Israel and the bantustanization of Palestine

Contrary to repeated statements that Israel is a 'democratic state,' the author argues that it is an ethnocratic state. From its inception it has established a system of legal, political, residential and economic segregation of its Palestinian citizens. Since Israel has occupied the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in 1967, these were subjected to a systematic Jewish colonization and Judaization, which were met with Palestinian resistance. Both created a spiral of political violence. Israel's 'industrial' state terror is now confronted with 'artisan's'' terror of frustrated Palestinian groups. The author is of the opinion that a highly defective 'peace' deal offered by the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon would have transformed the Palestinian state entity in a Bantustan-like cluster of would-be 'autonomous areas'

Conflict and Political Realignment in Post-Soviet Caucasus Region and Central Asia

Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the territory of the Caucasus and Central Asian, on which eight new states were created, have been the scene of political instability and numerous hostilities. The causes of these conflicts are diverse: from ethnic and political divisions, to the incompatible economic and strategic interests to the ambivalent consequences of the process of Islamization. These changes have particularly hit Russia, since it lost the status of the local hegemon (dramatically manifested during the Chechen war). Nevertheless, Russia has been trying, via its military might and singular political and economic links, to retain its role of the guarantor of the region’s security. These efforts collide with the interests of other regional powers such as Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and possibly China, as well as with those of the USA, today’s sole global power. The author minutely demonstrates that the dynamics of the alliances and the conflicts are to a large extent determined by the oil exploitation interests and the competition for building the future pipelines which are to carry the oil to the sea

Les laboratoires yougoslave et caucasien

Dans cet article, la Yougoslavie et le Caucase servent à illustrer l’analyse des relations entre l’ethnicité, le nationalisme, l’État-nation, l’économie politique globale et la hiérarchie changeante de la puissance internationale. Ces deux espaces forment des « laboratoires régionaux » affrontant des problèmes similaires. Les seuls à avoir bénéficier des guerres qui s’y déroulent sont les ethnocrates.In this article, Yugoslavia and Transcaucasia are instances which illustrate the analysis of relationship between ethnicity, nationalism, nation-state, the global political economy and the changing hierarchy of international power. These two spaces are « regional laboratories » which are facing similar problems. Ethnocrats are the only ones who have benefited from the wars in these regions

Conflict and Political Realignment in Post-Soviet Caucasus Region and Central Asia

Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the territory of the Caucasus and Central Asian, on which eight new states were created, have been the scene of political instability and numerous hostilities. The causes of these conflicts are diverse: from ethnic and political divisions, to the incompatible economic and strategic interests to the ambivalent consequences of the process of Islamization. These changes have particularly hit Russia, since it lost the status of the local hegemon (dramatically manifested during the Chechen war). Nevertheless, Russia has been trying, via its military might and singular political and economic links, to retain its role of the guarantor of the region’s security. These efforts collide with the interests of other regional powers such as Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and possibly China, as well as with those of the USA, today’s sole global power. The author minutely demonstrates that the dynamics of the alliances and the conflicts are to a large extent determined by the oil exploitation interests and the competition for building the future pipelines which are to carry the oil to the sea

Epitelioidni hemangiom orbite: prikaz slučaja

Epithelioid hemangioma (EH) and Kimura’s disease (KD) were once considered different stages of the same disease, as they share many clinical and histopathologic similarities. Nowadays, they are considered as two different entities, but some authors still confuse these terms. Our objective is to present a case of EH occurring in a very uncommon location and to emphasize the microscopic and clinical differences between EH and KD. We present a case of EH of the orbit in an 83-year-old man diagnosed after histopathologic evaluation of a mass that was surgically removed from the orbit. The tumor showed typical microscopic appearance with pathognomonic epithelioid endothelial cells. The diagnosis was also confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis. Our case clearly illustrates typical appearance of EH and the main differences between EH and KD are thoroughly discussed.Epitelioidni hemangiom (EH) i Kimurina bolest (KD) su zbog mnogih kliničkih i histopatoloških sličnosti smatrani različitim stadijima iste bolesti. Danas se smatraju dvama različitim entitetima, ali neki autori još uvijek poistovjećuju ova dva pojma. Naš cilj je predstaviti slučaj EH koji se pojavio na vrlo neuobičajenom mjestu te naglasiti mikroskopske i kliničke razlike između EH i KD. Predstavljamo slučaj EH orbite koji se pojavio kod 83-godišnjeg muškarca. Dijagnoza EH potvrđena je patohistološkom analizom kirurški uklonjenog tumora iz orbite u kojem su nađene specifične epitelioidne endotelne stanice koje nikad nisu prisutne kod oboljelih od KD. Dijagnoza je potvrđena imunohistokemijskom analizom. Opisani slučaj rijetkog orbitalnog tumora jasno pokazuje značajke specifične za EH, uz podrobno prikazane razlike između EH i KD

Operacijsko liječenje penetrirajuće rane mozga i pridružene perforirajuće ozljede oka uzrokovane metalnim objektom male brzine kretanja: prikaz slučaja i uvid u literaturu

