Competitiveness of the Baltic States in International High-Technology Goods Trade

The aim of the article is to assess the international competitiveness of the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) in high-technology goods trade. To this end, Balassa’s method of analysing revealed comparative advantages (RCA) was applied. An in-depth analysis of the dynamics of RCAs in the Baltic States’ exports between 1997 and 2014 has shown that their international competitiveness in this regard is relatively low, the direct consequence of which is the growing negative trade balance in high-technology goods. Also, during the analysed period Lithuania possessed no RCAs in trading high-technology goods, while the number of advantages for Estonia and Latvia was relatively small. Still, among the three Baltic States, Estonia was found to be most competitive in this regard, although in Latvia some progress was observed. In contrast, Lithuania not only had the lowest values of RCA, but also it did not record any improvement in the analysed period

The rings with molecular current as the model of the passive magnetic bearing

There will be presented a model of a passive magnetic bearing. The model uses the ring with molecular current as a source of external magnetic field (the unmovable magnet mounts in a case of machine). The next ring with molecular current moves in external field generated by unmovable ring (the magnet connects with the shaft of machine). The density of magnetic field is obtained from the Biota-Savarta law and the force is estimated from the Lorentz law. Moreover, there will be estimated the damping factor proportional to the speed of the movable magnet. The model can be used to design the radial passive magnetic bearings

Jihad vs The New Great Game: Paradoxes of militant Islamic threats in Central Asia. OSW Point of View (Policy Brief), January 2010

Threats linked to Islamic fundamentalism have been hanging over Central Asia for almost two decades. Many believe that militant Islam has played a significant part in each major political crisis in the region, and Central Asia is perceived as an almost perfect environment for its further development. Such a picture of this region is a result of serious abuses and manipulations. The real threat posed by militant Islam seems to be rather limited, and its roots lie outside Central Asia. This region is unlikely to become a key front of global jihad. Nevertheless, this does not guarantee peace and safety in Central Asia, as the Islamic threat remains an element of the geopolitical rivalry in the region – the ‘New Great Game’

The analysis of the control system for the bearingless induction electric motor

The paper deals with the problem of the actuation system in airborne application. Two problems are important. First, the frequency bandwidth of elements should be as wide as possible. The second, the applied actuators have the disadvantageously property, e.g. the overall efficiency, the friction forces, heat abstraction, the high complexity. The main element of the actuator is the bearingless induction electric motor. The construction of the motor is compound the active magnetic bearing and the more electric technology. So the new motor eliminates the disadvantages of the conventional motor. In the paper there are presented the new construction of the bearingless motor, models radial magnetic forces and torque. There are presented the simulation results of bearingless motor with control system, too

Armed conflicts in the post-Soviet region: Present situation, prospects for settlement, consequences. OSW Study 9/2003

Unresolved conflicts continue to smoulder in Transnistria, Chechnya, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia. "Para-states" have formed in most conflict-affected areas. These have grown to become permanent players in the region. In Chechnya, guerrilla fights continue in the wake of the Russian army's siege of the republic. The conflict in Tajikistan ended in 1997 and the normalisation process is currently under way. Each of these conflicts has entailed profound political, social, ethnic and economic changes, as well as affecting other spheres of life. Presently, it is impossible to return to the pre-conflict situation. The "para-states" have fortified their independence and are no longer controlled by the external powers on which they depended in the initial phases of the conflicts

Modelling of Forces Acting on a System of the UAV Launcher, Based on Passive Magnetic Suspensions with Superconductors

Modern sea operations used for exploration and reconnaissance purposes are becoming more and more dependent on unmanned air vehicles (UAV). With the development of an increasing number of UAVs directed to the needs of the navy, various take-off and landing systems are being tested. An alternative to the traditionally used catapults is magnetic catapults, which enable continuous power control, properly increasing the acceleration of the starting machine and at the same time enabling full automation of the launching process. The paper presents the developed of the physical model and theoretical analyzes the forces and torques acting on the launcher system using passive magnetic suspensions with high-temperature superconductors. The launcher was modeled as a configuration of three elements: tracks built from neodymium magnets generating the magnetic field, a starting cart driven by a linear engine and a UAV taking off or landing on the launcher cart. The set of assumptions regarding the characteristics of the environment, the structure of the system elements, kinematic constraints were made. The article consists also the theoretical analysis of external interactions having a decisive influence on the dynamics of the system. The analysis considers the couplings resulting from mutual interactions of individual elements of the system. Theoretical considerations were supplemented with a comparative analysis of numerical and experimental studies of the UAV launch process from the launcher which allowed the verification of the key parameters of the analyzed forces

Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh: unfrozen conflicts between Russia and the West. OSW Special Report, 9 July 2008

The Southern Caucasus is the site of three armed conflicts with separatist backgrounds, which have remained unsolved for years: the conflicts in Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Azerbaijan's conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (including the areas around Nagorno-Karabakh which were seized by Armenian separatists in the course of the war). Neither Georgia nor Azerbaijan have had any control over the disputed areas since the early 1990s. Both states are simultaneously in conflict with the separatists' informal patrons, respectively Russia and Armenia. After over a decade of relative peace during which the conflicts remained frozen, tension has recently risen considerably: in the case of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, large-scale fighting may break out in the coming months, whereas in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azeri-Armenian conflict, such a threat may materialise within the next five years. The current formula for politically resolving the conflicts is ineffective and close to exhaustion, and the prospect of any alternative peace plans being developed is rather distant. The conflicts in the Southern Caucasus are of increasing concern to the West, mainly because of the Western actors' constantly growing political and economic involvement in Georgia and Azerbaijan (including support for reforms and development of the gas and oil transmission infrastructures), as well as its less intensive commitments in Armenia. An outbreak of open fighting over the separatist regions would destabilise the Southern Caucasus, largely undoing the results of the actions which the EU, NATO and the USA have taken in the region in recent years. Moreover, the situation in the Southern Caucasus, especially the separatisms themselves, have in fact become an element in the wider geopolitical game between the West and Russia. For Russia, the stakes are maintaining its influence in the region, and for the West, demonstrating its ability to effectively promote democracy and economic modernisation in the countries bordering it

Trade interdependence between Russia vs. the European Union and China within the context of the competitiveness of the Russian economy

Research background: The position of a country in the international division of labour is determined by the competitiveness of its trade, the structure of which may both reveal and perpetuate the comparative advantages possessed. This is particularly true for Dutch disease economies such as Russia. Recently, economic literature has seen a growing interest in the topic of Russia’s economic relations with the European Union and China. This article is aimed at being the Author’s contribution to this discussion. Purposes of the article: (1) to discuss the existing trade interdependence between Russia and the EU28, and Russia and China; (2) to try to assess the extent to which the current structure of Russian trade with these two partners corresponds with the competitiveness of the Russian economy. Methods: An in-depth analysis of Russia-EU28 and Russia-China trade interdependencies in 2007-2015 has been conducted, with emphasis on the categories of goods within the spectrum from low- to high-technology, according to the OECD classification. Furthermore, in order to analyse Russia’s competitive profile with regard to the same categories of goods, Balassa’s methodology of revealed comparative advantages has been applied. Findings & Value added: In the recent years, a growing importance of China in Russian trade turnover can be observed, being the effect of dynamic growth of Chinese economy, cooling political relations between Moscow and Brussels and the drop in oil prices in international markets. The existing structure of Russian trade with the EU28 and China seems likely to preserve its traditional competitive advantages in the medium-low-technology goods and oil, which, in turn, will only further exacerbate the negative consequences of the so-called Dutch disease affecting the Russian economy