Confiscation Estonian style: legal and political aspects of potential seizure of Russian assets in EU countries
The possible confiscation of Russian assets by Western countries is one of the serious challenges to modern international law and the system of international relations. Since the greater part of the frozen assets is under the jurisdiction of EU countries, special attention should be paid to studying mechanisms for the use of Russian assets within the EU. The purpose of this article is to identify the key characteristics of the EU’s approaches to the use of frozen Russian assets, determine their...
The economy of Russian Baltic regions: development level and dynamics, structure and international trade partners
The article explores the challenges encountered during the formation of the Baltic macro-region comprising Russia and eight EU countries (Germany, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) in the context of the ongoing geopolitical and geo-economic changes. The article aims to assess the dynamics, level, structure and pace of economic development of three Russian regions located on the Baltic Sea (St. Petersburg, Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions) and analyse the intensity...
Reputation and status in Denmark’s strategic culture
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...
Territorial structure of inbound and domestic tourism in the Baltic States
This paper examines the transformation of the territorial structure of tourism in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The spatial and temporal organisation of tourism in these countries has undergone significant changes since they became independent and joined the EU. These changes have affected the geography of tourist flows and destinations of interest. This study aims to define the geographical and economic peculiarities of the development of tourism in the Baltic States and to identify the central...
Modern trends in paradiplomacy: a case of Russian-Finnish regional cooperation
... legal grounds of such cooperation, the initiative was conducted under the Finnish and Russian normative base. The Ministries of Education of Finland and Russia approved the project as it was compatible with the main goals of the “Strategy for the internationalization of universities in Finland”<11> and met Russian national priorities such as the development of academic mobility, strengthening of international research activities and implementation of joint and double diploma programmes ...
The legitimation and criticism of violence in international law. A po¬litical science perspective
This article considers the practice of justification of arbitrary use of force, which poses a paradox and was not foreseen in Kant’s peace project. It is paradoxical because modern international law — unlike classical law — is aimed not at regulating wars but maintaining peace. However, the UN Charter provides for the right to self-defence before the collective resolution is adopted. Despite rather strict legal restrictions and international court procedures, cases of abuse of this right occur...
Between the Eurasian and European subsystems: migration and migration policy in the CIS and Baltic Countries in the 1990s—2020s
The article analyses migration from border countries (the so-called overlapping area) of two migration subsystems — Eurasian (centred in the Russian Federation) and European (the European Union) from 1991 to 2021 (before the recent events in Ukraine). A step-by-step analysis of the migration situation in the countries of the former USSR — Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine and Estonia was conducted. The article examines bilateral and multilateral migration processes, analyses the main...
Interorganisational networking as the principal form of technological, innovative and research cooperation between Russia and the European Union in the Baltic region
... Ukraine, 11—16 September 2006.
5. Borisov, K. G. 1988, Mehanizm pravovogo regulirovanija processa internacionalizacii mnogostoronnih nauchno-tehnicheskih svjazej v sovremennoj vseobshhej sisteme gosudarstv [The mechanism of legal regulation of the internationalization process of multilateral scientific and technical relations in the modern system of universal], Moscow.
6. Valdaitsev, S. V. 1986, Organizacionno-jekonomicheskie formy mezhdunarodnogo nauchno-tehnicheskogo sotrudnichestva [Organizational ...
Societal security in the Baltic Sea Region: the Russian perspective
This study discusses whether the concept of societal security is embedded in the Russian formal and informal discourses as well as in the Russian strategic documents on national security and the Baltic Sea region. Particularly, the paper describes four paradigms of international relations (neorealism, neoliberalism, globalism and postpositivism) and theoretical approaches to the concept of societal security formulated in them. On a practical plane, Russia has managed to develop — together with...
The Republic of Belarus and the Kaliningrad region of Russia as a sub-regional security complex
The formal indivisibility of security, which theorists in the field of international relations speak of, is an indisputable thing. Although the development of military technology, the format of globalization, a critical attitude towards classical geopolitics have led to an underestimation of the spatial factor, regionalisation has once again proved that it is an integral part of globalisation and its alter ego. At the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century, political developments in Europe...
