scholarly journals The Impact of Civil Society on Control of Corruption: A Comparative Study of Russia and Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir H. Estebari
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Status ◽  
Historical Developments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Control Of Corruption ◽  
Civil Societies

This paper studies the role of civil society in controlling corruption in public services in two developing countries: Russia and Iran. Research on the relationship between civil society and corruption control in these two countries is insufficient. Selecting Russia and Iran for comparison is based on similarities between them in terms of economic and political systems, and the developments of their civil societies. This paper compares the historical developments and the status of corruption and civil society in both countries; the efforts that civil society actors have made in battling corruption; and the state’s reaction to these attempts. This study covers a period of almost three decades from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 to 2020. The findings of the study show that the civil societies in both countries have had limited impact on controlling corruption over the period. Although these findings do not support a prominent role for civil society in control of corruption in past, the author argues that, according to some evidence, there is a possibility of a stronger role for civil society in combatting corruption in both countries in the future.

The Role of Historical Memory in the Socio-Political Processes of Chechnya (1986—1994)

Istoriya ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10 (108)) ◽  
pp. 0
Author(s):  
Cécile Druey
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Historical Memory ◽  
Mikhail Gorbachev ◽  
Relational Approach ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Local Newspapers ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Autonomous Republic

During the years that preceded and followed the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Autonomous Republic of Chechnya in the south of Russia has experienced an intensive movement of civil society mobilisation, nationalist radicalisation and armed conflict. Referring to the case of the society “Kavkaz” as an example for the emerging movement of civil society, this paper traces the mobilising role of history and historical memory during the period of reform under Mikhail Gorbachev in the late-1980s, until the onset of the first Chechnya War in 1994. It argues, that the use of historical memory is not that much a cause, than it is an indicator of conflict and radicalisation in society, and that these processes of radicalisation are closely linked to their context at a local, national and international level. Drawing on data collected from interviews with representatives of the Chechen national movement, from local newspapers and legal acts, the paper tracks the evolution of civil society movements in Chechnya in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Doing so, it departs from a relational approach to conflict analysis (della Porta, 2018; Alimi, Bosi, and Demetriou, 2012; Tilly and Tarrow, 2015; Hughes and Sasse, 2016). Located at the intersection between conflict- and memory studies, the paper thus adds insights to the study of the pre-war period in post-Soviet Chechnya, and in general to the conceptual discussion about the link between historical memory, mobilisation, radicalisation and conflict.

China and the Cold War

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Mitter
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Mao Zedong ◽  
World War ◽  
World War 2 ◽  
War Narrative ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
The Impact

This chapter examines the role of China in the Cold War. It describes the origins of Cold War in China and the participation of nationalist China in World War 2 and the Cold War, and suggests that China played a pivotal role as the third (albeit shorter) leg of a cold war tripod. The chapter contends that the Cold War era in China is inseparable from the political supremacy Mao Zedong, and highlights the impact of the split between China and the Soviet Union on the role of China in the Cold War. It also argues that the 1972 Sino-United States rapprochement contributed to the fading of China from the Cold War narrative.

Ethnic and Class Stratification in Soviet Kazakhstan, 1917–39

1975 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lane
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Ethnic Relations ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Class Stratification ◽  
History Of ◽  
Analytical Category ◽  
The Impact

In the sociological literature, the study of inter-ethnic relations has been dominated either by the problem of the black-white conflict in the U.S.A. or by the controversy over whether social relations in colonial and excolonial countries are ‘pluralistic’. The history of the Soviet Union provides quite a different context in which various ethnic groups, each with peculiar traditions and languages and at various levels of social, political and economic development, have interacted one with another. Study of the Soviet Union enables one to compare the role of Marxist-Leninist ideology in an ethnically mixed community with the usual examples of the impact of religious and ‘imperialist’ belief systems, and it may help to clarify whether ‘ethnic group’ is a useful analytical category or whether ‘ethnic relations’ can be explained in terms of the more traditional classifications of class, status and power.

‘There was an elephant in the court room’: Reflections on the role of Judge Sir Percy Spender (1897–1985) in theSouth West Africa Cases(1960–1966) after half a century

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-170
Author(s):  
VICTOR KATTAN
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
West Africa ◽  
International Law ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
South West ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
South West Africa ◽  
The Cold War

AbstractThis article argues that theSouth West Africa Caseswere brought to an ignominious end because the cases were about self-determination as much as they were about apartheid. For liberals like Judge Sir Percy Spender, the President of the Court, political systems based on majority rule looked suspiciously like authoritarian regimes modelled on the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It is submitted that, given the controversy surrounding self-determination in international law, Sir Percy wanted to avoid addressing the merits of the cases. Self-determination was the proverbial ‘elephant in the court room’ that Sir Percy wanted to avoid at all costs. This article builds upon earlier archival research on theSouth West Africa Casesby taking a closer look at Sir Percy's role in the cases and his views on self-determination. It is argued that what ‘killed’ the cases was Sir Percy's belief that Ethiopia and Liberia were seeking to ‘legalize’ self-determination with a view to further uniting the Afro-Asian bloc at the United Nations with the Soviet Union against the West.

