Game of Thrones and International Politics in Realism Perspective

Since the Second World War realism paradigm has been most prominent and successful in the discipline of international relations. Realist theory interprets the role of the state in world politics in which the state's national interest is the primary variable. To attain the state's national interest power (in military and economic terms) is a very essential tool. The element of power has shaped the anarchic political system. HBO's Season' Game of Throne' is most compatible with the approaches of the international political system, especially to understand the realist paradigm. In this season different power centers were playing the game of power politics. Iron Throne had a hegemonic status and was considered as a supreme power in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, which created the anarchy. Competing for the power, losing the power, and attaining the power was creating the an archical situation in the whole season in which different actors and kingdoms made their strategies and joined uneven alliances. So Game of Throne is providing a better way to comprehend the international anarchy and political realism.

Early States and Power in the Baltic Sea Region (8th–11th Centuries): A Comparative Study

The aim of the article is to trace the emergence and the development of the early states of the Scandinavians, the Polabian and the Pomeranian Slavs and to investigate their main power centers. The author relies on previous research, uses theoretical achievements of historical anthropology and combines them with comparative methodology to study both archaeological and written sources. This approach allows to establish distinct political typologies in the region, namely various types of chiefdoms and principalities. The paper illuminates similar and mostly simultaneous trajectories of the evolution of those polities, emphasizes the role of central places in the respective political systems and in the governing mechanisms. During the late 8th – the early 11th centuries there had existed complex chiefdoms and chiefdom confederacies, which slowly declined towards the end of the period.

THE CLUSTER INITIATIVE AS A SPECIAL ECONOMIC PROJECT: EUROPEAN AND UKRAINIAN PRACTICES

The article examines the European and Ukrainian practices, on cluster initiatives as a special development of economic projects. It is noted that in connection with the development and spread of globalization processes in the world increases competitiveness in the market and enterprises need to introduce new ways to strengthen the competitiveness and development of their production capacities. It is determined that the cluster is a stable system of enterprises and institutions associated with the production of innovative products, using the achievements of self-developing research institutions, training and education of research organizations and commercial structures, stimulating entrepreneurial activity in science and commercialization of progressive technologies. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the trends of the new cluster economy cause the following processes: Globalization and localization of business, production, capital, as processes of movement to integrated actions, targeted involvement of the country’s potentials, industries, priority resources. Primary sphere of exchange, increasing influence of financial authorities, financial oligarchy, financial markets as an element of supercontrol, hyper-power, centers of influence on changes in the reproduction of national products. Rapid information progress and sustainable priorities of comprehensive intellectualization of labor in all spheres of human activity, capacity building of the knowledge system and its tools of influence on the new man, etc. It is noted that world practice shows that when a cluster is created, all the industries within it begin to support each other. Competitive suppliers contribute to the development of consumer industries in the country. They provide them with technology, stimulate the development of common factors of production, and generate new producers. A single industry, competitive on the world market, can create a number of new interconnections, providing access to skilled labor, taking advantage of family diversification, or encouraging the emergence of new divorces. Overview that the development of cluster economy will contribute to the development of territorial communities and infrastructure of the regions, stimulate demand for education, now going through hard times, stop the outflow of human capital with subsequent employment in Ukraine, as well as stimulate innovation among young people, help improve their competitiveness in the global economic and political arena. Keywords: state, clusters, competitiveness, initiatives, market, support, stimulation. JEL Classіfіcatіon O30, F6, L25 Formulas: 0; fig. 3; tabl.: 0; bibl.: 10.

Panopticon of the Slovak Judiciary – Continuity of Power Centers and Mental Dependence

This Article explores the similarities between the principles which guide the judiciary nowadays and those typical for the functioning of the Communist justice system, particularly the susceptibility to obedience to the requests, orders, or meeting anticipations. The habitus of the judges typical for the authoritarian regime has persisted until these days and was the main reason for the judicial corruption revealed in the “Threema scandal.” This Article’s argument does not connect the judiciary’s dependency to the Communist legacy embodied in members of the judiciary who served before 1989 and are active today. Still, the argument presumes that the Communist heritage is a key to understanding the current situation. The past heritage is hidden in the habitus of the agents or members of the judiciary. This habitus may be unconscious yet defining for the behavior of the agents. The Article aims to identify which continuities of the judicial habitus are apparent in the current judiciary. To demonstrate changes in the position of the judiciary, it presents a thesis of the development of the judiciary from an instrument of the governing party in maintaining a homogenous and subordinated society to the current situation of the Slovak judiciary, defined as a crisis of mental independence resulting in inappropriate behavior and corruption.

