Russia’s image of China and Russian-Chinese relations

Views of China in today's Russia are characterized by great diversity. There are those who stand for strengthening ties with China to counterbalance the West; those who prefer Russia balancing between various power centers; and those who fear China as a growing geopolitical rival with a potential of expanding at the expense of Russian territory. Russia's government for the foreseeable future can be expected to advocate closer ties with China. However, the real question now is not whether a future Russian leadership will advocate a more hostile or more friendly course toward China, but if it will be able to support its wishes (whatever they may be) with the real resources necessary to pursue any consistent policy. Alexander Lukin received his first degree from the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations and a doctorate from Oxford University. He worked at the Soviet Foreign Ministry, Soviet Embassy to the PRC, and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. From 1990 to 1993 he was an elected deputy of the Moscow City Soviet (Council), where he chaired the Sub-Committee for Inter-Regional Relations. He is the author of Russian Democrats: A Study in Political Culture (to be published by Oxford University Press in 1999) and numerous articles on Russian and Chinese politics and Russian-Chinese relations which have been published in Russia, the PRC, the U.S., the UK, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In 1997/1998 he was a visiting research fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. He is currently a research fellow at the Center for International Studies of the Moscow Institute of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Foreign Ministry (MGIMO-University) and an Associate in Research at the Fairbank Center for East Asian Research at Harvard University.     

A behavioral model for Ukrainian organized crime groups

Ukrainian organized crime operates like any social group existing in relation to other institutions in society. The specifics of criminal group behavior in Ukraine are governed by strict norms and standards which have developed over many decades. The 'thieves idea,' promoting brotherhood and superiority among members of criminal groups, was cultivated by convicts and peasants as far back as pre-Soviet Ukraine. The infrastructure of these groups, their organization and leadership, and methods for criminal activities are all determined by customs and rules unique to Ukraine. Using statistical analysis, a case study of one organized criminal group, and collective interviews with various law enforcement officials, this study attempts to determine the prevalence of traditions and the nature of group dynamics in organized crime.     

Criminalistic identification of PGM-containing products of mining and metallurgical companies

In early 1990 s some organized criminal groups started to develop a new field of illegal business, which involved thefts of intermediary products from mining and metal-producing plants in Russia and in the south of Africa. Since local sulfide copper/nickel ores contain certain concentrations of precious and platinum group metals (PGMs), the intermediary products recovered at different stages of metallurgical transformation of these ores are materials of high commercial value. Illicit transportation and refining of these materials in Western Europe and North America has evolved into a large-scale business, where a lot of unlawful revenues are being laundered. The most important tasks in combating this organized crime are as follows: to establish the facts when some PGM-containing semi-products had been received at certain refineries; to carry out the identification of these semi-products; and to prove that these semi-products had been produced by a certain company. As a rule, it is not difficult to establish the identity of a "clean product". However, when a material is a mix of several semi-products or a mix of some semi-product with masking substances, the identification of individual components becomes an extremely complicated task. The purpose of developing the "complex procedure for establishing the nature and source of origin of precious metal-bearing products of mining and metallurgical operations" was to make possible the identification of complex mixes comprised of various metallurgical semi-products. In the complex procedure that we have developed to characterize dispersed materials, distribution of particles by their elemental composition (the so-called "pseudophase" composition) was used instead of mineralogical composition. To determine the "pseudophase" composition by the method of scanning electron microscopy with X-ray spectral microanalysis (SEM-EDX), a representative sample of material containing not less than 1000 particles was analyzed. All microparticles can be divided into several types. Each type is characterized by an association of chemical elements contained. The first stage includes the study of elemental composition by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry; and the study of phase composition by X-ray diffractometry. The results of each study are compared with data in the Data Base. In case of coincidence with one of the products with respect to all diagnostic features, the type of product and its source of origin are defined accordingly. If the features of the sample under analysis detected by the aforementioned methods do not coincide with any of the product types represented in Data Base, it is necessary to examine elemental composition and morphology of separate particle contained in the substance using SEM-EDX. If some particles characterized by features coinciding with features of particles belonging to any product or products from Data Base are found, this product or a mixture of products is assumed to be present in the composition of the substance under analysis. The assumption that the substance is a mixture can be verified by juxtaposing all previously determined features of the analyzed sample with the features of the pattern mixture (superposition) of the appropriate types of products represented in Data Base. Depending on the results of this verification the corresponding conclusion can be made.     

