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Among the numerous causes of conflicts in today’s security environment, conflicts over various values occupy an important place in the security agenda. Experience and researches so far, show that these conflicts initiate a different, very sensitive way of reacting between the conflicting parties. This, in turn imposes a necessity of comprehensive as well as cautious approach in their management and resolution. Given the fact that the value system is being formed throughout life, both through broader cultural and social influences and through our own experience, the paper explores the role of identity in conflicts over various values. Specifically, the research focus is based on the analysis of situations, reasons and ways in which identity can be a cause or trigger for the emergence or escalation of the so-called identity-based conflict. In this context, the paper specifically explores the impact and role that identity can play at different stages in conflicts over various values, with a particular focus on conflicts with ethnic-identity characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Europe’s worst security crisis in decades - has prompted the EU to make unprecedented decisions on EU security, defence and enlargement. For the first time, decisions have been made to deliver deadly weapons to a third country and decisions to strengthen defence co-operation amid a new perception of the threat. The 2001 Temporary Protection Directive, which grants temporary residence to Ukrainian refugees, was activated for the first time. The overwhelming support for the UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion clearly proves that countries around the world see the invasion as an attack on global norms. However, policy makers in certain countries are managing the crisis in terms of their national interest. This paper will analyse the differences in regional and national attitudes regarding the events in Ukraine, ie geopolitical, economic and security factors that influence decision-making to deal with the Ukrainian crisis. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Europe’s worst security crisis in decades - has prompted the EU to make unprecedented decisions on EU security, defence and enlargement. For the first time, decisions have been made to deliver deadly weapons to a third country and decisions to strengthen defence co-operation amid a new perception of the threat. The 2001 Temporary Protection Directive, which grants temporary residence to Ukrainian refugees, was activated for the first time. The overwhelming support for the UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion clearly proves that countries around the world see the invasion as an attack on global norms. However, policy makers in certain countries are managing the crisis in terms of their national interest. This paper will analyse the differences in regional and national attitudes regarding the events in Ukraine, ie geopolitical, economic and security factors that influence decision-making to deal with the Ukrainian crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to show how the Greek Great Idea came about, as well as the impact it had on Greek society, science, foreign policy, as well as on the building up of nationalism. The full text of the speech made by Ioannis Kolettis on January 14, 1844 is provided in one section of this paper. It is our belief that it should be published for the sake of the past, the present, and the future. Kolettis, originally an Aromanian from Epirus, then a part of the Ottoman state, was a highly influential politician in independent Greece. He participated in the building of the institutions of the new state. His speech was allegedly not meant to inflame Greek nationalism and reinforce aspirations for territorial expansion of the first independent and Orthodox state in the Balkans. What Kolettis wanted to get across was that all those who participated in the uprising of 1821, regardless of whether they were born in the territory of the new state or in the Ottoman Empire, had the right to Greek citizenship. However, the words he used in the speech, especially the term “The Great Idea” (Μεγάλη ιδέα), led to a flare-up of nationalism and a change in the views of the past, especially on the issue of ancient Macedonia and Byzantium, as well as to a public display of territorial claims to the neighbouring Ottoman state. His speech became a guide for the future foreign and national policy of the Kingdom of Greece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses families, their status, and the family support they receive in two different countries. The analysis is performed through several aspects. The first aspect are the indicators related to families such as: marriage, divorce, birth rate, the current infant mortality rate in both countries, fertility, and life expectancy. The second aspect is qualitative research of four case studies which includes four families, two from Germany and two from Macedonia. And the third aspect regards the analysis of a questionnaire on 30 respondents. Through this research, a comparison will be made about the life of families in these two countries and the way the two countries treat families. The basic hypothesis is that families in Germany have better living conditions than families in the Republic of North Macedonia. Through the analysis of indicators and the analysis of case studies, it will be possible to conclude which country offers better conditions for family development, provides better family support and more efficient management of family problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, radicalisation has occurred as perhaps the most persistent conceptual framework for