DOI: 10.7256/2454-0617.2019.1.29799

Abstract: This study examines the "Indigados movement" and the "Five Star movement", which emerged in the South European region as a response to the austerity policies implemented by the government following the 2008 economic crisis which affected the prosperity of the European Union member states. The author explores the issue of youth unemployment as one of the major factors that lead to mass demonstrations which rolled across Spain and Italy. The study draws attention to the causes of the mortgage crisis in Spain, which later became the catalyst for the confrontation between the citizenship and the state. The article cites the political discourse of the protest leaders of Spain and Italy. The author draws attention to the active usage of the information space by the members of said movements, which hints a global nature of this phenomenon. The author concludes that contemporary realities impose new rules of political struggle. European youth is being involved into political processes of the EU by new, progressive means. Simultaneously, the main goal of mass public demonstrations - the desire of citizens to be heard - is noted. Drawing spotlight to the hot issue of youth employment remains a relevant aspect of the said movement's political rhetoric.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0617.2019.1.21979

Abstract: The article analyzes the foreign policy of France towards Middle East, one of the most significant regions in French foreign interests. The subject of research is the standing of the French Republic in the process of defusing the Syrian conflict. The author studies the relevant key French proposals for the stabilization of international relations in the Middle East, analyzes the foreign policy of N. Sarkozy and F. Hollande, as well as France's role in the fight against international terrorism. The author identifies the failures and shortcomings of the French foreign policy and their effect in the internal political course. The research methodology is based on general scientific methods, integrated and systemic approaches. The main conclusion of the research is that French foreign policy demonstrates a passive approach to the Middle East situation and to the settlement of the Syrian conflict. Fragmentation and lack of structure in defending the role of France as one of the key world actors, dependence upon foreign policy decisions from third countries, is evident.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0617.2019.1.21924

Abstract: This work studies the issue of conflict between inmates, as well as the work of operative units as a form of conflict prevention. The author examines the opinions of several researchers on the nature of conflict, spotlights major forms of conflict prevention. Based on the practical data the author outlines the main functions of operative units which specialize on inter-inmate conflict prevention. Enhancing the efficiency of social and psychological work in correctional facilities, as well as various arrangements aimed to inmate adaptation and reducing criminal recidivism among the inmates allows to take into account all groups of factors which influence the establishment of the correctional regime and security in correctional facilities. Among such factors are conflicts among convicts serving a sentence. The direction of interviewing the convict who became the object of a conflict situation depends on a variety of factors, such as where and in which condition the inmate was, his standing with the conflict's initiator, the cause of the conflict, the behaviour of conflicting parties, the readiness of the inmate to provide truthful information, their reason, if any, for withholding the truth. While preparing for the interview it is necessary to draw the list of conflict's circumstances that need to be clarified. Depending on the exact circumstances of the conflict the questions during the interview may vary greatly. The less-relevant questions should be asked separately, based on their importance (which is, in turn, subjective, and largely situational), if the interviewee is not inclined to speak freely.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0617.2019.1.29188

Abstract: This study examines the major internal and external mechanisms of the increasing environmentalism in Chinese economy. The economic dimension of environmentionalization processes in the context of economic development. The main goal of this article is to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of said processes and to outline possible methods of overcoming their contradicting currents. Studying the experience of the People's Republic of China, the strengths and weaknesses of the Chinese approach to the environmentalization of the economy is necessary not only to understand the contemporary situation and to predict the future external and internal policies of the country. The results of the study may be useful for building possible scenarios for the development of other growing economies. The author analyses and outlines the political, market and social mechanisms necessary to achieve the set goals of the economy's environmentalization mechanisms. The author studies their main traits and spotlights the trends which are common to the said process in Chinese economy. The author also outlines the contradictions which China faces in the process of building a greener economy. The said contradictions include the conflict between the economy and the environment (1), the conflict of interest between the central government and regional authorities (2), the uneven environment-friendliness of large companies and smaller enterprises (3), as well as the lack of environmental awareness among the Chinese economy's actors (4). The author concludes by offering a number of ways to overcome the said contradictions.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0617.2019.1.29496

Abstract: The role of France and its foreign policies in one of the most volatile regions of the world, the Persian Gulf, constitutes the subject of this study. The authors discover the interests which the Fifth Republic pursues in the Gulf, spotlight the advantageous and vulnerable aspects of French diplomacy in the said field. The study covers the dominant French perception of the Gulf as a "crossroads space", strategically crucial for the security of France and Europe a whole. The major competitors of the Fifth Republic which challenge France in order to preserve their interests are also defined. Methodologically, the study's foundation is laid by the principle of regionalism - a way of defining a region as a self-sufficient unity with its defining specific traits. This explains the fact that the article does not only study the relations between France and each single country of the Gulf, but rather its approach to the region as a whole. The foreign policy of the Fifth Republic is studied as an integrated entity, combining military and non-military leverage. The method of comparison allowed to weight the resources of France against the potential of competing players. Concluding their analysis, the authors would define France as a "transitory" player in the region. French diplomacy has several channels of influence in the Gulf area, but it lacks the resources to establish itself as an undisputed leader (while pushing aside other major forces, such as the USA).