Russia

South-Eastern European (SEE) countries are typically keen to maintain the status quo in their energy systems, generally characterized by underinvestment, high coal share and utility affordability needs. Their energy mixes have historically been determined by external factors, currently mainly related to decarbonization pressure. This article assesses how the EU’s ongoing decarbonization-driven withdrawal from supporting natural gas projects shapes fuel choices in nine selected SEE countries and may have geopolitical consequences. It is based on more than 70 interviews with stakeholders from these countries, EU institutions, and international organizations. In exploring and theorizing the geopolitical ramifications of the energy transition in SEE, it applies a novel approach, which draws on theories of power and the concept of an assemblage, which we link to theories on entanglement and disentanglement. We find that the EU’s climate policy significantly changes local infrastructural assemblages and the EU’s disentanglement from natural gas goes against Russian and US efforts. By wielding its power to support such an energy transition, the EU has shifted the bipolar system ‘EU/US vis-à-vis Russia’ defined along a single geopolitical ruleset (supply security), to a tripolar disposition ‘EU-Russia-USA’ defined along two rulesets (supply security and climate policy). In addition, China has become involved. States will thus have to take crucial energy policy decisions in a new geopolitical context.

Este artigo tem o intuito de analisar as medidas de política externa adotadas pela Rússia nos anos de 2014-2015 que resultaram na invasão da Federação à Crimeia, sob a ótica do Modelo de Hermann, com a seguinte questão norteadora: diante da invasão à Crimeia e quebra da soberania do país, em que medida as ações de política externa da Rússia foram influenciadas pelas mudanças de governo na Ucrânia? Para isto, levou-se em consideração breve contexto histórico da crise ucraniana, bem como as três mudanças de governo em curto prazo e se aplicou o modelo de Hermann, contextualizado com o entendimento conceitual de GuerraHíbrida, uma vez que as estratégias de guerra do governo russo na Crimeia foram de vias convencionais e não convencionais. Como síntese da pesquisa aqui apresentada, produziu-se um quadro demonstrativo da aplicação do Modelo de Hermann nas mudanças dos governos ucranianos e os tipos de guerra observados.

O artigo tem como finalidade abordar a expansão da política externa da Rússia na Ásia Central, com método dedutivo e estudo de caso na Organização para Cooperação de Xangai (OCX), tomando esta como uma Instituição cujo objetivo é a segurança coletiva dos seus países membros. Partindo do momento em que Vladimir Putin assume o poder já no início do século XXI até o ano de 2015, visto que são os anos cruciais em que o país inicia sua reascensão no cenário internacional, a Rússia, bem como a China, atores mais importantes dentro da (OCX), atuam juntos contra o terrorismo, movimentos separatistas, conflitos de fronteiras, tráfico de drogas, migração, dentre outras temáticas de segurança. Diante disto, por meio da Teoria dos Complexos Regionais de Segurança, será discutido como a Rússia tem feito sua expansão de política externa no âmbito de segurança na região da Ásia Central e como a Organização é fundamental neste processo, visto que a Rússia opta por ser um Estado forte e centralizado...

Economic development is one of the main concerns of today's countries, significantly those influenced by the collapse of the communist bloc and the failure of a centralized planning and growth pattern of socialism. As a result, Russia's economy in the post-collapse period witnessed chaos in domestic production and the rise in commodity prices. However, Russia is now the 11th largest economy globally, and the country's exports, which was $ 78 billion in 1995, amounted to more than $ 420 billion. This paper attempts to analyze this experience concerning the role of government in developing and integrating into the global economy. Therefore, the main question is the government's role in developing and integrating into the global economy from 1995 to 2011. This paper attempts to review the Russian experience due to its similarity in post-Soviet period with the Iranian economy's current circumstances, analyzing and comparing solutions that a government must consider to be transferred from a government-run to a market economy. The survey shows that the Russian government successfully took a step toward economic liberalization and integration in the global economy.

The Russian army is committing numerous war crimes in Ukraine, attacking civilians and destroying the country’s infrastructure. These actions are intended to suppress the will to resist of both the authorities and Ukrainian society, and at the same time they are probably also associated with the growing frustration caused by the prolonged stalemate and the lack of expected military successes.
A humanitarian crisis is intentionally triggered to destabilize not only Ukraine but also neighbouring countries. However, it is possible that Russia may be held legally responsible for this.

The West Asia particularly Syrian region has garnered the Russian attention for ages. At the time of Cold War when the world was divided into two blocs based on their ideologies Kremlin's relationship with Syria was strategically planned. Russia intentionally maintained close ties to Syria since Assad's father took power via coup in 1970. Russia also faces allegations that it is the major arms provider to Syria and is the major reason for chaos in Syria. This study analyses the many interests of Russia on Syria. The transformation of Socialist Friendship towards a Political Pragmatism, being a prominent part of Russia's Middle East Foreign Policy nurtured the ties. The Cultural, Commercial, Strategic and Military interests of Russia in Syria is dealt exhaustively. The current inductive study aims to find the historical base of Russian Federation in the state of Syria and also aims to forecast the future of Russian intervention in Syria. The first part of this research paper will bring a historical understanding on the policies of Russia towards Syria. The latter part discusses the many roles of Russia and analyse how Russian-Syrian relations unchanged in the geo political line, and followed by conclusion.

This paper seeks to demonstrate that both the media impact and political success of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot rest on their use of new media, on the one hand, and on an aesthetic principle of humour, on the other, or, more specifically, on a kind of humour that is both self-reflexive and subversive. Pussy Riot operate through a style of guerrilla communication that re-signifies signs and symbols for their own purpose in a self-ironical, comical manner. I will indicate the contradictions and ambiguities of various interpretive frameworks – which not only create humour but are particularly motivating factors in the (personal) decision to become politically active. The speed with which one can communicate within social networks made it possible that infectious laughter about the absurdity of the events in Moscow was able to spread so rapidly. Reassurance and the community’s solidarity were closely connected to the fun and joy of the individual internet user.

This is a short commentary on the possible implications of the suspension and expulsion of Russia from the CoE for the broader CoE context. Here I discuss two possibilities: First, this first-ever use of Article 8 procedure might turn the suspension and expulsion option into more credible threats for other member states. Second, the particularities surrounding the decision to use the Article 8 procedure might be interpreted to exclude anything else remaining under the threshold set by Russia’s expulsion or not creating broader security threats for Europe.

https://verfassungsblog.de/the-council-of-europes-sharp-turn/

Introduction into clinical practice of combined positron emission technology and computer tomography (PET/CT) allows in one study to identify structural and functional abnormalities. The study involves 32 patients who underwent PET/CT with "C-choline, including 5 patients with prostate cancer (PC), 3--with chronic prostatitis and 24--with biochemical PC recurrence. PET/CT with 11C-choline has a high diagnostic efficacy in detection of local recurrence and PC metastases in patients with biochemical PC recurrence. The results of visual analysis do not permit to distinguish PC from benign prostate diseases.