The two-party tendency in Poland’s political system: manifestations, causes and prospects
The article analyses the Polish political system and the increasing role of two political parties in it. This tendency has been observed in Poland for more than 15 years. We can draw a conclusion that two-and-a-half-party system has formed in Poland. Using Duverger’s phrasing, there ...
Geopolitical regionalisation of the Baltic area: the essence and historical dynamics
... entity, which is classified as a conflict-ridden or confrontational geopolitical region in the ‘Eurasian arc of instability’ interpreted as a geopolitical macroregion.
Introduction
Geographical and social science — for example, regional and political studies — habitually use the terms ‘region’ and ‘regionalisation’, each with slightly different interpretations within these domains of knowledge. They became interdisciplinary, evolving to refer to a special type of social territorial ...
Reputation core of Russian authorities: the case of the regional level of executive power
The importance of studying the reputation of authorities is connected, on the one hand, with the formation of a consolidated system of political power and, on the other hand, with the highly social orientation of the category of the ‘reputation of authorities’, reflecting the value-based attitude of citizens towards them. The article presents the results of research aimed at the ...
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 ...
The Accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO: Geopolitical implications for Russia’s position in the Baltic Sea region
... reaction are built.
The study draws on a wide range of Russian and foreign authors who trace the evolution of military-political trends in the Baltic Sea region (including the question of how Helsinki and Stockholm decided to break with non-aligned politics), the ability of these two Nordic countries to contribute to the cumulative power of NATO, and the current confrontation between the West and Russia, and who try to forecast the ways Moscow may act in these circumstances.
How Helsinki and Stockholm ...
New stage in the development of political science in Russia
1. Gaman-Golutvina, O. V., Nikitin, A. I. (Ex. ed.) 2019, Sovremennaya politicheskaya nauka: Metodologiya [Contemporary Political Science: Methodology], Moscow (in Russ.).
2. Beck, N. 2000, Political Methodology: A Welcoming Discipline, Journal of the American Statistical Association, Vol. 95, no. 450, p. 651—654.
3. King, G. 1991, On Political Methodology, Political ...
The structure of political elite networks in the Republic of Poland in 1993—2013
To identify the structure of network ties within Polish political elites; to study the features of network ties formation and the impact that both primary and labour socialisation periods and diaspora characteristics have on this process; to describe the structural features of the resultant network structures ...
Geopolitical Security of Russia: Remarks on the Problem Statement
... establish a foundation of shared understanding among project stakeholders and to ensure that subsequent stages of the project are built on a robust conceptual framework. Among those who participated in the discussion were prof. Klemeshev, Doctor of Political Sciences (President of IKBFU, Scientific Director, IKBFU); prof. Fedorov, Doctor of Geography (Director of the Centre for Geopolitical Studies of the Baltic Region, IKBFU); prof. Komleva, Doctor of Political Sciences (Director of the Centre ...
The formation of the political elite in Lithuania at the turn of the 1980s—1990s: the role of “moral politicians”
This article considers the trend of structural changes in the political elite of the Republic of Lithuania in the post-Soviet period through analyzing the role of the so-called “moral politicians” — intellectuals, artists, and cultural figures, who played a decisive role in the period of the communist system ...
On crisis trends in the legitimacy of the political regimes of the Baltic States
This article considers the legitimacy of political regimes in the Baltic States by analysing three major parameters: confidence in political institutions, level of corruption, and the development of their party systems. The author identifies the major crisis trends in the legitimacy of the political ...
Supranational party system of the EU
The article confirms the hypothesis that a multiplicity of parties of the European and national levels forms the party system of the European Union (EU). The authors describe the main characteristics of Europarties and political groups comprised of them as key actors in the European Parliament’s (EP) political and legislative processes. The authors adopt the institutional approach and make use of the tools of the comparative, structural, and functional analyses. Special ...
Reputation and status in Denmark’s strategic culture
... 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 ...
The Visegrad Group and the Baltic Assembly: coalitions within the EU as seen through Russian foreign policy
... and global policy. Busygina and Klimovich, well-known Russian Europeanists, proposed an interesting formula, “a coalition within a coalition”, which perfectly describes this situation [1, p. 7—26].
There are objective geographical, economic and political prerequisites for the existence of European sub-regions. The traditional division of Europe into sub-regions includes western, eastern Europe and northen Europe among many others. Political factors, taken in their historical dynamics, led to ...