understanding micro-level modifications towards violence. Violent extremism and terrorism could be argued to be a function of society –as much as it is a reality of extremist groups or individuals who engage in violence due to ideological motivations. Radicalizing by evolving or embracing extremist beliefs that justify violence is one possible pathway into terrorism involvement, but it is certainly not the only one. Informed policies and practices to mitigate and prevent the spread of violent extremism require an understanding of these kinds of variations, not just general trends. The analysis of narratives used by the current radical and violent extremist groups’ shows that socio-economic, political and personal grievances are effectively used to sway public opinion, disseminate messages, gain new recruits, and elicit sympathy. These narratives are generally merged with characteristic terms imbedded in issues of political instability, socio-economic stagnation, civic strife, and, in some cases, war. The purpose of this paper is to clearly understand the relationship between these terms, so that the prevention of violence and/or the threat of violence can be more successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The war on Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022 with the invasion of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, is an event with a potential to cause tectonic changes in the current political, security and economic international order, including the possibility of a nuclear conflict. As it is the case with the other international and regional organizations, NATO too is enforced to reconsider its position in the multipolar world. The research problem of this paper is delimiting the reality from the myth of NATO that has rested for decades. It focuses on the search for the Alliance’s real power in a multipolar international system, as well as seeking answers about the future of the European security order (especially through the prism of NATO-EU relations). The key hypothesis is that the course of events (in Ukraine but also the definite rise of multipolar international system) has been predictable. The reasons for the war were deeply embedded in the foundations of the hybrid international system. The preliminary conclusion is that NATO (albeit seemingly strengthened and expanded) will likely face with its irrelevance in a multipolar order. The thesis of a “global NATO” is just a veil that covers the restricted NATO mission primarily as an instrument of the US policy in Europe. Due to the Ukraine, EU (but also OSCE) is likely to see the shattered dreams of its own security system. It means it will be economically, politically and militarily completely dependent on Washington. NATO enlargement is reaching its peak, along with its primarily European reach. Globally, the United States will rely on its own forces and on alliance of the willing, now referred to as the “Collective West.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the current status of the transdiagnostic approach to psychopathology, an alternative model of describing and understanding mental health impairments, which attempts to bridge the gap between clinical reality and the diagnostic paradigm. By abandoning the boundaries (i.e. limitations) of diagnostic categories, this perspective provides opportunities for a more accurate conceptualization of processes underlying a wide range of disorders, either as risk factors for their occurrence or mechanisms that maintain them, as well as for proposing psychological interventions whose effectiveness transcends individual diagnostic entities. Following a brief overview of the weaknesses of categorical nosological systems, the dimensional representation of psychopathology is presented as a foundation for this perspective. Next, various approaches to defining and examining transdiagnostic processes are further presented, and empirical evidence on several extensively researched vulnerability factors is discussed. Finally, the specifics of transdiagnostic psychological interventions are briefly elaborated on, and, in conclusion, the current challenges and potential future directions of this paradigm are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lead seal of Michael VIII Palaiologos found among several medieval artifacts during the excavation of the site Gorno Gradishte, v. Dolno Gratche, Kochani, its bearer and its location were an occasion for re-immersion in the turbulent waters of the 13th century and an attempt to shed additional light on its numerous and in places, dark layers. This paper tries to give a wider archaeological context to the seal and at the same time, to insert that archaeological context in the historical reading of the man whose name will remain engraved in the annals of history as the one who managed to resurrect Byzantium and his connection with this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the situation of families in the Netherlands. Marriage and relationships are analyzed, i.e., the manner of concluding and breaking up, the necessary conditions, and the like. Parenting, the rights, and obligations that arise, as well as the general family structure of families in the Netherlands. To get a broader picture of the families in this country, a review of several indicators was made and the statistical indicators for marriages, divorces and live births from 1950 to 2017 were compared. The main assumption is that a liberal society provides better conditions for the development and advancement of families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families and married couples in modern societies are constantly facing changes and adjustments to the influence of the processes of urbanization, globalization, individualization, and