Institute of International Relations

Drawing upon the decolonial approach within Peace Studies, this paper assesses human and environmental security issues identified in all statements adopted by Brazil's Indigenous Peoples Articulation (BIPA) and published on its webpage concerning the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement. The five official statements issued by BIPA throughout the twenty-five-year negotiation period were located and analyzed, with all documents having been identified within the 2019–2025 period. Employing Content Analysis (CA), utilizing ATLAS.ti software, the paper is structured in two main parts. First, it establishes the decolonial theoretical framework, specifically the Indigenous perspective in Peace Studies, and contextualizes it within current struggles involving Indigenous peoples in Brazil. Second, it systemizes the coding results from the analyzed documents to identify potential implications. The central hypothesis posits that BIPA was predominantly opposed to the EU-Mercosur agreement, emphasizing in its discourse how the strengthening of economic sectors, such as agribusiness and mineral extraction, has the potential to undermine Indigenous land rights and the protection of environmental reserves. The findings reveal a consistently critical position toward the agreement, evidenced by the predominance of the Human and Environmental Security issues category, which accounted for 68 units out of the 117 multiple associations across all subcategories within the coded data. These findings highlight the academic debate on the agreement's potential to exacerbate human insecurity, threatening the livelihoods of Indigenous communities in Brazil.

One of the important tasks of development of modern technologies based on artificial intelligence is their integration into professional activity and decision-making process. This need is especially relevant in the field of higher education, where three factors have a strong influence on the formation of the educational environment: communication in the modern environment of young people open to new technologies; the need to process large amounts of information in the conditions of the modern world; as well as the requirement for individualization and development of personalized systems of personal support. The aim of our study was the implementation of a communicative digital technology of personalized support for university students. The methodological basis of the work consisted of three key provisions: The communicative nature of obtaining knowledge at the university, the use of the socio-psychological concept of "events" as the basis of the support system, as well as the integration of existing digital tools based on artificial intelligence. The task was to create a personalized educational ecosystem for university students using the FanTam platform, which helps to build educational, professionally oriented interpersonal communication, finding suitable university events, creating an individual educational route, taking into account the psychological profile of the student, increasing motivation, engagement and career awareness. The FanTam platform is built on blockchain technologies and decentralized artificial intelligence, which ensures anonymous processing of user data, personalization of content and the formation of intelligent recommendations. FanTam is able to analyze students' interests, their professional goals, level of engagement, as well as psychological preferences (for example, a tendency to teamwork, introversion / extroversion, motivation for leadership). This allows us to develop the communicative capabilities of the university’s educational environment, recommending not only academic events (conferences, master classes, workshops), but also volunteer, cultural, sports events, as well as events specifically aimed at expanding communicative practices and personal growth of students.

Recent crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the 2023 active shooter attack at Charles University in Prague, and the 2025 knife attack at the University of Warsaw have significantly influenced preferences regarding the working and teaching environment. This paper outlines emotional responses to telework, coping strategies, and leadership implications in an international academic context. Qualitative primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with academic staff and students and analysed using content and thematic analysis. A broad spectrum of emotional reactions was observed; verbalisation of emotions is culture-specific. The main stressors identified are a lack of personal contact and a sense of insecurity.

This article explores the emergence of TikTok as a central issue in contemporary debates on foreign interference, platform regulation, and the governance of transnational data flows. Both the European Union and the United States have expressed concerns about TikTok’s potential risks and have implemented various regulations. Through a comparative analysis of EU and US regulatory discourses, this article examines how claims to digital sovereignty are mobilised in efforts to govern the Chinese-based platform. In doing so, this study advances ongoing debates on the regulation of large-scale digital platforms and data infrastructures. Our analysis reveals that whereas the EU emphasises regulatory autonomy, public health, and democratic integrity in governing cross-border data flows, the US frames TikTok in a more overtly securitised approach rooted in techno-nationalism and strategic infrastructural decoupling from China. More broadly, the article also argues that when framed as a countermeasure to foreign interference, digital sovereignty is increasingly rearticulated as a security-centric concept that subsumes broader societal harms, and it risks assuming authoritarian connotations.

Abstract In this paper, we present a flexible approach to estimating parametric cumulative Prospect Theory using Hierarchical Bayesian methods. Bayesian methods allow us to include prior knowledge in estimation and heterogeneity in individual responses. The model employs a generalised parametric specification of the value function allowing each individual to be risk-seeking in low-stakes mixed prospects. In addition, it includes parameters accounting for varying levels of model noise across domains (gain, loss, and mixed) and several aspects of lottery design that can influence respondent behaviour. Our results indicate that enhancing value function flexibility leads to improved model performance. Our analysis reveals that choices within the gain domain tend to be more predictable. This implies that respondents find tasks in the gain domain cognitively less challenging in comparison to making choices within the loss and mixed domains.

