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Human rights education (HRE) has been recognised in international educational discourses as a sustainable practice to develop active citizenship and protect human dignity. However, such education has not been fully explored in a broader political context. In addition to contributing to empowering citizens to resist human rights violations, HRE plays several roles in society, contributing to both national identity and international image-building. The article explores possible relations between national identity construction, foreign policy and HRE in Norway through the following research question: "What interplay occurs between Norwegian foreign policy and national identity in relation to human rights, and, within this context, what is the role of HRE?" The article presents a qualitative analysis of Norwegian policy documents and reports, arguing that HRE is a component of Norwegian national identity as well as political currency in foreign relations.

Engineers make things, make things work, and make things work better and easier. This kind of knowledge is crucial for innovation, and much of the explicit knowledge developed by engineers is embodied in scientific publications. In this paper, we analyze the evolution of publications and citations in engineering in a middle-income country such as Mexico. Using a database of all Mexican publications in Web of Science from 2004 to 2017, we explore the characteristics of publications that tend to have the greatest impact; this is the highest number of citations. Among the variables studied are the type of collaboration (no collaboration, domestic, bilateral, or multilateral), the number of coauthors and countries, controlling for a coauthor from the USA, and the affiliation institution of the Mexican author(s). Our results emphasize the overall importance of joint international efforts and suggest that publications with the highest number of citations are those with multinational collaboration (coauthors from three or more countries) and when one of the coauthors is from the USA. Another interesting result is that single-authored papers have had a higher impact than those written through domestic collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Model United Nations (MUN) has seen dramatic growth in Morocco, both at the university and high school levels. It is a popular and effective teaching tool. This paper aims to test its utility using various methodologies. It shares the results of surveys, both historic and current, conducted at Al Akhawayn University evaluating the activity among students. It also includes interviews with MUN participants, both coaches and students, at Al Akhawayn University and elsewhere. Finally, the paper evaluates whether the tool is trans-cultural or whether it is an expansion of White space.

This paper represents one of the most recent and pertinent studies conducted in Afghanistan, aiming to address the societal imperative of comprehending the factors behind the fall of the Republic government and the subsequent rise of the Taliban to power. Furthermore, the paper seeks to analyse public attitudes towards the current situation. Employing a quantitative approach, the research utilizes a descriptive-analytical method through questionnaires and the participants include social media activist, students and universities professors, the data collected by online survey according WhatsApp, Facebook messengers, telegram, email and other social media groups from different ethnic groups. The findings of this research have identified several pivotal factors contributing to the ascent of the Taliban to power, including the US-Taliban agreement in Doha, Qatar; political disparities; administrative and financial corruption within the Republic's administration; Pakistan's support for the Taliban; the previous government's accord with the Taliban; ethnic dominance; robust military morale of the Taliban; and proficient war management by the Taliban. Afghanistan, as a multi-ethnic society, witnesses political dynamics predominantly rooted in ethnic affiliations. The majority of respondents express dissatisfaction with the current Afghan situation, displaying significant concerns for the populace. Foremost concerns, in terms of prioritization, encompass poverty; closure of girls' schools; restrictions on women's education and employment; escalation of civil unrest; mono-ethnic rule; ethnic conflicts; emergence of ISIS; ethnic marginalization; violations of citizenship rights; political participation and legitimacy crises; and authoritarianism. Consequently, to address the political crisis and establish a viable system, the research concludes that while Pashtuns lean toward a centralized system, Hazaras, Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Turkmens evince greater interest in a decentralized structure.

This paper discussed the relationship between language, ecology, and culture, and claimed that the study of linguistic communication as pragmatics should not be confined to the traditional context, but should focus on a broader ecological environment. It analyzed the context of practical communication from the perspective of language ecology beginning with the discussion of the ecological crisis in communication and found that language, like plants and animals in nature, needed the support of the external environment with certain "soil fertility". This paper classified ecological context into two types: internal ecological context (psychological-cognitive context) and external ecological context (natural environment and social environment). Based on this classification, the ecological context of pragmatics was further divided into environment-friendly context, addressee-friendly context, and speaker-friendly ecological context. This paper was an exploratory analysis of language ecology in pragmatics, aiming at helping communicative participants find their ecological niche and adopt appropriate strategies to maintain the ecological balance in pragmatic communication.

