Open Access Published by De Gruyter Open Access

Volume 1 Issue 1

January 2018

Issue of Open Political Science

Contents
Journal Overview

Research Article

Open Access July 5, 2017

The Visegrád Group – A Rising Star Post-Brexit? Changing Distribution of Power in the European Council

Ralf Thomas Göllner

Page range: 1-6

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Abstract

The portmanteau Brexit describes the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) which will cause a shift of power in the European institutions. The departure of one of the largest EU members will affect the voting power of member countries in the European Council significantly. This Council is the central hub of political decision making in the EU, defining the overall political direction and priorities and setting the policy agenda for the entirety of the EU. Using the Banzhaf power index, we have measured the voting power before and after the Brexit and analyzed the increasing power of the members of the Visegrád Group compared to other European states. We have found that there is growth in the voting power of all Visegrád states, with Poland experiencing the biggest increase. However, the extent by which the Visegrád Group will profit from this statistically growing power depends on the coordination of their voting behavior in the future.

Open Access March 24, 2018

The Role of Trust in Political Systems. A Philosophical Perspective

Friedel Weinert

Page range: 7-15

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Abstract

The paper analyzes the question of whether trust is an essential condition for the functioning of social and political systems; it approaches the issue from a philosophical perspective. Trust appears in both interpersonal relationships (interpersonal trust) and in societal and political institutions (social and political trust, respectively). In the political literature trust is sometimes characterized as ‘an expectation of continued value’. Although the same literature distinguishes social from political trust, the thesis advanced here is that, logically, all forms of trust must be characterized as an inductive generalization from past experience to future expectations of the continuation of some specifiable utilities (goods, services). As such, trust suffers from Humean reservations about inductive inferences. Trust as an expectation of the continued provision of utilities, on the institutional level, will be characterized as a first-order sort of trust. It can be disappointed without necessarily threatening the continuation of a given institution, especially if there is no alternative service provider. But trust as an expectation of the continued functioning of democratic mechanisms will be characterized as a second-order sort of trust. The paper will argue that the second-order kind of trust is essential for the functioning of democracies.

Open Access May 31, 2018

Brexit: Critical Juncture in the UK’s International Development Agenda?

Cletus Famous Nwankwo

Page range: 16-19

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Abstract

This paper raises some questions about Brexit in light of international development cooperation and policy studies. Brexit could be a disrupting critical juncture for UK policy and international development institutions after an extended period as a member of the European Union (EU). Consequently, it calls for investigating ongoing or potential policy reform in the UK’s international development programmes, the identification of policies that will not correspond to the requirements of the UK’s international development agenda in relation to Brexit, and the new policies that will replace them. Furthermore, it argues for the importance of the analysis of the nature and process of such policy reforms, and the attitudes of principal actors towards them. Examining these issues can reveal how a state could untangle and reconfigure itself amidst a complex institutional network of regional states’ association in the 21st Century.

Open Access May 31, 2018

Renaming urban toponomy as a mean of redefining local identity: the case of street decommunization in Poland

Bartłomiej Różycki

Page range: 20-31

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Abstract

During and after democratic transition in Poland, the decommunization of urban toponomy became an important aspect of symbolic changes. Although the general course of street renaming was similar in the whole country, the pace of these changes as well as scope of tolerance towards the symbols of the past varied. In this article, the cases of three major Polish cities are analyzed. In Kraków, its long and rich history constituted a background of local identity and certain level of autonomy in defining the symbolic landscape. Warsaw on the other hand was a city whose extraordinary experiences related to the World War II resulted in commemoration of a whole new set of myths and figures through the street names. What is more, its status of the country’s capital caused its identity to influence the canon of Polish history as a whole. This affected the third analyzed case, Wrocław, whose long history of links with German culture resulted in very little symbolic capital which would be compatible with this new patriotic canon. As a result, Wrocław accepted in its urban toponomy a vast number of symbols unrelated to its own memory, in the same time suppressing symbols linked to its local identity. Accepting external heritage turned out to be a strategy of avoiding conflict with the dominant narrative.1

