Changes in Emotion Drive Perceptual Level Shifts: Global vs. Local Processing

Different emotional states have been implicated in bringing about specific changes in attention, with positive emotions globalizing attention and negative emotions localizing attention (Fredrickson, 2004). Biases in attentional processes have been associated with the development and maintenance of emotional disorders, anxiety being the most common. Previous studies have shown that anxious individuals present with a bias toward negative information and more readily employ localized attentional processes (Macleod, 2002). This finding demonstrated a link between perceptual levels of attention with higher order conceptual attention, which in turn influences emotional states. Many researchers have explored this relationship, including Fredrickson (2004), who developed the Broaden-and-Build hypothesis, demonstrating how positive mood broadens attentional, increases thought-action repertoires and creativity. However, other studies have presented different findings, with positive emotion allowing for both global and local attentional scopes (Baumann & Kuhl, 2002). The main aim of the study was to demonstrate how specific emotions, specifically fear and amusement, bring about perceptual level shifts in attention (global vs. local). The primary hypothesis is that fear will lead to more localized perceptual attention and that positive emotions like amusement will lead to more globalized perceptual attention

Kazakhstan amid unrest and instability: main implications

This paper explores the reasoning and implications of the unrest in Kazakhstan unleashed in January of 2022. This crisis was the most severe form of violence that Kazakhstan has endured since gaining independence. It distorted Kazakhstan’s image as a stable country. While the crisis was limited to the territory of Kazakhstan and developed mainly from domestic problems, it undeniably acquired an important international element. Kazakhstan’s appeal to the CSTO presented a drastic change in Kazakhstan’s foreign policy and ensued in the shift in the balance of power in the greater Eurasian region. Although Russia played a relatively subtle role on the ground, Russia’s involvement was set to link the political future of Kazakhstan to Russia for an unspecified amount of time. The study concludes that Kazakhstan is faced with the challenges of undertaking significant reforms to lower the possibility of further instabilities while remaining true to its multi-vector foreign policy agenda amid Russian intrusion

RUSSIA AND COVID-19: RUSSIAN ADAPTIVE AUTHORITARIANISM DURING THE PANDEMIC

This paper explores Russia’s response to Covid-19, with a focus on its implications for political freedoms and human rights across the country. It investigates the relationship between the pandemic and reinforcing authoritarianism in Russia. This paper is an in-depth case analysis that uses policy analysis and process tracing to examine Russia’s response to Covid-19 and its effects on Russian domestic politics. The study concludes that the Russian authorities have considerably abused Covid-19-related restrictive measures, not least through curtailing the freedom of assembly and expression. In doing so the Russian authorities have conveniently shielded themselves from mass protests amid constitutional amendments and upcoming legislative elections. Nevertheless, while the authoritarian practices that the Kremlin resorted to during the pandemic are not much different from those of other authoritarian regimes, they proved insufficient in curbing anti-regime dissent. This study inquires into the political repercussions of crisis management in authoritarian regimes and concludes that their authoritarian reactions lead to further crackdowns on civil liberties and political freedoms.  

Survive or Thrive: Focusing on the Forest (Global) or the Trees (Local) Impacts Meaning Making

Focusing on the forest versus the trees illustrates a fundamental difference in how people see the world and make meaning, termed global and local attention. How we shift between them may impact whether we experience happiness or anxiety. We explored how different emotions serve as triggers for shifting between global and local attention using film clips and measuring responses to computerized attention tasks. We found that negative film clips localized attention, while positive films globalized attention, concluding that emotions can impact whether we attend to the forest or the trees. However, different induction strategies and various studies have led to discrepant findings in supporting whether affect alone impacts the activation of global and local systems of attention. A potential alternative explanation comes from a more recent theory, GLOMOsys, which asserts that perceived novelty and familiarity of a stimulus are essential for signaling global vs. local precedence over emotional state (Forster & Dannenberg, 2010). The current study provided support for an integrated model, considering both variables of novelty and affect on global versus local processing that we termed The Survive or Thrive Hypothesis. As predicted we found that novel and threatening film clips led to a global level of processing; however, after one repetition (familiarity) there was a shift toward a local level of processing. Thereby, upon repetition and familiarity with the threatening stimulus, there was a shift to a more detail-oriented processing approach (F [3, 37] = 3.35, p \u3c .05, η2 = .21). This trend demonstrated an interaction between cognitive appraisals of novelty, and specific affect states, in influencing global versus local systems of attention. Physiological measures of heart rate (HR) and skin conductance level (SCL) provided objective measures of emotional experiencing. Trends indicated that threatening film clips were associated with increased HR and SCL when compared to neutral and positive films clips. Further, HR and SCL were most elevated upon initial viewings (novelty) of the film clips. Physiological responding was impacted by both the emotional state as well as cognitive appraisals about the emotional stimulus. Our Survive or Thrive Hypothesis is based upon the integration of multiple theories, and would benefit from continued empirical replication. Future studies should explore different ways to induce novelty and familiarity, and possibly induce a broader spectrum of emotional valence categories. Continued exploration of the cognitive constructs of global versus local information processing can have implications for understanding how cognitive rigidity could be implicated in a range of mental disorders. Understanding the triggers and bounds for these different levels of information processing could be manipulated for clinical treatment purposes of a range of mental disorders

Political implications of the Covid-19 pandemic in Central Asia: insights from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan

