Searching for the Soul of Europe: The Impact of the Sovereign Debt Crisis on an ‘Ever Closer Union’

<p>The destruction of global financial markets and the collapse of the Greek and Irish economies in 2010 caused a ripple effect that spread across the Eurozone and presented the EU with an unprecedented crisis. The level of economic devastation led many to question the integrity of the single currency and the direction of the European project as a whole. This thesis has examined three rounds of debate during the Sovereign Debt Crisis between 2010 and 2014, in order to ascertain the effect of this period on three competing ‘visions’ for the future of Europe. It has found that efforts to reform economic governance in the EU in the wake of the crisis have for the most part led to an entrenchment of the consolidation orthodoxy sponsored by Germany and its allies in northern Europe. However, a political turning point in mid-2012 led to a reprieve for the European Left and the subsequent advancement of the Social European vision advocating greater solidarity in the place of fiscal austerity. While the consolidation coalition’s commitment to economic stability and oversight has for the most part been maintained, the shifting balance of power in European politics, and an increasing frustration with the failures of austerity, have provided momentum for a major revision to the status quo. This thesis has found that while the Eurosceptic rise in the 2014 elections has raised serious questions for the EU, it has highlighted the unwavering commitment towards further integration among the dominant political actors in Europe, and will most likely set the Continent further along the path towards an ever closer union.</p>

Searching for the Soul of Europe: The Impact of the Sovereign Debt Crisis on an ‘Ever Closer Union’

<p>The destruction of global financial markets and the collapse of the Greek and Irish economies in 2010 caused a ripple effect that spread across the Eurozone and presented the EU with an unprecedented crisis. The level of economic devastation led many to question the integrity of the single currency and the direction of the European project as a whole. This thesis has examined three rounds of debate during the Sovereign Debt Crisis between 2010 and 2014, in order to ascertain the effect of this period on three competing ‘visions’ for the future of Europe. It has found that efforts to reform economic governance in the EU in the wake of the crisis have for the most part led to an entrenchment of the consolidation orthodoxy sponsored by Germany and its allies in northern Europe. However, a political turning point in mid-2012 led to a reprieve for the European Left and the subsequent advancement of the Social European vision advocating greater solidarity in the place of fiscal austerity. While the consolidation coalition’s commitment to economic stability and oversight has for the most part been maintained, the shifting balance of power in European politics, and an increasing frustration with the failures of austerity, have provided momentum for a major revision to the status quo. This thesis has found that while the Eurosceptic rise in the 2014 elections has raised serious questions for the EU, it has highlighted the unwavering commitment towards further integration among the dominant political actors in Europe, and will most likely set the Continent further along the path towards an ever closer union.</p>

Building on open economy politics to understand the stalled EU–India trade negotiations

Global trade governance is increasingly characterized by a growing fragility in multilateral institutions and a preference for bilateral negotiations. The literature on such negotiations focuses primarily on successful agreements. Academic research on unsuccessful or stalled bilateral talks is limited, although better understanding of such outcomes may provide lessons for future negotiations. This article contributes to such understanding by proposing a revised open economy politics (OEP) framework, adapted to ‘second generation’ OEP analysis. Our framework highlights the multidirectional linkages between the trinity of interests, institutions and international interactions within trade negotiations, while adding the role of power and ideas to the analysis. We leverage our revised framework to explore why the European Union–India Free Trade Agreement (EUIFTA) negotiations stalled, thus providing insights as negotiators seek to revive them. Drawing on 45 semi-structured interviews conducted over a seven-year period in the EU and India, we examine what impact these different factors had on the progress of talks. Our results suggest that our revised OEP approach provides a multi-layered and integrated framework which enables us to better understand negotiating outcomes. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the shifting balance between emerging economies and developed economies as a result of the geopolitical (power) shifts and ideational change will affect future trade negotiations.

US brand still strong but needs to show effectiveness

Significance Recent events have complicated the military and diplomatic elements of this task, but the wider 'Brand America' which Biden wants to restore -- one that shows democratic institutions solving the challenges of the 21st century more effectively than authoritarian regimes -- also needs attention. Impacts National brands cannot be managed as tightly as corporate brands but still need to embody and project a set of values and purposes. The shifting balance between long-standing US trends of internationalism and isolationism will be closely watched abroad. The prospect of a future president treating geopolitics as a zero-sum great power contest risks deep damage to 'Brand America'. Reduced margins of US pre-eminence will require Washington to adopt a more collaborative style of international leadership.

The Collapse of the Appellate Body as a Determining Factor of the WTO’s Future

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is one of the leading institutions involved in global economic regulation. Its purposes are to ensure multilateral cooperation on the liberalization of international trade, harmonize existing standards and requirements, and peacefully resolve trade disputes between countries. Since 11 December 2019, dispute resolution has been handicapped due to the consistent blocking of the appointment of members to the WTO Appellate Body (AB) by the United States. This has reduced the multilateral trading system’s (MTS) predictability and threatens its final decay. In this article, the fundamental and formal causes of the collapse are described, and its circumvention mechanisms and effectiveness are discussed. At the same time, an assessment is given of the possibility to overcome the collapse in 2021, considering the change of the U.S. president and other events. Special attention is paid to Russia’s position and its current and potential losses. Finally, the issue of dispute resolution through regional trade agreements is proposed for discussion. The fundamental reasons for the collapse were the shifting balance of power in the world order and the WTO’s inflexibility in adjusting the rulebook and its procedures. The main reasons for the U.S.’ dissatisfaction are objective but based on formalities; the blockage of the AB is an overreaction. Moreover, the U.S.’ position on this issue has not changed with the new president. As a result, there is abuse of the current situation as WTO members file appeals “into the void.” Existing tools to circumvent the collapse are partial and not yet popular among WTO members. Russia needs to resume the AB’s work to complete previously started high-profile disputes and to defend its interests in the future.