Open Access July 18, 2018

The Shia armed groups and the future of Iraq

Kardo Rached, Ahmed Bali

Page range: 46-57

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Abstract

The rising and acceleration of the Shia armed group in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon require a deep understanding of the root of the multi-dimensional conflicts in the Middle East. An appropriate and sufficient approach to the research about these militias would be from a viewpoint of an internal conflict rather than an external conflict. The legitimization of the existence of the majority of these militias, if not all of them, is the fight and the struggle against an entity which is the Sunni sect, that would assimilate them rather than integrating them peacefully. In this article, we try to identify the impact of the Shia militias in Iraq on the formation of the future of this country. We maintain that these armed groups will be a destabilizing factor for Iraq and its neighbors, and they will worsen and deepen the sectarian division in the Middle East. We assess these different groups from different perspectives, for example, using the Weberian theory that the state is the only entity that has a monopoly of violence; Ariel Ahram’s model of state-sponsored and government-sponsored militias; and finally the devolution of violence to these armed groups.

Open Access October 2, 2018

Fulfilling High Hopes? The Legitimacy Potential of the European Citizens’ Initiative

de Henri Waele, Ellen Mastenbroek

Page range: 75-92

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Abstract

The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) constitutes the Union’s first genuine instrument of direct democracy. The first experiences with regard to its deployment have however proved disappointing, criticism of the instrument is mounting, and suggestions for reform abound. This raises the question whether the ECI holds any genuine potential to enhance the legitimacy of the EU - or whether it should at least in this regard be considered an ineffective, misguided experiment instead. The current paper provides a response by triangulating three types of data: legal insight and argument, empirical information with regard to the functioning of the instrument in the first five years of its operation, and a rational assessment of the procedure, now and in the future. This allows for a comprehensive reflection on the impact the ECI has had, and what impact it may yet have in the long or medium term, on the overall legitimacy of the EU.

Open Access October 5, 2018

Vote Buying in the 2018 Governorship Election in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Cletus Famous Nwankwo

Page range: 93-97

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Abstract

This paper aims to comment on the manifestation of vote buying regarding voter turnout and voter choices in the 2018 Ekiti governorship election in Nigeria and its implications. The article notes that vote-buying might not have significantly influenced voter turnout, but it changed voters’ choices as the two major political parties in the election resorted to a massive monetary inducement for electoral support at the poll. Even though the election was decided by secret balloting, the advent of “see and buy” shows that politicians are stepping up their games to manipulate elections. The paper thus argues for institutional electoral reform and strengthening the enforcement of the law.

Open Access October 18, 2018

The roots of clientelism in Iraqi Kurdistan and the efforts to fight it

Ahmed Omar Bali

Page range: 98-104

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Abstract

This study examines the roots of clientelism in Iraqi Kurdistan and the effort to fight it. The clientelism system exists when a kind of deal is struck between those in power and clients in society who agree to exchange benefits. The political issues in Kurdistan particularly, corruption and lack of social justice have historical roots as a result of the accumulation of problems that have not been resolved by the client system that is adopted by the two political parties in power, namely the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP). The two political parties have monopolised the public sector, the Peshmerga and Security forces, as well as the economy, they have succeeded in controlling the larger part of society through clientelism. In hence, they used public funds, jobs and posts to buy people’s votes and loyalty. The opposition parties have been unable to exert pressure on the ruling parties who can buy the affiliation of people through the use of public finance. The opposition and independent media began to play a large role in highlighting the corruption and the client system .

Open Access December 31, 2018

Coalition of states for influence in the European Council. Brexit - a step towards decisional balance in the European Council?

