Geopolitical Positioning of Azerbaijan as a Factor in Modelling the Political participation of the country’s citizens

The article analyzes the features of Azerbaijan's geopolitical positioning as a factor in modeling the political participation of citizens of this country. The study of this problem was carried out using the methodological principles of constructivism and theories of political participation. It has been proved that the peculiarities of Azerbaijan's geopolitical positioning are caused by its multi-level nature, reflected in the format of Azerbaijanism as a model of geopolitical identity and the corresponding officially enshrined policy. The idea of Azerbaijan as a system of views that reflects the geopolitical identity of the Azerbaijani people is a convergence of its traditions, national and moral values and is aimed at protecting the independence and democratic development of Azerbaijan. The official declaration of Azerbaijan's belonging to various civilization systems made it possible to form a space of trust and dialogue both at the level of bilateral relations and at the level of regional cooperation. The main tool for modeling the political participation of Azerbaijani citizens and their foreign policy orientations is the official statements of President I. Aliyev, which focus on partnerships with Turkey, the actualization of Russia, Georgia and Iran as partners in regional cooperation and Armenia (after the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict) as a potential partner.

Constructivist Analysis of Independence of Bangladesh

The Independence of Bangladesh was one of the most important event to have occurred in the World Politics of 20th Century. It was not just dismemberment of the then biggest Muslim State in terms of Population, but was also a great question mark on the survival of the state that was founded only on the basis of Religion. Constructivism is an approach in International Relations that contends that Reality is inter-subjective and is constructed through the interaction of different players and institutions. This Research Paper makes an in-depth analysis of different factors that played important role in creation of Bangladesh. The two Nation theory on which Pakistan was founded has been dealt in this paper. The value of given identity depends upon its number and the binding potential of an identity is more in case of identity being in substantive minority than when the identity is in majority. The colonial construct of labelling the entire community as either martial or coward was also responsible for the crisis. The lack of democratic development has also been highlighted as it reduced the capability of Pakistani state in dealing with aspirations of people of East Pakistan. The paper also seeks to critically analyze the role of India in formation of Bangladesh.

Политическая активность российской молодежи как индикатор ценностных ориентаций молодого поколения (на материалах регионального исследования)

In the article, the authors pay attention to the issue of value preferences of Russian youth on the example of the one of the regions of the Russian Federation – the Kemerovo region - Kuzbass. The problem of political activity of young people is considered through the system of current legislation on youth, socialization and directly value orientations and preferences of young people. The main legal acts regulating youth policy in the Russian Federation are marked. As an empirical basis a number of methodological approaches were used-the system approach (D. Easton, G. Almond), the normative-value approach of J. Rawls, a method of expert interviews and questionnaire survey. The article shows the inconsistency of the value beliefs of modern youth, which is caused by the Russian model of democratic development.

Pandemic challenges and models of democracy

This article examines the impact of a pandemic on democratic societies. The central research question is the extent to which a pandemic can alter the trajectory of social and ethical democratic development nationally and internationally. Therefore, the article examines contemporary controversies in democratic society in the aftermath of a pandemic. The leading hypothesis is that the pandemic should reinforce the need for social solidarity, but it is unclear what political form this need will take: populism or deliberative/nonconsensual democracy.

Democracy revisited? Prospects of (liberal) democracy (not only) in the East-Central Europe

Scholarly debate about the prospects of democracy have undergone a fundamental change in the last three decades. While the period of the 1990s might be distinguished by extensive optimism, in the 2000s we can observe a distinct change towards a more restrained perception. Furthermore, the last decade might be evaluated as pessimistic in the social sciences on the grounds of economic recession after 2008 as well other crisis in an economic, societal and political senses. The rather distinctive terms used for the expression of doubts about the pro-democratic development and consolidation, such as ‘semi-consolidated’, ‘new’ or ‘young’ democracy, or de-democratisation, were replaced with more dramatic expressions such as illiberal democracy, democratic backsliding, hybrid, regime, soft dictatorship and ‘the light that failed’, as Krastev described the recent image of East-Central Europe in an almost dystopic manner. While in the 1990s the Slovak version of democratura – Mečiarism – was perceived as the exception, in the late 2010s populist neo-illiberal regimes became the dominant shape of regimes in (East)Central Europe. This review essay presents three recent analyses of the democratic backsliding and state capture (not only) in East-Central Europe and frames this presentation into the more extensive literature review.

Constitutional and legal mechanism for ensuring the principles of elections of people's deputies of Ukraine