Iran: Imperial and Republican Civil–Military Relations

Iran has traditionally been troubled by unstable civil–military relations throughout its history. In the past, even before the emergence of the academic study of civil–military relations, Iranian imperial monarchs attempted, but often failed to ensure complete oversight of their military forces, due to the nature of imperial rule with its multiple power centers, and to the existence of myriad military forces that were often not under the monarch’s control. The rise of a centralized state in the early 20th century under Reza Shah ensured the emergence of stability in civil–military relations by means of carrots and sticks. Under Mohammad Reza Shah (r.1941–1979), early civil–military relations were quite unstable due to political turmoil and the young ruler’s lack of confidence; in subsequent years, he managed to cement his control over the military by means of patronage, insulation from domestic politics, and stringent oversight of the senior officer corps. The Iranian revolution (1978–1979) succeeded, to a large extent, due to the Shah’s own failures and those of the senior officer corps, both of which were paralyzed in the face of massive political and social turmoil. The successor state, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) achieved control over the armed forces through ideological control and oversight and the creation of institutionalized parallel military structures. Nonetheless, the IRI has faced and continues to face instability in civil–military relations due to war, domestic political and socioeconomic crises, and foreign pressures.

The history of Russia’s 1993 Constitution goes back

The research on Russia’s 1993 Constitution by the Chinese constitutional circles mainlyfocuses on constitutional norms and constitutional systems, with rare historical attention. In order tohave a complete and profound understanding of the current Constitution of Russia, it is not enough tofocus solely on the constitutional system, but also to know “where the 1993 Constitution came from”. Russia’s current constitution, which was adopted and entered into force in 1993, was enacted at a special historical time. At that time, Russia’s economic situation was unstable, and a new political order was in the process of forming. During this period, the revision of the 1978 Constitution and the enactment of a new Constitution were carried out simultaneously. According to the amended 1978 Constitution, there are elected presidents and elected people’s congresses, and the government is accountable to both the people’s congresses and the president. This form of regime organization is different from the typical form of political organization in other countries of the world. To some extent, there are two power centers in Russia: the president and parliament.The President and the Parliament were deeply divided on economic policy. As times goes on, the political disputes between the two become more and more intense, affecting not only the revision of the old constitution, but also the formulation of the new constitution. Both the president and parliament want a new constitution that strengthens their position and power. In April 1992, the Sixth People’s Congress adopted the basic provisions of the new draft constitution. However, the President proposed amendments to the Constitutional Council, which is responsible for formulating the draft constitution. In the draft constitution later published by the Constitutional Council, the Powers of the President were expanded. The Parliament was very dissatisfi ed with this. In determining the schedule of the Seventh People’s Congress, only the agenda of the old Constitution had been amended and the draft new Constitution had not been discussed.In December 1992, the Seventh People’s Congress was held and the Parliament weakened the President’s powers by amending the old Constitution. The president believes that the people’s congress attacks the policies of the president and the government, and that the authoritarianism of legislative power is also dangerous. The president proposed holding a referendum in Russia to resolve the power struggle between the president and parliament. After the victory of the President in a general referendum held on 25 April 1993, the President’s side published the draft constitution of the Presidential version and convened a "constitutional assembly". At this point, the parliamentary side also submitted its own draft constitution. In July 1993, the Constitutional Assembly produced a compromise version of the draft constitution, however, did not settle the power struggle between the President and parliament. In September 1993, with the promulgation of Presidential Decree No. 1400, the confl ict between the two sides quickly intensifi ed and eventually turned into an armed confl ict. On 12 December 1993, a draft constitution was adopted by a referendum in Russia, which was formally adopted in 1993.Despite the irreconcilable differences between the President and the Parliament during the 1993 constitution- making process, there are also some commonality in the draft constitutions of the two sides, namely, the recognition and adherence to the concepts of "rule of law" and "civil society". The process of formulating the 1993 Constitution is tortuous, but it may be understood if it is analyzed and examined in such a grand historical context as the transformation of Russian society

WOMEN IN PAKISTAN- SOCIAL MOBILITY, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND EMPOWERMENT

The word Development is devious and captivating, however, the development path is perplexed. In most cases, the governments try to attain economic, military, technological, and infrastructural development, whereas, the power centers evade investing and working on issues of Human Development. The governments of countries like Pakistan strive to shuffle the attentiveness of the world by spending a huge amount on building the roads, on bridges, and transportation and in maximization of arms and ammunition. Human development in Pakistan has always been neglected due to various reasons. A huge population of almost a 22million having as low as 154th (out of 189 countries) position in the human development index. The patriarchal system has created the social and cultural environment that is supporting persistence male domination, remains the major obstacle in the intellectual, social, and economic growth of women. This paper addresses the conceptual and methodological aspects of human development and women’s empowerment in Pakistan, it explains the challenges and trends concerning women’s empowerment throughout Pakistan’s history, specifically in key areas such as individual, education, and health, economic and political participation, and especially Women’s limited and controlled mobility.

The Organization of Power in Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness: A Foucauldian Reading

The present study aims to highlight the role of power in Arundhati Roy's The Ministry of Utmost Happiness through the ideas given by Michel Foucault. Roy discusses various power centers present in contemporary Indian society, which institutionalize the suppression faced by various characters in the novel on the basis of their caste, religion, social class, or political affiliations. The study intends to expose the dissection of these power centers active in society as the non-linear trajectory of power. The characters of Anjum, Tilo, Musa, and Revathy face suppression to the point of marginalization. This leads them to subvert the power structures of the society by resisting against them, thus negating the linear hierarchy of power.