Penetrating traumatic brain injury accompanied by perforating ocular injury caused by low-velocity foreign bodies is a life-threatening condition, a surgical emergency and a major challenge in surgical practice, representing a severe subtype of non-missile traumatic brain injury, which is a relatively rare pathology among civilians. Optimal management of such an injury remains controversial, requiring full understanding of its pathophysiology and a multidisciplinary expert approach. Herein, we report a case of penetrating brain and associated perforating eye injury and discuss relevant literature providing further insight into this demanding complex multi-organ injury. We present a case of 39-year-old male patient with transorbital penetrating brain and perforating ocular injury undergoing emergency surgery to remove a retained sharp metallic object from the left parietal lobe. Following appropriate and urgent diagnostics, a decompressive left-sided fronto-temporo-parietal craniectomy was immediately performed. A retained sharp metallic object (a slice of a round saw) was successfully removed, while primary left globe repair and palpebral and fornix reconstruction were performed afterwards by an ophthalmologist. A prophylactic administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics was applied to prevent infectious complications. Early postoperative recovery was uneventful. The patient was discharged on day 45 post-injury having moderate right-sided motor weakness, ipsilateral facial nerve central palsy, and light motoric dysphasia. The vision to his left eye was completely and permanently lost. In conclusion, management of non-missile transorbital penetrating brain injury can be satisfactory when proper clinical and radiologic evaluation, and amply, less radical surgical approach is performed early. A multidisciplinary routine is a prerequisite in achieving a favorable management outcome.Penetrirajuća ozljeda mozga i pridružena perforirajuća ozljeda oka uzrokovana stranim tijelima male brzine kretanja po život je opasno, hitno kirurško stanje koje predstavlja veliki izazov u kirurškoj opskrbi, kao i tešku podvrstu mirnodopske ozljede mozga, koja je relativno rijetka u civilnoj populaciji. Optimalno liječenje ovakve ozljede i nadalje je dvojbeno te zahtijeva potpuno razumijevanje patofiziologije njezinog razvoja, kao i multidisciplinarni ekspertni pristup. U ovom radu donosimo prikaz slučaja penetrirajuće ozljede mozga i pridružene perforirajuće ozljede oka te uvid u recentnu literaturu, kako bi podrobno raspravili o ovoj zahtjevnoj i složenoj višeorganskoj ozljedi. Muškarac u dobi od 39 godina zadobio je transorbitalnu penetrirajuću ozljedu mozga i perforirajuću okularnu ozljedu zbog čega je podvrgnut hitnom kirurškom liječenju kako bi se uklonilo oštar metalni objekt zaostalo u području lijevog tjemenog režnja. Nakon provedene žurne dijagnostike, odmah je učinjena dekompresijska ljevostrana fronto-temporo-parijetalna karniektomija te je uspješno uklonjeno zaostalo metalno strano tijelo (odsječak cirkularne pile), nakon čega je po oftalmologu učinjena primarna opskrba ozljede lijeve očne jabučice i rekonstrukcija vjeđa i forniksa kroz slojeve lijevo. Profilaktička primjena antibiotika širokoga spektra provedena je kako bi se spriječio nastanak infekcijskih komplikacija. Rani poslijeoperacijski oporavak bio je zadovoljavajući. Bolesnik je otpušten iz bolnice 45. dan nakon ozljede s umjerenom motoričkom slabošću desnih udova, istostranom centralnom facioparezom i blagom motoričkom disfazijom. Vid na lijevome oku trajno je i potpuno izgubljen. Zaključujemo kako liječenje mirnodopske transorbitalne penetrirajuće ozljede mozga može biti uspješno ako je provedena pravodobna primjerena klinička i radiološka provjera i ako je primijenjen ogovarajući manje radikalan rani kirurški pristup. Multidisciplinarna opskrba preduvjet je postizanju povoljnog učinka liječenja

Comparison of Preoperative and Postoperative Astigmatism after Superotemporal or Superonasal Clear Corneal Incision in Phacoemulsification

The aim of this work was comparison of preoperative and postoperative astigmatism after superotemporal or superonasal clear corneal incision. Twenty eight eyes of 28 patients treated with phacoemulsification through superotemporal or superonasal 3 mm clear corneal incision were examined by kerato-refractometer preoperatively and six months postoperatively. Adequate score was assigned to each preoperative and postoperative K-value with associated axis of astigmatism to enable comparison. Wilcoxon paired samples test was used for statistical analysis. Postoperative uncorrected Snellen visual acuity was 0.5 or better in 26 patients. In one patient visual acuity was 0.3 because of diabetic maculopathy. Postoperative astigmatism was less or equal than preoperative in 18 and greater in 10 patients. There was no statistical difference between the preoperative and postoperative astigmatism (Wilcoxon paired samples test, p=0.966) and therefore the conclusion can be made that the superotemporal or superonasal clear corneal incision has minimal effect on corneal astigmatism