The international legal regulation of the status of voluntary human shields
The analysis of existing rule of International humanitarian law governing the cases of use of human shields by the parties of armed conflict justifies the conclusion that these persons are a sui generis case and should be regarded as an exception to a number of general rules. As a result, they should not be classified as taking a direct part in hostilities and must be treated according to the principle of proportionality provided that the permissible level of excessiveness of collateral damage can...
International heritage in the memorial landscape of the Kaliningrad region
This article aims to analyse the structure of sites in the Kaliningrad region commemorating events, phenomena or figures of international history, as well as to reveal their symbolic significance. The study uses empirical data on the origin, time of construction and purpose of the monuments, memorials and other places of commemoration. Theoretically, it draws on the concepts of cultural memory and sites of memory. The idiographic and historiographic methods were employed along with general scientific...
The border as a barrier and an incentive for the structural economic transformation of the Kaliningrad exclave
This paper aims to study how geopolitical shifts affect regional economies and their structures. Border functions and regimes act as tools for the economy and society to adapt to the redistribution of political influence, movements of people, goods, capital and information between integration associations, individual countries and their cores. A changed environment may slow down the development of some industries (and even cause them to decline) and give a boost to others, with these two processes...
Trade Liberalisation and its Impact on Regional Development: Theoretical and Experimental Studies
The existing theoretical and empirical literature focusing on interconnections between international trade, trade liberalisation, and economic development provides ample evidence pertaining to nations and industries. However, another dimension of trade liberalisation — the assessment of the level of national or regional development — needs further research. This article sets out to analyse theoretical and empirical research works focusing on a varied spatial effect of expanding international...
Geography of international clusters in the Baltic region
... bestellservice/-medien/kurzstudie_internationalisierung.pdf (accessed 10.03.2013).
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19. Mikhaylov, 2013, A. S. Internationalization cluster policy of the Baltic Sea region countries: formation of the international clusters, Report of the 4th International scientific conference on European Science and Technology, Munich, Vela Verlag, April 2013, p. 631—636.
...
Three Russian Baltic regions in the context of confrontation between Russia and the West
This study examines the features, limitations and development prospects of three Russian territories bordering the Baltic Sea — St. Petersburg, and the Leningrad, and Kaliningrad region — amid the sharply heightened confrontation between Russia and the West, which has affected the Baltic region. The time frame spanning from 2014 to 2023 was chosen for the study. This period encompasses the sanctions imposed by Western countries and their associations, primarily the EU, in response to the return...
Geopolitical Security of Russia: Remarks on the Problem Statement
This paper summarizes the results of the seminar “Geopolitical Security of Russia: Remarks on the Problem Statement”, held on August 26, 2022, at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad. During the seminar, the Institute of Geopolitical and Regional Studies of the university announced an initiative to devise a system of monitoring the geopolitical (regional) security of Russia. The debate centred around the development of a conceptual framework and a geopolitical security model...
Review of the 13th International Kant Congress
The 13th International Kant Congress was held on August 6-9, 2019 in Oslo, Norway. The main tasks of this review are to analyse the central theme of the Congress, “The Court of Reason”, the related spheres of philosophical inquiry such as metaphilosophy and philosophical methodology, as well as to reveal the main approaches and development trends of transcendental philosophy in “theoretical” and “practical” fields and modern Kant studies, notably transcendental philosophy of language...
The concept of the European Union’s normative power
Traditionally, studies into a state’s foreign policy focus on the international situation and national interests of the parties. However, such approach does not completely conform to the objectives of studies into the foreign policy of the European Union – an example of unique integration of states. One of the modern approaches aimed to describe the nature of the EU as an actor in world politics is the concept of the EU’s ‘normative power’ arguing that the ‘power’ of the EU lies in...
Development of International Clusters in the Baltic Sea Region
This article offers a comprehensive definition of international, cross-border, and transnational clusters. The author presents a classification of international clusters of the Baltic Sea states, and identifies cross-border and transnational clusters. The paper considers the features of international clusters in the Baltic Sea region, as well as certain cases of implementation of national and international cluster policy. A comparative analysis of the Baltic Sea region provides a basis for identifying...