Die Justiziabilität der Grundrechte-Charta nach dem Reformvertrag von Lissabon

Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit der Frage, welche Auswirkungen der neue rechtliche Status der EU-Grundrechtecharta auf den nationalen und gemeinschaftlichen Grundrechtsschutz haben wird. Behandelt wird insbesondere der Aspekt der Grundrechtsdurchsetzung und damit zusammenhängend, welche institutionellen Fragen sich hierfür im innerstaatlichen Recht ergeben.     

Death related to nasal surgery: case report with review of therapy-related deaths

The investigation of deaths that are suspected to be related to medical therapy present several challenges for the forensic pathologist. In all such cases, it is important for the pathologist to understand the therapy/procedure that may have played a role in death. As such, review of medical records and possible consultation with various medical specialists before autopsy can provide valuable information to ensure proper evaluation in any given case.Herein, we describe a rare death occurring as a complication of septoplasty, nasal polypectomy, and intranasal endoscopic ethmoidectomy, which are common surgical procedures performed by otolaryngology/head and neck surgeons. An otherwise healthy 58-year-old woman underwent the elective surgical procedures for a deviated nasal septum, multiple nasal polyps, and chronic ethmoid sinusitis. Following surgery, the patient never awoke from general anesthesia, and further evaluation before death revealed a basilar subarachnoid hemorrhage. Autopsy disclosed basilar subarachnoid hemorrhage, a traumatic defect of the right cribiform plate, and associated anterior cerebral artery injury with frontal lobe damage. No vascular anomalies were present. The cause of death was attributed to complications related to nasal surgery, and the manner of death was ruled "accident."Following the presentation of this case, the authors discuss these common nasal surgical procedures, including a summary of their known complications. In addition, the authors address and review the topic of deaths related to medical therapy.     

Ende der Hauptverhandlung und Protokollierung von Rechtsmittelanmeldungen

Die Anmeldung von Nichtigkeitsbeschwerde oder Berufung ist, selbst wenn sie unmittelbar nach der Rechtsmittelbelehrung erfolgt, nicht mehr Gegenstand der mit dieser jedenfalls endenden Hauptverhandlung. Wird im Zuge der Urteilsverkündung ein Rechtsmittel angemeldet, ist dieser Vorgang zu protokollieren; dieser Protokollsinhalt geh?rt aber nicht zu dem über die Hauptverhandlung aufzunehmenden Protokoll des § 271 StPO. Demnach ist die Protokollierung der Rechtsmittelerkl?rungen nicht Gegenstand einer Beschlussfassung nach § 271 Abs 7 StPO.     

Party Animals? Extreme Partisan Polarization and Dehumanization

Political Behavior - The affective, identity based, and often negative nature of partisan polarization in the United States has been a subject of much scholarly attention. Applying insights from...     

The Struggle for Certainty: Ontological Security,the Rise of Nationalism,and Australia-China Tensions after COVID-19

Journal of Chinese Political Science - Australia-China relations have been relatively stable over the last decade. However, soon after the outbreak of COVID-19, Australia took an increasingly...     

Deliberative layering: Explaining diverse interest mobilization across the European Parliament's Policy Cycle

Drawing from work on deliberation and information‐access, this paper conceptually frames why and when different types of interests mobilize across the parliamentary policy cycle. We posit that each policy stage holds its own deliberative purpose and logic, leading to a variation in the type and volume of information demanded. The legitimacy of the expertise interest groups provide is affected by their organizational characteristics. To ensure the smooth flow of the policy process, members of parliament encourage groups that legitimately hold relevant information to mobilize at each policy stage, while lobbyists choose to mobilize when their expertise allows them to better influence policy‐makers' debates. We test our argument in the context of the European Parliament, following a unique survey of the 8th legislature (2014–2019). The responses lend support to our model. In a policy process that contains various stages of deliberation, different organizations hold an information‐expertise key that gives them access at different stages. Significantly, less studied groups, such as think tanks and consultancies, mobilize well ahead of others in the cycle's initial phases; while lobbyists representing public constituencies dominate in the final stages. The paper contributes to broader theoretical discussions on pluralism, bias, and deliberation in policy‐making.