Gavrilov Doina

Page range: 124-130

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Abstract

The EU decision-making process is one that has changed over time with the Treaties, with the extension, modification of EU policies and the areas where the EU is acting. In addition to the above, in 2016 we have one more reason to add to the changing of the decisional process “-Brexit”- a political turnaround that stimulates new changes at the decision-making level and raises questions about the future of the European Union. Federalists claim that these events will lead to a strengthening of the Union, and euro-skeptics claim that this is a step towards breaking the Union. Two years after the Brexit started, the European Union continues to remain a prominent actor in the international arena, but another question is being raised: “Will EU institutions act on the same principles? Or will there be changes in the decision-making process?”. In this article, we will analyse the state coalitions in the decision-making process, and the role of Brexit in forming coalitions for establishing a decisional balance in the European Council. Following the analysis of the power rapport in the European Council, we refer to small and medium-sized states that work together closely to counterbalance the decisions of the big states, and the new coalitions to achieve their goals in the new political context.

Open Access December 19, 2018

Impediments and Desirability of Complete Ban on International Movement of Toxic Waste

Cletus Famous Nwankwo, Uchenna Paulinus Okafor

Page range: 131-135

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Abstract

This essay identifies the obstacles to a complete ban on international movement of hazardous waste and critiques its desirability. The essay argues that the obstacles are difficulties in formulating and implementing multilateral waste management treaties (WMTs), socioeconomic factors and trade liberalisation. Also, it argues that the desirability of a complete ban is a function of national priority and socio-economic differentials that underpin the waste trade. Furthermore, since the Basel Convention as amended is not a ‘Holy Grail’, the responsibility of a complete ban will lie on the shoulders of countries that do want to ‘trade poison for cash’. Such countries will have to strengthen their environmental legislation, forge and sustain stronger joint actions to confront the problem.

Open Access December 31, 2018

The Military Policy of Isaac Komnenos at the time of battle of Petroe (1057)

Marcin Böhm

Page range: 136-142

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Abstract

Isaac Komnenos (1007-1060) was the son of Manuel Eroticos Komnenos (955/960-c.1020), one of the associates of Basil II. Thanks to his education, Isaac later joined the imperial army (around 1042). He held the post of stratopedarches of the East and the ranks of magistros. At Easter 1057, the delegation of many military commanders presented itself before the emperor. This delegation was led by Isaac, and along with Katakalon Kekaumenos he tried to convince Michael VI to give them both the title of proedros, but the new emperor rejected their demands. They did not receive the money they counted on the part of the emperor, and he insulted them. This, in turn, became the causative factor of the rebellion, which culminated at the battle of Petroe. The attitudes and actions of Isaac Komnenos at the beginning of the rebellion cannot be unequivocally assessed. It is also difficult to say that it was his skills that were decisive for the success during the battle of Petroe, since he had a moment of breakdown, during which he wanted to leave his army and hide behind the walls of nearby Nicaea. He had a cunctator attitude and faith in the good omens. These qualities also do not reflect well on him.

Open Access December 31, 2018

Balance of Power or Balance of Threat: Revisiting Ottoman Alliance Politics before the Great War

Dogachan Dagi

Page range: 143-152

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Abstract

The Ottoman alliance politics before the Great War has not been explored for theorizing alliance politics though it presents a unique example of alliance formation under external threat. Thus, in this article, a neo-realist balance of threat theory is utilized to examine the Ottoman decision to align with Germany in the Great War. Unlike a historical account as to why the Ottomans sided with the German-Austrian alliance, this article develops a theoretical approach that takes insights from ‘alliance theories’ to explain the Ottomans’ fateful alignment. Such an alliance theory approach underlines the dilemmas of the Ottoman decision makers and demonstrates ‘rational’ elements of their strategy of balancing the main source of the threat. By bringing alliance theories and Ottoman historiography together it is argued that the Ottomans, in their search for an alliance before the Great War, sought a “balance of threat” politics rather than a “balance of power” politics.

