in a resource-poor local journalism space that is inundated with a flood of new field-level initiatives.

Digital Ecosystem as a Model of Efficient and Safe Interaction of Actors in Virtual Space

In the article, the authors emphasize that the formation and development of the digital economy is an inevitable and objective process of society’s transition to a new technological order. To maintain their competitive state, business entities need to transform the existing business model by integrating smart technologies, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence into its basis. The emergence of new formal and informal institutions should regulate the rules of behaviour of economic agents in the digital economy. To this end, it is necessary to form and develop a legal framework that regulates the relationship between customers and owners of digital platforms. We believe that digital ecosystems will have a certain interest in the new society. Unlike traditional models of interaction between actors, digital ecosystems will create a single information field and a new form of constructive cooperation and coordination between participants in the virtual space. The state should become the initiator of creating this kind of digital ecosystem, which will make it possible to implement the mechanism of reasonable digital protectionism, the purpose of which will be to protect the interests of users and owners of digital platforms in cyberspace.

Analysis of Space Launch Vehicle Failures and Post-Mission Disposal Statistics

In a time in which a significant number of launch vehicles are being developed, boosted by numerous new space actors demanding cheaper access to space, the need to ensure the reliability of launch vehicles and the performance of a successful Post-Mission Disposal (PMD) is undeniable. The first step to ensure the reliability of new launch vehicles is to analyse previous launch failures, learning from past mistakes. In this paper, the launch failures that occurred over the past 16 years are analysed. These failures are classified as a function of the subsystems involved in the failure, as well as the phase of the mission in which the failure occurred. As a result, the most critical subsystems are identified for every mission phase. Subsequently, the most critical subsystem is further investigated, and its most critical components are identified. Furthermore, aiming to improve the present PMD practices, an understanding of the current status is necessary. This paper provides an overview of the evolution in terms of mean orbital lifetime of the rocket bodies launched since the year 2000. Moreover, the number of manoeuvres performed and the orbital lifetime saved by these manoeuvres is analysed between 2016 and 2020, further classifying the statistics by launcher family and country.

Myanmar's strategy in the China–Myanmar Economic Corridor: a failure in hedging?

Abstract This article examines Myanmar's hedging strategies in China's Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), a key component of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Myanmar has avoided being overly reliant on China by strategically hedging and diversifying its foreign relations with other countries in the region. However, Myanmar's ability to hedge is compromised by its domestic fragmentation, caused by the protracted civil war and rising civil–military tensions. We focus on the two advanced projects in CMEC, the Muse–Mandalay railway and Kyaukphyu deep seaport, and have conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with key actors involved in China–Myanmar relations (2016–2021) under the National League for Democracy (NLD). Through the fieldwork findings, we problematize the assumption in the hedging literature which takes for granted a country's competence to act strategically in their foreign policy. Our findings from the Myanmar case suggest that the state's level of fragmentation and capability to hedge are inversely proportional. The multiple actors in Myanmar's political space complicate its China policy and limit its ability to hedge effectively. This is augmented by the military coup in February 2021, which further fragmented the country, compromising Myanmar's China policy even further, making hedging a less viable framework to examine Myanmar's China strategy.

Public space on the move: Mediating mobility, stillness and encounter on a Cape Town bus

As a public space, the environment of public transportation services is maintained by an ordered set of rules and conditions. Such rules and conditions are prescribed by law as they are in generally-accepted norms of social behaviour within public space. Through the examination of the Conditions of Carriage that govern bus transportation in Cape Town, South Africa, using Golden Arrow Bus Services, this paper seeks to highlight the myriad ways that urban public space on the move is mediated, negotiated and controlled through rules of conduct that differentiate mobile public space from its counterpart in the environment outside the bus. Understood as a mundane part of the social life of the city and its inhabitants, mobility in the form of public transportation is constituted by micro-communities whose publics are in a constant state of flux and negotiation. Using analysis of the Conditions of Carriage and an ethnographic case study of bus passengering, this paper demonstrates how the Conditions mediate the situated and lived assemblage of actors in mobile public space that is a liminal zone between inclusion and exclusion.