continuous technological development. Additionally, as a result of the increased geographical mobility of the population in the last century, contemporary societies are mostly ethnically or racially heterogeneous. In the 21st century, intercultural marriages, i.e. partnerships between individuals of different ethnic or racial backgrounds, are becoming more common in the world and are attracting the attention of sociological and psychological research. The Republic of North Macedonia is a multiethnic and multi-confessional country, however, it does not have a high rate of intercultural marriages, since they are not entirely socially accepted. In this paper, we will analyze intercultural marriages - known colloquially also as mixed marriages - in the world and in the Macedonian multicultural society. We will analyze the complexity of intermarriage from a theoretical point of view and examine relevant research on this topic. Additionally, we will present the data from qualitative research on intercultural marriages in North Macedonia, which was conducted during 2020 and refers to the experiences of married couples from intermarriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although we think of the school as a static institution, education is still evolving and changing, including the education of children with disabilities. With the adoption of the Law of Education in 2019, the Republic of Macedonia begins the process of full inclusion, which means that primary education is institutional, personnel, and content organized in a way that supports the inclusion of all students in regular primary education. At the proposal of the Bureau for development of the education, the Minister of education and science established NORMS and STANDARDS for space premises, equipment, and teaching aids for primary schools in the Republic of North Macedonia. Although it is stated that specialized teaching aids and resources, as well as assistive technologies, will be used for students with disabilities depending on their individual capabilities and needs, the coverage in the program document is very general. Hence the need to write this paper, to further determinate the specifications of the usage of teaching resources and aids in the inclusive classroom, specify on which way the teaching resources and aids aimed for typical students will become specialized, and which specific teaching resources, learning aids, and assistive technology are necessary for the student with motor impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, special educators and rehabilitators have found that the traditional curriculum in inclusive schools is not sufficient for students with severe visual impairment. In the educational process, in order to compensate for vision loss, the socalled expanded core curriculum must be included in their education. By applying for this program, students with visual impairment will achieve the same educational outcomes as their sighted peers. In addition to the traditional school subjects, the expanded core curriculum also provides special subjects for the development of compensatory skills in students with visual impairment. The aim of the program is for students with visual impairments to finish school with the necessary knowledge and skills for independent living. In the system of inclusive education, this program is realized by the special educator and rehabilitator. This paper will explain the components of the expanded core curriculum for students with severe visual impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual currencies including cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have gotten significant popularity over the past several years. The paper's purpose is to comprehend whether terrorist organizations and terrorist groups are presently using cryptocurrencies to funding their activities and, if not, why they do not exploit such currencies. Cryptocurrencies are easy to use, secure, and if used correctly can hide identity. That would explain why increasing research reports claim that terrorists are using them to fund their actions. Is that claim true, and if so, to what extent? And are there any realworld examples to draw on? In particular, factors that tend to discourage use contain continued unpredictability in the cryptocurrency community, cooperation between international law enforcement and the intelligence community, and developments in regulation and enforcement. The question of whether terrorist organizations will use these systems is dependent on the available technology, as well as on these groups' needs and abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immediately after the initial military success of the US military in 2001 and the overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, insurgent mujahedeen groups quickly began to form. Mixed insurgent groups formed by the Taliban, Hezbollah and Islamists, the Haganah network, foreign mercenaries, local tribes, and criminal organizations have been pushing hard to overthrow the Afghan government. The efforts of the United States and its coalition partners in dealing with the mujahedeen forces have provided an excellent opportunity to assess what works and what does not work in terms of fighting an asymmetric enemy by conventional means in an unconventional combat environment. The questions on which this research is based are: Why has modern sophisticated military technology and numerous conventional military superiorities failed to deal with the 4GB insurgent groups and failed to meet the expected results in countering threats to stability in Afghanistan? In this scientific paper, we will give an answer to this research question and at the same time, we will try to prove the reasons