The Swedish institute’s scholarship policy as a soft power instrument
... grantees complete their chosen programmes and get acquainted with the country’s social and political institutions. As of today, the educational component seems to be subordinate to nation branding and soft power.
Introduction
The globalization and internationalization of higher education in the late 20th and early 21st centuries are closely tied to a country’s image promotion through public diplomacy. In this context, donor countries develop support mechanisms for incoming foreign students or ...
Global value chains in the age of uncertainty: advantages, vulnerabilities, and ways for enhancing resilience
In this paper, we seek to explain the fundamental vulnerability of global value chains (GVCs) to sudden shocks, as revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, and outline ways for enhancing their adaptability to the increased uncertainty at both conceptual and policy levels. We consider the concept and a typical multi-structural model of GVCs, highlighting the network complexity of the system of distributed production and trade in value added. Not only does this system bring competitive advantages...
International organizations as a subject of international disaster
The international disaster relief represents one of actively developing areas of interstate cooperation, both at universal, and the regional level. It represents one of sustainable development goals of the UN (UN SDGs). This article sees its purpose in the analysis of activity of the international organizations in disaster prevention, development of idea on what the global mechanism of such prevention is about, and the role of the international organizations. The research used comparative...
The principles of economic protection of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea
This article identifies the principles behind the international protection of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea. The author analyses their content and legal force on the basis of the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, international conference declaration, as well as the judicial practice of the International Court of Justice, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and international commercial arbitration courts.
1. Biernie P., Boyle A. International Law and the...
Geography of the mobile internet in the border and interior regions of Russia
Digital transformation of socio-economic processes is the basis for sustainable development of regions in the digital age. The foundation for such a transformation is the information and communication infrastructure and, first of all, the mobile Internet. The technological growth of mobile networks has provided a rapid increase in the number of users around the world, contributing to further digitalization. With the development of digital technologies, research in the field of human geography has...
The effect of Covid-19 on labour migration in the CIS
This study responds to the need for measures to mitigate the effects of national actions to slow the spread of Covid-19. National responses are dynamic processes and thus an elusive, albeit important, object of study. The governments of most CIS countries acted promptly and decisively in countering the pandemic. The comprehensive measures have had a serious impact on citizens’ mobility and employment situation. Among the affected are millions of migrants working in the CIS. This article offers...
Priorities for the development of manufacturing industries in the Kaliningrad region
The Kaliningrad region is a socio-economically developed area with a steadily increasing population. Its economy is predominantly influenced by manufacturing industries, whose growth is supported by the region’s strategic geographic position on the Baltic coast and the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) regime. However, the region’s exclave status, which makes it reliant on external factors, hinders its development. Any change in these external factors could necessitate a restructuring of manufacturing...
Expansionism in Poland’s strategic culture: historical retrospective and variations
This article deals with the problem of assessing and interpreting expansionist elements in Poland’s international political behaviour. The problem is approached using the concept of the strategic culture of states, which covers beliefs, perceptions, and the language states use to describe their own and other countries’ actions. The study examines what expansionist types of strategic culture have developed in Poland, how relevant they are in the current political landscape, and describes their...
Spatial diffusion of Asian direct investments in the northern European EU countries
... Economic and Political Geography of Foreign Countries], no. 14, p. 69—81, available at: http://www.geogr.msu.ru/cafedra/segzs/nauchd/pubs/Voprosy%20zarubejki%2014.pdf) (in Russ.) (accessed 16.07.2021).
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Kant and the contemporary theory of international relations
The main purpose of this article is to answer the question of the role of Kantian political philosophy for the theory of international relations. The answer is giving through the examination of the main trends in the interpretation of Kant's place in one of the major paradigms of the theory of international relations: realism, idealism, liberalism, and institutionalism. Author shows that Kant’s inclusion in a particular paradigm of international relations cannot be directly done. Otherwise, inevitably...
