Islam in Karachay-Cherkessia Region During the Soviet Period

Based on a wide range of sources, this article shows the development of Islam on the territory of Karachay- Cherkessia during the Soviet period. In the fi rst years of Soviet power, the declared atheism did not prevent the Bolsheviks from using the religious factor to attract the sympathy of the population. The commonality of Islam and Bolshevism in relation to social equality and justice was declared, and the system of Shari‘a legal proceedings was preserved for some time. As their positions were strengthened, the Bolsheviks no longer needed allies, the religious infrastructure was destroyed, and the clergy, including the Islamic ones, were repressed. However, in the conditions of the Great Patriotic War, when the need arose for the formation of patriotic sentiments, religion again took its, albeit limited, place in public life. The sound policy pursued by the regional authorities with regard to Islam in the 1980s made it possible to successfully resist the onslaught of religious extremism that hit the country in the post- Soviet period and build a religious infrastructure practically from scratch.

“Dying with a Smile, Just Knowing that Somebody’s Listened to Me”: End-Of-Life Care and Medical Assistance in Dying in Canadian Prisons

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) has been legal in Canada since 2016 and some incarcerated patients who are at the end of their lives are eligible for the procedure. Interviews with nine incarcerated men at a federal penitentiary in Canada provide insight into some of the ways that people who are navigating aging and end-of-life in prison think about MAiD. Interview themes are organized around: experience with death and dying; possibilities and barriers related to applications for release from prison at end-of-life; experiences of peer-caregiving in a prison palliative care program; support for MAiD and the expansion of eligibility criteria; what a good death looks like. Themes are contextualized alongside federal guidelines related to end-of-life care (EOLC) and MAiD for prisoners, highlighting that sound policy requires both generalizable principles and attention to nuance. MAiD rests on patient voluntariness, and thus autonomy over EOLC decisions is paramount for prisoners.

Does financial development reinforce ecological footprint in singapore? Evidence from ardl and bayesian analysis

Singapore has been ranked in the most dynamic financial market and the highest ecological deficit country, indicating that the trade-off hypothesis may exist. The main goal of the present study is to probe the impact of financial development, economic growth, and human capital on ecological footprint in Singapore from 1980 to 2016. The outcomes obtained from the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method have failed to provide a clear impact of financial sector development on ecological footprint. However, the Bayesian analysis reveals that both financial development and economic growth have a harmful influence on EF, while the impact of human capital is beneficial. A theoretical conclusion derived is that monetary expansion policies should be associated with improving human capital to achieve the United Nations SDGs in the context of Singapore. The findings of the study are of particular interest to policymakers for developing sound policy decisions for sustainable economic progress which is not at the cost of environment.

Rational Analysis of Grand Strategy

This chapter describes the basic structure of a rational analysis of grand strategy. Rational analysis is an approach, not a school or a theory. It is the approach that is required by and supports sound policy analysis; it is not controversial. Nevertheless, appreciating the structure and requirements of a rational analysis can provide guidance for performing high-quality analysis and for critiquing ongoing debates over grand strategy. All of the major schools of grand strategy in the US debate are built on a rational analysis. The chapter first addresses the terms “grand strategy” and “rational.” It then describes the basic components of a rational grand-strategic analysis: state’s interests (including the distinction between fundamental interests and “derivative interests”), the international environment, theories of state interaction, the options available to a state, the comparison of these options, and a conclusion about which grand strategy will best serve a state’s interests. The final section brief highlights the analytic value of understanding the structure and requirements of rational analyses of grand strategy.

A New Pedestrian Crossing Level of Service (PCLOS) Method for Promoting Safe Pedestrian Crossing in Urban Areas

Crosswalks are critical locations in the urban transport network that need to be designed carefully as pedestrians are directly exposed to vehicular traffic. Although various methods are available to evaluate the level of service (LOS) at pedestrian crossings, pedestrian crossing facilities are frequently ignored in assessing crosswalk conditions. This study attempts to provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating crosswalks based on several essential indicators adopted from different guidelines. A new pedestrian crossing level of service (PCLOS) method is introduced in this research, with an aimto promote safe and sustainable operations at such locations. The new PCLOS employs an analytical point system to compare existing street crossing conditions to the guidelines’ standards, taking into account the scores and coefficients of the indicators. The quantitative scores and coefficients of indicators are assigned based on field observations and respondent opinions. The method was tested to evaluate four pedestrian crosswalks in the city of Putrajaya, Malaysia. A total of 17 indicators were selected for the study after a comprehensive literature review. Survey results show that the provision of a zebra crossing was the most critical indicator at the pedestrian crossings, while drainage near crosswalks was regarded as the least important. Four indicators had a coefficient value above 4, indicating that these are very critical pedestrian crossing facilities and significantly impact the calculation of LOS for pedestrian crossings. Four crosswalks were evaluated using the proposed method in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The crosswalk at the Ministry of Domestic Trade Putrajaya got the “PCLOS A”. In contrast, the midblock crossing in front of the Putrajaya Corporation was graded “PCLOS C”. While the remaining two crosswalks were graded as “PCLOS B” crosswalks. Based on the assigned PCLOS grade, the proposed method could also assist in identifying current design and operation issues in existing pedestrian crossings and providing sound policy recommendations for improvements to ensure pedestrian safety.

