

Ing. Salih CAVKIC
Editor in Chief
by ORBUS.BE
info@orbus.be
www.orbus.be

No more
Paris nor Brussels!
Stop
terrorism!
We want to live in peace with all
our neighbors.
regardless of their religion, color and origin.
Therefore, we condemn any
kind of terrorism!
*****
Ne više Pariz ni Brisel!
Stop terorizam!
Mi želimo živjeti u miru sa svim našim
komšijama,
bez obzira koje su vjere, boje kože i porijekla.
Zato mi osuđujemo svaku vrstu terorizma!


Prof. dr. Murray Hunter
University Malaysia Perlis


Eva MAURINA
20
Years to Trade Economic Independence for Political Sovereignty -
Eva MAURINA


Aleš Debeljak
In
Defense of Cross-Fertilization: Europe and Its Identity
Contradictions - Aleš Debeljak
ALEŠ
DEBELJAK - ABECEDA DJETINJSTVA
ALEŠ DEBEJAK
- INTERVJU; PROSVJEDI, POEZIJA, DRŽAVA


Rattana Lao
Rattana Lao holds a doctorate in Comparative and International
Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and is
currently teaching in Bangkok.


Bakhtyar Aljaf
Director of Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) in Ljubljana,
Slovenia


Rakesh Krishnan Simha Géométrie variable of a love triangle – India, Russia and the US


Amna Whiston
Amna Whiston is a London-based writer specialising in moral philosophy. As a
PhD candidate at Reading University, UK, her main research interests
are in ethics, rationality, and moral psychology.


Eirini Patsea
Eirini Patsea is a Guest Editor in Modern Diplomacy, and
specialist in Cultural Diplomacy and Faith-based Mediation.


Belmir Selimovic
Can we trust the government to do the right thing, are they really
care about essential things such as environmental conditions and
education in our life?


Dubravko Lovrenović


Manal Saadi
Postgraduate researcher in International Relations and Diplomacy at
the Geneva-based UMEF University


doc.dr.Jasna Cosabic
professor of IT law
and EU law at Banja Luka College,
Bosnia and Herzegovina


Aleksandra Krstic
, studied in Belgrade (Political Science) and in Moscow
(Plekhanov’s IBS). Currently, a post-doctoral researcher at the Kent
University in Brussels (Intl. Relations). Specialist for the
MENA-Balkans frozen and controlled conflicts.
Contact: alex-alex@gmail.com


Dr.Swaleha Sindhi is
Assistant Professor in the Department
of Educational Administration, the Maharaja Sayajirao University of
Baroda, India. Decorated educational practitioner Dr. Sindhi is a
frequent columnist on related topics, too. She is the Vice President
of Indian Ocean Comparative Education Society (IOCES). Contact:
swalehasindhi@gmail.com


Barçın Yinanç
It is an Ankara-based
journalist and notable author.
She is engaged with the leading Turkish dailies and weeklies for
nearly three decades as a columnist, intervieweer and editor.
Her words are prolifically published and quoted in Turkish,
French an English.


By İLNUR ÇEVIK
Modified from the original: They killed 1
Saddam and created 1,000 others (Daily Sabah)


Aine O’Mahony
Aine O'Mahony has a bachelor in Law and Political Science at
the Catholic Institute of Paris and is currently a master's student
of Leiden University in the International Studies programme.Contact:
aine-claire.nini@hotmail.fr


Elodie Pichon
Elodie Pichon has a
bachelor in Law and Political Science at the Catholic Institute of
Paris and is currently doing a MA in Geopolitics, territory and
Security at King's College London. Contact :
elodie.pichon@gmail.com

English
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|
Gong or Song from China’s Hong Kong?
Aine O’Mahony, Elodie Pichon