Competitive effects of low trade barriers: evaluations for the Kaliningrad region
International trade is an important factor affecting competition in domestic markets. Considering the vastness of Russian territory, one can expect the pro-competitive effect to vary from region to region. This analysis tests the hypothesis that the unique geographical position and economic status of the Kaliningrad region contribute to the rapid development of international trade, which, in turn, exerts competitive pressure on regional prices. The study incorporates two major lines of analysis:...
Management of Trans-boundary Water Resources: Comparing Russian and American Experiences
This article is based on a comparative analysis of Russia and US’s experience of participation in international cooperation in the field of trans-boundary water management. The author showcases the work of Russian-Estonian Commission for Protection and Rational Use of Trans-Boundary Waters and the US-Canadian International Joint Commission. The Russian-Estonian Commission works in accordance with the principle of intergovernmentalism, whereas transnationalism is the founding principle of the International...
Knowledge and innovation dynamics of the Northwest Russia under geopolitical changes
Over the past 25 years, Russia has faced several economic and geopolitical challenges, including the 2008 global financial crisis, sanctions imposed in 2014, and the COVID-19 pandemic. To remain resilient in the face of these challenges, Russia needs to adopt a flexible development strategy and transition to a new path of development. This transition requires the development of new knowledge-intensive industries, expansion into promising markets, strengthening trade and economic partnerships, and...
Small towns of Latvia: disparities in regional and urban development
The article reports on the results of an economic and sociological study conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in collaboration with Daugavpils University (Latvia) in 2020—2021. The study aimed to identify the reasons for the disparity in the development of small towns in Latvia. A comprehensive approach was taken to integrate the results of territorial, spatial and socio-economic analyses. By employing the methodology of indexing and ranking large-scale empirical...
Cross-Border Tourist Routes: The Potential of Russia’s North- West
Developing cross-border tourist routes is an effective way of developing cooperation between border regions of Russia and the neighbouring countries. The author presents an approach that interprets cross-border tourist routes as an instrument for the conservation, reproduction, and promotion of natural, cultural, and historical potential and as a means to boost business activities in border regions. This article summarises international practices and presents the theoretical and practical aspects...
Approaches to the Definition of the Baltic Sea Region
The Baltic Sea region is one of the most developed and well-formed regions of international cooperation. It is a place for promoting collaboration between businesses, non-profits, public authorities, and municipalities of the countries located on the Baltic Sea coast and its adjacent territories. The Baltic Sea region has both unresolved problems and potential for development. This necessitates the identification of the Baltic Sea region territory having a capacity for the efficient development of...
Implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code and amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS 74/78) for ship-building
This paper focuses on the status of shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises under international maritime security regimes. The author analyses amendments to SOLAS 74/78 convention, including the ISPS Code, which were adopted in December 2002 in the aftermath of September 11 attacks. Although the shipbuilding industry requires heightened security, the reasonability of equating shipyards with port facilities remains a matter of consideration by the contracting government.
1. Анянова Е....
The Development of International Tourism in Lithuania: a Comparative Analysis of Regional Aspects
The processes related to the development of international tourism in Lithuania are of importance for the growth of economic, social, and cultural welfare. The increasing tourist and recreational attractiveness of such cities as Druskininkai, Trakai, Palanga, Vilnius, and Klaipeda to international tourists, as well as an advantageous quality-price ratio of the services offered contribute to the growth of competitiveness on the international tourism market. Service standards applied in Lithuania at...
Estonian ‘Balticness’ as a social construct: meanings and contextual specifics
This paper explores the Estonian vision of Baltic identity. Estonia’s authorities have repeatedly articulated their scepticism towards the concept of a stand-alone ‘Baltic region’ and the inclusion of Estonia in it, preferring to position their state as a Nordic country. Yet, in numerous cases, they have clearly labelled Estonia as a Baltic State. To identify the contexts and meanings labelling the country as a Baltic State, this contribution provides a content analysis of official speeches...
The External Economic Factor in the Development of Northwestern Regions: Institutional Support and an Impact Assessment
This research is warranted, since the Northwestern Federal District accounts for a significant proportion of Russia’s exports. The study aims to reveal the connection between the federal district’s external and internal economic development and to identify the extent to which institutional support for international economic cooperation facilitates brisk international trade. The authors consider international trade from the perspective of its procedural and institutional components. The study...
