With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: On Foucault’s Notions of Power,Subjectivity, Freedom and Their (Mis)Understanding in IR

This article demonstrates how Foucault’s notion(s) of power can be misappropriated to International Relations (IR) thought. After considering Foucault’s early and late work, the article reveals the complexity of his thought, describing how he developed his notion(s) of power and their effects on subjectivity and freedom. Although a number of IR scholars have revealed the challenges of appropriating Foucaultian thought to IR, their approaches highlight the effects rather than the causes of such (mis)appropriation. By unveiling the causes, this article informs IR scholars on how to avoid this (mis)appropriation and points their attention to the interplay among power, subjectivity and freedom, which is often neglected. Therefore, critical value is added to the Foucaultian IR debate by analysing how Foucault perceived freedom, its association with power and the effects on the subject’s agency.     

State Capitalism in Time: Russian Natural Gas at the Service of Foreign Policy

This article explores the phenomenon of the enduring state control over the Russian natural gas sector. We suggest that explanations of the underlying motives can be classified under two broad theoretical categories: idealism and utilitarianism. Thus, we argue that state capitalism in the Russian natural gas industry can be understood through the idealistic claims of state power and of serving the national interest, which underpin the dominant perception of natural gas resources as a foreign policy tool. Moreover, we contend that although this perception is often considered as a product of the last decade, in fact it is rooted in history, as a legacy of the Soviet era.     

Make Hegel great again: on Hegel’s epistemological contribution to critical terrorism studies

ABSTRACT

Despite the contribution of Foucaultian inspired approaches to Critical Terrorism Studies, this article invites us to consider Hegel’s epistemological insights. Foucault’s power-knowledge nexus is an invaluable intellectual tool which reveals how terrorism can be a “social fact”, yet it rests on a genealogical account of history and a passive notion of subjectivity determined by power (regimes). Hegelian philosophy maintains some of the benefits met in Foucault’s approach (sociality and contingency of knowledge) while providing a richer epistemological account. This article introduces Hegel’s epistemological insights to: i) challenge the portrayal of terrorism as a major external threat against the western liberal democratic states in the vein of “New Terrorism” or the “Clash of Civilizations”; and ii) domestically explore how the concept of liberal democratic rights, equality, freedom affect the interpretation of counter-terrorist bills, the threat perception of terrorism and domestic polarisation. Hegel’s insights critically interrogate the notions of “liberal rights”, “equality” and “freedom”, revealing how their ambiguous definition accommodates inherent contradictions which can fuel a controversial interpretation of counter-terrorist bills, leading to domestic polarisation and (reciprocal) radicalisation. Therefore, Hegel’s epistemological insights reveal how the defective definition of human rights, equality and liberty can amplify the effects of Terrorism and radicalisation.     

In Search of Strategies to Face the Economic Crisis: Evidence from Greek Farms

This study examines the strategies – defensive or aggressive, individual or collective – undertaken by sheep farms in a Greek rural area in order to face the repercussions of the economic crisis and their effects on the productivity and economic performance of these farms. The article presents the results of a farm management survey conducted in 2010 and repeated in 2014 in northern Evros, Greece. The mix of strategies – mainly passive – adopted by farmers shows their confusion in the face of crisis conditions, which has resulted in reduced productivity, more use of family labour and a rise in collective actions.     

Review on female sexual offenders: findings about profile and personality

Introduction

Although in the past sexual abuse was perceived as an issue connected only with males the contemporary literature is placing increasing emphasis on the role of female sexual perpetrators. There is still disagreement about the definition of sexual abuse, the frequency that it occurs and the characteristics of the women that are sexual abusers.

Methods

Thorough research of the main databases (MEDLINE and PsycInfo), for case reviews and studies along with restriction on European and North American literature, is due to perceived culture differences. Further investigation for relevant studies through web search engines such as Google, locates agencies and organizations that are interested and connected to sexual abuse issues.

Results

Distinction between sexual offense and sexual abuse has as a result difference in the characteristics of female sexual perpetrators. They are mainly young (age up to 36 years old), friends or relatives of the victim, using more persuasion and psychological coercion and legally charged in a lesser extent compared with male abusers. However the psychological consequences for the victim can be more severe.

Conclusion

A unanimous view of what is female sexual abuse is difficult to reach. Often it is under reported, unrecognized or considered ethically more acceptable than male abuse. It is also connected with an increased self-report of history of sexual abuse of the perpetrators. A typology of female sexual abusers should be developed. Treatments focusing on different psychological interventions along with prevention and public awareness can be a powerful tool in reduction of sexual abuse perpetrated by females.     

Fiscal adjustments: do labor and product market institutions matter?

This paper investigates the role played by labor and product market institutions in determining the likelihood of initiating and of successfully concluding a fiscal adjustment. Using data for 16 OECD countries over the period 1970 to 2000, we find that a less generous unemployment benefit system—rather than temporary caps on spending (e.g., wage freezes)—contributes to the success of fiscal consolidation. Weaker forms of bargaining coordination and centralization facilitate the fiscal adjustment effort. On the other hand, product market deregulation and more flexible employment protection legislation do not contribute positively to fiscal consolidation.     

Diethyl phosphates accumulation in rabbits' hair as an indicator of long term exposure to diazinon and chlorpyrifos

Long term exposure to organophosphate pesticides can be evaluated by quantitative analysis of their non-specific metabolites in hair matrix. The aim of this study was to determine whether these metabolites can be internally incorporated into the hair of rabbits exposed to diazinon and chlorpyrifos. The influence of dose and dose duration of each pesticide dosage were investigated. Three groups of rabbits were exposed to different dosages of diazinon (3.0 and 6.0mg/kg/day) and chlorpyrifos (18.0mg/kg/day) via drinking water. Hair samples were collected every month and analyzed for diethyl phosphate (DEP) and diethyl thiophosphate (DETP) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The mean concentrations of the low-dose treated group, ranged from 112 to 257pg/mg for DEP and from 295 to 515pg/mg for DETP in hair. The high-dose treated group demonstrated a range of mean concentrations from 142 to 585pg/mg for DEP and from 406 to 988pg/mg for DETP in hair. For the chlorpyrifos treated group, the concentrations ranged from 138 to 1070 for DEP and from 554 to 886pg/mg for DETP. Analysis revealed the incorporation of these metabolites into the rabbit hair in a dosage and dose duration-dependent manner. These data confirms the ability of using hair analysis for diethyl phosphates to assess long-term OP exposure.