The Fight against Corruption in Sport: International and National Experience

Corruption is a particularly dangerous scourge, which encompasses the whole of society, all spheres of human activity, and by virtue of this, it also encompasses education, whether we want to recognize it or not. Corruption flourishes in times of great social unrest, in times of crisis that societies are going through, especially in the period of transition from a totalitarian regime to a democratic society. The factor generating corruption is the socio-economic crisis, having as causes: weakening of state authority, degradation of living standards, altered moral judgment, lack of effective control levers, diminished public confidence in institutions and social values, non-adaptation of legislation to economic and social conditions and so on Sport is one of the largest businesses in the world, being influenced and influencing in turn both financial and political interests. Every year, millions of dollars and Euros circulate in this area, most of the transactions and agreements taking place behind closed doors, in order to keep any possible advantage over the competition. This fierce competitiveness, together with the lack of transparency, makes the sports field extremely vulnerable to corruption acts. Summarizing the results of our study, we can conclude: the fight against corruption is an opportunity for beneficiary institutions, which can strengthen and improve their systems for preventing and combating corruption and money laundering and asset recovery, by reference to worldwide first-class practices and standards. Following intense consultations with all beneficiaries in the Republic of Moldova: Minister of Education, Culture and Research, National Olympic and Sports Committee, Paralympics’ Committee, Sports Federations and other structures in the country, in order to ensure effective support in the field of physical culture and sports. The direct relations with the interested actors contribute to the creation of a positive framework, which will favour the general success of the future activities that will take place in obtaining the expected results.

Western Balkans might seek new relationship with EU

Significance Non-economic priorities such as nation-building and partisan political interests have often shaped large developmental projects in the Western Balkans, facilitated by no-questions-asked capital from China, Russia and Turkey. The COVID-19 pandemic has created the opportunity to attract more promising projects, not least in the pharma and digital sectors. More vigorous assessment of the environmental and economic consequences of state-led development could facilitate the region’s prosperity and alignment with the EU. Impacts Civil society groups will put significant pressure on governments and investors to raise standards. Calls for the EU to support civil society and activists in Western Balkans directly will intensify. Serbia’s economic assertiveness could contribute to isolating Kosovo and encouraging breakaway tendencies in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS).

Griseldis Báthory, the Disobedient Bride or the Unsuccessful Taming of a Heretic Shrew

The article aims to examine the initial phase of the marriage of Jan Zamoyski with Griseldis Báthory, the issue of change of the bride’s name, and the problems caused by the newlyweds’ difference of faith. Despite the plans of king Stephen and hetman Zamoyski, the young bride did not become a Catholic. Her upbringing by her Protestant mother and grandmother overrode the political interests of her Catholic male relatives.

Integrating Wasthiyah Paradigm to the Issuance of COVID-19 Fatwa; Indonesia Case

<em>This article aims to integrate the wasathiyah paradigm of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) fatwa product and the reality of religious social issues in the midst of the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This article adopts the normative-sociological approach. This article found that MUI fatwa products acted on strong aspects of moderation (wasathiyah), not just issuing fatwas. Various aspects of considerations (al-muwazanat) in fatwa products are marked by revealing strict arguments by expressing the opinions of the Qur'an, sunna, ijma, qiyas, the opinion of the Imam of the school and credible scholars and the views of other experts who support the issuance of fatwa in accordance with the needs of Muslims. The Washatiyah paradigm of MUI fatwa product is not influenced by political interests. It is in accordance with the maqashid al-shari'ah. The paradigm of MUI fatwa was reflected when recommending to Muslims to support and obey the government.</em>

Trade Must Go On. The Tar Trade, Nordic Rivalry, and Cross-Imperial Commercial Diplomacy, 1675–79

The Scanian War fought between Sweden and Denmark (1675–1679) is an example of an armed conflict, which uncovers the clash between the commercial and political interests. This article analyses the dispute between the political allies, the Danish Crown and the Dutch States General considering the trade with Sweden. The Danish naval officials had captured and confiscated the cargoes of seven Dutch tar vessels, heading to Amsterdam from present-day Finland in 1677, which resulted in a major political dispute between Denmark and the Dutch Republic. By drawing upon the methodology of new diplomatic history, the article analyses the negotiations between the diplomatic actors involved in the disputes relating to the confiscation of the ships, all of whom represented the various powers involved in the Baltic export trade.

The Author and the Authors of the 'Vita Ædwardi Regis:' Women's Literary Culture and Digital Humanities

Commissioned by Queen Edith in the 1060s, the Vita Ædwardi Regis (hereafter VER) has recently received substantial scholarly attention, including focus on identification of the author of this putatively anonymous text; the quest for authorial identification has until now proceeded with the assumption of sole authorship of the text. Lexomics, an open-access vocabulary analysis tool, adds digital strategies to more traditional literary and historical analyses; the Lexomic evidence indicates that the VER is a composite text built by multiple contributors under the direction of the queen. Not only did Edith's patronage cause the VER to be written, but her knowledge, and her personal and political interests, shaped the Life's content. Hers was the active, guiding intellect behind the entire text, and in two passages the VER appears not only to communicate the queen's intentions but also to preserve her voice. If any one person is to be identified as the 'author' of the VER, therefore, it is Edith, guiding a team of writers and scribes to tell her story.