The 2006’s Chinese Defense White Paper settled goals for military modernization that would consolidate a force planning strategy aiming long-term results that could make it possible to win local wars under informationized conditions. The combination of policies of dual-use civil-military technology, catch up and absorption of foreign knowledge through joint ventures, China intends to overcome an imitation-based regime and to consolidate a defense industry with indigenous innovation. The paper analyzes how this strategy would reformulate logistic aspects of the Chinese military and promote the development of the fifth largest military industry in the world.

In a contribution to the political analysis of contemporary Vietnam – a single-party state often wrongly assumed to be an author of reform and deploying considerable and varied powers – this paper seeks to provide an understanding of the Vietnamese term ‘authority’ ( uy ) and its relationship to power. Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan serves as a reference to the notion of authority in Vietnam and is compared to data: what the Vietnamese thought their word best translated as authority meant. The paper concludes that in the ‘two-way street’ of social contracts, the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) actually has little authority. This helps to explain the chronic problems the VCP has faced in securing state capacity and generalised ability to implement policy. It highlights gaps between the current anachronistic use of Soviet-style power in Vietnam and what could be done if the regime deployed new powers based on authority. The authors conclude that, given the identified lack of authority, the VCP is no real Leviathan. Although more research is needed, this conclusion implies that proactive political tactics in Vietnam may move towards a search for acquiring authority in a ‘two-way street’ relationship within the Vietnamese political community. Enhanced state capacity and Party authority could follow.

Trata-se de position paper sobre a obra “Engenheiros da Vitória: os responsáveis pela reviravolta na Segunda Guerra Mundial” no qual, além de apresentar os principais argumentos do autor, há o posicionamento crítico do autor sobre a sua relevância atual.

Trata-se de position paper sobre a obra “Engenheiros da Vitória: os responsáveis pela reviravolta na Segunda Guerra Mundial” no qual, além de apresentar os principais argumentos do autor, há o posicionamento crítico do autor sobre a sua relevância atual.

This is the first question one should consider before submitting a paper to an international journal. The answer is simple: If researchers or practitioners from another country can learn something from your paper that can influence a practice or a research they are involved in, then your paper is relevant for an international audience. There are many elements that can influence in this cross-border transferability. One could think that having a big "n", or performing complex statistical calculations, or using complicated study designs makes the paper more attractive to colleagues from other countries. These elements can help, but they are not sufficient. On the other hand, one could think that a study performed in a small hospital in a given country will never be of interest for these foreign colleagues. That is not necessarily correct. Let's burst some myths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disclosing beneficial ownership is one of the few ways to prevent the loss of natural resource revenues and to mitigate--if not prevent--the resource curse. This article details how digital platforms [...]

The supply and use of information technology have changed the profile of individuals worldwide. The analysis of the profile of Brazilian citizens indicates that the supply of information technology and the profile of the population changed in recent decades, separately or together. By obtaining an index such as, education, access to mobile telephony and computers with internet access, we can perceive changes in the habits of Brazil in recent years. With the increasing technological advances such as the emergence of tablet-PCs, e-paper, smartphones, digital cameras, among others, there is a growing expectation of a decrease in paper consumption. On the other hand, greater access to information - with internet available in several locations at low cost - and technologies such as printers increasingly affordable prices, tends to increase the volume of impressions, as well as the consumption of equipment increases the consumption of packaging based on paper. This study drew statistical studies between the increased use of information technology and paper consumption in the Brazilian market, using data for twenty years - from 1990 to 2009 - Bracelpa (Associação Brasileira de Celulose e Papel) and the Annual Survey of Management Resources for Informatics at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas – Escola de Administração do Estado de São Paulo (FGV-EAESP). Through the literature review on the topic and statistical tests, it was investigated whether corporate investments in information technology provided to reduce the consumption of certain types of papers in Brazilian marketplace. To answer the hypotheses, we performed a correlation between the development of paper consumption, according to the types (newsprint, printing and writing), and investments in information technology, according to the sectors (services, industry and trade). The results corroborate the earlier study, developed by Moraes Meirelles and Nacimiento (2010), which was analyzed in a period of six years, indicating that the use of IT did not bring benefit to the reduction of paper consumption in the Brazilian market, considering the types of roles impacted by this use. It is evident through this study that the values of IT investments by companies participating in this research had positive correlation with the fall in consumption of newsprint and writing paper type, indicating that, possibly, access to digital information through reduced the use of newspapers for circulation of news. It is also evident in the increased consumption of other types of paper such as newsprint and packaging, consumption increased along with IT investments, thus we can deduce that the easy access to computer equipment, including printers would lead to the printing of electronic files, unnecessarily, as well as increased sales of electronic equipment tends to increase the use of paper packaging.