Aine O'Mahony has a bachelor in Law and Political Science
at the Catholic Institute of Paris and is currently a master's
student of Leiden University in the International Studies
programme.Contact:
aine-claire.nini@hotmail.fr
Elodie Pichon has a bachelor in Law and Political Science at
the Catholic Institute of Paris and is currently doing a MA in
Geopolitics, territory and Security at King's College London.
Contact : elodie.pichon@gmail.com
Following the recent abduction of five Hong Kong publishers, alleged
to have edited books disclosing “inconvenient truths” about the
Chinese government, thousands of people took to the streets of Hong
Kong to protest and fight for their right to have Freedom of
Expression, which had already been enshrined in the Fundamental Law
of Hong Kong. The post 80 generation wants to defend civil liberties
and young people are concerned by the fact that the Chinese grip on
the media could be the potential starting point for the end of the
“1 country, 2 system” policy, agreed on between China and Great
Britain for the transfer of sovereignty over this territory. Is it
reasonable to believe that this territory could become a simple
reproduction of China, as feared by the younger generation?
On the first of July, 1997, China resumed control of Hong Kong after
156 years of British colonial rule. The two countries had already
agreed on the terms for the transfer of power back in 1984. Britain
acquired Hong Kong Island in 1842, following the” Opium Wars” of the
19th century. It took possession of Kowloon Peninsula in 1886 and
obtained a lease on The New Territories for a period of 99 years
beginning in 1898. Lawmakers, appointed by Beijing, took over power
in 1997, but promised to honor China’s pledge to maintain the Hong
Kong way of life for at least another fifty years.
However, today idealism is being replaced very quickly by pragmatism
in Hong Kong where official statistics show that this special
administrative region is becoming more and more politically and
economically dependent on China. The Closer Economic Partnership
Agreement (CEPA) set up in 2003 aims at facilitating commercial
exchanges between the partners, thus forcing Hong Kong to become
more politically integrated into China. Beijing has managed to
achieve its goal, because the volume of trade between Hong Kong and
mainland China has multiplied by three over the last ten years. In
addition, in order to influence the elite of Hong Kong, China has
invested extensively there, particularly in finance and real estate.
Kai Dai of the United Front of the University of San Yat, of Canton
stated that “the CEPA could enable China to use its economy as an
axe to reinforce political communication on the two sides and to
reconquer the population of Hong Kong”. Beijing relies on Hong
Kong’s economic dependence on China to tighten its control over the
territory, indicating that the “one country, two systems” principle
is more theoretical than real.
Back in 2012, in his luminary and farsighted policy paper ‘What
China Wants for Asia?’ professor Anis H. Bajrektarevic accurately
diagnoses: “To sustain itself as a single socio-political and
formidably performing economic entity, the People’s Republic
requires more energy and less external dependency. Domestically, the
demographic-migratory pressures are huge, regional demands are high,
and expectations are brewing… In effect, the forthcoming Chinese
military buildup will only strengthen the existing, and open up new,
bilateral security deals of neighboring countries, primarily with
the US – as nowadays in Asia, no one wants to be a passive
downloader. Ultimately, it may create a politico-military
isolation (and financial burden) for China that would consequently
justify and (politically and financially) cheapen the bolder
reinforced American military presence in the Asia-Pacific,
especially in the South and the East China Sea. It perfectly adds up
to the intensified demonization of China in parts of influential
Western media.”
When speaking with some of residents of Hong Kong during our recent
visit there, we realized that many had adopted a fatalistic attitude
towards their situation because of their economic dependence on
China and their fear of the political powers of Beijing. People feel
that China has reneged on its promises and freedom of expression is
becoming severely jeopardized. The principle of the two systems
framework, regards Beijing as being responsible for the city’s
defense and foreign affairs while Hong Kong should be able to enjoy
limited self-governance and avail of civil liberties, including an
independent judiciary and freedom of the press. China promised that
Hong Kong could elect its leaders through universal suffrage, but
this is far from reality today when China is slowly but
systematically tightening its grip over the territory. The people’s
hope for a change in the political system, which would allow
democratic elections and civil liberties, is quickly vanishing. Ben,
a very pragmatic businessman whom we met, acknowledges that Hong
Kong does not have the economic capacity to count without China, but
China is not willing to make any concessions. Hong Kong is in a
deadlock situation and seems to be doomed under the influence of
China. According to Ling, a young activist of the Umbrella Movement,
“the Hong Kong population will only protest in the case of a mass
violation of the freedom of expression”.
Shortly after the transfer of power from Great Britain to Beijing,
the post 80 generation could foresee that freedom of expression was
going to be threatened. According to Mai Hai, a woman in her
fifties, who is politically involved and very concerned about the
lack of civil liberties in Hong Kong, “1997 was the beginning of a
head-on confrontation with the CCP” and resistance to the government
of Beijing has strengthened in Hong Kong. In 2005 Citizen Radio was
launched in order to “bravely speak out” and defend the freedom of
expression. However, the authorities of Hong Kong, under the command
of Beijing, began acts of repression against the radio station.
Szeto Wah, and seven of his colleagues were prosecuted for having
dared to speak about the Tianamen Square protests on his radio
program.
Over recent years the situation regarding universal rights has not
improved in Hong Kong. In 2014, the journalist, King Lau, was
prosecuted for having sharply criticized Beijing. This created
public indignation and outraged the newly politicized generation who
began protests in Hong Kong to defend the freedom of the press and
demand “true universal suffrage”. The Umbrella Revolution, a
pro-democratic movement, began in 2014 when students boycotted class
in order to protest outside city government headquarters in favor of
the restoration of civil liberties. More and more Hong Kongers of
all ages and backgrounds joined in these peaceful street protests,
eventually paralyzing the city’s central business district for weeks
and even months. The humble umbrella became the key symbol of this
protest as it was used not only to protect demonstrators from the
tear gas and pepper spray used by the police and as a shelter for
the night but it was also a symbol of resistance. Unfortunately, it
would be naďve to think that these protests, filmed by the cameras
of the entire world would have been enough to frighten and threaten
the Chinese government. Beijing went from strength to strength in
its relentless repression and opposition to the movement. The
Umbrella Revolution was no exception to Chinese severe censorship
procedure. Lok Yee, one of the remaining protestors who still slept
outside under his yellow umbrella several months later, explained
how information was controlled and falsified by the authorities in
Beijing. At first any “inconvenient truths” related to the Umbrella
Movement were either deleted or modified. When this became
impossible due to the huge influx of information the government
decided to lie by saying that Hong Kongers were only showing support
for the CPC. When these first strategies failed they always found
new methods of covering over, such as falsifying videos by cutting
scenes where policemen launched tear gas. They even paid both
Chinese and Hong Kong people to help boost the government’s
popularity. These “soft warriors” also known as “50 cents” were paid
fifty cents for each positive comment twitted about the government
or for each comment against the demonstrators. They even received
more money if they demonstrated against the Umbrella Movement.
The ten-year judicial sentencing of Yiu Manting, a Hong Kong editor
and the recent disappearance of five staff members of the Mighty
Current Publishing House (known for frequently criticizing China)
shows that Xi Jinping is more determined than ever. Opposing the
government and defying censorship is becoming more and more
dangerous in Hong Kong. Freedom of expression is severely
jeopardized and journalists have no option but to rely on
self-censorship in order to avoid retaliation.
All types of communication including the state media and social
media are strictly controlled on the mainland of China. A lot of
information is censored or falsified or in many cases completely
deleted if certain words such as ‘democracy’ are detected. The aim
of the government is to try to hide information concerning its
political policies and its methods of dealing with political
dissidents or those who do not yield to the power of censorship.
Baidu, the most popular search engine in China, has very limited
resources on any subjects which are considered as sensitive by the
Chinese authorities. Lence, a twenty-year-old student studying in
Hong Kong, explained this to us and showed us that with a Chinese
search engine it is impossible to find any facts about Liu Xiabo,
the imprisoned human rights activist and Nobel Prize winner, who was
absent from Oslo and unable to receive his award because he was
kidnapped by the Chinese government.
According to Lence, the Chinese government is more and more
concerned about the fact that Hong Kong students could bring their
”dangerous ideas” to the mainland of China. On his recent visit
there, his newspapers and all his academic papers were confiscated
at the Chinese border. However this severe treatment is nothing
compared to that of some of the leaders of the movement. During
demonstrations secret agents are sometimes sent by the Chinese
government to follow and list the names of those who are prone to
upset the stability of the communist regime. These activists are
blacklisted and not allowed reach mainland China.
There seems to be no hope today for a better future in Hong Kong, a
sensation felt even among the younger generation. What will the
implications be for the people who are being progressively denied
their civil liberties? Will Hong Kong find democracy? Probably not,
because Beijing fears that the election of any pro-democracy
candidate could destabilize communist ideology and bring down the
regime. A group of students from the University of Hong Kong, that
we had the opportunity of speaking to, confessed that they did not
think Beijing would change its attitude towards the people of Hong
Kong nor loosen its control over the press.
Is this fatalism definitive or could the situation in Taiwan bring
hope to the people of Hong Kong? Thanks to Taiwanese activists the
Umbrella Movement influenced the election of the pro-independent
president, Tsai Ing-Wen. Could this in turn bring new energy to Hong
Kong in its battle to continue its fight for fundamental rights?

