Western Balkan : „Divide Et Impera “ – Or Why Opposed Interests Of The Great Powers Generated Permanent Instability Of The Region

Nakon gotovo tri desetljeća upravljanja “odozgo” ili primjene različitih koncepata i strategija Zapada objedinjenih u mantri europerspektive – Zapadni Balkan je ponovno u fokusu međunarodne javnosti kao novo geopolitičko žarište. Umjesto ciljane europeizacije, svjedočimo daljnoj balkanizaciji regije koja je posljedica neuspješnog djelovanja Europske unije, kao i suprotstavljenih interesa saveznika – SAD-a, NATO-a, Velike Britanije, EU-a i Njemačke. Takva konstelacija odnosa omogućila je jačanje utjecaja niza ne-zapadnih aktera – Rusije, Turske, Kine, Irana i Saudijske Arabije, čija prisutnost već niz godina snažno oblikuje sigurnosno ozračje na Zapadnom Balkanu. Sve je očitije da je angloamerički projekt posthladnoratovskog uređenja prostora bivše Jugoslavije značajno istrošen. Naime, obećani prosperitet i stabilnost regije su izostali, a zaostavština primijenjenih zapadnih politika je krajnje siromaštvo, iznimna nezaposlenost i iseljavanje, propast javnih politika i kontinuirano gospodarsko urušavanje, kao i ponovno “aktiviranje” postojećih kriznih žarišta: Bosne i Hercegovine, Kosova i Makedonije.After almost three decades of governance from above or application of different concepts and strategies of the West in the mantra of euro perspective – Western Balkan is again in focus of the international public. Instead of targeted Europeanization, we are witnessing the further Balkanization of the region as a result of the unsuccessful action of the European Union, as well as the conflicting interests of allies – the US, NATO, the United Kingdom, the EU and Germany. Such a constellation of relations made it possible to strengthen the influence of several non-Western actors – Russia, Turkey, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, whose presence has for many years strongly shaped the security atmosphere in the Western Balkans. It is increasingly evident that the Anglo-American project of post-Cold War landscaping of the former Yugoslavia has worn off significantly. Namely, the promised prosperity and stability of the region are missing, and the legacy of applied western policies is extreme poverty, extreme unemployment and emigration, the collapse of public policies and continued economic collapse, as well as the re-activation of existing crisis areas: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia

Washington i Havana: nastupa li konačno novo doba?

Jedan od najdugotrajnijih sukoba u povijesti američke vanjske politike onaj je između Kube i SAD-a. Neke su američke vlade bile više sklone Kubi, dok su neke bile puno opreznije i u potpunosti nesklone bilo kakvim pregovorima. Od prekida diplomatskih odnosa iz 1961. godine SAD Kubi najviše zamjera oduzimanje imovine koju su potom kubanske vlasti nacionalizirale nakon Revolucije, što je dovelo do ekonomskog embarga na uvoz svih roba s Kube. Pozitivni pomaci u zatopljenju odnosa pojavili su se u razdoblju Carterove administracije te se nastavili u doba predsjednika Clintona. Bush Mlađi ne samo da je zadržao postojeće odnose hladnima nego ih je dodatno zahladio raznim zabranama Kubi. Obamina administracija naznačila je promjene koje su dovele do intenzivnih pregovora, pod pokroviteljstvom pape Franje, te do ponovne uspostave diplomatskih odnosa između te dvije zemlje.One of the longest lasting conflicts in the history of the United States foreign policy is the one with Cuba. Some US governments were more inclined to Cuba, while others were more cautious or even unwilling to engage in any negotiations. Since suspension of diplomatic relations in 1961, one of the most important objections of the United States was against expropriation and nationalisation of property after the evolution, which resulted in economic embargo on all imports from Cuba. Positive moves in direction of warming of relations appeared during carter administration, and continued during Pre-sident Clinton. Bush Jr. made existing relations even colder by imposing on Cuba additional restrictions. Obama’s administration has introduced changes which resulted in intensive negotiations under the patronage of Pope Francis, and which led to reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two co-untries.

Reflection of American Cold War Policy on Hollywood During the Intense Cold War

Suradnja Hollywooda i državne administracije početkom Hladnoga rata, veze između filmske industrije i drugih Vladinih agencija, doprinos američke filmske industrije Hladnom ratu te uloga kinematografije u kulturnoj sferi, koja je bila ispolitizirana u potpunosti, teme su zanimljive za razmatranje, posebice stoga što oslikavaju procese stvaranja takvog modela u okviru kojeg je bilo moguće provoditi određene političke odluke i ostvarivati određene političke ciljeve. Američka filmska industrija odigrala je nezamjenjivu ulogu u kulturološkom smislu u borbi između dvije suprotstavljene vizije suvremenog svijeta, s dalekosežnim posljedicama kojima je ta borba obilježila američko društvo, a utjecaj događanja iz sredine prošlog stoljeća prepoznatljiv je i danas. Neosporiva je činjenica da holivudska filmska industrija, kao i cjelokupna aparatura koja je uz nju vezana, ima ogromnu moć provođenja instrumentalizirane promidžbe kojom se oblikuje javno mnijenje, ne samo u SAD-u već i mnogo šire.Collaboration between Hollywood and Federa! Administration at the beginning of the Cold War, connections between film industry and other Government agencies, contribution of American film industry to the Cold War, and the role of cinematography in cultural sphere which was entirely politicized, are interesting topics for examination, especially because they reflect processes of creation of a model which enabled the implementation of certain political decisions and the accomplishment of certain political goals. American film industry has played an irretrievable role in culturological sense in competition between two opposing visions of contemporary world with far reaching consequences for American society, and this influence from mid-20th century is recognizable even today. It is an undisputed fact that the Hollywood film industry, including accompanying apparatus, possesses enormous power for conduct of instrumentalized publicity that shapes public opinion, not only in the US but much wider

Politization of American Culture During the Cold War

Proteklo je već gotovo šezdeset godina od početka Hladnog rata, no on je i danas tema koja zaokuplja pozornost brojnih znanstvenika. U posljednjih desetak godina objavljena je mnoštvo studija koje hladni rat promatraju i kao kulturološki fenomen, a mnoge od njih iznose nova saznanja, istražuju i pronalaze nove dokaze, te osim uloge u međunarodnim političkim odnosima, procjenjuju i značaj njegove kulturne dimenzije. Procjenjujući koncept kulture i identificirajući specifične dimenzije kulture u doba hladnog rata, uključujući: strah od nuklearnog rata; političku paranoju (posebno fenomen "lova" na komuniste i makartizam); špijunažu; tehnike manipulacije; represiju; te različite oblike propagande, nastoji se prikazati model koji se koristio da bi se stvorila atmosfera straha pod čijim je okriljem bilo moguće provoditi političke odluke i ostvarivati političke ciljeve.Although the Cold War began sixty years ago, it still presents an issue of interest for numerous scientists. During the past ten years various studies have been published analyzing the Cold War even as a cultural phenomena, many of which coming up with new founding\u27s, new research evidences and aiming not only at positioning the phenomena within the international political relations but also at assessing its cultural dimension. By doing that as well as by identifying specific culture dimensions during the Cold War, including: fear of nuclear war; political paranoia (particularly the phenomena of communists hunt and McCarthysm), espionage, manipulation techniques, repression and different forms of propaganda, one aims at demonstrating the model which was used to create the atmosphere of fear under which it was possible to conduct political decisions and fulfilling political goals