The moving boundaries of news translation
News translation has been investigated more systematically since the mid-2000s. Since then, it has kept pushing the boundaries of translation studies by asking such questions as the following: Can we study multilingual practices that do not necessarily have an identified source text? If so, what do we analyze and compare? Can we call these practices ‘translation’? How do we integrate multimodality into our traditionally textual analyses? This article formulates tentative answers based onrecent...
Certain issues of correlation between the international financial law and the EU law
The problem if interaction between the international financial law (IFL) and the EU law has become particularly vital in this integrational entity where a special legal system was created. It has been developing until now and carries the features of the both international and municipal law. Global financial crisis and subsequent sovereign debt crisis have substantially changed global financial architecture and led to a comprehensive reform of the financial branch in the EU. The author implementing...
Duty and Coercion in Kant’s Republican Cosmopolitanism
This paper argues whether Kant’s cosmopolitanism entails a specific theory of coercion. I will especially tackle Kant’s account of international political order. First, I claim that Kant attributes a systematic role to the cosmopolitan right, what justifies considering this part of the doctrine of law as a necessary rational conclusion of the legal system, although its institutional embodiment differs from that required by the rights of states. I highlight that according to Kant states may not...
Country Competitiveness: an Empirical Study
What makes countries competitive? What economic policies effectively influence country competitiveness? The aim of this research paper is to analyse country competitiveness empirically, in order to explore the factors that make countries competitive. This can allow governments to structure their business environment differently, and to elaborate strategies aimed at improving their countries’ overall competitiveness. Economic size and trading conditions have proven important for economic success...
Forms of International Cooperation in Environmental Education: the Experience of Saint Petersburg State University
The authors analyse different forms of environmental education projects and programmes implemented in the Baltic Sea region. The first one is “The Baltic University” programme taught in English. The “Baltic University” is a network of more than 200 universities from 14 counties of the Baltic Sea region. This education programme offers an opportunity for students to enroll on bachelor and master degree programmes related to environmental and social problems of the Baltic Sea region. The Polar...
Migration Flows in Europe: Space and Time Transformation
One of the key manifestations of globalisation is an increase in the spatial mobility of population involving growing numbers of people into international migration processes. This article is an attempt to assess the density of migration connections between European states based on the 1990—2015 quantitative data. An analysis of migration flows and relevant net migration and net migration and migration localisation at the national and regional levels makes it possible to identify key trends in...
Norway’s International Development Assistance Policy in the Current International Environment: Mechanisms of Justification
This article addresses the basic mechanisms of Norway’s current Development Assistance policy. The author analyses the strengthening of the financial policy and principal mechanisms for justifying Norway’s participation in the ODA as well as the country’s foreign policy objectives attained through assistance. The article examines specific features of Norway’s development policy, which are crucial to understand contemporary international aid practices. The country’s development policy implemented...
Latvia in the System of European Territorial Security: a View from the Inside and Outside
This article focuses on Latvian contribution to European security, which, for the purposes of this study, is understood as a territorial system of regional security. Such system is a combination of interconnected institutions with Latvian participation operating in the field of security, Latvian cooperation with other European countries in the field of security, and the European perception of major security challenges and threats (that Latvia may or may not agree with). A systemic approach to studying...
The European Court of Justice case of Elgafaji: the interaction between EU law and international humanitarian law
This article focuses on the increasing influence of international court rulings on the development of new concepts within international law, in particular, the concept of subsidiary protection to persons who fall outside the scope of the 1951 Refugee Convention. The author also considers the issues related to the concept of indirect effect in EU law, as well as the interaction between the EU and international law.
1. Judgment on joint cases №C-402/05 and 415./05 Jasin Abdullah Kadi and Al Barakaat...
University performance and regional development: the case of Russia’s North-West
The role of universities in regional socio-economic systems is pivotal. However, despite the overall trend of GRP growth, regions of Russia’s Northwestern Federal District underperform on education-related measures. These include the share of education in GRP, the percentage of individuals employed in the education sector and the number of universities and students. These trends pose a substantial challenge to regional development, especially in the context of the fourth industrial revolution and...