Aine O'Mahony has a bachelor in Law and
Political Science at the Catholic Institute of Paris and is
currently a master's student of Leiden University in the
International Studies programme.Contact:
aine-claire.nini@hotmail.fr
Elodie Pichon has a bachelor in Law and Political Science at
the Catholic Institute of Paris and is currently doing a MA in
Geopolitics, territory and Security at King's College London.
Contact : elodie.pichon@gmail.com
Augustus 2, 2016
Europe – Hell
is other people
(Europe after the Brexit, NATO summit in
Warsaw and Turkish geopolitical vertigo)
Anis H. Bajrektarevic
A
freshly released IMF’s World Economic Outlook brings no comforting
picture to anyone within the G-7, especially in the US and EU. The
Brexit after-shock is still to reverberate around.
In one other EXIT, Sartre’s Garcin famously says: ‘Hell is other
people’. Business of othering remains lucrative. The NATO summit in
Warsaw desperately looked for enemies. Escalation is the best way to
preserve eroded unity, requires the confrontational nostalgia
dictatum. Will the passionately US-pushed cross-Atlantic Free Trade
Area save the day? Or, would that Pact-push drag the things over the
edge of reinvigorating nationalisms, and mark an end of the
unionistic Europe?
Is the extended EU conflict with Russia actually a beginning of the
Atlantic-Central Europe’s conflict over Russia, an internalization
of mega geopolitical and geo-economic dilemma – who accommodates
with whom, in and out of the post-Brexit Union? Finally, does more
Ukrainian (Eastern Europe’s or MENA) calamities pave the road for a
new cross-continental grand accommodation, of either austerity-tired
France or über-performing Germany with Russia, therefore the end of
the EU? Southeast flank already enormously suffer. Hasty castling of
foes and friends caused colossal geopolitical vertigo in Turkey,
whose accelerated spin produces more and more victims.
Read more on the next
page:.........
July 19, 2016
Blair + NATO + ISIL =
Genocide:
Immaculate Conception of the Iraqi mess
By İLNUR ÇEVIK
Britain
is receiving blow after blow these days. First, the British people
decided to pull their country out of the European Union. This was
then followed by threats from the Scots and the Northern Irish to
pull out of the United Kingdom. Just as the dust started to settle
down, England bade farewell to Euro 2016 in France when they lost to
tiny Iceland, a result that was seen as a disaster equal to pulling
out of the EU... But that is not all.
Now a report prepared by Sir John Chilcot, an official inquiry, has
shattered British confidence and has shown that the invasion of Iraq
by the United States and Britain 13 years ago was a great mistake
based on lies and deception and has served to ruin Iraq, divide it
into pieces, push the Shiites into the laps of the Iranians, create
DAESH and eliminate Saddam Hussein. But for the one Saddam Hussein
that was removed, another 1,000 Saddam's have emerged. It has also
led to the groundwork that has pushed neighboring Syria into utter
chaos...
Then-U.S. President George W. Bush and then-British Prime Minister
Tony Blair today are trying to justify what they have done. Up to
now, nearly a million Iraqis have died because of the mess these two
created and nearly 5 million people have been displaced. The two
have being justifying themselves by saying Saddam was a tyrant and
had to be deposed of. But what they have created and the mess they
have left behind is unforgivable.
Read more on the next
page:.........
July 18, 2016
Turkey’s Strategic Reset: engagement instead of contention
By
Barçın Yinanç
'The
EU loves to portray itself as a pan-European project. However,
it stubbornly rejects and systematically demonises the only two
European countries that have steady economic growth, Russia and
Turkey. Is the EU on its way to end up as the League of Nations
– pretending to be universalistic project, but by excluding
major powers, derogating itself to the margins of history?’ –
asked prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic, well before the Brexit vote,
in his enlightening piece ‘Geopolitics of Technology’. What is
the new dynamics in this triangular equitation? Let’s examine
the Turkish take on this fundamental question.
Ever since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to
power, members of the Foreign Ministry have had ample
opportunity to witness the deeply-rooted relations established
between political Islamic movements all over the world and the
ruling party. One of the best one is with the Muslim
Brotherhood in Egypt. That’s why, it is not surprising to hear President R.T. Erdogan
put Egypt in a different category from Israel and Russia.
Read more on the next
page:.........
July 13, 2016
Summary of
INTERESTS & INFLUENCES OF
MAJOR EXTERNAL ACTORS IN CENTRAL ASIA
Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic & Samantha Brletich