Open Access December 31, 2018

Terrorism 4.0: A Global and Structural Analysis

Adewunmi J. Falode

Page range: 153-163

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Abstract

The paper is an analysis of the different typology, forms and aspects of terrorism in its modern incarnation. It is a critical and thorough analysis of the varied manifestations of terrorism in the international political system. The paper shows that terrorism has evolved with modernity. Terrorism in its new variation is what this paper has called ‘Terrorism 4.0.’ Terrorism 4.0 (T4) has two basic and definable characteristics: it is fratricidal and genocidal in nature. The paper explores the different strategies and tactics employed by various and distinct terrorist groups to destabilize states in the international political system using T4 in combination with traditional terrorism practices. By drawing on the activities of non-state actors such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-i-Taliban , Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, Hamas and Hezbollah, the paper shows that terrorism has evolved beyond its traditional conceptions in the 20 th century.

Open Access December 31, 2018

Sapiehas estate document from the end of the 17th century as a source of the family’s economic and political history

Aleksandra Ziober

Page range: 164-179

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Abstract

Property documents and more precisely, the inventories of earthly goods can be very helpful in explaining complicated political affairs. Also the nobles’ names, which are mentioned in registers, may show us the influence and the composition of the nobility, from which the lider’s property were leased. Residents of manors, which belonged to the Sapieha Family, actually were forced to gain some contact and be dependent on the Family, even if it was a part of economic relations, which could easily be transformed into a personal one. However, the manor reliances undoubtedly opened up opportunities for both sides, which juxtaposed the benefits and losses with possible closer cooperation. Despite property ties, by analyzing the mentioned document we can find out (among other knowledge) the information about subordination and independence. Moreover it is possible to take the notice of the moodiness of the political scene or of the global political tendencies of residents what was the scope of interests for researcher of economists and goods.

Special Issue: Nationalisms in European and Postcolonial Discourses Ed. by Magdalena Rekść

Open Access July 11, 2018

Populist, Radical and Extremist Political Parties in Visegrad countries vis à vis the migration crisis. In the name of the people and the nation in Central Europe

Věra Stojarová

Page range: 32-45

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Abstract

The paper looks at the political party scene in Visegrad countries before and after the influx of refugees and compares how much the negative reactions were instrumentalised not only by the extremist and radical right parties but by the newly emerged populist formations as well as the well-established mainstream parties across the whole political spectra. Until the “migration crisis”, the far right parties focused mainly on Roma issue, anti-Semitism, anti-communism, anti-establishment and used anti-NATO, anti-EU, anti-German, anti-Czech, anti-Slovak or anti-Hungarian card. Since 2015, the parties re-oriented against immigrants, more precisely against the Muslims presenting them as a threat and also increased their criticism on the EU. However, the mainstream parties also accepted far right topics and actively promoted them. The result is then mainstreaming of xenophobia, nationalism and marginalization of far right parties as their flexible voters move to the populist subjects.

Open Access July 11, 2018

State Policy of Serbia – National Communities, Citizenship and Diaspora

Duško Radosavljević

Page range: 58-74

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Abstract

At this moment, Serbia is an “incomplete country” ( M.Podunavac), characterized by a certain kind of political restoration. It consists of several blocks of political power, which belong to the newly established authority, whose political technology is based on an explosive and very dangerous combination of national and social populism, with its uninstitutionalisation of the system of law and politics, its hasty and rather forced deviation from the “former regime” (Boris Tadic`s Democratic Party), which, altogether, not only resembles but actually revives formative principles of the “old regime”(Slobodan Milosevic). Since the first activities of the new political power are quite flavored with ideological aromas, there is a hope that the activities which marked Serbia in the last decade of the 20th century will not be brought back into public life, especially considering the fact that there are still scars which they left on the fragile democratic body of Serbia, on its public life in general, and particularly on our fields of interest - the policy on national communities, citizenship and diaspora.

