Biada zwyciężonym – gospodarka i relacje społeczne w kulturze lateńskiej

The economy of any community depends on the values which are considered to be the most important. Social organization and technologies are subordinated to their implementation. In traditional societies, including people of the La Tène culture, the most significant issues concerned the status of individuals and the resulting interpersonal relations. The position in rank was manifested and gained through participation in military expeditions. The economy was subordinated to military action. Nonetheless, new technologies and financial solutions created opportunities for military success. This, however, has its price in enormous social inequalities and almost permanent war.

Ukrainian officials downplay Russian invasion fears

Significance Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on November 29 called for action "now, not later" to "deter" Russia. The same day, US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said the Pentagon was watching Russian troop movements near Ukraine "with great concern". Fears of imminent conflict stem not just from the number of troops and tanks moved closer to Ukraine, but from Moscow's more than usually hostile rhetoric and its deliberate ambiguity, through hints that Ukraine may provoke it into some form of action. Impacts The threat of Russian action will accelerate and expand the defence assistance Ukraine gets from the United States and other NATO members. Moscow would hope its importance as a gas supplier mitigates EU sanctions imposed for military action against Ukraine. The Ukrainian government will be tempted to use the Russian threat to curb domestic opposition.

Troubles in Prague Escalate

This chapter addresses how, for all that March of 1620 was a month of celebration for Frederick V and Elizabeth Stuart, moves were afoot that would soon darken their mood. Although the Bohemian princes had rallied behind their new king, those of the Empire as a whole, Protestant and Catholic alike, met at Mühlhausen and agreed that Frederick should abdicate. Frederick remained adamant that it was his duty to protect both his subjects and the Imperial Constitution from further violations of the 'Letter of Majesty'. What Frederick considered a principled stand was seen by the Emperor as recalcitrance, and four armies were raised against him. How influential Elizabeth's sensitivity to Bohemian mores proved is not clear, but it is clear that she and Frederick gained the love of their subjects. The chapter then considers the signing of the Treaty of Ulm on July 3, 1620, under which both the Catholic League and the Protestant Union agreed to abstain from pursuing military action within the electoral lands of the Empire. While various Protestant armies would be raised in support of the King and Queen of Bohemia, the Union was no longer a coherent entity, let alone a threat to the Emperor or the Spanish. The chapter then details the Battle of White Mountain and the conflicting reports regarding the fate of Elizabeth Stuart and her then unborn child, Maurice.

Sudan coup sets back Egypt’s GERD position

Significance Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi enjoys a strong relationship with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s top general who led the coup. Burhan has been a vocal ally of Cairo in the conflict with Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Impacts Political instability in Sudan will delay the possibility of reaching a deal on the dam. If Burhan does not share power with civilian leaders, international mediation favouring the two downstream nations will be unlikely. Joint military action by Egypt and Sudan against Ethiopia is highly unlikely in the near future, despite posturing.

Between Political and Economic Imperialism: Russia’s Shifting Global Strategy

Russia experienced both economic and geopolitical expansion in the 2000s. During this time, the Kremlin and big business worked in tandem to assert Russian influence in post-Soviet space. However, the annexation of Crimea and Russia’s involvement in the war in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 marked a new period that severed the state’s geopolitical strategy and the interests of big capital. While the state continues to engage in open and covert military action, the activity of Russian business abroad has sharply diminished. Relying on David Harvey’s concepts of territorial and capitalist logics of power, the article explores the interplay between political and economic imperialism during Putin’s 20 years in power and situates Russia within today’s global imperialist landscape. I find that the Kremlin’s geopolitical and geoeconomic shift in 2014 can ultimately be explained by the strategic orientation of the country’s leadership, in particular, the deeply ingrained emphasis on security and ‘hard power’. However, the turn away from economic imperialism was also structurally determined by the exhaustion of the country’s economic engine that no longer generates surplus capital in need of a ‘spatial fix’.

Saladin, The Latin Crusaders, and Palestine: David Eldridge's Holy Warriors and the ‘Clash of Civilisations’ Propaganda

This article explores representations of the Third Crusade in David Eldridge's play Holy Warriors: A Fantasia on the Third Crusade and History of Violent Struggle in the Holy Lands (2014). It argues that Eldridge tries in some instances to present the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a legacy of European imperialism in the Middle East and warns against contemporary Western involvement in the region. However, on other occasions, he suggests that Islamic cultures are incompatible with Western values of secular democracy and therefore the two-state solution is more applicable a solution that the one-state settlement. Ultimately, Eldridge shares some of the ideas behind Huntington's theory of the ‘Clash of Civilisations’ and supports Western military action in Muslim-majority countries.

Indian Territory

American Indians residing in Indian Territory fought for both the Union and the Confederacy in the American Civil War. When war came to the region in 1861, the Five Nations—Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole—made choices derived from their cultural, political, and economic interests as sovereign nations. Military action ebbed and flowed through Indian Territory over four years, which displaced significant portions of the population at different times. At war’s end the Natives found themselves on opposing sides, both between and within the individual nations. The external as well as internal civil war deepened tribal divisions and caused substantial physical destruction and considerable human suffering.

Iran-US nuclear deal miscalculation risks are rising

Significance They are key signatories of the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Tehran has progressively breached following the US withdrawal. Although new President Ibrahim Raisi says Iran will return to the stalled talks aimed at restoring the deal, he is in no hurry and shows no inclination to compromise. Impacts Reports that Iranian security guards physically harassed female IAEA inspectors may harden Western attitudes. Failing a deal, the Biden administration could again tighten sanctions, for instance on Chinese oil purchases from Iran. Military action by Israel -- tacitly approved or openly backed by Washington -- becomes more likely as Tehran amasses weapons material. Neither sanctions nor military action are likely to coerce Iran effectively.