Click to Picture for PDF-file or Text
 |
H. Bajrektarevic
Anis H. Bajrektarevic is a
Professor and a Chairperson for International Law and
Global Political studies, Vienna, Austria. He is editor
of the NY-based Addlton’s GHIR Journal (Geopolitics,
History and Intl. Relations), as well as the Senior
Editorial member of many specialized international
magazines, including the Canadian Energy Institute’s
Journal Geopolitics of Energy.
|
 |
SAMANTHA BRLETICH
Samantha Brletich, specializing
peace operations policy at George Mason University,
Arlington, VA, with a focus on Russia and Central Asia.
She is the prominent member of the Modern Diplomacy’s
Tomorrow’s People platform. Ms. Brletich is an employee
of the US Department of Defense.
|
JULY 4, 2016
IT law - a challenge of
dispute resolution
doc. dr Jasna Čošabić
IT
law or cyber law or internet law, is evolving in giant steps. On its
way, it has many challenges to meet and a lot of burdens to cope
with. Being a part of international law, it is though specific in
its nature, mode of implementation and protection. While the classic
international law deals with classic state territories, state
jurisdictions, with a clear distinction between national laws, the
IT law is uncertain about the state jurisdiction, earthbound
borders, rules and proceedings regarding any dispute arising on
internet.
However, with a fast development of information technology, the
number of legal contracts and businesses on internet rises,
requiring the fast response by legal order in terms of regulating
and protecting it.
From the time internet emerged, each entity operating on internet
provided for its own rules. With the IT becoming more complex and
demanding so were the rules. We therefore say that internet is
self-regulated, with no visible interference by state, apart from
criminal activities control.
Some authors even call the internet private legal order where
stateless justice1 apply. Justice usually needs a state, which is a
supreme authority, having the monopoly of violence, or the
legitimate use of physical force. But speaking in internet terms,
self-regulation has evolved, with the state interference being
mainly excluded.
Read more on the next
page:.........
JUNE 08, 2016
Pakistan in the US, the
US in Pakistan: Self-denial is the biggest threat to world peace
By Rakesh Krishnan SIMHA
One
of the ironies of being a Pakistani living abroad, especially in the
West, is having to pose as Indian. According to Asghar Choudhri, the
chairman of Brooklyn’s Pakistani American Merchant Association, a
lot of Pakistanis can’t get jobs after 9/11 and after the botched
Times Square bombing of 2010, it’s even worse. “They are now
pretending they are Indian so they can get a job,” he told a US wire
service.
That is because while Indians are highly integrated immigrants –
besides being the highest educated and best paid of all ethnic
groups in the US – Pakistanis have taken part in terrorist
activities in the very lands that gave them shelter. (Even the
frequent Gallup surveys conducted in the US, found out repeatedly
that the biggest threat to the international security and peace are:
nr. 3 Saudis; nr. 2 Pakistanis, and nr.1 – surprise, surprise – the
US itself.)
From Ramzi Yousef, who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993 (8
years before Bin Laden) and is now serving a 240-year prison
sentence to Mir Aimal Kansi, who shot dead CIA agents and was later
executed by lethal injection, to Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square
“Idiot Bomber”, there is a long line of Pakistanis who have left a
trail of terror.
The San Bernardino, California, attack of December 2015 by a
Pakistani American couple was the most spectacular in recent times.
The husband was American-born raised and yet he chose to launch a
terror act against the people of the United States.
But while Pakistanis wear an Indian mask for Western consumption,
back home it’s business as usual.
Read more on the next
page:.........
JUNE 01, 2016
MUSEUM 'INVISIBLE' GENERATION
Writes: Dzalila Osmanovic-Muharemagic
Many
still remember a sign at the door of National Museum of Bosnia and
Herzegovina stating „THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED“, which for years only
bothered few of the conscientious. Recently the museum has been
reopened in silence and without much fanfare, as if still someone
wants the public to be unaware of the times when Bosnia was not
prostrated, when it taught the others of tolerance, while its men
and women lived and died for its every corner. Right after the
reopening an unexpected route led me to the Museum, where a
prophetic recollection from my childhood made me realize I belong to
an „invisible“ generation.
Long time ago, at the beginning of high school, some good teacher
considered it would be useful for high school students, the future
intellectuals (today mostly well-educated, unemployed young people
or doing a menial job in a foreign country) to visit the Museum,
that basic cultural institution. It was an interesting fieldtrip,
without too much work, a lot of photos and mingling. Great for us –
the high school rookies!
There we watched some old rocks, beautiful
exponents of folk garments and much more. We watched, yet we saw
nothing... We did not see, since we did not know what there was to
see, since the entire primary school we learned about great
adventures of Marco Polo, Columbus, French Revolution and Hitler.
Read more on the next
page:.........
May 18, 2016
Suicidal Nuclear Gambit on
Caucasus
(Game of Poker at
best, Game of Chess at worst, and neither option should be
celebrated)
By Petra Posega
Nuclear
security is seemingly in the vanguard of global attention, but the
large framework of international provisions is increasingly
perceived as a toothless tiger. In the contemporary age where
asymmetric threats to security are one of the most dangerous ones,
the time is high to mitigate the risk of rouge actors having
potential access to materials, necessary to develop nuclear weapons.
Nowhere is this urgency more pivotal than in already turbulent
areas, such as the South Caucasus. With many turmoil instabilities,
lasting for decades with no completely bulletproof conflict
resolution process installed, adding a threat of nuclear weapons
potential means creating a house of cards that can cause complete
collapse of regional peace and stability. That is precisely why
recently uncovered and reoccurring actions of Armenia towards the
goal of building its own nuclear capacity must be addressed more
seriously. They should also attract bolder response to ensure safety
of the region is sustained.
According to the report by Vienna-based nuclear watch-dog,
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Armenia has established
quite a record of illegal trafficking of nuclear and other
radioactive materials. There have been a couple of serious incidents
spanning from 1999 onward. A large number of reported incidents has
occurred on the country`s border with Georgia, tempting the IAEA to
conclude there is high probability that the so called Armenian route
does in fact exist. There is a further evidence to support this
assertion. There were an unusually high number of Armenians caught
in nuclear trafficking activities. Additionally, some of the
reported incidents that made their way to the official reports
suggested that the main focus of trafficking activities is in fact
smuggling of nuclear material that could be used for nuclear weapons
capabilities. There were also reports suggesting the trafficking of
other radioactive material that could be utilized for alternate
purposes, such as the building of a so called dirty bomb. Since the
stakes with nuclear weaponry are always high to the extreme, the
recognition of this threat must not be underrated and dismissed
easily.
Read more on the next
page:.........
May 18, 2016
I FREE myself from Facebook
By Rattana Lao
BANGKOK – It was sometimes ago that the New Yorker