Practical System to Remove Lethal Untracked Orbital Debris

The environment in low Earth orbit (LEO) is congested with orbital debris threatening the safety of all states, actors, and enterprises who wish to use space. Removing orbital debris is unquestionably one of the top space challenges facing space actors of this generation, one that demands cross-disciplinary solutions to solve this complex systems engineering problem. Based on a review of past and recent approaches to active debris removal, many of the currently proposed technologies and systems focus on removing defunct satellites and other large derelict objects in LEO that are actively cataloged and tracked. While removing the larger space objects is a necessary goal, space sustainability experts agree that the orbital debris ranging from 4 mm to 9 cm poses the greatest risk to operational spacecraft and presents unique challenges for its removal. This paper offers a novel technical approach for the development and near-term deployment of an orbital debris removal system based on existing technology that would be capable of reducing lethal untracked orbital debris in LEO.

Legal and regulatory framework of long term sustainability of outer space activities (LTSOSA), space security and its contribution towards human security

Long Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (LTSOSA) was adopted during the UNCOPUOS Session in June 2019. It consists of 21 guidelines in four (4) categories, namely: policy and regulatory framework of outer space activities; safety of outer space operations; international cooperation, capacity building and awareness; and technical research and development. The LTSOSA is in line with the definition of Space Security which relates to guaranteed access to Space and the ability to freely exploit space for various purposes. Space Security cover both: safety, sustainability and the security of the space system and actors. While Human Security is an approach to assist the Member States in identifying and addressing widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihood and dignity of their people. It calls for people-centered, comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented responses that strengthen the protection and empowerment of all people. This article will be focused on analyzing and elaborating three (3) main issues: The correlation among LTSOSA, Space Security and Human Security; The Contributions of LTSOSA and Space Security toward the achievement of Human Security’s Objectives; and Legal and Regulatory Framework of LTSOSA, Space Security and Human Security.

"Caring for a Crisis": Care and Control in Community Mental Health.

In the debate on coercion in psychiatry, care and control are often juxtaposed. In this article we argue that this dichotomy is not useful to describe the more complex ways service users, care professionals and the specific care setting interrelate in a community mental health team (CMHT). Using the ethnographic approach of empirical ethics, we contrast the ways in which control and care go together in situations of a psychiatric crisis in two CMHT's: one in Trieste (Italy) and one in Utrecht (the Netherlands). The Dutch and Italian CMHT's are interesting to compare, because they differ with regard to the way community care is organized, the amount of coercive measures, the number of psychiatric beds, and the fact that Trieste applies an open door policy in all care settings. Contrasting the two teams can teach us how in situations of psychiatric crisis control and care interrelate in different choreographies. We use the term choreography as a metaphor to encapsulate the idea of a crisis situation as a set of coordinated actions from different actors in time and space. This provides two choreographies of handling a crisis in different ways. We argue that applying a strict boundary between care and control hinders the use of the relationship between caregiver and patient in care.

The complicating role of the private sector in space

ABSTRACT National security in space has long focused on the threat posed by potentially offensive capabilities or behavior of nation-states. However, there is a huge shift in the type of dominant actor in space and this may result in instability, caused by ripple effects disrupting the existing governance structure and demonstrating the slipping rank of Russia as a space superpower. As a result, the fundamental nature of space is changing, and with that change comes disruption as to how the domain has been governed to date. If international governance does not evolve along with the domain, then we run the risk of seeing inadvertent escalations or even conflict between countries as a result.

