Like dust before the wind, or, the winds of change? The influence of international criminal tribunals on narratives and media frames

CITATION: Bachmann, K., et al. 2019. Like dust before the wind, or, the winds of change? the influence of international criminal tribunals on narratives and media frames. International Journal of Transitional Justice, 13(2):368-386, doi:10.1093/ijtj/ijz005.The original publication is available at https://academic.oup.com/ijtj/When created, international criminal tribunals (ICTs) were not only expected to do justice but also to provide stabilization to postconflict regions, contribute to reconciliation and curb the potential denial of atrocities. Based on media content analysis, this article examines whether controversial ICT decisions triggered changes in narratives or frames about the conflicts which formed the background of the respective ICT decisions. There is no evidence for dramatic changes in the preexisting narratives about these conflicts, but we found some cases in which tribunal decisions caused changes in media frames and in elements of such frames, mostly by emphasizing outgroup victimhood and individual responsibility of ingroup perpetrators, as well as triggering effects of collective guilt externalization. Although frame changes were often observed in both democratic and nondemocratic countries, only in democratic countries with pluralist and competitive media systems could they be attributed to tribunal decisions.https://academic.oup.com/ijtj/article/13/2/368/5372410Publisher's versio

Improving the reporting quality of intervention trials addressing the inter-individual variability in response to the consumption of plant bioactives: quality index and recommendations

PURPOSE: The quality of the study design and data reporting in human trials dealing with the inter-individual variability in response to the consumption of plant bioactives is, in general, low. There is a lack of recommendations supporting the scientific community on this topic. This study aimed at developing a quality index to assist the assessment of the reporting quality of intervention trials addressing the inter-individual variability in response to plant bioactive consumption. Recommendations for better designing and reporting studies were discussed. METHODS: The selection of the parameters used for the development of the quality index was carried out in agreement with the scientific community through a survey. Parameters were defined, grouped into categories, and scored for different quality levels. The applicability of the scoring system was tested in terms of consistency and effort, and its validity was assessed by comparison with a simultaneous evaluation by experts' criteria. RESULTS: The "POSITIVe quality index" included 11 reporting criteria grouped into four categories (Statistics, Reporting, Data presentation, and Individual data availability). It was supported by detailed definitions and guidance for their scoring. The quality index score was tested, and the index demonstrated to be valid, reliable, and responsive. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the reporting quality of studies addressing inter-individual variability in response to plant bioactives highlighted the aspects requiring major improvements. Specific tools and recommendations favoring a complete and transparent reporting on inter-individual variability have been provided to support the scientific community on this field

Serbia’s EU integration process: The momentum of 2008

After four years of ambivalence, the relationship between the European Union and Serbia is again gaining a new opportunity to flourish. The new Serbian government is formed by parties which are strongly committed to Serbia’s EU integration and hence ready to carry out reforms and fully cooperate with the International Crime Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This paper presents the current relationship between Brussels and Belgrade and its main obstacles. It emphasizes both internal and external problems of this relationship and their interdependency. In this regard the author argues that only by a mutual commitment of both Serbia and the EU lasting peace will be achieved in the Western Balkans and the region stabilized

Religion as a factor of political culture and economic development

In his essay “The Protestant Ethic” Max Weber explains the specific economic development and the foundation of capitalism in Western Europe due to the appearance of protestant sects and the “spirit of capitalism”. By doing so, Weber assigns religion a significant place among the factors of social and economic development. Taking Weber’s theory and argumentation as a starting point, this article drafts a thesis on “orthodox ethic” and determines its role in the development of the “spirit of capitalism” in orthodox countries. For that purpose this article compares political-historical circumstances on the territory of the Western and Eastern Church on one, and pictures the theological-philosophical basis of both Protestantism and Orthodoxy on the other side

Serbian identity and the concept of Europeanness

Serbia is considered as "an unfinished state" with a rather "undefined Nation" and as such approaching the European Union. This raises the question to what extent these circumstances will influence the success of Serbia’s EU-integration process, since nation identity and statehood are in this article seen as constitutional parts of the concept of Europeanness. Thus this paper focuses on Europeanness and the identity behind it. It further gives an overview of the Serbian identity, first by presenting its dichotomy and then by highlighting the main factors, which have primarily shaped the identity of Serbia. Finally this paper shows why a clearly defined national identity would facilitate Serbia’s access to the EU

Myocardial infarction and alcohol consumption: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND:Although epidemiological evidence for the beneficial effect of low alcohol consumption on myocardial infarction is strong, the impact of heavy drinking episodes is less clear. OBJECTIVES:The aim of this study was to investigate a possible association between the risk for acute myocardial infarction occurrence and alcohol consumption. METHODS:Our hospital-based case-control study comprised 374 participants (187 newly diagnosed patients with myocardial infarction and 187 controls, individually matched by gender, age, and place of residence). This study was performed in Kragujevac (a city in Serbia) during 2010. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS:The history of alcohol consumption in patients with acute myocardial infarction and their controls did not differ significantly: the percentage of those that were consuming alcohol was slightly higher in cases (54.5%) than in controls (50.3%). The habit of binge drinking during the previous 12 months was significantly more common in cases (25.1%) than in controls (12.8%): adjusted OR = 2.2 (95%CI = 1.2-4.2, p = 0.017), p for trend = 0.015. Analysis of binge drinking by age, gender and place of residence revealed that the increase in risk for acute myocardial infarction was associated with older age (adjusted OR = 5.1, 95%CI = 1.7-15.1, p for trend = 0.010), male gender (adjusted OR = 2.3, 95%CI = 1.1-5.2, p for trend = 0.028) and rural place of residence (adjusted OR = 4.8, 95%CI = 1.3-18.5, p for trend = 0.033). CONCLUSION:Our results suggest that binge drinking is associated with twice the risk for myocardial infarction compared to not drinking. Since consumption of alcohol is very common in the Serbian population, the effect of binge drinking on myocardial infarction should be considered an important public health issue

Quality of Root Canal Fillings in a Bosnian Adult Population Treated in Public and Private Dental Clinics / Kvalitet Punjenja Kanala Korena Kod Odraslog Stanovništva U Bosni I Hercegovini Lecenih U Državnim I Privatnim Stomatološkim Klinikama

The aim of this study is to examine the technical quality of root canal fillings in an adult population in the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were treated in public dental institutions and private dental clinics

Characteristics of patients with acute myocardial infarction and their controls.

<p>Characteristics of patients with acute myocardial infarction and their controls.</p

Characteristics of patients with acute myocardial infarction and their controls, according to alcohol use.

<p>Characteristics of patients with acute myocardial infarction and their controls, according to alcohol use.</p