Putin as a flexible politician. Does he imitate Stalin?

The article is about Putin's ‘Jewish anomaly’. Against all expectations, Putin during his tenure as president of the Russian Federation showed in various ways his concern about the life of Jews in his country.     

China in the Russian mind today: Ambivalence and defeatism

This article describes the ambivalence of Russian attitudes toward China at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Russians of all strata combine a willingness to see China as a friendly neighbour with a high level of fear of the giant that could swallow much of the country whole, especially the Asian part. The article pays special attention to the split in Russian views of China among elites. While some elites, who have strong anti-American attitudes, see China as a major ally against the United States, others call on the government to treat the United States as the single force that can help Russia protect the integrity of its territory against China, whose people still do not recognise the existing borders between the two countries.     

Securing the Border in Bosnia and Herzegovina: an Exploratory Analysis of the Impact of Training on Officers’ Knowledge and Experiences Related to Sex Trafficking

Across the globe law enforcement agencies are providing training specific to human trafficking in an effort to educate officers about trafficking indicators, techniques for evidence collection, and the provision of culturally sensitive and victim-centered assistance to trafficking victims. The effectiveness of said training, however, remains an understudied area. The primary goal of this study is to examine the influence training programs have on police officers’ knowledge and experiences related to sex trafficking. Utilizing self-report data from 363 border patrol agents in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a series of statistical analyses finds support for the hypotheses that trained officers will have a better understanding of sex trafficking indicators and field investigation techniques as well as more experience with sex trafficking cases. Somewhat unexpectedly, the results indicate that the vast majority of officers, regardless of training receipt, recognized a need for ongoing training and support. Implications of these findings will be discussed.     

Priority goals in international co-operation of the Republic of Serbia in the field of environment and sustainable development

The paper points to the significance of some factors of international co-operation in the field of environment and sustainable development as a general framework for understanding of the fundamental goals in international co-operation of the Republic of Serbia (RS). It is especially pointed to the place and importance of the activities that are carried out in the European Union (EU), to the harmonisation of national legislation with EU legislation including regulations in the field of climate change, to the significance of international environmental agreements and various forms of global, regional, subregional and bilateral co-operation as well as to the co-operation with international financial institutions which are important for environment and sustainable development. The paper is based on the thesis that the fundamental goals in international co-operation of RS in the field of environment and sustainable development are mostly determined by the “European perspective” of RS and in accordance with this, with global trends in the contemporary environmental and sustainable development policy and law. Opening the prospect of the EU membership (potential candidate status and the status of the candidate for EU membership) has resulted in the acceleration of the process of harmonisation of national legislation with the EU’s as well as speeding up the process of ratification of the international treaties in the field of the environmental protection.