featured a cartoon that went something like this: “With the
internet, you can be a dog behind a computer and nobody knows.”
That's
my thought on the internet in general and social media in
particular. Behind the masks of perfectly manicured life or perfect
make up, there are multiple truth, reality, flaws and imperfection.
I joined Facebook when I was doing my Masters of Science in
Development Studies at the London School of Economics and Political
Science – far away from my hometown glory of Bangkok, Thailand.
Although I have known about Facebook from my highschool roommate
when it was only accessible for IVY League students, I was not quite
excited about it. I thought to myself “who in their right mind
published their lives to the public?”
During the same time, the One Laptop Per Child policy was popular. I
remember attending several public forums whereby tech savvy
professionals tried to convince low-tech Development experts that
the internet is powerful and through it we can end world poverty.
Something like that.
Being an outgoing and outspoken introvert, if that makes sense, I
signed up for FB with an ambivalent feeling. On the one hand, I
wanted to keep in touch with my friends and family from afar – to
let them know how I was, what I ate, where I travelled to. On the
other hand, I was scared and anxious of the unintended consequences.
Well, given that my BFF called me “the most intense meaning making
machine,” I was not sure I could cope with the outflow of comments
from strangers about my life.
Read more on the next
page:.........
May 15, 2016
India’s Education – one view on Optimisation and
Outreach
Dr.Swaleha Sindhi
Introduction
In
the present era of globalization, organizations are expected to work
with a creative rather than a reactive perspective and grow to be
flexible, responsive and capable organizations in order to survive.
In the existing scenario people are exposed to diverse knowledge
through internet, there is much to learn and more to assimilate.
Senge’s (1990) model of the five disciplines of a learning
organization emphasizes on the concept of systems thinking, personal
mastery, mental models, building shared vision and team learning.
This points on continuous learning for individuals and
organizations, with a great stress on the idea of bringing change
with innovation and creativity. If the future organizations are
driven by individual and collaborative learning, it is advisable to
transform schools also into learning organizations, instead of
school education being restricted merely to the process of acquiring
facts and loads of numerical information to reproduce in examination
using rote learning methodologies (current scenario in Indian
schools).
In line with the needs of education system in India, schools should
become more effective learning organizations that ultimately
increase the leadership capacity and support the personal
development of every individual at the institution. In chalking out
the aims of education in India, Kothari commission report (1964-66)
stressed that ‘education has to be used as powerful instrument of
social economic and political change.
Read more on the next
page:.........
May 12, 2016
Hungry of Hungary – One (senti)mental journey
By Julia Suryakusuma
Some
days ago, I achieved historical continuity between Hungary and
Indonesia — well, at least in connection to my father and me.
How so?In the early 1960s, my father was assigned to set up the
Indonesian Embassy in Budapest. Indonesia had already established
diplomatic relations with Hungary in 1955, but did not actually have
a physical embassy.
During my father’s time there as chargé
d’affaires, he met with many high-ranking officials. Among the old
photos from those times, there is one of him shaking hands with
János Kádár, Hungary’s prime minister at the time. Kádár was PM from
1956 to 1988. Thirty-two years, just like Indonesia’s Soeharto.
As dad’s daughter, I was invited to a luncheon at the State Palace
on Feb. 1 — hosted by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo naturally — in
honor of Victor Orban, the current Hungarian prime minister who was
here for an official visit. I had my photo taken with him.
Cut-to-cut: in 1962 my dad with the then Hungarian PM, in 2016, me
with the current Hungarian PM.
While 54 years have lapsed,
my fond memories of Hungary have not. My father passed away in 2006,
so unfortunately he could not witness the historical continuity his
daughter created, albeit only as a snapshot (pun unintended!).
Read more on the next page:.........
April 26, 2016
450 Years of Jewish Life in Sarajevo
By
Mads Jacobsen
In this week's long
read, Mads Jacobsen explores the Jewish experience in
Bosnia-Herzegovina through the eyes of Sarajevo-born Rabbi Eliezer Papo.
The Ashkenazi Synagogue in Sarajevo (Foto: Mads H. Jacobsen)
“If you imagine Bosnia to be a piece of somun,
that piece of bread you eat during Ramadan, you
cannot say that Jews are the water of that
somun, nor can you say that they are the flour,
but you can certainly say that they are the
black seeds on the top of it. Now, could a somun
survive without it? Yes. Would it still be the
same somun? Certainly not. Jews are currently a
small percentage of the Bosnian population, but
they are an important part of the urban
population, and they have contributed a great
deal to the country. So, could Bosnia do it
without Jews? Yes. Would it still be the same
Bosnia? Certainly not”, explained Rabbi Eliezer
Papo in an interview with the Post-Conflict
Research Center.
This year, the Jewish community in Sarajevo
celebrated its 450th anniversary by hosting an
international conference in the Ashkenazi
Synagogue dedicated to folklore, linguistics,
history and the relationship between the Jewish
community and other communities. Following this
anniversary, Mads Hoeygaard Jacobsen – an intern
at the Post-Conflict Research Center – had the
chance to interview Sarajevo-born Rabbi Eliezer
Papo to talk about the Jewish experience in
Bosnia-Herzegovina during the different epochs
of the country’s history.
These mixed marriages proved important in
Sarajevo during the Bosnian War from 1992 to
1995, since the Jewish community of around 2,000
people8 was the only one equally
related to the three combating groups.
Read more on the next
page:.........
Mads Jacobsen Mads is an intern at PCRC. Mads Jacobsen is from Denmark and is currently
pursuing his Master's degree in 'Development and International Relations' at
Aalborg University...
April 24, 2016
Is Caucasus the next Syria - Don’t forget OSCE
By Aleksandra Krstic
The
recent all-shoot out in Azerbaijan between the ethnic Armenians and
Azerbaijani forces brought yet another round of casualties,
psychological traumas and property destructions. Sudden and severe
as it was, the event sent its shock waves all over Caucasus and well
beyond. Is Caucasus receiving the ‘residual heat’ from the boiling
MENA? Is this a next Syria? Is a grand accommodation pacific
scenario possible? Or will it be more realistic that the South
Caucasus ends up violently torn apart by the grand compensation that
affects all from Afghanistan up to the EU-Turkey deal?
Most observes would fully agree that for such
(frozen) conflicts like this between Azerbaijan and Armenia,
mediation and dialogue across the conflict cycle have no
alternative. Further on, most would agree that the OSCE
(Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) with its Minsk
Group remains both the best suited FORA as well as the only
international body mandated for the resolution of the conflict.
However, one cannot escape the feeling that despite
more than 20 years of negotiations, this conflict remains
unresolved. What is the extent of the OSCE failure to effectively
utilize existing conflict resolution and post-conflict
rehabilitation tools?
The very mandate of the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk
Group is based on CSCE Budapest Summit document of 1994, which tasks