that led to the change of the essence and the conduct of the war in the XXI century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical and demographic processes have significantly influenced the transformation from traditional to modern family, changing its structure, functions, partnerships, as well as parenting and child rearing, perceptions of marriage, divorce, birth-rates, etc. After the Industrial revolution, the nuclear family became the dominant model of family in Europe and it is still prevailing in the Macedonian contemporary society. Social changes such as globalization, individualization, secularization, and the dynamics of modern living have led to new family forms that reflect modern societies. This paper will present a brief analysis of family structures, the transformation from traditional to modern family and it will discuss new family models. Particularly, it will focus on cohabitation, multi-ethnic families and same-sex relationships in the Republic of North Macedonia by presenting the results of a qualitative research on perception of new family models in North Macedonia conducted during 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After years of medical research, it is clear that drug addiction is a complex multifactorial biological and behavioural disorder. Scientific advances have made it possible to develop treatments that help normalize the functioning of the brain of those affected and support them in changing their behaviour. Providing evidence-based treatments now helps millions of people regain control of their lives. It is the psychosocial work with these people that provides such methods that in cooperation with the addict, who must be prepared for this type of cooperation, can produce positive effects for him and the environment, including the family that is always most affected by the addictive problem. This paper deals with some of those methods, that is, systemic family therapy that would enable progress in the addict's behaviour, his/her desire to change behaviour or treatments for relapse and prevention of relapse and recurrent behaviour. All this composition of psychosocial work, work through family therapies, and control over the addict enabled and assisted by official health and civic associations contribute to the formation of an overall strategy to help addicts and reduce the number of addicts in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is a matter of policy and social responsibility for world peace, while the peaceful development of nuclear technology is a matter of freedom, sovereignty and equality of nations. It is known that the improvement and development of nuclear weapons in the Cold War era was a constant process. In this paper, the author addresses the reasons behind the development and introduction of certain types of nuclear weapons in the armament, which according to the development programs at that time it is classified as weapons with intensive initial nuclear radiation. The neutron weapons emerge in part as a consequence of the doctrines of nuclear countries in accordance with the classification of possible wars that would have taken place in that era. The logical consequence of such a situation was the limited nuclear war, in which the nuclear forces became not only the owners of nuclear weapons, but also its hostages. The vision was that in a match with limited nuclear strikes, the winner might be the side that has more sophisticated weapons at the moment. The neutron bomb, officially defined as a high-radiation weapon, is a low-performance thermonuclear weapon designed to maximize deadly neutron radiation in the immediate vicinity of an explosion while minimizing the physical power of the explosion itself. The question remains whether the spread of various and even partially inaccurate information that protection is very difficult, almost impossible, may have one additional motive for the production and spread of this weapon - to influence morality, the political situation and to exert psychological pressure, not only tо armed forces but also the population in general?! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crisis, which began in 2019 and is ongoing in 2020, is based on a pandemic and has health and social consequences. Corona crisis has shaken the world on an unprecedented scale. Comparisons with previous crises indicate dramatic and huge loss of human life. The full mobilization of the states required them to take various measures. The measures are in the area of: health, social, economic, legal, political, hygienic, educational, fiscal, transport, security and so on. They are all complex and multidimensional, affecting many aspects of people's lives and social security. Border blockades, stopping of air transport, rail and road traffic meant complete isolation of people. The drastic restriction on the movement of people, as well as the consequences of these measures have led to social uncertainty and phenomena that are not fully explained, and for which they should be seen in numerous scientific disciplines. Among the most visible consequences, in addition to health, are economic and social, which have been felt directly by all people. Probably for a long time to come, these measures will produce limitations that explain the need to preserve people's health and social security. The paper examines social security in times of crisis and the impacts that arise from the institutional and systemic solutions offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper career indecision as a complex and multidimensional construct that attracts considerable research interest in the field of vocational psychology is presented. The introductory part describes this construct through one of the most commonly used definitions