CPSU Legacies and Regional Democracy in Contemporary Russia

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 173-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Libman ◽  
Anastassia V. Obydenkova
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
National Level ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Regional Economies ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Unique Dataset

This article investigates the impact of Communist historical legacies on the variation of sub-national regimes in a federal state. It focuses on the Russian Federation and studies the role of sub-national variations of membership rates in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the 1970s and 1980s as a predictor of regional democracy in Russia in the 2000s. Using a unique dataset collected by the authors, the article shows that past CPSU membership rates continue to have a significant and negative impact on democracy at the sub-national level. The article also investigates possible mechanisms of this effect and links them to the persistence of Soviet bureaucracies and their role in exercising control over regional economies. These findings contribute to understanding the complex nexus of federalism and sub-national democracy and to the study of the role of communist legacies in democratisation.

scholarly journals Bending the Arc of Chinese History: The Cultural Revolution's Paradoxical Legacy

2016 ◽  
Vol 227 ◽  
pp. 613-631
Author(s):  
Andrew G. Walder
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Cultural Revolution ◽  
Central Government ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Status ◽  
Political Foundations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Cultural Revolution

AbstractContrary to its initiators’ intentions, the Cultural Revolution laid political foundations for a transition to a market-oriented economy whilst also creating circumstances that helped to ensure the cohesion and survival of China's Soviet-style party-state. The Cultural Revolution left the Chinese Communist Party and civilian state structures weak and in flux, and drastically weakened entrenched bureaucratic interests that might have blocked market reform. The weakening of central government structures created a decentralized planned economy, the regional and local leaders of which were receptive to initial market-oriented opportunities. The economic and technological backwardness fostered by the Cultural Revolution left little support for maintaining the status quo. Mao put Deng Xiaoping in charge of rebuilding the Party and economy briefly in the mid-1970s before purging him a second time, inadvertently making him the standard-bearer for post-Mao rebuilding and recovery. Mutual animosities with the Soviet Union provoked by Maoist polemics led to a surprising strategic turn to the United States and other Western countries in the early 1970s. The resulting economic and political ties subsequently advanced the agenda of reform and opening. China's first post-Mao decade was therefore one of rebuilding and renewal under a pre-eminent leader who was able to overcome opposition to a new course. The impact of this legacy becomes especially clear when contrasted with the Soviet Union in the 1980s, where political circumstances were starkly different, and where Gorbachev's attempts to implement similar changes in the face of entrenched bureaucratic opposition led to the collapse and dismemberment of the Soviet state.

The Status of Doctors

1967 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lord Snow
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
General Practitioner ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Liberal Education ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Professional Relationship ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Usa

Lord Snow compares the status of doctors with that of engineers, and considers the status of both professions in Great Britain, the USA and the Soviet Union. He makes a plea for a more liberal education, and feels that doctors should play a larger part in advising Government. He proceeds to consider the special role of the general practitioner, which should embrace a personal as well as a professional relationship.

scholarly journals The Prospect of the Russian Language in Georgia. Insights from the Educated Youth

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Artoni ◽  
Sabrina Longo
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
International Communication ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Status ◽  
Southern Caucasus ◽  
Everyday Interaction ◽  
The Russian Language

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the status of the Russian language in the new-born Republics became a central issue. In the Southern Caucasus, all the Constitutions promulgated by the three Republics opted for ethnocentric language policies that accepted the titular language as the only State Language. However, the role of the Russian language as a lingua franca remained crucial for international communication and everyday interaction. It followed that it continued to play an important role also in education. The present study focuses on Georgia, where a strong derussification policy has taken place in the last decades and aims at understanding to what extent the use of Russian among the young generations has contracted. In particular, we present an analysis conducted on data collected via (i) a survey for young people consisting of questions on their sociolinguistic background and a proficiency test in Russian, and (ii) semi-structured interviews for teachers of Russian and English as Foreign Languages on the research topics.

scholarly journals Socio-political and public organizations activity peculiarities at Volyn in the Ukrainian statehood idea formation and development in 1921-1939

Eminak ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 139-149
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Kadeniuk ◽  
Vasyl Sazhko
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
World War I ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
World War ◽  
Organic Unity ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Idea Formation

Historical aspects of the development and formation of socio-political and public organizations in Volyn, which after the end of the World War I was under the rule of two totalitarian powers – the Soviet Union and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth I is studied in the article. The role of Ukrainian immigration in the creation of Ukrainian socio-cultural and political centers was considered, and the optimal ways of solving national problems were searched for. On the example of Volyn lands it is proved that despite the difference of social and political systems, which dominated both Western and Eastern parts of Volyn, the process of formation of the national idea represents an organic unity in all Ukrainian lands.

THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNATIONAL FACTOR OF CONFLICT IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1879-1886
Author(s):  
Hatidza Berisha
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Community ◽  
The State ◽  
The Other ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Impact

The events that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the unification of Germany, as well as the attitudes of the international factor towards the Bosnian crisis, should be considered in the process of disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, and secession of its republics. Due to the impossibility of a peaceful agreement on the resolution of state status and the organization of the state by political factors in B&H, it was necessary for the international community to intervene in resolving the state's status and relations in it.The aim of the paper is to analyze the impact of an international factor on developments in B&H right before the outbreak of the conflict, as well as during the course of the 1992-1995 period. years. The impact of the international factor has been viewed through the role of Europe (the European Community, since 1993 - the European Union and West European countries) on the one hand and the United States of America on the other, as the main and determining factors of the international community in resolving the Bosnian issue. The United Nations Organization (OUN) remained in the other plan in this process, while the role of the Soviet Union was not significant, because the Soviet Union was solving its own growing problems that arose at the end of the Cold War by the breakup of the Warsaw Pact, and later after the collapse of the state.

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