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Copyright of Economic Horizons / Ekonomski Horizonti is the property of Economic Horizons and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Economic resilience, considered in this paper as the ability to withstand and recover from economic shocks and disruptions, has become a linchpin of ensuring national security and stability. As demonstrated by conflicts such as the one in Ukraine, where economic sanctions were deployed to diminish an adversary's capacity to sustain its war efforts, it has become evident that military power alone is insufficient in today's complex security landscape. A comprehensive approach to defence must incorporate economic considerations, as the economic well-being of a nation is intrinsically linked to its overall security. The main research objectives of this paper are to investigate the concept of economic resilience, from the perspective of the concept of comprehensive defence and the ways it is interconnected with other resilience domains, through the development of an economic resilience index outlining the relative economic resilience of the 29 European countries that are NATO members and to propose a methodology for identifying the main factors that influence the economic resilience from a comprehensive defence point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic resilience, considered in this paper as the ability to withstand and recover from economic shocks and disruptions, has become a linchpin of ensuring national security and stability. As demonstrated by conflicts such as the one in Ukraine, where economic sanctions were deployed to diminish an adversary’s capacity to sustain its war efforts, it has become evident that military power alone is insufficient in today’s complex security landscape. A comprehensive approach to defence must incorporate economic considerations, as the economic well-being of a nation is intrinsically linked to its overall security. The main research objectives of this paper are to investigate the concept of economic resilience, from the perspective of the concept of comprehensive defence and the ways it is interconnected with other resilience domains, through the development of an economic resilience index outlining the relative economic resilience of the 29 European countries that are NATO members and to propose a methodology for identifying the main factors that influence the economic resilience from a comprehensive defence point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ukrainian crisis has caused important repercussions at the international level, including the influx of thousands of voluntary fighters from abroad. According to recent estimates, from 2014 until the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, approximately 1,000 Westerners travelled to the disputed region of the Donbas (Eastern Ukraine), on both sides of the conflict (Ukrainian forces and Russia-supported "separatist" militias). This article intends to offer an original contribution to the empirical study of the mobilization of Western fighters in the Donbas, by taking into account, for the first time, the national case of Italy (one of the countries most affected by the phenomenon in the West). In particular, based on detailed primary and secondary sources, the paper examines in depth a relatively large Italian network of pro-separatist fighters and direct supporters, including far-right militants, and analyzes their profiles and mobilization dynamics, drawing upon the literature on social movements and contentious politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime transportation plays a vital role in global trade, and studying the resilience of the global maritime network is crucial for ensuring its sustainable development. Currently, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has garnered significant global attention. However, there is a lack of specific research on the impact of the conflict on maritime shipping, particularly the resilience of the global maritime network. This paper proposes a resilience assessment framework under the influence of significant events by combining complex network metrics and network performance indicators from the resilience triangle model. It quantitatively evaluates the resilience changes in the global maritime network before and after the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine conflict. The experiment utilizes real automatic identification system (AIS) maritime trajectory data to quantify and visualize the changes in global maritime traffic during a 20-day period before and after the conflict, constructing the global maritime network for resilience calculations. The research findings indicate the following changes occurred after the Russia–Ukraine conflict. Firstly, the global maritime industry experienced overall growth, with increased ship transportation between ports. Transportation in certain regions was negatively affected, with a significant decrease in ship activities in the Black Sea and Adriatic Sea areas. The positions of Russia and Ukraine in the world maritime industry noticeably declined. Secondly, the network connectivity, network size, and network density of the global maritime network significantly increased, indicating an enhanced network resilience. According to our quantitative results, from a topological perspective, we observed the following changes: network connectivity increased by 27.2%, network scale increased by 36.6%, network density increased by 32.4%, and network resilience increased by 18.6%. Thirdly, the global maritime network is characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity, and the impact of conflicts on the heterogeneity of the shipping network is not significant. Finally, the network exhibited a slower performance decline under random attacks, while deliberate attacks led to a sharp decline. Due to the adaptive nature of the maritime network, the resilience of the network improves in terms of its topology following the outbreak of conflicts. After conflict incidents, the rate of performance decline during simulated attacks is lower compared to the pre-conflict period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Security Strategies Journal / Güvenlik Stratejileri Dergisi is the property of Strategic Research Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Ukrainian-Russian