The Baltic Region

2023 Vol. 15 №3

Reputation and status in Denmark’s strategic culture

Abstract

The primary objective of the article is to evaluate the significance of status and allied reputation within Denmark’s strategic culture. Amongst Danish international relations scholars, there is a well-established notion that one of the key motivations for the use of military force in Danish foreign policy was the aspiration to cultivate special relations with the United States and achieve the status of a privileged ally. This status would confirm guarantees for Denmark’s national security, provide the country with an opportunity for distinctive influence in decision-making and agenda-setting in NATO, the EU, and transatlantic cooperation. A qualitative content analysis of the 2017—2018, 2019—2020 and 2022 Danish foreign policy strategies was carried out to determine the effect of such expert perceptions on the texts of the guiding foreign policy documents. The analysis highlighted and confirmed the ‘super Atlanticism’ tendencies in Denmark’s contemporary strategic culture, revealing its close ties with the Danish perception of the US as the safeguard for the liberal world order and associated multilateral institutions. Denmark’s value-driven militarised foreign political activism in the post-Cold War era is thus not only pragmatic but also ideological as it seeks to promote liberal values, democracy and human rights under American leadership. The article concludes that factoring in status and reputation in strategic culture studies may complement the explanations of security community formation, alliance strategies and the dynamics behind relations within different types of alliances.

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Information and propaganda strategies in German non-state media discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the strategies supporting the German Government’s biopolitical health and life protection practices and how they were promoted in the discourse of non-state media outlets during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is assumed that non-state media used various pandemic communication strategies to achieve common biopolitical goals, striking a balance between propaganda and outreach. A comparative analysis was conducted of German publications that focused on the pandemic and appeared during the four waves (January 2020 —March 2022). A total of 54,515 texts from the German media (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, Die Tageszeitung) were examined. Methodologically, the study draws on the Herman-Chomsky propaganda model and Jacques Ellul’s concept. The results show that non-state media employ different communication strategies in line with the filters of the Herman-Chomsky model. All the media outlets maintained a balance between propaganda and public outreach, supporting the Government’s biopolitical programme whilst prioritising their own interests. It can be concluded that the strategies chosen by the non-state media outlets instilled a sense of confidence, prompting the public to comply with the restrictions and measures consistent with the biopolitical agenda of the state.

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Artificial Intelligence: a catalyst for entrepreneurship education in the Baltics

Abstract

The article explores the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in entrepreneurship education within universities. This exploration is set against the backdrop of the rapid and widespread integration of AI technologies across economic and other domains of life. The authors aim to define the concept of ‘entrepreneurial potential’ and elucidate the contribution of AI in augmenting the entrepreneurial potential among university students in the Baltic States. To achieve this goal, the authors employ a range of methods, including comparative analysis, analogy, generalization, classification, and structural-functional analysis, among others. These methodologies are integrated within an interdisciplinary framework, enabling a comprehensive investigation of the subject matter. The comparative analysis of university entrepreneurship education in the Baltic States demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the notion of entrepreneurial potential. This study also considers the impact of academic mobility in the modern world, characterized by rapid and dynamic shifts in technology, markets, and business models. The study concludes that proficiency in working with AI-powered equipment and algorithms is of paramount importance in amplifying the entrepreneurial potential of students in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. This aspect is increasingly gaining attention from universities, which collaborate closely with the business sector, governmental bodies, and regional agencies to provide diverse forms of support to aspiring business students. The final part of the article addresses issues that require more active and innovative participation of academia in activities enhancing the role of student youth in the economic development of their countries and regions.

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