Russian war games may alarm but have limited scope

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Military Training ◽  
European Countries ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
War Games ◽  
Training Cycle ◽  
Real Risk ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Limited Scope

Significance Zapad-2017 has attracted unprecedented attention in the West, as media reports claim it will be the largest-ever Russian exercise and may be a precursor to stationing troops permanently in Belarus or even to invading the Baltic states. However, while alarming in scale and location given the context of Russia-NATO tensions, these war games are part of a scheduled annual military training cycle. Impacts NATO will be vigilant as Zapad-2017 unfolds but has deployed only modest extra forces. Ukrainian warnings that Russia will use Zapad-2017 to prepare an invasion reflect jumpiness rather than a real risk. Belarus will resume efforts to reach out to European countries and distance itself from Western tensions with Russia.

Comparative Analysis of Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar’s Travels to European Countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Aysel KAMAL ◽  
Sinem ATIS
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Young Lady ◽  
The Other ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Cultural Relations ◽  
The West ◽  
Literary Works ◽  
European Culture ◽  
Turkish Literature ◽  
Art And Architecture

Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar (1901-1962) is one of the most controversial authors in the 20th century Turkish literature. Literature critics find it difficult to place him in a school of literature and thought. There are many reasons that they have caused Tanpinar to give the impression of ambiguity in his thoughts through his literary works. One of them is that he is always open to (even admires) the "other" thought to a certain age, and he considers synthesis thinking at later ages. Tanpinar states in the letter that he wrote to a young lady from Antalya that he composed the foundations of his first period aesthetics due to the contributions from western (French) writers. The influence of the western writers on him has also inspired his interest in the materialist culture of the West. In 1953 and 1959 he organized two tours to Europe in order to see places where Western thought and culture were produced. He shared his impressions that he gained in European countries in his literary works. In the literary works of Tanpinar, Europe comes out as an aesthetic object. The most dominant facts of this aesthetic are music, painting, etc. In this work, in the writings of Tanpinar about the countries that he travelled in Europe, some factors were detected like European culture, lifestyle, socio-cultural relations, art and architecture, political and social history and so on. And the effects of European countries were compared with Tanpinar’s thought and aesthetics. Keywords: Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, Europe, poetry, music, painting, culture, life

scholarly journals Are we on track reaching SDG3 in 2030? Gap analyses for African & European countries including Russia

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
U Laaser ◽  
V Bjegovic-Mikanovic
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
West African ◽  
Northern Africa ◽  
European Countries ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Western Africa ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract Background To reach the targets of SDG3 not more than a decade is left. How do the Low and Middle-Income Countries in Northern Africa - in the immediate neighborhood to Europe - compare to the 15 members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and well-developed European countries around the Baltic Sea (the “Northern Dimension”) incl. Russia? Methods We used quantifiable mortality indicators and targeted reductions until 2030, as published for SDG3.1/2/3 by the United Nations in 2015. To estimate progress or delay we used the methodology of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) based on the target year 2030, a year of observation, and a year at baseline. For the comparison between Northern Africa/Northern Europe we calculated for indicator 3.3 the Premature Years of Life Lost (PYLL) and for the comparison of Northern/Western Africa the more sensitive indicators 3.1 and 2, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), the Neonatal Mortality Rate NMR, and the under-five Mortality Rate (<5MR). Results In Northern Africa, only Algerian and Morocco will achieve the 2030 target 3.4 in time i.e., 2.5 and 7 years in advance, whereas Egypt, Libya and Tunisia are in delay Mauretania even by 14.5 years. The countries around the Baltic Sea likely will achieve the targeted reduction before 2030, Estonia on top already 2025, followed by Latvia and Finland in 2026, and the Russian Federation in 2027. Among the 15 West African states, Capo Verde has reached the targets 3.1 and 2 already, followed by Senegal (e.g., 4.0 years in advance for <5MR) and Ghana, whereas Guinea Bissau is positioned at the end with a delay of 4,2 years for MMR. The countries of Northern Africa are on track except for Algeria, with 6.2 years in delay for MMR and Mauretania for all indicators. Conclusions Whereas the European countries are well in advance of the SDG targets, Northern Africa shows a mixed picture and the countries of Western Africa with a few exceptions are in delay. Key messages European countries around the Baltic Sea and Russia are well on track for SDG3, reducing their premature mortality by one third until 2030. Whereas the European countries are well in advance of the SDG targets, Northern Africa shows a mixed picture and the countries of Western Africa with a few exceptions are in delay.