Mitigating Security Risks and Potential Threats of Emerging Rendezvous and Proximity Operations

ABSTRACT Space actors will increasingly conduct rendezvous and proximity operations in space as the associated technologies advance and diffuse. As this occurs, multiple-use of such capabilities will present inherent security risks and potential threats to existing peaceful space activities. The United States must develop and promote a comprehensive operational and dissuasive construct in advance to mitigate these security risks and threats to stability in space. The inherent multiple-use attributes of rendezvous and proximity operations capabilities mean that the regulatory efforts must focus on regulating behavior and registration practices. In addition, improving space situational awareness alone insufficiently addresses the challenges of verifying compliance with the regulatory framework. There must be thoughtful approaches to expanding the space situational awareness network to partners, declassifying data to increase transparency, and improving communication practices to share data and resolve ambiguity. In addition, a space assurance strategy that includes credible deterrence options to deter those who would seek to undermine the regulatory framework is important.

RMIT University’s practical space weather prediction laboratory

Space weather is a key component in the daily operation of many technological systems and applications, including large-scale power grids, high-frequency radio systems, and satellite systems. As the international space sector continues to boom, accessible space weather products, tools and education are increasingly important to ensure that space actors (both old and new) are equipped with the knowledge of how space weather influences their activities and applications. At RMIT University, the initiative was taken to develop a Space Weather Prediction Laboratory exercise for students as part of its new offering of a Bachelor’s Degree in Space Science in 2020. This new Space Weather Prediction Lab exercise is offered as part of an undergraduate course on “Space Exploration”, which has a diverse student in-take, including students with no background in physics; a key detail in the design of the Lab. The aims of the Space Weather Prediction Lab were to: (1) provide a short and intense introduction to the near-Earth space environment and its impact on various human technologies; (2) give students “hands-on” training in data analysis, interpretation and communication; and (3) create an immersive space science experience for students that encourages learning, scientific transparency and teamwork. The format of the lab that was developed can be easily scaled in difficulty to suit the students’ technical level, either by including more/less space weather datasets in the analysis or by analyzing more/less complicated space weather events. The details of the Space Weather Prediction Lab developed and taught at RMIT in 2020, in both face-to-face and online formats, are presented.

Representation of political actors in the public online space (case study of the LDPR political party)

Representation of political actors in the public online space (case study of the LDPR political party)

Формування нового світопорядку як об’єкт політологічного дослідження

The article deals with the existing scientific approaches to the interpretation of the term "world order". Based on the analysis they are systematized into three key directions: institutional, ideological (axiological), and actor approach. Within the framework of the latter approach, there is a transition from the study of poles or centers of power to a statement of the fact of polycentricity of the new world order. For the completeness of the political science study of the world order the author considers it necessary to take into account besides the institutional design, configuration of actors, and value paradigm also the nature of society in which such an order is formed (post-information or network) and the state of globalization processes that determine the spatial characteristics of the world order (de-globalization, regionalization, and localization). Despite the difference in interpretations, different scientific schools are united by the thesis of the modern liberal world order crisis. The scientific debate revolves around the question of whether the world order is in a state of definite transition or whether the current non-equilibrium state can be considered as a new world order. The synergetic paradigm, or complexity theory, proposed as a research methodology, provides an answer. According to it, the formation of new world order is seen as a nonequilibrium nonlinear process defined by a dynamic synthesis of order and chaos. If there are specific political actors (institutions, interest groups, individuals) in the political space, their influence on the transformation of the political space is possible at bifurcation points and is predominantly random. This defines subjectlessness as a trend in the formation of new world order. From the point of view of finding a methodological basis for the research, the existing models of system dynamics, cyclic models, and simulation modeling were considered. It is determined that for the study of the new world order as a nonlinear dynamic complex system, it is advisable to analyze the megatrends of world politics and deconstruct them using the "method-assemblage" of a constantly changing reality.

