The Complexity of the Caspian Basin

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of newly independent States marked the uprising of a new era in the region of the Caspian Basin. Failing to reach a consensus regarding the legal nature of the Caspian, Russia, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan’s policies have been characterized by a perpetual pursuit of establishing themselves as key-role agents in the region. The question about “Lake or Sea” is yet to be answered after many decades. This paper focuses on analyzing the significance of the Caspian Basin for the littoral States and how it determines their political agenda

The British Foreign Policy in Greece during the period 1943-1949

They say that history is written by the winners. We can add that the winners are also writing the ethical codes of war and the codes of justice in international affairs. Might this be a stereotype phrase of the defeated or even of those who wish to rewrite history or does it have a dose of reality in it? In any case when someone attempts to present a new fold of history or even to enrich one already existing with new findings, great attention is required. There are many reasons to do so and not only political ones. Needless mention the political motives behind some of the attempts to alter the historical charting of facts. So the skepticism arising from relevant attempts is naturally strong. At the same time relevant thinking should be stochastic and flexible in order to be able to distinguish the circumstances under which new rudiments are presented which could be interpreted in a different way, significantly changing what was known so far. These should be based always on appropriate documentation so that their validity is ensured

The British Foreign Policy in Greece during the period 1943-1949

They say that history is written by the winners. We can add that the winners are also writing the ethical codes of war and the codes of justice in international affairs. Might this be a stereotype phrase of the defeated or even of those who wish to rewrite history or does it have a dose of reality in it? In any case when someone attempts to present a new fold of history or even to enrich one already existing with new findings, great attention is required. There are many reasons to do so and not only political ones. Needless mention the political motives behind some of the attempts to alter the historical charting of facts. So the skepticism arising from relevant attempts is naturally strong. At the same time relevant thinking should be stochastic and flexible in order to be able to distinguish the circumstances under which new rudiments are presented which could be interpreted in a different way, significantly changing what was known so far. These should be based always on appropriate documentation so that their validity is ensured

The Geo-economic Gravity Systems as a Tool for the Analysis of Socio-Economic Polarization in a Society: Country Case Study and Geographic Information Modelling Explain Long-term Transformation Potential towards Increased Regional Attractiveness and...

In this paper the concept of the “Geo-Economic Gravity System” will be discussed as a methodological tool in regard with the key issue of “regional efficiency”, as well as a modeling tool in the effort to face relevant socio-economic problems. As a case study, the fierce opposition between oriental and western-oriented political powers, other words neo-ottomans versus kemalists in the Turkish society, is being respectively examined. The Geo-economic Gravity Systems explain the socio-economic rifts, heading back to the 90’s and demonstrating the multiple and prevailing societal polarization. On its second part, however, this study exhibits that, in the aftermath of the R.T. Erdogan’s governments, despite that the political dichotomy lines remain, at least the severe economic disparities have been smoothed due to policies, incentives and infrastructure investments accomplished. The analysis of Turkey’s internal geo-economic trends offers notable insight into the mechanism controlling in general the regional socio-economic attractiveness and efficiency. Consequently, such an analysis can remarkably contribute in the research of the spatial dimension as a catalyst for emerging development opportunities in any country

How some Seemingly Moderate Political Elections Results may Redirect a State’s Historical Course, from the Top Down to the Transformation of National Growth and Socio-Cultural Development Patterns

This paper discusses a model for identifying and evaluating how the critical changes in the politics of a state impact its socio-economic life. Political transitions of this magnitude may stem out of elections results, but they are not limited to governmental reforms, since they further create a historical rift between the former and the latter status. They definitely initiate regime turnovers, geostrategic re-orientation and shifts of geopolitical axes, but they also transform the national growth and socio-cultural development structures and features.The case study chosen refers to Turkey’s political transformation over the last decades; it is considered an ideal paradigm for testing the relevant research questions due to the extent and depth of the revolutionary changes triggered by the Islamic or the so called neo-ottoman political parties taking over power and overthrowing the long-lasting status quo of kemalism. The consequences of the before mentioned political shift are being examined in correlation with certain statistical indicators like students’ enrolment in the education system. The statistics are projected over a time series covering previous and current status. Then they are mapped via a Geographic Information System on a regional spatial context towards more comprehensive visual representation and further interpretation of the structural changes indicated

Geo-economics vs Geo-politics: The Baghdad Railway Project and the Spoils of a Perpetual Economic War around Middle East

This study focuses on the geopolitical situation in the wider East Mediterranean Region at the dawn of the 20th century, based on the analysis of a major infrastructure project, the Baghdad Railway. The process of its construction eventually led to the rivalry between "Politics" and "Economy", towards increased relative gains for the superpowers of that period. The innovative side of the research extends to the hypothesis that modern economic crises are also related to power games similar to those prevailing almost a century ago. International Relations are linked with the Politics and Economy sectors, considering realistic lessons from the past in order to shape another better in terms of peace and stability future

An analysis of the social factors that resulted in the 2011 social unrest in Egypt, integrated with a personality profiler of its revolutionary leadership

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 LicenseAt the beginning of 2011, the majority of Egyptian citizens ended the thirty-year authoritarian regime of President Mubarak. From the full of celebrations day of 25th January Revolution till the beginning of July 2013 a lot of political drama overflowed the turbulent Egyptian society, leading to the overthrow of the first legitimately elected President M. Morsi. General Al-Sisi took over the presidential duties in 2014, and the whole world is still struggling to determine whose actions favor and which undermine the democracy and/or the interests of Egyptian people. In an effort to research the social factors that prepared and resulted in the political activism and unrest in Egypt over these latest years, this study has been developed on two main axes. The first one applies an analytical model focusing on the critical drivers towards social unrest, especially adjusted for the data referring to Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern societal characteristics. The second axis then takes advantage of the model’s assessments and proceeds with the narrative interpretation of the facts through a personality profiler for M. Morsi. In this way the research questions meet answers, conclusions and policy implications that combine, in terms of political psychology, both personality-based approaches to politics as well as structural and institutional role constraints restricting the range of initiatives available for leadership decision making