and the negative outcomes it can cause. The second part explains how the career indecision is integrated into the vocational theories/theories of career choice and development, followed by an overview of the empirical findings on its structure and causes of cognitive and emotional nature. The distinction between career indecision and indecisiveness, as well as the difference between developmental, chronic and acute career indecision are explained in the last part. In the conclusion part the importance of the career indecision for vocational guidance and career counselling is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Profound changes in requirements and demands of new skills and competences in the field of labour, which are preconditioned by significant technological development, changing economies, social and political establishments, place educational systems throughout the world (especially vocational education and training and adult education) ahead of a major challenge. - How to enable individuals to gain the skills and competences needed for the labour market of the future? Accomplishing this ambitious goal means that it is necessary to change the old paradigm of "job for a life time" to the new paradigm "learning throughout life" or "lifelong learning". Non-formal education in the context of lifelong learning concept is one of the paths that ensures equal opportunities for obtaining relevant skills, attitudes and competences among individuals. It is compensating the disadvantages of the formal education system which adapts too slowly to the socio-economic changes and is characterized with conservatism leading to inertia of the societies themselves. This paper tends to present educational offer and inclusion in non-formal adult education area, analysing the educational programme offer on one hand, and inclusiveness of the process of non-formal education on other hand. Results will point out the good practices, as well as the challenges that will need to be addressed urgently in order to accomplish the goal of inclusion and equity in the context of lifelong learning concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education and upbringing, as a subject of the pedagogy in the wider meaning of the term, have always been of special social and state interest. The state, with its instruments of government, has strived to carry out its politics in the field of education and upbringing. The word politics is associated with the terms state, state affairs, affairs of a state's interest. This interest is very explicitly expressed in the function and the structure of the school and the school system, especially for satisfying the fundamental needs of every state. In this paper some interpretations of the terms politics of education and education policy are given, pointing out the differences in their treatment and meaning. It has been stressed that pedagogy has an autonomous position regarding the state's educational-upbringing policy and the political factors, exponents of this policy. It has critical attitude towards the politics and the political conception of the goals, and is also autonomous from the educational-upbringing practice, having a critical attitude towards it too, since any educational-upbringing practice cannot be a source of pedagogical cognition and raise to the level of theory which, from that position, is going to advance the pedagogical practice. In this respect the issue of the correlation between politics and pedagogy is reviewed by their structure: policy (educational-upbringing policy), pedagogy (science, theory), educational-upbringing practice (pedagogical practice). In these processes and correlations there must be a permanent questioning and valorisation of the educational-upbringing policy, especially of its goals and educational strategy and practice, as well as of the postulates, models and instruments the pedagogy as a science offers. The realization of the goals in the development of educational-upbringing systems must be compatible with the directions of the development of education at global level, but nevertheless, the success depends on the social, cultural, economic and educational context of the particular state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the positions of Numenius on the status of the two, or rather the three gods, in his ontological system. In relation to his doctrine of the three gods, the problem of his theoretical inclination towards the East, especially Judaism, is briefly mentioned. The main points from the ontological background of the positioning and the characteristics are offered - the opposition between God and Matter, the assumed hierarchization of the divinity according to the various functions, and the status of the demiurgic principle. Hence, the relation between the First God and the Second God, and the possible division of the First, or, much more likely, the Second God into two gods are shown through the suitable examples from the extant fragments of Numenius' works. The distinction between the First God, simple, solitudinous and focused only on himself, and God who is divided into a Second and Third God, that is, the cosmos as a product of the Second God, is displayed. The ideas on the division of God by Matter are briefly expressed, as well as the ideas about the equivalence between the Supreme (First) God with the Good, and the way the Demiurge receives goodness. The claims according to which the First God, the principle of existence, governs the (sphere of the) being, and the Second God - the realm of becoming are listed. The reasons for the complexity of the theological concept of Numenius are glanced at, as well as the ways in which the confusion could be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]