This highly individual study is the first-ever attempt to describe Polish Sinology, Polish Sinologists and their individual choices, both vocational and social or political. The author, as an insider, uses interviews with some of the most important representatives of Polish Sinology (mainly of the older generation). He proposes individual systematization, fragmenting the history of the “real socialism” era (1950-1989) and after the democratic breakthrough of 1989 in many chapters, consisting of both collective and individual. Among the major findings is that the initial small circle of highly specialized individuals has recently been quickly growing, and so has the diversification within it. While until 1989 the career choices in this field were limited, basically an official (diplomatic or state bureaucratic) career was the only option, but after this threshold many new windows of opportunities were opened, which included for example personal choices like studying in Mainland China or Taiwan,, opening a business there, creating a website or even opening up a study center. Mongolian Journal of International Affairs Vol.19 2014: 87-115

Phnom Penh -- On a far-flung riverbank in southwest Cambodia last spring, Buth Ran peered out of her wooden stilt home to see a sagging barge unload a half-dozen logging [...]

Four years ago, the Clinton Administration considered promulgating an executive order which would have required the federal government to purchase totally chlorine-free (TCF) paper to satisfy a small portion of [...]

Numerous UK universities are experiencing financial instability; with an increasingly competitive and maturing market, reliance has grown on international students to offset institutional shortfalls. Dependency on international student tuition revenue has over-exposed the market to dramatic shifts in political policies, both domestic and internationally, that could significantly impact operational success. UK higher education institutions (HEIs) ability to promote their institutions as they are intertwined with the UK government; thus, controversial policies create a backlash, drawing HEIs into disputes as unwanted participants yet recipients of significant economic disruption. Government policies on domestic tuition caps, Brexit, and increasing geopolitical disputes with China have had a considerable impact on institutional operations. This paper recommends HEIs, principally lower-tabled universities, take a more aggressive strategic realignment to best adapt to the marketplace's uncertainty. By reemphasising institutional specialisation, variable tuition rates for under-represented growth markets, financial support for EU students, increased distance education presence, and intense market-wide lobbying of government MPs, this paper seeks to open a discussion on how to identify existing problems and target opportunities for growth. The complexity of market conditions and the decreasing solvency of many institutions will not be solved by a single recommendation or a short-term policy but by a complete realignment and robust industry-wide initiatives. If universities cease operations or collapse under market conditions' financial strain, it will impact the overall market's reputation, reducing UK institutions' overall desirability as a major exporter of education.

Abstract The idea of international law figured centrally in Canadian legal professionals' explanations of the First World War and its justness. Germans were described as perfidious enemies, unwilling to respect [...]

In recent years the lawfulness of certain types of sanctions and the question about the usefulness of sanctions in general have become topical and widely discussed issues. Of special significance is the expanding use by powerful states of unilateral coercive measures without Security Council authorisation, or beyond Security Council authorisation, to illustrate their displeasure with the domestic or foreign policies of certain members of the international community. Over time the nature of these measures has taken on diverse forms and their encroachment on human rights and freedoms has become a matter of international concern. This contribution examines the developments that have taken place in this context since the 2000 report of the Working Group on the negative impact of sanctions by focussing on the interventions by key United Nations bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article attempts to articulate the conceptual characteristics of an up-to-date tertiary-level foreign language coursebook. In order to meet the requirements of modern national educational standards and be in line with the aims of foreign language teaching, a new generation coursebook, whether printed or electronic, is to be based on a set of such general didactic principles as competency-based approach, interdisciplinary approach, multilevel approach, modularity, and proximal development as well as such specific language teaching principles as authenticity, up-to-dateness, informativeness, and functionality. The authors substantiate the need for an integrative approach to developing an innovative coursebook, which consists in blending a printed and an electronic version, thus allowing for a more optimal organisation of the teaching-learning process due to a more rational proportion between classroom and self-study activities. The effective organisation of the process, in its turn, is instrumental in achieving the aims and goals of foreign language teaching. New generation coursebooks can be used not only to organise independent and self-study activities of full-time students of higher education, but also to provide a basis for various forms of distant learning, which will enable up-country students to receive high-quality (language) education.

This paper incorporates perspectives and recommendations developed at the WAAS-ELN- Dag Hammarskjöld University College conference on Nuclear Threats and Security in Dubrovnik in September 2012, as well as proposals submitted by participants in advance of the Zagreb conference, May 3-4, 2013. The document is intended to serve as a basis for discussion leading to the preparation of a formal presentation to the NATO conference on WMD in Split, May 6-7, 2013.