them to conduct speedy negotiations for the conclusion of a
political agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict, the
implementation of which will eliminate major consequences of the
conflict and permit the convening of the Minsk Conference. In
Budapest, the participating States have reconfirmed their commitment
to the relevant Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council
and underlined that the co-Chairmen should be guided in all their
negotiating efforts by the OSCE principles and agreed mandate, and
should be accountable to its Chairmanship and the Permanent Council
(PC).
Read more on the next
page:.........
Aleksandra Krstic
, studied in
Belgrade (Political Science) and in Moscow (Plekhanov’s IBS).
Currently, a post-doctoral researcher at the Kent University in
Brussels (Intl. Relations). Specialist for the MENA-Balkans frozen
and controlled conflicts.
Contact: alex-alex@gmail.com
April
20, 2016
PRIVACY I(N)T CONTEXT
doc. dr. Jasna Cosabic
The
right to privacy, or the right to respect for private life, as the
European Convention on Human Rights guarantees it, has been affected
by the IT growth era. Privacy has long been protected, but will face
a new dimension of protection for the generations to come. The right
to respect for private life is not an absolute one, and may have a
different feature in different context.
By Niemitz v. Germany judgment (1992) the European Court on Human
Rights ('the ECtHR') included the right to connect with other
individuals into the notion of private life, saying that it would be
too restrictive to limit the notion of an 'inner circle' to personal
life and exclude therefrom entirely the outside world not
encompassed within that circle. The right to communicate was thus
inscerted into the the privacy context.
But the extent of communication and technologies which enable it
signifficantly changed since.
Few decades ago, it mainly consisted of personal communication,
communication by conventional letters and phone communication. At
the time the Convention was adopted in the mid last century, there
was no internet, not even mobile/cell phones, nor personal
computers. The feature of privacy protection was much more simple
then today.
Now, when we approach the rule of IoT (internet of things)
communication, not only do people communicate, but 'things' as well.
The subject of that 'non-human' communication may also be private
data of individuals. At the same time, the individual, human
communication became more simple, available at any time, and
versatile by its means.
Read more on the next
page:.........
doc. dr. Jasna Čošabić professor of IT law and EU law at Banja Luka College, Bosnia and Herzegovina
jasnacosabic@live.com
April 18, 2016
Saudi – Iranian future: 3 games – 3 scenarios
By Manal Saadi
There
is no need to argue on Saudi Arabia and Iran as the two biggest
regional powers in the Gulf, the rising tension between the two
countries who are engaged in proxy wars in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and
somehow Bahrein had installed a climate of Cold War.2.
How did we get there?
Saudi Arabia existed since 1932 as a Sunni country and the
birthplace of Islam. Its history of creation is so unique,
mesmerizing and fascinating. Iran, has a glorious past, with various empires that conquered the
Arab-Islamic world at certain pe-riod of time. While the Shah was in power, Iran’s relations with the Arab Gulf
States were normalized, Iran’s navy used to act as the policeman of
the gulf. The situation has changed when the Iranian Islamic
revolution occurred in 1979, with consequences on both countries and
on their relationships. Iran’s Ayatollah wanted to export their
respective model and undermine Saudi Arabia that Iranian officials
see as corrupt and unworthy due to its relation with the United
States and the West. The Shia country is also supporting Shia
communities in the Gulf which is seen as a direct threat to Saudi
Arabia.
Read more on the next
page:.........
Manal Saadi, of Saudi-Moroccan origins, is a postgraduate
researcher in International Relations and Diplomacy at the
Geneva-based UMEF University. She was attached to the Permanent Mission of Morocco to the UNoG and
other Geneva-based IOs, as well as to the Permanent Mission of the
GCC to the UN in Geneva.
April 4, 2016
Near East and the
Nearer Brussles Euro(h)ope possible ?
Anis H. Bajrektarevic
There
is a claim constantly circulating the EU: ‘multiculturalism is
dead in Europe’. Dead or maybe d(r)ead?... That much comes from
a cluster of European nation-states that love to romanticize – in a
grand metanarrative of dogmatic universalism – their
appearance as of the coherent Union, as if they themselves lived a
long, cordial and credible history of multicul-turalism. Hence, this
claim and its resonating debate is of course false. It is also
cynical because it is purposely deceiving. No wonder, as the
conglomerate of nation-states/EU has silently handed over one of its
most important debates – that of European anti-fascistic identity,
or otherness – to the wing-parties. This was repeatedly followed by
the selective and contra-productive foreign policy actions of the
Union over the last two decades.
Twin Paris shootings and this fresh Brussels horror,
terrible beyond comprehension, will reload and overheat those
debates. However, these debates are ill conceived, resting from the
start on completely wrong and misleading premises. Terrorism,
terror, terrorism!! – But, terror is a tactics, not an ideology.
How can one conduct and win war on tactics? – it is an oxymoron. (In
that case, only to win are larger budgets for the homeland security
apparatus on expenses of our freedoms and liberties, like so many
times before.)
Read more on the next
page:.........
Anis H. Bajrektarevic,
contact:
anis@bajrektarevic.eu
Author is chairperson and professor in
international law and global political studies, Vienna, Austria. He
authored three books: FB – Geopolitics of Technology
(published by the New York’s Addleton
Academic Publishers); Geopolitics –
Europe 100 years later
(DB, Europe), and the just released Geopolitics – Energy – Technology
by the German publisher LAP. No
Asian century is his forthcoming book, scheduled for later this year.
24 MAR 2016
Poles Saving Jews in
Bangkok: History Lesson for Humanity
by Rattana Lao
BANGKOK –
Polish,
Israeli and Thai diplomats, academics and students gathered together
to listen and learn about the courage of Polish people saving the
Jews during the Second World War.
Chulalongkorn
University hosted “The Good Samaritans of Markowa” exhibition to
honor the innocent and brave Polish families in Markowa who risked
their lives saving the Jews from Nazi extermination. The event took
place in Bangkok to celebrate the 40th year of lasting
friendship between Poland and Thailand.
During the course of World War II, more than 50,000 Jews were saved
by Polish people. Each Jewish survivor needed to change their
shelter at least 7 times and required as many as 10 people to be
involved in the process.
Irena Sandler, a Polish nurse, was one of the brave Poles who saved
at least 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto. At the end of the
War, 6,600 Polish people were awarded with the Israeli Righteous
Amongst the Nation. However, not every brave Pole survived
Nazi capture. Approximately, 1,000 to 2,000 Poles were executed as
punishment to save the Jews.
The brutality of War took away more than 6 millions Jewish lives and
has inflicted deep wounds to those who have survived. The Ulma
Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II in Markowa is one
of the Museums established to offer a place of solace and for those
who are left behind to come to term with this atrocity.
Understanding the complexity of the Holocaust has far reaching
ramification not only to those directly affected, but also to
students and public who live world apart and far removed from it.