Models for countering the segregation of ethnoreligious immigrant areas in Denmark and Sweden
... a liberal approach advocating cultural and ethnic diversity within society. The evolution of immigration and integration initiatives in Denmark and Sweden has been reconstructed through the analysis of official documents and critical examination of political discourses. It is noted that Swedish authorities are increasingly incorporating Denmark’s more radical approaches to address migration issues within their political programmes. Despite the results of Denmark’s anti-immigration policies and ...
Confiscation Estonian style: legal and political aspects of potential seizure of Russian assets in EU countries
... the norms of international and national law. Therefore, all these methods are unfeasible within the current legal framework. Yet, the main obstacle to implementing the plans to seize Russian sovereign assets lies not within the legal realm, but in the political sphere since such actions could result in unforeseeable ramifications. The mechanism proposed by the European Commission for seizing private property within the framework of criminal proceedings implies the use of criminal law to solve political ...
Societal security in the Baltic Sea Region: the Russian perspective
... regional approach to understanding societal security threats and challenges in the Baltic Sea region. These challenges include uneven regional development, social and gender inequalities, unemployment, poverty, manifestations of intolerance, religious and political extremism, separatism, large-scale migration, climate change, natural and man-made catastrophes, transnational organized crime and cybercrime, international terrorism, so-called hybrid threats, disharmony between education systems, etc. In 2017,...
Transformations in the Communicative Characteristics of Political Discourse in the Current Information Space
The article analyses the main causes and the genesis of transformations in political discourse (PD) and provides a comparative analysis of the present and earlier forms of PD. The author examines the ontology and principal characteristics of PD, describes the state of political discourse prior to its current transformation and ...
Modern trends in paradiplomacy: a case of Russian-Finnish regional cooperation
... cooperation was a channel of interaction between communities on both sides and demonstrated its resilience even in times of crisis. The relations between Russia and Finland, in particular, were built on the common historical past and strong economic and political ties. In 2022, the European Commission stopped cross-border cooperation programmes with Russia and Belarus, and, later on, Finland froze intergovernmental and interdepartmental contacts, trade and economic cooperation between the countries, ...
The Swedish institute’s scholarship policy as a soft power instrument
... certain regional and national cases during the study period. It is concluded that the Institute is an effective tool of Sweden’s soft power, with its scholarship policy promoting the Government’s official position on global social, economic and political development. SI 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
...
Estonian ‘Balticness’ as a social construct: meanings and contextual specifics
... 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 given by Estonia’s political leadership. It is concluded that, despite the visibility of socioeconomic issues in the discourse, the most comprehensive image of Estonian ‘Balticness’ is constructed by interconnected narratives built around the Soviet past and the ‘security ...
Military and political cooperation between Germany and Lithuania in the late 2010s to early 2020s
... near it. This has underscored the pressing need to address issues related to securing steadfast allies in Eastern Europe and enhancing cooperation with them. This article aims to explore the current evolution of German-Lithuanian relations in both political and military domains. The approach of Germany to the factor of historical memory is demonstrated, along with its aspiration to position itself as the defender of Lithuanian national sovereignty. Yet, there was a notable lack of strategic focus ...
The adaptation of Russian regions’ economies to the rupture of relations with Europe: the case of Baltic Sea ports
... to a Russian buyer.<3> A similar story occurred in 2009, when a deal to acquire the German automobile company Opel by Russian buyers fell through. After the deal failed, there were many media reports saying that the reasons for the refusal were politically motivated.<4> General Motors, which controlled Opel at that time, under pressure from the American authorities, did not want to provide Russia with access to Opel technologies and patents, even though these technologies were mass-produced ...
Three Russian Baltic regions in the context of confrontation between Russia and the West
... perspectives of Western authors examining Russia’s interactions with Western countries and the Baltic region. It became apparent that Russia confronted the challenge of articulating its position in the evolving international landscape. Faced with political and economic vulnerabilities, Russia found itself obliged to strengthen its cooperation with the West between 1991 and 2014. The dynamics of relations between Russia and Western countries during this period revealed a blend of successes and ...