Open Access November 20, 2018

(Un)civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Readiness to commit violence and the ethnicization of society

Mensur Kustura, Lana Šabani, Kristina Knežević

Page range: 105-110

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Abstract

The collapse of institutional and state structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina has rendered the populace unprotected in financial, social, and legal terms and pushed it, under the aegis of local ethnocracies, into personal or local ethnic networks. The text examines identity issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the particular emphasis on ethnic divisions and the lack of civic values.

Open Access November 20, 2018

Antiquization processes in the Macedonian, Kazakh and Turkmen National Narratives: Visual constructs that shape political conceptions

Agata Rogoś

Page range: 111-123

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Abstract

The goal of this chapter is to conduct the analysis of the national symbols systems in the public space of Skopje (Macedonia), Astana (Kazakhstan) and Aşgabat (Turkmenistan) that are being represented in national political discourses along with a wide interpretation and contextualization in the framework of the postsocialist process of reconstruction of national symbolism in order to indicate identity and restoration structures and development of the actual national discourse in Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. In the actual process of reconstruction of national symbols system in analyzed cultural traditions it is important to underline the influence of nationalist ideology, which both in the Balkans and Central Asia has appeared in the form of ethno-nationalisms, where such factors as: language, history, culture and religion have been of crucial importance for construction of the idea of community that defined particular ethnos. One of the most influential tools of national ideology is taking the advantage of historical arguments aiming to expose the previous control over certain territory through the power structure, introduced by the present day nation.

Special Issue: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its political heritage, Ed. by Bernadetta Manyś

Open Access December 31, 2018

From imagination to political reality? The Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a successor of Rome in the early modern historiography (15^th–18^th centuries)

Joanna Orzeł

Page range: 170-181

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Abstract

At the beginning of the Renaissance Lithuanians understood that to join the civilization of Western Europe, it was necessary to have an appropriate (it means: very long) tradition. Like other countries, they had to create their own myth of origin. The most prestigious tradition was Greek-Roman antiquity, so the country’s origin story was invented, claiming its people descended directly from Rome. According to subsequent chronicles, the founder of the new state was Palemon (Publius Libon, initially Vilia). Using the theory of cultural memory of Jan and Aleida Assmann, the article presents how and why the Lithuanian myth of origin was transformed from 15 th to the end of the 18 th century. Particular attention was paid to the current needs of the state and the powerful noble families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which also found their origins in the state myth. During the early modern period, the changes in the story were made (including the date of Palemon’s arrival in the Lithuanian lands). Nonetheless, the myth was not questioned for a long time. Even once it had already been established that it was no more than a fairy tale, the story was revived again, performing other functions in the 19 th century.

Open Access December 31, 2018

United in the Commonwealth. The Participation of Lithuanian troops in the Zborów battle in 1649

Mariusz Sawicki

Page range: 182-192

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Abstract

In 1648, an uprising broke out in Ukraine that belonged to Poland at the time. The war was not successful for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Cossacks and Tartars, who were helping them during the war, surrounded Zbaraż, about whose defense everyone knew in the country. King Jan Kazimierz decided to set out to rescue the besieged fortress. It was decided that not only Polish troops, but also soldiers of Lithuania would set out for Ukraine. Not only state armies, but also private regiments set out to fight. The article discusses the problem of the reasons for the participation of Lithuanians in the war, which was not only due to the provisions of the union, but also to be in the king’s party. Therefore, only the branches of magnates who belong to the Jan Kazimierz party joined the Polish army. The king’s army reached Zborów, where the battle ended with treaties. The Polish nobility was not happy with them, but they caused a temporary suspension of the war. Important will also be the international echoes of the battle of Zborow with the greater strength of the Cossacks and Tartars.