Why?
Read more on the next
page:.........
The first step for Thai students is to get the facts right.
Hitler is not a Hero and the Nazi is not a symbol of democracy.
24.03.2016
Bosnia and the first
circle of hell
Gerald Knaus
In the first half of the 1990s, Bosnians found themselves in the
deepest circles of hell, in a world of war, genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Following the Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995 Bosnians were able to escape war,
but have since remained trapped in a different European underworld: isolated,
looked down upon, seen as hopeless and treated as such.
In Inferno, the first book of his Divine Comedy, Dante describes his journey
through nine circles of hell. The Bosnian predicament brings to mind the first
circle of Dante's inferno, Limbo, which hosts "virtuous pagans struck with grief
from a lack of God's presence." Pagans had the misfortune to be born at the
wrong time and in the wrong place. They might be good people but, unbaptized,
they could not enter purgatory. Paradise is forever closed, not because of their
deeds, but because of who they are. It is time for Bosnia to be allowed to
escape from Limbo. A new ESI report sets out how:
ESCAPING THE FIRST CIRCLE OF HELL
or
The secret behind Bosnian reforms
One popular idea about Bosnia and Herzegovina among European
observers is that Newton's first law of motion applies to its politics: this law
says that an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside
force. For Bosnian politics, that outside force has to be the international
community.
Read more on the next
page:.........
24.03.2016
PUBLICATIONS: 2016
Gong
or Song from China’s Hong Kong? - Aine O’Mahony, Elodie Pichon
Europe – Hell is other people - (Europe after the Brexit, NATO
summit in Warsaw and Turkish geopolitical vertigo) - Anis H.
Bajrektarevic
Blair
+ NATO + ISIL = Genocide: Immaculate Conception of the Iraqi
mess - By İLNUR ÇEVIK
Turkey’s Strategic Reset: engagement instead of contention - By
Barçın Yinanç
Summary of INTERESTS & INFLUENCES OF MAJOR EXTERNAL ACTORS IN
CENTRAL ASIA - Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic & Samantha Brletich
IT
law - a challenge of dispute resolution - doc. dr Jasna Čošabić
Pakistan in the US, the US in
Pakistan: Self-denial is the biggest threat to world peace - By
Rakesh Krishnan SIMHA
MUSEUM 'INVISIBLE' GENERATION - Writes: Dzalila
Osmanovic-Muharemagic
Suicidal Nuclear Gambit on Caucasus - Petra Posega
I
FREE myself from Facebook - By Rattana Lao
India’s Education – one view on Optimisation and Outreach -
Dr.Swaleha Sindhi
Hungry of Hungary – One (senti)mental journey - By Julia
Suryakusuma
450
Years of Jewish Life in Sarajevo - By Mads Jacobsen
PRIVACY I(N)T CONTEXT - doc. dr. Jasna Cosabic
Saudi
– Iranian future: 3 games – 3 scenarios - By Manal Saadi
Near East and the Nearer Brussles Euro(h)ope possible? - Anis H.
Bajrektarevic
Poles
Saving Jews in Bangkok: History Lesson for Humanity - by Rattana
Lao
Bosnia and the first circle of hell - Gerald Knaus
Mongolia and the New Russian Oil Diplomacy - By Samantha
Brletich
Noah, Peter Pan and the Sleeping Beauty (Europe – Identity
Imagined) - Anis H. Bajrektarevic
Key to Stop Refugee Flows: Unique higher education programme for
Conflict zones - Prof. Dr. DJAWED SANGDEL
Quantum Islam: Towards a new worldview - Murray Hunter and Azly
Rahman
Currency dictatorship – the struggle to end it - by Rakesh
Krishan Simha
Creative Economy and the bases of UNCTAD’s Creative Economy
Programme as instrument for growth and development - by
Giuliano_Luongo_200
info@orbus.be
www.orbus.be