Kantian ethos in J. Rawls’s political philosophy
This article examines the relation between J. Rawls’s philosophical and political conceptions and I. Kant’s ideas and the intellectual and political tradition of the Enlightenment in general. The author defends Rawls’s approach to Kant’s works interpreting it as “discipleship”, the assimilation and intrinsic reconceptualization ...
Political communication in the period of international bifurcations
The avalanche-like nature of information flows has led today to the destructuring of all communication links in the world. Political communications under these conditions look more and more like channels with expanding "black boxes" and improperly used "white noise". The purpose of this analysis is to identify the specifics of political communication under ...
The system of financing political parties in Latvia
This article considers the mechanism of financing of political parties in the Republic of Latvia. The author analyses the participation of financial and economic groups in the country’s political life. Key business actors affecting the formation of Latvian political system are identified. It is concluded ...
The political elite recruitment in the Baltic: the role of the ethnic factor
The role of the ethnic factor in political processes in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia has been rather significant since these countries’ independence. The author investigates the assumption that after the completion of major Eurointegration procedures, the ethnic factor — which ...
Political reconsideration of the Soviet past: attitudes and actions of the Lithuanian elites
Different political elite groups of post-communist Lithuania offer different accounts of the Soviet past. Even twenty years later, after the collapse of communism Lithuanian politicians (with the exception of certain conservative anti-nostalgic leaders allied with ...
Territorial-political and regional geopolitical systems: correlation of concepts
The article examines the notions of ‘territorial political system’ and ‘regional geopolitical system' as well as a correlation between them from the viewpoint of the socalled activity-based geospatial approach. A regional geopolitical system includes geopolitical relations between the states within ...
France’s strategy in the Baltic region: military and political aspects
... mission. France’s further activity in the region includes enhanced cooperation with Sweden and Finland after they accede to NATO, an already planned increase in military contingent in the Baltic States in 2023, and the development of the European Political Community project. The author concludes that even if France’s presence in the Baltic does not yet pose a critical threat to Russian security, Paris’s policy is becoming more pro-Atlantic to the detriment of previous statements about ‘European ...
Polish-Russian relations as reflected in the programmes of right-wing political parties in Poland: a quantitative and qualitative analysis
Programmes of political parties are an important element of public discourse. In this article, I present the results of research aimed at defining the place of Russia and Polish-Russian relations in the programmes of several Polish right-wing political groups. I attempt ...
Rent and anti-rent in partly competitive political markets
The author critically re-considers the neo-institutional approach to the essence of political rent. The notion of political anti-rent is introduced and substantiated. The author considers forms and significance of political rent in the political space of modern party systems. The article provides a quantitative evaluation of rents and ...
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 ...
Coalition Within a Coalition: The Baltics in the European Union
... free riding. To pursue an independent agenda and increase their significance within large associations, the authors argue, small powers tend to create ‘coalitions within coalitions’, essentially acting as free riders and transferring costs and political responsibility for decision-making to larger players. Such an asymmetric strategy makes it possible for small powers to advance their interests within alliances and save resources. The authors test this hypothesis on the behaviour of the Baltics ...
Political interests in the context of political diversity in the Russian Federation
This article addresses the problem of the realisation of political interests in the Russian Federation in the context of political diversity stipulated in the Constitution. The author distinguishes the social groups of political process actors, analyses their current state, and formulates the problems and possibilities ...
Geopolitical transformation of the Kaliningrad oblast of the Russian Federation
... motherland and turned into an exclave. Gradually the exclave found itself first at the crossroads of different security structures and later — surrounded by one of them. Changes in the situation gave rise to the so-called Kaliningrad discourse, i. e. political decisions, academic discussions and research, influenced by the internal transformation in the USSR and the Russian Federation (RF) as well as slips in the international policies of Central and Eastern Europe.
1.
Habermas J
. The ...
Socio-political moods of the residents of the Kaliningrad region as an indicator of the geopolitical security of the region
The article considers one of the indicators of geopolitical security — socio-political moods. Social dissatisfaction, political trust, political activity, migration attitudes of the inhabitants of the Kaliningrad region were revealed. The study was based on the theoretical and empirical provisions of FCTAS RAS of socio-political sentiments and social tensions in Russian ...
The transformation of the Baltic countries’ political elites: general and specific features
This research focuses on the features and transformations of power groups and their role in the political life of the societies of the Baltic countries. This article aims to analyse structural and functional changes in the composition of the Baltic political elites after these countries gained independence in the 1990s. The main objective of this ...