relationship is examined in this paper amid Ukraine's identity crisis, focusing on the historical trajectory, promotion of the Ukrainian language, and implications of continuous use of the Russian language in Ukraine. A thorough but careful look at the linguistic contact history reveals crisis sources influenced by Ukraine's geography and politics. Russian dominance, especially in the Soviet era, eroded Ukrainian language and identity, sparking debates on linguistic, social, and political implications. The impact of Russian on Ukrainian identity raises concerns about cultural preservation. Recent efforts prioritise Ukrainian language promotion to revive identity, addressing tensions from linguistic differences. Language becomes a geopolitical tool, amplifying the identity crisis. The political and social consequences of language choice are creating divisions in Ukrainian society today. This article concludes by emphasising the need to address the identity crisis in Ukraine through fostering linguistic diversity, inclusivity, and respect for both Russian and Ukrainian languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The socio-economic crisis in Ukraine, which has worsened over the past decade, has had a profound impact on all local communities. Local governments implementing decentralised mechanisms and anti-crisis financial measures are currently facing numerous theoretical and procedural constraints, which, although not homogeneous, have a cumulative effect. In the context of low economic potential and existing legislative constraints, local governments cannot actively manipulate consistent sources of local budget revenues (taxes) to support sustainable regional development, and therefore a coherent policy of credit and fiscal equalisation is an important aspect of ensuring the sustainability of local public finances. The purpose of the paper is to assess the correspondence between the fiscal sustainability of local budgets (with a focus on the borrowing component) and the economic sustainability of regions. Empirical studies of Ukraine's experience based on regression modelling have not found a clear direct link between the drivers of fiscal sustainability of local budgets (solvency, dependence on intergovernmental grants, stability of tax revenues) and the sustainability of socio-economic development of Ukrainian regions. In addition, in the context of the crisis and external shocks, strict adherence to the criteria of fiscal balance of local budgets undermines the ability to ensure a sustainable recovery of the regional economy, so it is important not to limit the fiscal capacity of communities by attracting local borrowings and intergovernmental grant during the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we adopt multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) to explore relationships between the Russia–Ukraine conflict and defense stock markets. Specifically, we analyze the behaviors of 20 U.S. defense stock markets confronting with the Russia–Ukraine conflict. By using the stock price charts, combined with multifractal spectra and singularity exponents calculated by MF-DFA, we explore how the conflict affects the defense stock markets in perspectives of closing price, market efficiency and stability. In addition, the obtained results reveal high level of consistency while each type shows distinct features. According to singularity exponents, we observe that all 20 stocks can be divided into three types which we note as T y p e s  A, B and C. We infer from the singularity spectra that the T y p e  A stock price will experience plummet after the conflict, instead, stock price of T y p e  A increases based on stock price charts, while stock price of T y p e s  B and C rises as predicted. For T y p e  A stocks, their market efficiency and stability show increments where we draw completely opposite conclusion for T y p e  B stocks. Furthermore, we also note that T y p e  C stocks include two defense stocks having a special phenomenon, and their multifractal spectra indicate the increase in stock price which behave like T y p e  B stocks. However, their singularity exponents reduce during the conflict, meaning the slump in their market efficiency, which share the same characteristic as T y p e  A stocks. Hence, we treat T y p e  C stocks as a unique type. To mitigate the influence of stochastic elements in the experimental process, three comparative analyses are undertaken. We humbly believe that the induced implications are aroused by the Russia–Ukraine conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the representation of the Russia–Ukraine conflict by two state-owned Russian news media and two state-owned Ukrainian news media, namely Izvestia, Russia Today, Ukrinform and Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. The aim of this investigation is to determine the ideologies embedded in the news reports and discourse structures, and strategies deployed in portraying the conflict actors and their actions. Van Dijk's socio-cognitive model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (see Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 1998; New(s) racism: A discourse analytical approach, 2000; and Politics, ideology, and discourse, 2006) and Martin and White's Appraisal Framework of attitude and graduation (see The Language of Evaluation: Appraisal in English, 2005) served as the theoretical frameworks. Using Critical Discourse Analysis as the analytical framework, the study examines how attitudinal and evaluative language use are employed to enact ideologies and to portray biased presentations of conflict actors. The findings reveal that the media reports of the Russia–Ukraine conflict are laden with militarism and nationalism. Discourse structures and strategies of emotive verbs, evaluative adjectives, positive self-presentation, negative other-presentation, national self-glorification, actor description, comparison and number games are powerful tools for enacting ideologies. The media representation of the Russia–Ukraine conflict lacked conflict resolution embedded linguistic frames and is rather distorted, stereotypic and conflict-inciting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsea infrastructure is typically out of sight, but in recent times, seldom out of mind. The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in October 2022 has magnified the