Open Access December 31, 2018

The political attitudes of Krzysztof and Janusz Radziwill towards the election of Wladyslaw IV and Jan Kazimierz. Outline of the problem

Aleksandra Ziober

Page range: 193-203

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Abstract

The attitudes of the elite of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and especially of representatives of Radziwill family (Krzysztof and Janusz) towards the election of the last two Vasas are an interesting problem for deliberations and research, especially taking into account differences in the country’s internal and foreign situation in 1632 and 1648, which determined the activities of mentioned above. This article was mainly intended to discuss the problem connected with the attitudes of the Lithuanian nobility towards the election of a new king and also indicating the role of connections of Wladyslaw IV and Jan Kazimierz with the Jagiellonians in political games. Answering the question of what and how influenced the attitudes and moods among the nobility, their argumentation to support one or other candidate requires many years of research and use of methods developed by other humanities, such as sociology, social psychology or political science.

About this journal

Open Political Science is an international, open access, peer-reviewed academic journal that welcomes contributions written in English addressing political science in its various forms and aspects: historical, philosophical, sociological and other. Open Political Science does not present views of any particular school nor of a particular political organization. The contributions are written by researchers who represent different points of view. The aim of the journal is to promote an international and interdisciplinary dialogue in the field of political science and political studies.

Scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to:

political philosophy
political economy
area studies
geopolitics
political psychology
political sociology
comparative politics
foreign policy analysis
game theory
globalization studies
ideology studies
international relations
security and strategic studies
policy analysis
policy studies
institutional studies
psephology
public administration
local government studies

Open Political Science welcomes proposals for Special Issues from prospective Guest Editors. Please contact the Managing Editor (Wojciech.Nowacki@degruyter.com) for more information.

Published Special Issues:

Nationalisms in European and Postcolonial Discourses, ed. by Magdalena Rekść
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its Political Heritage, ed. by Bernadetta Manyś
Quo vadis, Europe? ed. by Ida Musiałkowska, Judyta Cabańska, Piotr Idczak and Magdalena Śliwińska

Volume 1 Issue 1

Issue of Open Political Science

The Visegrád Group – A Rising Star Post-Brexit? Changing Distribution of Power in the European Council

Abstract

The Role of Trust in Political Systems. A Philosophical Perspective

Abstract

Brexit: Critical Juncture in the UK’s International Development Agenda?

Abstract

Renaming urban toponomy as a mean of redefining local identity: the case of street decommunization in Poland

Abstract

The Shia armed groups and the future of Iraq

Abstract

Fulfilling High Hopes? The Legitimacy Potential of the European Citizens’ Initiative

Abstract

Vote Buying in the 2018 Governorship Election in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

The roots of clientelism in Iraqi Kurdistan and the efforts to fight it

Abstract

Coalition of states for influence in the European Council. Brexit - a step towards decisional balance in the European Council?

Abstract

Impediments and Desirability of Complete Ban on International Movement of Toxic Waste

Abstract

The Military Policy of Isaac Komnenos at the time of battle of Petroe (1057)

Abstract

Balance of Power or Balance of Threat: Revisiting Ottoman Alliance Politics before the Great War

Abstract

Terrorism 4.0: A Global and Structural Analysis

Abstract

Sapiehas estate document from the end of the 17th century as a source of the family’s economic and political history

Abstract

Populist, Radical and Extremist Political Parties in Visegrad countries vis à vis the migration crisis. In the name of the people and the nation in Central Europe

Abstract

State Policy of Serbia – National Communities, Citizenship and Diaspora

Abstract

(Un)civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Readiness to commit violence and the ethnicization of society

Abstract

Antiquization processes in the Macedonian, Kazakh and Turkmen National Narratives: Visual constructs that shape political conceptions

Abstract

From imagination to political reality? The Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a successor of Rome in the early modern historiography (15th–18th centuries)

Abstract

United in the Commonwealth. The Participation of Lithuanian troops in the Zborów battle in 1649

Abstract

The political attitudes of Krzysztof and Janusz Radziwill towards the election of Wladyslaw IV and Jan Kazimierz. Outline of the problem

Abstract

From imagination to political reality? The Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a successor of Rome in the early modern historiography (15^th–18^th centuries)