Russia's soft and sharp power in southeast Europe — the Russian hybrid influence operation in Montenegro

This is a chapter published in a conference publication that was written within the framework of the project “Reality Check Series: Sources, Tools, and Impact of External Non-EU-Engagement in Southeast Europe.” The project was led by the Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft (SOG) with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office (Stability Pact for Southeast Europe sponsored by Germany).Whether its role is described as spoiler or opportunist, the Kremlin strategy in the Balkans is to drag its rivals’ involvement down to a level that would make countries of the region subjects to Moscow’s interference. Not integrated into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures, burdened with endemic corruption, suffering from a democratic deficit, ethnic tensions, and protracted bilateral disputes, the Western Balkans’ countries are an ideal target for Russia. Preventive operations often seek to stop a state from taking certain actions, such as joining a rival alliance. The coup attempt in Montenegro, in October 2016, is a good example of the Russian hybrid influence operations in the Balkans. The goal of Moscow was to prevent NATO membership of the country. To prove it, this work focuses on Moscow’s attempts to influence Montenegro prior to the coup attempt.The paper argues that the coup plot in Montenegro is the culmination of more than a two-years long hybrid influence operation. This includes a) Russian attempts to influence Montenegro through economic means; b) Moscow’s effort to establish a lasting naval (military) presence in Montenegro; c) The intensive media campaign; d) Deepening Russia’s influence on pro-Russian Serbian nationalists in Montenegro and open political and financial support for their activities. When overt means of influence appear to have been inefficient, a covert operation looks like a viable option. That’s what happened in Montenegro.Accepted manuscrip

Physical activity promotion in care homes

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on the implementation of a physical activity (PA) scheme – Let’s Motivate (LM) – within private care homes (CHs) in Dumfries and Galloway (D&G), Scotland; aiming to provide an insight into the different factors which might contribute to its success and further sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative study is described in which one-to-one semi-structured interviews were carried out with eight key staff involved in implementing the project within two purposively sampled CHs; in order to explore their views and experiences of implementation. Findings: The paper provides an insight into the different factors which stand to both promote and impede the successful implementation of LM, within the two CHs involved. Originality/value: This paper explores a new and innovative PA initiative in CHs in D&G, Scotland. Studies exploring the factors which can both promote and impede implementation are important as they can help to usefully inform the implementation and sustainability of initiatives

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and U.S. Agriculture

[Excerpt] The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) entered into force on January 1, 1994 (P.L. 103-182), establishing a free trade area as part of a comprehensive economic and free trade agreement among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Although some industries may have reduced their U.S. operations, in general, NAFTA is considered to have benefitted the United States economically as well as strategically in terms of North American relations. The U.S. food and agricultural sectors, which is the focus of this report, has benefitting especially from NAFTA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and many agricultural industry groups claim that NAFTA has positively affected U.S. agricultural markets. NAFTA continues to be of interest to Congress given continued strong trilateral trade and investment ties and the agreement’s significance for U.S. trade policy

Youth Lead the Change: Participatory Budgeting

This evaluation report examines the Youth Lead the Change process in its third year, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources. The Boston University evaluation team reports their findings and summarizes the conclusions with recommendations to further develop this innovative effort to engage youth in city government.The year 2015-2016 marks the third year of Youth Lead the Change: Participatory Budgeting Boston, a program that enables young people from across the city to suggest ideas for capital projects that will bring long-term physical improvements to city-owned property. This evaluation report examines the Youth Lead the Change process in its third year, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources. The Boston University evaluation team reports their findings and summarizes the conclusions with recommendations to further develop this innovative effort to engage youth in city government.Boston University Initiative on Citie

Youth Lead the Change: Participatory Budgeting

This evaluation report examines the Youth Lead the Change process in its third year, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources. The Boston University evaluation team reports their findings and summarizes the conclusions with recommendations to further develop this innovative effort to engage youth in city government.The year 2015-2016 marks the third year of Youth Lead the Change: Participatory Budgeting Boston, a program that enables young people from across the city to suggest ideas for capital projects that will bring long-term physical improvements to city-owned property. This evaluation report examines the Youth Lead the Change process in its third year, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources. The Boston University evaluation team reports their findings and summarizes the conclusions with recommendations to further develop this innovative effort to engage youth in city government.Boston University Initiative on Citie

Managing Ethnic Conflict in Darfur: An Analysis of Third-Party Interventions

Persistent ethnic conflict in Darfur has been met by third-party interventions with varying degrees of success. This paper seeks to isolate different methods of intervention in order to understand what types are effective in reducing the number of people affected by violence caused by ethnic conflict. Each intervention is separated into three categories based on their nature: humanitarian, militaristic, and diplomatic. These actions are then juxtaposed with data from medical journals that describe the effects of violence, including death by violence, death by disease, and child mortality rates. The success of an intervention is measured by its ability to reduce the number of people negatively affected by the violence. This analysis suggests that diplomatic intervention has a positive effect on reducing the death toll in Darfur, while humanitarian and diplomatic interventions produce ambiguous results. The results are significant in their ability to shed light on effective methods by which to alleviate one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century