The authors raise the urgent issue of ensuring the principles of the election of people's deputies of Ukraine proclaimed by the Constitution of Ukraine and national election legislation. It is noted that the principles of elections of people's deputies of Ukraine are a special legal phenomenon, which embodies the fundamental, fundamental ideas that determine the content and procedure for forming a single legislative body in Ukraine, find expression and manifestation in the legal sphere of society and state and are characterized by such features: 1) reflect the conscious and volitional aspects of elections; 2) these are fundamental ideas, guiding rules, which contain defining guidelines of a guiding nature regarding the elections of people's deputies of Ukraine, a guideline in the formation of suffrage; 3) have a general character, they have an inherent element of generalization, elevated above the specifics; 4) express the essence of suffrage as a system of legal norms governing public relations related to the election of public authorities; 5) is a social phenomenon, the property of the democratic development of the world community. The principles of parliamentary elections determine the content of the electoral process and are characterized by a high level of scientific and theoretical validity, historical accuracy and tried and tested in practice, serve as guidelines and coordinates of legal influence on participants in electoral relations. Based on their importance in the formation of a single legislative body of Ukraine, an important issue is their provision through the appropriate constitutional and legal mechanism. Based on the analysis of doctrinal and legal ideas about the mechanism of the state, the mechanism of legal regulation, the legal mechanism, the conclusion of the constitutional and legal mechanism for ensuring the principles of elections of people's deputies of Ukraine is defined by the Constitution and detailed by normative and institutional component, through which the legal influence on public relations on the lawful implementation, protection and defense of the principles of elections of people's deputies of Ukraine is practically carried out. It covers two components: normative (substantive and procedural) and institutional.

Viewpoint Leadership lessons for institutional development in Albania and Kosovo: handout versus giving a hand

PurposeThis essay draws on my experience in the democratic development of Albania and Kosovo. These leadership insights are shared in the contemporary context of the changes in the past ten years to the international development landscape in the Western Balkans and Central and Eastern Europe. My professional reflections on leading efforts to establish democratic institutions form the basis of these case studies on Albania and Kosovo. Drawing on these reflections (Schon, 1982) can generate a deeper understanding of the leadership practices that facilitated a successful transition, as well as make explicit the implicit practices in leadership that resulted in less than successful efforts.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis of the democratic development challenges in Albania and Kosovo are based on my experience in managing multi-million dollar nation building programs in both countries.FindingsThe democratic development of Kosovo and Albania illustrate the challenges that most leaders in governments and civil society face working in transitional societies. It should come as no surprise that their respective roles and goals will come into conflict as local leaders fight to hold onto power, while many Western good governance programs promote sharing of power. This conflict is complicated by the question of to whom the NGOs and international organizations are accountable – their donor or the community they are working in?Originality/valueThe analysis is based on personal experience in developing and implementing nation-building programs in Albania and Kosovo.

Demarcation Lines in the Ukrainian Society: Genesis, Structure, Overcoming

The subject of the study is the lines of demarcation in the Ukrainian society, which affect its ability for self-organization and development. The methodological paradigm of the search is the Lipset-Rokkan model, which has been successfully tested in the analysis of political changes in European countries. The peculiarities of the origin and development of such fundamental social oppositions are highlighted: center-periphery, state-church, city-village, owner-worker. Their content was dramatically influenced by the colonial position of Ukraine in the Russian Empire (in all its historical forms). The consequences of such influence are still being felt in Russia’s aggressive intentions to leave Ukraine in its sphere of influence, the destructive role of the Russian Orthodox Church, the formation of anti-state movements and structures, and so on. The destructive effect of such influence can be traced in the potential threat of transforming traditional lines of demarcation in the so-called “Red” lines of opposition. These are artificial constructs that feed on the invasive policy of the aggressor and are aimed at introducing states of chaos and disorder into Ukrainian society, with the prospect of undermining and destroying the statehood and identity of Ukraine in general. In this context, the strategic vectors of Ukraine’s sustainable development are the reorientation to European values, comprehensive support of national culture and spirituality, implementation of the full-fledged land reform, creation of a national labor market, legalization of the shadow economy, establishment of the national security system. The political and legal basis for such changes should be the synergetic interaction of the democratic development of the society and the establishment of the rule of law in the activities of citizens and the state.

Current State of Issues and Perspective of Judicial and Judicial-Expert Activity Improvement in Ukraine

Modern globalization and integration of international norms into the national legislation offers new challenges and priorities for the transposition of international standards into forensic activities of Ukraine. The study of foreign practice of regulating forensic activities provides new opportunities to improve the quality and professional competence of forensic examinations conducted by respective institutions. Successful accession to the European community is dependent on internal democratic development, achieving new quality of society, and irreversible democratic transformations in all spheres of social life.

Effective control over ensuring human rights and freedoms as a dimension of a democratic society: Social context

This research aims to study the problem of ensuring effective control over the implementation and observance of human rights and freedoms, in particular, in the format of social rights. The relevance of the stated topic is determined by the expediency of rethinking the nature and significance of social human rights in the context of modern realities, recognising the fact that the quality of life of each individual depends on the possibility of timely implementation of these rights, and therefore special attention should be paid to ensuring effective control over the observance of social rights in the context of democratic legal development. The basis for the research were the following problems: ensuring a sufficient standard of living for citizens in today's challenges and threats, legal certainty as a prerequisite for a stable law and order, lack of clear guarantees to ensure effective control over human rights and freedoms and more. The purpose of this study is to analyse the role and importance of the nature of social human rights as a component of social policy in order to justify the need to improve control in all its forms and manifestations of the effectiveness of their observance, protection and provision in today's conditions. Important methodological tools in the study were the provisions of the dialectical approach, which provided an opportunity to reveal the nature and purpose of social human rights, as well as areas for improving control over their provision and protection. The main results obtained during the research were: coverage of the essence of social rights at the present stage; study of the nature, levels of manifestation and types of control over the implementation and observance of human rights, freedoms and legitimate interests. The value of this work lies in obtaining practical recommendations for finding ways to improve control over the provision and protection of human rights and freedoms in the context of modern democratic development