The Republic of Belarus and the Kaliningrad region of Russia as a sub-regional security complex
... 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 are closely connected with military security. Although this interdependence is not new, the regional security system has been relatively stable for quite some time. The steadily, albeit gradually aggravating situation ...
Internet in political communication of contemporary Poland: challenges and prospects for development
The article reveals the problems of political communication in modern Poland, the role of the Internet in the dialogue between the authorities and society. Particular attention is paid to the impact of social networks on the quality of political communication. The characteristic features ...
The concept “people” in the modern European political thought: Hobbes, Spinoza, Pufendorf
The author considers the evolution of the concept “people” in the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, Samuel Pufendorf and Benedict Spinoza. The political thought of Europe in the 17th century demonstrates a conscious turn from the medieval scholastic tradition of thinking about people and power. Politics begins ...
The development of political geography and geopolitics as an academic and research discipline in the Baltic region: the historical contribution of Saint Petersburg University
In this article, we address the little-researched and complicated problems of the genesis, periodisation, and development of political geography and geopolitics as academic and research disciplines across the Baltic region in general and the contribution of Saint Petersburg University in particular. The terms ‘political geography,’ ‘geopolitics’ and the corresponding ...
Functionalist evaluation of the effectiveness of political institutions in Russia
The article investigates the specifics of the interaction between political institutions and civil society. Analyzing relevant research literature, the author studies the effectiveness and legitimacy of political institutions in Russia. The author identifies the main trends in their activity of political institutions,...
Forecasting Actions of Baltic elites: A Scenario Approach
... different approaches to forecasting the future of the three Baltic States. The author’s theoretical approach to studying Baltic elites is used to forecast changes in the action models of the Baltic elites. The article stresses the scarcity of internal political processes in the Baltics. However, a significant number of scenarios focusing on military aspects in the Baltics have recently been published. The author distinguishes between inertia, confrontation, and cooperation scenarios and examines their ...
International heritage in the memorial landscape of the Kaliningrad region
... have been integrated into all-Russian or regional historical narratives and corresponding discourses. Reflecting the ‘Russian story line’ in the local history, it has been appropriated by the local culture of memory.
Introduction
The current political situation in Eastern Europe and former Soviet states is dominated by growing instability and conflict as much as by intensifying confrontation in the information space, part of which is the ‘struggle for the past’ seeking to preserve the ...
Comparative analysis of the territorial support frame of settlement in coastal areas: the case of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad regions
... effective growth attainable with the model are nearly reached. This calls for a transition to a polycentric urbanisation model through developing local centres and enhancing transport connectivity between them. It seems that, in the new economic and political conditions, Russia’s two coastal border regions will benefit the most from the linear-nodal settlement. The study identified the local cores that can lay the foundation for the transition to the new settlement model.
Introduction and ...
Immigration policy and integration of migrants in the Kingdom of Denmark at the beginning of the XXI century
... the value determinants of Denmark’s immigration policy and look at the national norms and practices of integrating migrants from a different cultural background. A restrictive immigration policy became possible due to a consensus between the main political forces, the left Social Democratic Party and the right Liberal Party Venstre, both willing to keep in check electoral support for the radical right-wing parties (the effect of ‘contagion from the right’ in Maurice Duverger’s terms). The ...
Party system nationalization in Estonia
... bridge the differences between ethnic Estonians and ethnic Russians by assimilating the latter with the former. Since the project will soon turn thirty, it is timely to ask whether it has been a success. This article employs Grigorii Golosov’s index of political party nationalization to understand whether the ‘integration’ project has helped to narrow the ideological divide between ethnic Estonians and ethnic Russians. In other words, the study asks whether ethnic Estonians and ethnic Russians vote ...
The ‘hybrid model’ of Norway’s ethnic policy in its northern counties: a key to stable interethnic relations
In this article, we study the political and legal model currently used by Norway in its Northern counties. This work is a part of comprehensive research supported by the Russian Science Foundation. Our study aims to provide a historical perspective to the model of Norway’s national ...
Correlation of theory and practice in victorian policies: Edward Derby case
Using the works of the most prominent British political intellectuals, the author examines the correlation of theory and practice in Victorian politics. The analysis shows the suspicious attitude of British politicians toward ideologies. The core role of morality and religion in Victorian politics ...