09.05.2014
This study analyzes a set of structural elements, procedures, and behaviors within the country’s higher education that have jointly created an encouraging space for the increasing and self-serving utilization of higher education by the country’s post-war elite. Of the particular interest is this elite’s impact on the forms of educational corruption, which have shifted away from standard bribing processes and moved towards more complex favor reciprocation networks.
09.05.2014
The country is sinking in the mess of political scrambles, oustings, disqualifications, threats, set-ups, smearing and defamation of semi-truths and untruths. Increasing political pressures and announced new early local and parliamentary elections have further aggravated the situation in which political clans are mobilising all available capacities.
09.05.2014
Albanian voters seem to be ready to send the incumbent Prime Minister and PD leader Sali Berisha to retirement after his eight years of ruling. The atmosphere in Albania reflects the need for a change in power, which was also confirmed by the recent public opinion polls. According to AlbStat research agency, the Socialist Party would win 40.4% and the Democratic Party 31.4% of votes, while the left-wing coalition would get as much as 60% of votes.
09.05.2014
What is happening in Turkey in last ten days pulls the attention of global public opinion. Demonstrations for the support of “Gezi Park” take place not only across Turkey but also around the world from Paris to Sydney or New York where Turks live. Certainly, this is not a simple protest based on environmental concerns to stop the construction of a Shopping Mall (AVM) in the Center of Istanbul-Taksim, but the outbreak of a people’s reaction against the policies of an Islamist party (JDP).
09.05.2014
Simmering conflicts and instability always pose a challenge as well as threat to the neighbors who are relatively prosperous. In the article, I have argued, in relevance to the title, that brimming instability affords a very ripe platform for the transnational actors in Middle East (ME) to flourish and become challenge for the Western Balkan Region (WBR) by targeting it through organized crimes in the process of pushing forward their agenda of introducing instability to any stable or an emerging...
09.05.2014
The Black Sea is a recognised entity with perceived navigation rights for all littorals. However the varied interpretation of the Black Sea region by the non-littoral actors makes it an issue, ripe for dissent. If the emphasis of majority of actors is on regional cooperation, how US conduct of naval exercises in concert with Ukraine navy, last March could bolster the chances of reconciliation. Russia views such manoeuvres as dire risk to her security.
09.05.2014
Withdrawal from battle zones for the US forces has never been an issue. Iraq is the case in point. What is mind-boggling, as it happened in Iraq, is the spectre of bloodletting of Afghan rival factions, the soonest US troops leave that would far exceed in recent history if brutality was to be any measure. Iraq bleeds on sectarian basis now and Afghanistan would bleed on ethnic basis.
09.05.2014
Europe’s redemption lies in the re-affirmation of the Lisbon Strategy of 2000, a ten-year development plan that focused on innovation, mobility and education, social, economic and environmental renewal. Otherwise a generational warfare will join class and ethnic conflicts as a major dividing line of the EU society in decline.
09.05.2014
The International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) from Ljubljana, Slovenia, regularly analyses events in the Middle East and the Balkans. It has analysed current events in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the field of security in view of the disintegration of the country's security system. The most interesting sections from the analysis entitled “BiH: NATO rejects Bosnia and Herzegovina due to Russia's influence” are published below.
09.05.2014
Summary of the election results which are yet to be officially declared amidst wide spread rigging charges, several parties have sounded, shows PML (N), a party led by Mian Nawaz Sharif has secured formidable position in National Assembly at the federal level and also in the Provincial Assembly of Punjab. PTI of Khan swept in KP with ‘Independents’ and JUI (F) on the trail prominently. Province of Sindh has been bagged by PPPP and in urban centres, MQM has made significant gains.
09.05.2014
The catastrophe, in fact, has already festered within Sahel Region as phase one of the existential threats. Hence, assessing the task and pre-empting the challenges would certainly be prudent strategy than waiting for knock by the monster. The print and electronic media has seen particular hype in delineating the threat trajectory, emanating from Sahel region. Prevailing destabilizing environments surface in nutshell as the bed-rock of the menace.
09.05.2014
View on general elections in Pakistan 2013 by Brig Gen (retd) Dr. Muhammad Aslam Khan: "Conversely, our major political parties have failed to show flare for the emancipation of masses except when sloganeering from the stage to woo their vote bank. Most of them are power hungry, would compromise to any extent and cling to each other to evade worthwhile accountability. Does the nation see any promise?"