Актуальность. Из практики мировой нефтедобычи известно, что разработка месторождений нефти сопровождается уменьшением отбора нефти и увеличением обводненности продукции добывающих скважин. При этом на участке от нагнетательной скважины до реагирующих добывающих скважин в залежах с неоднородными породами-коллекторами может оставаться значительная нефтенасыщенная часть и нефтенасыщенные интервалы, не охваченные воздействием. Перспективным вариантом увеличения охвата продуктивных горизонтов воздействием, повышения коэффициента охвата и итоговой нефтеотдачи является применение потокоотклоняющих технологий. Цель. Обзор, оценка эффективности и перспектив использования сшитых полимерных композиций для повышения нефтеотдачи. Методы. Анализ существующих исследований и сравнительный анализ характеристик различных сшитых полимерных композиций, применяемых в нефтедобыче. Результаты и выводы. Проведён обзор по применению сшитых полимерных композиции для повышения нефтеотдачи. Делается вывод, что полимеры могут быть двух типов: синтетические полимеры и биополимеры. Один из самых распространённых синтетических полимеров – частично гидролизованный полиакриламид, а наиболее широко используемым биополимером является ксантановая камедь. Также было рассмотрено применение сшитых полимерных систем в промысловых условиях, основные принципы, механизмы действия и критерии применимости, учитывая основные геолого-физические условия пластов. Системы сшитых полимер классифицируются на три вида: коллоидно-дисперсные гели, предварительно сшитые гранулированные гели и полимеры внутрипластового гелирования. Отмечаются различные типы сшивателей полимеров, применяемые в каждом виде системы. На основании данного обзора исследователю можно будет определиться с выбором реагента для приготовления сшитых полимерных композиций, учитывая специфические требования и условия конкретного месторождения для оптимального подбора реагента.

Abstract This paper argues that economic growth is an empty signifier and, on this basis, calls for a different approach to economic growth. It is based on an analysis of Czech and Slovak alternative and mainstream media, as well as interviews with journalists and columnists writing for these media. The article demonstrates that economic growth, as a media term, lacks clarity, is generally perceived positively, constitutes a systemic limit, and is surrounded by emotionally charged narratives and a chain of equivalences. Additionally, economic growth unites opposing forces in society and integrates incompatible discursive elements. It is sedimented into objectivity, reinforced by a lack of knowledge about economic growth, the constraints of news and interview genres, and the subordination of critique to the expectations of readers, editors, and the ideological positioning of centrist media institutions. However, the dominance of economic growth is questioned in the interviews. According to the respondents, reactivation is possible by including sources critical of growth in news or opinion sections or by selecting topics that conflict with the growth agenda.

There has been a discernible pattern to terrorist violence, with the 1990s being the most stable and the 2000s being the deadliest in terms of terrorist activities. The patterns of sectarian violence have been distinct from those of ethnic and non-sectarian religious terrorism.Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism, especially since 9/11, with significant losses to its infrastructure, economic, and human lives. The present status of the topic will be investigated using this analysis. Poverty, illiteracy, grievances, inequality, the judicial system, human rights abuses, official repression, etc. are the major factors of terrorism. The war in Afghanistan prepared the way for the emergence of sectarian violence. There is a lack of checks and balances in the madrasa education system. Terrorism has proven to be too much for civil institutions to handle, especially when it comes to education that addresses such current issues that the world is facing. Social justice and socioeconomic problems have been connected to terrorism. Through military operations and bilateral and multinational diplomacy, there are a number of strategies to eradicate the underlying causes of terrorism. Important tactics included the National Action Plan, anti-terrorist finance initiatives, and the strengthening of NACTA. Education reforms, economic growth, tighter anti-terror finance regulations, improved inter-agency collaboration, and the implementation of a sustained counter - narrative campaign are all essential to address the deep seated origins of extremist ideologies. These actions are essential for reducing terrorism and promoting enduring peace.

This study explores how the technological rivalry between India and China is influencing the development of Bangladesh’s digital economy. As both regional powers expand their digital influence across South Asia through infrastructure investment, innovation, and strategic partnerships, Bangladesh finds itself navigating a complex geopolitical and economic landscape. The research investigates two primary questions: how access to digital infrastructure and innovation in Bangladesh is shaped by the India-China tech competition, and how this rivalry influences Bangladesh’s policy decisions on technology adoption, trade, and investment. Employing a conceptual framework grounded in International Political Economy, geoeconomics, and technological determinism, the study analyses the contributions and strategic intentions of India and China in Bangladesh’s digital sector. Findings reveal that while Indian involvement is rooted in service-based digital growth and regional cooperation, China’s engagement emphasizes hardware infrastructure and state-led innovation. The paper concludes that Bangladesh must strategically balance these influences to ensure technological sovereignty, enhance innovation, and build a resilient, inclusive digital economy amid growing regional tensions.

Abstract The article presents two case studies—the 2017 and 2022 elections and subsequent post‐election protests in Kibera, one of the largest informal settlements in Nairobi. Diverging from the dominant narratives surrounding urban protests in sub‐Saharan Africa, which often concentrates on structural causes, security issues, and violent aspects categorising these events as riots, this paper offers an alternative perspective. It provides an in‐depth analysis of the protests within a broader socio‐cultural context, highlighting the role of humour and playfulness, thereby pointing out elements of resistance existing beyond the traditionally recognised forms of protesting. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of carnival, the study interprets the elections in Kibera as a festival, challenging the established hierarchies in Nairobi through its grotesque character. The festival thus represents an integral part of the culture of the postcolony, where people from the lower strata of society mock and ridicule the officialdom of the postcolonial state.