On the Neglected Shifting balance theory, Bateson–Dobzhansky–Muller model & Quantum evolution plus the Role of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential (MMP) Impact on COVID-19

Background: Approximately 80% of all viruses are RNA viruses and they contain their specific RNA helicases. Defective RNA helicases have been linked to infectious diseases (Viral Infections). Materials and Methods: The articles have gone through many types of research from the beginning of the epidemic of Coronaviruses through history and we introduced the neglected hypothesis of Shifting balance theory, Bateson–Dobzhansky–Muller model & Quantum evolution. In the ancestral population, the genotype is AABB. When two populations become isolated from each other, new mutations can arise. In one population A evolves into a, and in the other B evolves into b. When the two populations hybridize it is the first time A and B interact with each other. When these alleles are incompatible, we speak of Dobzhansky–Muller incompatibilities plus the role of MMA in mitochondria in spreading SARS-CoV-19 through populations and the result of an infection in COVID-19. Results: In viruses specifically COVID-19, Ribosomal Frameshift is programmed to allows the virus to encode multiple types of proteins from the same mRNA. HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus), RSV (Rous sarcoma virus), and all types of influenza viruses use Ribosomal Frameshift. they rely on frameshifting to create a proper ratio of normal translation and trans-frame (encoded by frameshifted sequence) proteins. Notably, its use in viruses is primarily for compacting more genetic information into a shorter amount of genetic material. Conclusion: to find the genome sequence of COVID-19 we also used Nanopore sequencing that introduced and manufactured by Oxford scientists, due to differences in the action of infection in the host, we could not reach any results since the Novel Virus has not a stable genome (which is quite dynamic) since through our deep research, each virus contains its specific genome sequencing and we cannot claim that COVID-19 has one specific genome sequence like MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV or any types of viruses which has been discovered and contains their specific genome.

Affective politics and online culture: Reserved’s digital marketing campaign in post-hegemonic perspective

The article employs post-hegemonic theory to reframe how power operates within online cultures. To that end, it investigates a digital marketing campaign for a Polish clothing brand, Reserved, and its reception in social media. Examining over one thousand comments on Facebook, it argues that while the initial viral success abruptly turned into public outcry, the actual response was much more varied, encompassing a multiplicity of different feelings and immediate orientations, not necessarily congruent with the backlash. In this sense, the shifting balance of power was not contingent on the emergence of a public consensus that challenged corporate hegemony, but pertained to the arrangement of affective intensities to habituate the multitude to the networked media environment. Consequently, the article approaches Reserved’s campaign and its online reception as involving a series of corporeal attunements that re-territorialized multiple and incongruent affective flows into established networked structures and corresponding relations of power.

On the Neglected Shifting balance theory, Bateson–Dobzhansky–Muller model & Quantum evolution plus the Role of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential (MMP) Impact on COVID-19

Background: Approximately 80% of all viruses are RNA viruses and they contain their specific RNA helicases. Defective RNA helicases have been linked to infectious diseases (Viral Infections). Materials and Methods: The articles have gone through many types of research from the beginning of the epidemic of Coronaviruses through history and we introduced the neglected hypothesis of Shifting balance theory, Bateson–Dobzhansky–Muller model &amp; Quantum evolution. In the ancestral population, the genotype is AABB. When two populations become isolated from each other, new mutations can arise. In one population A evolves into a, and in the other B evolves into b. When the two populations hybridize it is the first time A and B interact with each other. When these alleles are incompatible, we speak of Dobzhansky–Muller incompatibilities plus the role of MMA in mitochondria in spreading SARS-CoV-19 through populations and the result of an infection in COVID-19. Results: In viruses specifically COVID-19, Ribosomal Frameshift is programmed to allows the virus to encode multiple types of proteins from the same mRNA. HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus), RSV (Rous sarcoma virus), and all types of influenza viruses use Ribosomal Frameshift. they rely on frameshifting to create a proper ratio of normal translation and trans-frame (encoded by frameshifted sequence) proteins. Notably, its use in viruses is primarily for compacting more genetic information into a shorter amount of genetic material. Conclusion: to find the genome sequence of COVID-19 we also used Nanopore sequencing that introduced and manufactured by Oxford scientists, due to differences in the action of infection in the host, we could not reach any results since the Novel Virus has not a stable genome (which is quite dynamic) since through our deep research, each virus contains its specific genome sequencing and we cannot claim that COVID-19 has one specific genome sequence like MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV or any types of viruses which has been discovered and contains their specific genome.

The Byzantine Empire (641–1453 CE)

After the Roman Empire lost Egypt and Syria to the Arab conquests of the seventh century, it survived in the Balkans and Asia Minor until the fifteenth century in a form that modern historians call “Byzantium.” This state expanded gradually until the eleventh century, conquering Bulgaria, but then experienced the shock of sudden contractions, especially when it lost most of Asia Minor to the Seljuk Turks and when the Fourth Crusade captured its capital Constantinople and dismembered the empire. This chapter examines how the empire’s governing institutions adapted to these changing circumstances, the combination of Roman and Christian Orthodox ideology that sustained it, and the shifting balance of ethnic diversity within it. At all times, the majority of the population consisted of Greek-speaking Orthodox Romans: “empire” was thus more a relationship that obtained between the state and its conquered or absorbed minorities, which Byzantium was good at assimilating.