Logic and Effectiveness of Urban Tree Preservation: A Comparative Case Study of Charlotte and San Antonio

While most U.S. cities have a tree protection policy, the subsequent impact on the reduction of canopy loss is unclear. To rectify this, I utilize a theoretically grounded framework of influence comprised of clear identification of the problem/public support, adequate resources, and sound policy logic. This is then tested in a comparative case study of Charlotte, North Carolina, and San Antonio, Texas. While Charlotte benefits from public recognition of the problem and adequate resources, its regulations are weak, lacking a logical connection to aspirational outcomes. San Antonio's regulations are stronger, but combined with weaker problem identification and resources. Through quantitative and qualitative assessments, I find that San Antonio's strict regulations may have stabilized loss rates, while Charlotte's weaker rules have not. Results highlight the importance of policy logic over other commonly suggested determinants of natural resource protection.

Genetic information, insurance and a pluralistic approach to justice

The use of genetic testing has prompted the question of whether insurance companies should be able to use predictive genetic test results (GTRs) in their risk classification of clients. While some jurisdictions have passed legislation to prohibit this practice, the UK has instead adopted a voluntary code of practice that merely restricts the ways in which insurance companies may use GTRs. Critics have invoked various theories of justice to argue that this approach is unfair. However, as well as sometimes relying on somewhat idealised assumptions, these analyses have tended to invoke theories that have wide-ranging and highly revisionary implications for insurance. Moreover, they fail to adequately engage with a conception of justice that plausibly undergirds the status quo approach to insurance in the UK. I argue that it is a mistake to simply invoke a single contestable theory in seeking to develop sound policy on the use of GTRs in insurance. To that end, in this paper, I outline three plausible principles of justice that policy on this issue ought to balance: A principle of equity, a principle of equal access and a principle of need. In doing so, I shall offer a pluralist justice-based argument in support of the spirit, if not the precise letter, of the UK approach.

THE PROCESS MANAGEMENT OF ENSURING THE ENTERPRISE COMPETITIVENESS IN THE CONDITIONS OF ECONOMIC PROCESSES INFORMATIZATION

The purpose of the research is to develop a mechanism of process management of ensuring the enterprise competitiveness of the enterprise in terms of the economic processes informatization. The following general scientific and applied research methods were used in the research process: analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction were used in the process management of determining the methodological basis of the process management of ensuring the enterprise competitiveness; systematization and generalization in the process of clarifying the purpose, object and subject of the process management of ensuring the enterprise competitiveness; the method of abstraction and formalization — to substantiate the conceptual provisions of the process management mechanism of ensuring the enterprise competitiveness in terms of the economic processes informatization; monographic methods — for in-depth study of the tasks; abstract-logical methods — for theoretical generalization of research results and formulation of conclusions and suggestions. The suggested mechanism for the process management of ensuring the enterprise competitiveness in terms of the economic processes informatization allows to determine the level of resource potential and a better choice of the optimal competitive strategy of the enterprise development, and decision making will more precisely justify specific measures to strengthen the market position. The practical significance of the study is, first of all, to build a scheme for the process management of ensuring the enterprise competitiveness of in terms of the economic processes informatization, which creates prerequisites for a responsible and sound policy to improve the management of competitiveness. Originality lies in substantiating the structural elements of the process management of ensuring the competitiveness of the enterprise in terms of the economic processes informatization that affect and determine measures to improve the management of the enterprise competitiveness, which combines the study of active business processes, financial support and information support.

ConclusionCooperation, Collaboration, and Communication in Space

The creation of the U.S. Space Force at the end of 2019, France’s steps toward creating a similar dedicated military body, and NATO’s formal recognition of space as a military operational zone integral to international security were all markers of the beginning of a new era as of the second decade of this century. Although space-based technologies have been utilized by world militaries since the beginning of the space age in the 1960s, the militarization of space has not been on the public radar to the extent it now is, and the likelihood of space-based conflict has never been greater. At the same time, popular awareness of civil and commercial uses of space has also increased. In short, we are in a New Space Age, one that is equal parts commercial and political, and one which—arguably even more so than the first Space Age—has national and international security interests at its center. The need for ethically sound policy and law at this time is irrefutable, and it is in answer to this need that our contributing authors have tackled various challenging issues, applying their exceptional expertise. In addition to agreement as to current and future threats to national and global security stemming from the use—and misuse—of the space environment, there are many suggested measures for ameliorating the risk of conflict in space. A central theme in all of the chapters is that the best way to avoid capricious use of the space environment in wartime is to create a set of norms in peacetime, recognizing that shared use, rather than dominance, is the preferred outcome for all spacefaring nations.