The objective of this paper is to explore the political implications of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Studies displayed that although these governments varied in their initial response to the pandemic, all three underwent a uniform experience as to its broader effect of amplified authoritarianism. The public health crisis was utilized as a pretext to consolidate autocratic power, suppress regime criticism, and restrict the political rights and freedoms of citizens. Of particular concern were implications on media and civil society organizational efforts, statuses of detainees, ethnic minority rights, and freedoms of assembly and speech. This paper is an in-depth case analysis that uses policy analysis and process tracing to examine the Central Asian countries' response to Covid-19 and its effects on human rights and political freedoms in the named countries. It concludes that despite the changes in leadership and relative progress towards democratization, authoritarian patterns ensued and changed form during the pandemic period in these Central Asian countries

Dissecting the Political Landscape of War-Torn Ukraine: Between Internal Challenges and External Threats

This paper explores the political landscape of war-torn Ukraine, focusing on the country's core domestic problems. The war in Ukraine has led to a significant deterioration of Ukraine's political landscape. While victory on the battlefield is Ukraine's utmost priority, escalating internal problems pose additional challenges. With Ukraine having obtained EU candidate status, these problems have moved to a new level on the EU's membership agenda. The most urgent of these is endemic corruption, which has gained fresh momentum during the war and has put foreign aid at risk. As the costs of the war grow, international pressure on the Ukrainian authorities to show better results increases. Accountability and transparency should become the guiding principles of the reconstruction and recovery processes to maintain Western support and ensure effective postwar reconstruction

The state of religious freedom in Russia: towards Orthodox monopoly

This paper explores the state of religious freedoms in Putin's Russia, with a special emhasis on the Kremlin's intensifying efforts at establishing Orthodox monopoly. It is an in-depth case analysis that uses policy and discourse analysis to examine the state of religious freedoms in Russia. It suggests that anti-extremism law has become an instrument of state control over a wide array of speech or activity. Through state-supported legislation, the authorities censor religious life to prevent the rise of anti-government sentiments. The groups most affected by the government's anti-religious policy are "non-traditional" religious groups, facing hardships in exercising their rights and freedoms. Their activities are increasingly banned on the grounds of "extremism" and "terrorism". Russia's tightening of legislation on extremism has been combined with its withdrawal from the Council of Europe, which poses additional threats for religious communities by eliminating any international scrutiny over the government's actions. This paper concludes that while Russian history has been traditionally characterized by religious intolerance towards small denominations, the intensifying crackdown on religious freedoms is part of the Kremlin's policy of ensuring a monopoly across the country for the Russian Orthodox Church

UKRAINE AMIDST THE WAR: MAIN IMPLICATIONS

This paper explores the challenges that Ukraine faces during the Russian invasion, focusing on the political and economic implications of the war. Apart from the humanitarian crisis, the war has produced political, economic, and social tribulations, which must be addressed. The more stubborn the Ukrainian resistance becomes, the more likely Russia will implement more aggressive tactics. Ukraine has already acknowledged its inability to join the transatlantic alliance, and recent peace talks with Russia have become more realistic and plausible for its future. Early planning of post-war recovery gained significance against this backdrop, as it proved to be successful when led by ‘indigenous drivers’. While this approach placed local actors, institutions, and resources at its center, it also recognized the crucial role of external aid. This paper argues that the war is a 'resilience test' for European solidarity and the EU’s crisis management competency. This paper inquires into the challenges of Ukraine’s post-war recovery and concludes that national consolidation, along with Western solidarity, is critical to addressing the ‘Russian problem’ of Ukraine.        &nbsp

SUSTAINING POWER THROUGH EXTERNAL THREATS: THE POWER OF ENEMY IMAGES IN RUSSIA AND AZERBAIJAN

Despite the growing body of research on authoritarian regimes, few studies address the issues of their legitimization through exaggerating external threats and constructing enemy images. Targeting the gap in the literature, this article explores the discursive strategies of ‘evilization’ and demonization of the ‘other’, with a focus on their implications for legitimating and sustaining the authoritarian regimes in post-Soviet space. Examining the cases of Russia and Azerbaijan, the qualitative, comparative analysis presented in this article uncovers a series of essential similarities between the regimes’ legitimization strategies. Findings suggest that there has been a strong tendency in both Russian and Azerbaijani discourses to ‘externalize’ major problems facing the countries and scapegoat ‘evil forces’ as their main causes. Frequent appeals to the external threats have been accompanied by a heightened emphasis on the necessity of strong presidential power, with ‘strongmen’ that are capable of withstanding the enemies’ conspiracies. Remarkably, one of the core similarities between the two regimes is their unstoppable drive towards monarchical presidencies

The Portrayal of "The Other" in Foreign Policy Discourse and Public Consciousness in Armenia (2008-present)

Conventional wisdom posits that the evocation of "the other" in a state's foreign policy discourse is indicative of the core characteristics of its foreign policy identity. "The other" is largely deemed to be a symbol in the definition of who "we" are - our identity. A discourse analysis of Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan's conceptions of "the other," coupled with public opinion surveys, sheds light on major ups and downs that the convoluted relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey have undergone since 2008. Evidence indicates that Sargsyan's determination to break the deadlock was not reciprocated by Azerbaijan and Turkey. The latter stepped back from its commitment to establishing unconditional relations with Armenia coupled with Baku's upgraded bellicose policy towards Armenia. All this led Armenia's president to toughen his position toward them, which found vivid expression in Armenia's foreign policy discourse. Moreover, the tough resonated with Armenian society and further cemented negative social attitudes towards Azerbaijan and Turkey