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Maasmechelen Village

Maasmechelen Village


Adria


BALKAN AREA


prof. dr. Anis Bajrektarevic
Editor - Geopolitics, History, International Relations (GHIR) Addleton Academic
Publishers - New YorK
Senior Advisory board member, geopolitics of energy Canadian energy research
institute - ceri, Ottawa/Calgary
Advisory Board Chairman Modern Diplomacy & the md Tomorrow's people platform
originator
Head of mission and department head - strategic studies on Asia
Professor and Chairperson Intl. law & global pol. studies

Critical Similarities and Differences in SS of Asia and Europe - Prof.
Anis H. Bajrektarevic

MENA Saga and Lady Gaga - (Same dilemma from the MENA) - Anis H. Bajrektarevic

![Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Assos. Prof.[1] Nguyen Linh[2]](images/Prof_Dr._Nguyen_Anh_Tuan_140.jpg)
HE ONGOING PUBLIC DEBT CRISIS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: IMPACTS ON AND LESSONS
FOR VIETNAM - Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Assos. Prof.[1] Nguyen Linh[2]


Carla BAUMER
Climate
Change and Re Insurance: The Human Security Issue SC-SEA Prof. Anis
Bajrektarevic & Carla Baumer

Igor Dirgantara
(Researcher and Lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Politics,
University of Jayabaya)


Peny Sotiropoulou
Is
the ‘crisis of secularism’ in Western Europe the result of multiculturalism?


Dr. Emanuel L. Paparella
A Modest “Australian” Proposal to Resolve our Geo-Political Problems
Were the Crusades Justified? A Revisiting - Dr. Emanuel L. Paparella


Alisa
Fazleeva earned an MA in International Relations from the University of East
Anglia in Norwich, United Kingdom in 2013. Her research interests include
foreign policy decision-making, realism and constructivism, and social
psychology and constructivism.


Corinna Metz
is an independent researcher specialized in International Politics and Peace
& Conflict Studies with a regional focus on the Balkans and the Middle East.

Patricia Galves
Derolle
Founder of Internacionalista
Săo Paulo, Brazil
Brazil – New Age


Dimitra Karantzeni
The
political character of Social Media: How do Greek Internet users perceive and
use social networks?


Michael Akerib
Vice-Rector
SWISS UMEF UNIVERSITY


Petra Posega
is a master`s degree student on the University for Criminal justice and Security
in Ljubljana. She obtained her bachelor`s degree in Political Science- Defense
studies.
Contact:
posegap@live.com


Samantha Brletich, George Mason University School of Policy, Government, and
Intl. Relations She focuses on Russia and Central Asia. Ms. Brletich is an
employee of the US Department of Defense.

Interview on HRT-Radio
Prof. dr. Anis Bajrektarević


Dr Filippo ROMEO,


Julia Suryakusuma
is the outspoken Indonesian thinker,
social-cause fighter and trendsetter. She is the author of Julia’s Jihad.
Contact:
jsuryakusuma@gmail.com




Mads Jacobsen
Mads is an intern at PCRC. Mads Jacobsen is from Denmark and is currently
pursuing his Master's degree in 'Development and International Relations' at
Aalborg University...


Dzalila Osmanovic-Muharemagic
University of Bihac, Faculty of Education,
Department of English Language and Literature - undergraduate
University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Philology, Department of English Language
and Literature - graduate study


Rakesh Krishnan Simha
New Zealand-based journalist and foreign affairs analyst. According to him, he
writes on stuff the media distorts, misses or ignores.
Rakesh started his career in 1995 with New Delhi-based Business World magazine,
and later worked in a string of positions at other leading media houses such as
India Today, Hindustan Times, Business Standard and the Financial Express, where
he was the news editor.
He is the Senior Advisory Board member of one of the fastest growing Europe’s
foreign policy platforms: Modern Diplomacy.


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