Profitability of the Northern Sea Route for liquid bulk shipping under post 2020 sulphur regulations

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-332
Author(s):  
Tuomo Keltto ◽  
Su-Han Woo
Keyword(s):  
Spot Market ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Estimation Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Freight Rates ◽  
Northern Sea Route ◽  
Financial Perspective ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Regulation Compliance

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the profitability of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as a shipping lane from the financial perspective of shipping companies under post 2020 sulphur regulations.Design/methodology/approachThis study develops profit estimation model, and the profitability of the NSR is assessed for a Handymax Medium Range (MR) tanker vessel using scenarios in combination with spot market earning levels, the regulation compliance method and destination ports. The required freight rates are calculated to justify the decision of shipowners to transit a tanker from the Baltic spot market to the NSR navigation.FindingsResults suggest that the required freight rates from the Arctic trade to justify the transit to the NSR are higher than the actual agreed rates in the past, which implies low viability of the NSR as a regular shipping lane. It was also found that the required freight rates are affected by the spot market earning levels, compliance method and duration of the voyage.Research limitations/implicationsThis study takes a new approach on assessing the NSR viability by comprehensively assessing the annual profitability and including the spot market trade as an opportunity cost for the NSR shipping. Despite various scenarios used in this study, a sensitivity analysis would be useful for future research.Practical implicationsThis study suggests how much freight rates a shipping company would need to charge if it were to offer tanker shipping services to four major Asian ports while simultaneously operating at the Baltic Sea during the remainder of the year.Originality/valueThis study adopts a market-oriented approach by incorporating both earnings and costs (including opportunity costs) in the profitability model rather than merely analyzing the total cost of shipping via the NSR. This study also analyzes impact of IMO 2020 Sulphur regulation on the NSR profitability.

The global refugee crisis and the career ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Julia Richardson ◽  
Charlotte M. Karam ◽  
Fida Afiouni
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Refugee Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relevant Stakeholder ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Business Media

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce this special issue about the “Impact of the Global Refugee Crisis on the Career Ecosystem” and summarise the key contributions of the included practitioner and scholarly papers which examine refugee business and labour market experiences. The paper also examines the impact of media reports to provide a broader understanding of the context within which the current refugee crisis is evolving. Design/methodology/approach The authors begin with a delineation of the concept of a career ecosystem in the context of refugee crises. The authors then employ this framing as a backdrop to engage in a basic analysis of business media coverage of the most recent Syrian refugee crisis, and a summary of the practitioner and scholarly papers. Findings The findings of the media analysis suggest major coverage differences between different groups of countries in the number of documents identified, the proposed aim of business engagement with refugees, and substance of the extracted statements generally. Research limitations/implications The analysis of business media coverage is rudimentary and intended only as a prompt for further conversations about how contemporary media commentary impacts on career opportunities for refugees and relevant stakeholder practices. Practical implications This paper demonstrates the importance of including broader considerations of refugee careers that explore the interaction and intersection with transnational and local ecosystem of labour markets while paying attention to the sociocultural and political refugee-host community dynamics. Originality/value This paper presents a more systems-oriented perspective and provides both practice and scholarly perspectives on the composite and dynamic nature of the refugee crisis on career ecosystems more broadly.

Mind in eBay, body in Macy’s

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 288-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syagnik Banerjee ◽  
Phil Longstreet
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physical Context ◽  
Texting While Driving ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Routine Tasks ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
And Performance

Purpose With the ubiquitous diffusion of mobile-enabled internet, individuals are constantly immersed in both virtual and physical environments. While this causes distractions, lower attention spans and disasters such as texting while driving and walking, it also creates synergies and smoother navigational experiences. Technology developers, marketers and policy-makers are both concerned and intrigued to understand how to deploy these mobile technologies so as to optimize their disruptive impact. In this paper, the authors aim to develop a framework of dual consciousness to understand the potential causes and outcomes of individual’s simultaneous presence in physical and virtual worlds. Design/methodology/approach A careful review of past academic literature on behavior, as well as media reports of incidents of disruptions, led the authors to construct a 2 × 2 framework depicting behaviors that indicated high-low consciousness in physical, as well as virtual worlds. Findings In dual environments, individuals either dissociate from one of the environments or integrate both environments. While the former is driven by the multiplicity of irrelevant roles and goals, oblivion of relevant roles, perception of group norms and performance of practiced routine tasks, the latter is driven by strong executive control processes, focused singular goals and usage of the virtual environment to reinforce their physical tasks. The most affected parties are retailers, service providers, digital marketers and social media marketers. Originality/value Most prior research in interactive marketing examine effects of online stimuli on online behavior. This paper identifies the noise created by physical context on clicks as well as the interference created by virtual stimuli on physical purchases and service experiences.