Conflict as a Problem and Threat to National and International Security

The beginning of the 21st century is characterized by a deep crisis of the national and international security system. For many factors caused by the intensification of military-political conflicts of a new type, the term “hybrid war” is now used. A feature of these conflicts is, in the first place, the use by the opponents of a wide scale of non-military means of influence: economic, informational, environmental, social, political and others. It is important here to justify the importance of the transformation of the state system of civil protection, which is being developed under the influence of contemporary military and political conflicts. The problem of military-political rivalry, by defining the content of the term “military-political conflict”, leads to a confrontation of political entities both within the state and at the state level, as well as between states, aimed at achieving their own political interests using various means and ways of influencing the political, military, economic, social and information spheres. The purpose of this speech is to present the mechanisms of solving all existing problems related to the functioning of society and to present the forms and features of contemporary hybrid conflicts.

Islam, Modernity and the Concept of Progress (Islam, Pemodenan dan Konsep Kemajuan)

This paper aims to review definitions and scope of modernity and analyze it in the context of a specific religion, Islam. The paper then highlights the harmony between progress and Islam based on the historical examples from the glorious eras of Islamic civilization in Andalusia and the Abbasid caliphate, in which modernity and religion were complementary in producing the novel innovations of that time. Knowledge creation and technological advancements were strongly pursued during that time by numerous renowned Muslim scholars, intellectuals and philosophers. This paper then examines the current situation in the Muslim world. The majority of Muslim nations are backward, impoverished and stagnant due to rigidity and restrictions in political and intellectual freedom, in addition to gender inequality and discrimination. As the paper finds, these unprecedented qualities are not a part of Islamic teachings, but the consequential effect of post colonialism and the politicization of religion by certain squatters using Islam for political interests and purposes. Keywords: Modernity, Islam, Islamic Civilization and innovations, Muslim Spain, Abbasid Caliphate, Modernity today, Islam and modernity. Abstrak Penulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengulas definisi, dan skop kemodenan seta menganalisa hubungan antara modernisasi dengan agama iaitu, Islam. Terbukti pemodenan boleh wujud dengan keharmonian antara kemajuan dan Islam itu sendiri dengan mengaplikasikan contoh sejarah daripada zaman kegemilangan tamadun Islam seperti di Andalusia dan Abbasiyah dimana pemodenan dan agama saling berkait rapat antara satu sama lain untuk menghasilkan inovasi yang terbaik pada waktu itu. Penciptaan ilmu pengetahuan dan kemajuan teknologi tercetus dengan kelahiran ulama, ahli intelek dan ahli falsafah Muslim. Selain itu, bahagian berikut bagi penulisan ini mengkaji situasi masa kini di dunia Islam dimana majoriti negara Islam dikatakan mundur, dibelenggu kemiskinan dan berfikiran jumud disebabkan ketegasan dan pembatasan didalam kebebasan berpolitik dan intelek, kesaksamaan jantina dan diskriminasi. Penulisan ini menemui, sifat sifat negatif tersebut tercetus bukan berdasarkan daripada ajaran Islam, tetapi kesan daripada pasca penjajahan dan pempolitikan berlandaskan agama daripada puak tertentu yang menggunakan Islam atas tujuan kepentingan politik. Kata Kunci: Pemodenan, Islam, Tamadun Islam dan inovasi, Muslim Sepanyol, Khalifah Abbasiyah, Kemodenan hari ini, Islam dan pemodenan.

A Normative Model of Politically Neutral Expertise

Increasing interaction between science and politics requires analysis of the risks of science politicization. The author considers the threat of political control over the expertise and proposes a normative model which allows to avoid this threat. The author argues that the protection of the “hard core” of scientific rationality of expert’s activity is possible if the role of scientists is limited to the “technical” stage of the expertise (aggregation of scientific consensus on the problem). At this stage, the experts should make risks of the proposed strategies visible for public (the author calls this “risks externalization”). In turn, a decision on the compliance of the proposed strategies with the political interests of society should be made at the stage of open discussion. The author claims that separation of these two levels of expertise has the following advantages: (1) allows one to minimize moral and political pressure on experts; (2) makes it possible to involve all parties in the discussion, thereby neutralizing “privatization” of the public sphere; (3) allows one to aggregate distributed knowledge; (4) provides an opportunity for the distribution of responsibility among wider range of participants, thereby maintaining the democratic spirit in the community. The author criticizes the idea of “expert decisionism” and claims that it should be considered as an exceptional mode of expertise in extraordinary situation.

Lordship and Humanity Principles for The Peace of Indonesia: An Integrative Study of Theology and Ideology

This study is stimulated by the background of the gap regarding the understanding and application between the Indonesian ideology of Pancasila and theology (religion) among both Muslims and Christians. This research aimed to study the integration between Christian theology and the Indonesian ideology of Pancasila. This research was based upon the naturalistic paradigm with a qualitative approach and integrative research method to find a model for solving religious intolerance and violence, which is often manipulated by political interests. This integrative study, especially integral dialectical synthesis, is to find a holistic knowledge of the doctrine of the principle of One Lordship, just and civilized humanity according to Christian theology and ideology of Pancasila as a model of integration. The integrative study between theology and ideology confirms that each of the five principles of Pancasila is theological, and even a mandate that believers (the Christians community) must obey. The relationship between Christian theology and the ideology of Pancasila is an integrative relationship because God and humanity are also integrative. These findings suggest that all Christians live in love and respect to their fellow humans, both Christian and non-Christian. Loving God and others means loving the Indonesian people by participating in overcoming the nation's problems and building the Indonesian nation's welfare for the welfare of the nation is our (all Indonesian citizens) wellbeing.