vulnerability and critical importance of subsea infrastructure. It also exposed a lack of understanding on how subsea networks operate, how they are regulated, who controls them and how they are protected. Ireland matters in this context. Despite its official policy of neutrality, Ireland occupies an important strategic position in terms of transatlantic telecommunications cables between the United States, Britain and continental Europe. The conflict in Ukraine has amplified tensions in this context in terms of the increased threat of grey-zone/hybrid warfare activity. This article will consider for the first time how a global connectivity hub on the western periphery of Europe governs critical underwater infrastructure. It will discuss the context and agencies involved in subsea cable governance in Ireland and identify the gaps in this protection before formulating suggestions for the long-term improvement of Ireland's maritime security capacity. The Irish case is important as it can help inform defence policy and security practice in other island states with large maritime jurisdictions and in particular states with small navies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores Russian occupation policy in Ukraine as an adaptive tactic of Russia's grand strategy and a manifestation of its military culture. Based on a comparative analysis of the Russian occupation policy during the hybrid and conventional stages of the Russian-Ukrainian war, including the employment of a de facto state playbook, we find both continuity and shifts in Russia's approach. Although the main shift lies in the change of Russia's conflict management in neighboring countries from reactive to proactive, the main continuities are the subordination of occupation policy to Russia's geostrategic interests and path dependence in its military culture, which together lead to the employment of brutal violence against civilians and the demodernization of occupied territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geopolitical conflict between Russia and Ukraine has disrupted Europe's natural gas supplies, driving up gas prices and leading to a shift towards biomass for residential heating during colder months. This study assessed the consequent air quality and toxicological impacts in Milan, Italy, focusing on fine particulate matter (PM2.5, dp < 2.5 μm) emissions. PM2.5 samples were analyzed for their chemical composition and assessed for their oxidative potential using the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay across three periods reflecting residential heating deployment (RHD): pre-RHD, intra-RHD, and post-RHD periods. During the intra-RHD period, PM2.5 levels were significantly higher than those in other periods, with concentrations reaching 57.94 ± 7.57 μg/m3, indicating a deterioration in air quality. Moreover, levoglucosan was 9.2 times higher during the intra-RHD period compared to the pre-RHD period, correlating with elevated levels of elemental carbon (EC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These findings were compared with previous local studies before the conflict, underscoring a significant rise in biomass-related emissions. DTT assay levels during the intra-RHD were 2.1 times higher than those observed during the same period in 2022, strongly correlating with biomass burning emissions. Our findings highlight the necessity for policies to mitigate the indirect health effects of increased biomass burning emissions due to the energy crisis triggered by the geopolitical conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an international issue entangled with geopolitical tensions, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had significant media coverage in China and is reflected in the battle for global media supported by different powers. This study analyses the domestic context of news production to examine how this ongoing conflict is portrayed by leading news media in China with a special focus on the 'domestication' effect in global journalism, reflecting diverse frames in different countries. News coverage was selected from February 2022 to March 2023 from the online databases of Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily and China Daily. By employing the framing analysis, this study discusses the strategies used by the Chinese media in domesticating the global news for the audiences in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russia's premeditated armed aggression against Ukraine began on February 2014 with a military operation by the Russian Armed Forces to seize part of Ukraine's territory - the Crimean peninsula - and then provoke a war in Donbas. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine after that the Russian President announced the start of a so-called „special military operation" under the pretext of carrying out the so-called „demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine". The Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defence forces and Ukrainian citizens thwarted the Kremlin's plans to launch a „blitzkrieg", seize Kyiv and key cities and change the government in Ukraine. This study presents some aspects of Ukrainian legislation related to the war against Ukraine since 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing interest that scholars have paid to animosity in tourism settings, pertinent research draws mostly from tourist perspectives to examine the effects of animosity on travel-related decision-making. The aim of this study is to explore the animosity perceptions of residents against Russian tourists who, following the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the sanctions imposed on Russia, are likely to experience intense animosity when traveling abroad. The study draws from interviews with residents based in Cyprus, a well-known island destination in the Mediterranean that is popular among Russian tourists. The study concludes that animosity within tourism settings represents a complex construct as it evolves and manifests varyingly, depending on multiple factors including media representations, passage of time from occurrence of event, previously held attitudes toward tourists, political or cultural affinity and subjective norms. The study offers a classification of resident animosity/affinity which provides theoretical and practical insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]