THE "HYBRID WAR" CONSTRUCTING IN WESTERN MEDIA SPACE. MAIN STAGES AND ACTORS

2020 ◽  
pp. 20-34
Author(s):  
Vladimir S. Tsarik ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Information Warfare ◽  
The West ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Media Space ◽  
Hybrid War ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
War Discourse ◽  
Western Media

The article analyzes a process of the ‘hybrid war’ constructing as a political discourse in Western media space at the initial stages of its formation and promotion in 2014. Using the discourse analysis and process-tracing methods, the author detects principal actors involved in the process, reconstructs the sequence of events in the course of establishing and elaborating the ‘hybrid war’ discourse and analyzes transformation of meanings of that discourse proceeding from interests of actors involved into its elaboration. The analysis presented in the article led to the following conclusions: 1) discourse about Russia’s ‘hybrid war’ against the West was formulated in the spring of 2014 for substantiation of Ukrainian narrative on ‘Russian aggression in Ukraine’ and consolidation of the confrontational nature of relations between the West and Russia; 2) at the initial stage of discourse elaboration and dissemination the key role in this process was performed by representatives of non-governmental analytical institutions of the Baltic States, Poland, Ukraine and Great Britain, and in its formalization at the international level – the NATO official representatives and institutions; 3) in conceptual respect the ‘hybrid war’ discourse, combining into a single whole the conventional, irregular and information warfare, facilitated ‘étatisation’ of non-traditional security threats, “militarizing” the “soft power” and criminalizing the conventional ways of inter-state competition.

Disinformation is a rising security threat to the West

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Social Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Step Change ◽  
Media Discourse ◽  
Security Threat ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Synthetic Media ◽  
Victims Of Bullying

Significance Articles containing the bogus quotes were shared across social media globally. The case illustrates how disinformation is created and spread for malign influence, and its ease of entry into social media discourse, which makes it so difficult to untangle and counter. Impacts Political polarisation within the United States is impeding a 'whole of society' response. Russian and Chinese disinformation campaigns will claim the two nations are falsely accused victims of bullying by envious foes. Artificial intelligence-created synthetic media such as deepfakes will enable a step-change in the sophistication of 'infowars'.

Sustainability reporting in justice systems: a comparative research in two European countries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Floriana Fusco ◽  
Renato Civitillo ◽  
Paolo Ricci ◽  
Sylwia Morawska ◽  
Katarzyna Pustułka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Current Practices ◽  
Judicial Systems

Purpose That on accountability in public organizations is quite an old debate. Its introduction in judicial systems is, however, still viewed with some suspicion, due to its potential trade-off with independence and impartiality. Nevertheless, the need to respond to the demands for greater transparency and accountability has also pushed judicial organizations to establish a dialogue with a wide range of subjects. This study aims to explore the understanding and the current practices of sustainability reporting currently in place in judicial systems. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a comparative approach, conducting an online survey in two European countries (Italy and Poland). The survey was built around the research questions and literature and administered between February and March 2020. Specifically, 804 courts were involved, of which 430 are in Italy and 374 in Poland. Findings Findings show that the current practices are still not widespread and there is still a lack of understanding of what sustainability reporting is, and therefore, of what its potential usefulness within the courts could be. Moreover, many differences between the two countries are pointed out, so it is possible to assume that the different cultural and institutional settings influence sustainability reporting practices. Finally, some interesting implications for policymakers are provided. Originality/value Judicial organizations are still poorly investigated in the literature, despite being at the center of a wide public and political debate. Moreover, the international comparative perspective adopted constitutes a further aspect of novelty.

Entry barriers could easily thwart China’s tech plans

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Quantum Computing ◽  
Import Substitution ◽  
Entry Barriers ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technological Competition ◽  
Efficiency And Productivity

Significance These are: artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, genetics, biotechnology, neuroscience and aerospace. Impacts It is not always useful to view technological competition between China and the West as a ‘race’. China will likely burn significant capital just to achieve parity with advanced countries, and may never achieve it. Low margins will encourage protectionism and import substitution, with an impact on efficiency and productivity.

Hydrogeochemical indications of regional flow in the Lower Greensand aquifer of the London Basin

2021 ◽  
pp. qjegh2021-028
Author(s):  
W. George Darling ◽  
Melinda A. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Isotopes ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Confined Aquifer ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regional Flow ◽  
Fresh Perspective ◽  
Southern Side ◽  
Chalk Aquifer ◽  
The City

The Lower Greensand (LGS) forms the second most important aquifer in the London Basin but, being largely absent beneath the city itself, has received much less attention than the ubiquitous overlying Chalk aquifer. While the general directions of groundwater flow in the Chalk are well established, there has been much less certainty about flow in the LGS owing to regionally sparse borehole information. This study focuses on two hitherto uncertain aspects of the confined aquifer: the sources of recharge to the west-central London Basin around Slough, and the fate of LGS water where the aquifer thins out on the flank of the London Platform in the Gravesend–Medway–Sheppey area on the southern side of the basin. The application of hydrogeochemical techniques including environmental isotopes indicates that recharge to the Slough area is derived from the northern LGS outcrop, probably supplemented by downward leakage from the Chalk, while upward leakage from the LGS in North Kent is mixing with Chalk water to the extent that some Chalk boreholes on the Isle of Sheppey are abstracting high proportions of water with an LGS fingerprint. In doing so, this study demonstrates the value of re-examining previously published data from a fresh perspective.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Hydrogeology of Sandstone collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/hydrogeology-of-sandstone

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