Społeczny rynek współczucia, targi o współczucie i społeczna przestrzeń zinstytucjonalizowanej bezkarności. Kryzysy humanitarne w Polsce w latach 2021–2022

Centralnym pojęciem artykułu jest współczucie, analizowane jako zjawisko społeczne i kategoria, która może znaleźć zastosowanie w interpretacjach indywidualnych i zbiorowych zachowań oraz postaw. W sporach światopoglądowych, jakie toczą się obecnie w przestrzeni publicznej, ujawnia się mechanizm znany w socjologii z analiz biedy i wykluczenia społecznego – a mianowicie podział na zasługujących na współczucie i tych, którym współczucia odmówić należy. Uzasadnienia tego podziału, odwołujące się do sfery aksjologicznej, ujawniają się także ze szczególną ostrością w sytuacji kryzysów humanitarnych – tego na granicy polsko-białoruskiej oraz tego spowodowanego powtórną agresją Rosji wobec Ukrainy, w różnym stosunku do „bliższych” i „dalszych” Obcych. Stoję na stanowisku, że uzasadnienia odwołujące się do kategorii współczucia, zawarte w poznawczym komponencie postaw, tworzą społeczny rynek współczucia, konceptualizowany jako przestrzeń, w której odbywają się dyskursywne w swym charakterze targi o współczucie. Jednocześnie uzasadnienia te stanowią podstawę praktyk społecznych, zarówno działań o charakterze pomocowym i ratowniczym jednostek, samoorganizujących się grup identyfikujących się ze społeczeństwem obywatelskim oraz organizacji pozarządowych odwołujących się do wartości wspólnoty i humanitas, jak i formalnych oraz nieformalnych działań anormatywnych podejmowanych przez aktorów społecznych w społecznej przestrzeni (zinstytucjonalizowanej) bezkarności.

ASSESSMENT OF THE COMPETITIVENESS OF UKRAINE AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE POPULATION

International competition is a multifaceted market economic category that reflects the struggle of civilizations, regions, countries, global complexes and specialized industries, global and multinational companies, financial institutions and other actors in the global space for competitive advantage. The concept of international competitiveness is often used in the analysis of macroeconomic indicators of countries. It allows you to compare for the country and its trading partners, a number of significant economic characteristics that can help explain international trends in international trade. This concept includes, first of all, qualitative factors or factors that cannot be quantified. The high level of national competition determines the growing opportunities to attract investment to the country, technology transfer, expand market presence and sign new trade contracts for any country. Conversely, low ratings and feedback are indicators of underestimation by governments and the need to stimulate the improvement of the national environment. This can push companies to fight for markets. It is impossible to overcome the coverage of the problem without a detailed study of the concept of competitiveness and assessment of the main factors of the indicator. Competitiveness is one of the main indicators of state development. The problem of Ukraine’s low level of competitiveness is quite relevant. It is characterized by low living standards, socio-political atmosphere in the country, the state and level of development of the financial system and production efficiency. The article examines the current level of competitiveness of the country and the quality of life of the population, formed the essence of this concept and identified its main quantitative characteristics, analyzed the potential of Ukraine for the future. This study analyzes the main features of the Ukrainian economy and its place against the background of the international economy on the basis of the world competitiveness rating. The main indices are considered, namely: the Ease of doing business index, the index of economic freedom in the country (Index of Economic Freedom) and The Human Development Index and the Investment Privatization. However, ways to increase Ukraine’s competitive position in the international arena are proposed.

Developing Space Programs and Cooperation in Latin America

A few countries in Latin America, like Mexico, Argentina, Brazil have already achieved notable results in their own space programs even before the current wave of space activities. Smaller countries in the region, due to possible commercial gains, scientific achievements and security concerns also turned their attention towards space. The chance for cooperation with major space actors, like the United States, the European Space Agency (owning a significant base in French Guiana), or the People’s Republic of China is a tempting offer, but not without its own pitfalls. To strengthen their position and their own space programs 18 nations recently founded the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (Agencia Latinoamericana y Caribeña del Espacio). In this paper we shall examine the recent developments in the region’s space activity and the influence of major space powers, especially that of China and the U.S.