Veronica Dumitrascu | The Romanian Academy (original) (raw)

Papers by Veronica Dumitrascu

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2024

The article is trying to emphasize the elements and characteristics of the hybrid war in the work... more The article is trying to emphasize the elements and characteristics of the hybrid war in the work of a great Romanian diplomat, Mircea Malița. The volume "Between War and Peace" is a true manual about the study of the wars, enhancing theories, schools of thoughts and strategic visions regarding future conflicts. Beside the interesting ideas and perspectives, the author underlines some elements and characteristics of the modern wars, placing the author among the greatest visionaries of what many scholars named, "hybrid wars". "Asymmetry"," "disruptive innovation", "the gray zone of war and peace", "ambiguity and attribution" are some of the elements of the hybrid wars encountered in Mircea Malița's volume. Hybrid warfare takes in consideration informational warfare, including "cognitive warfare". Marsili (2023) distinguishes two types of "information disruption": "cognitive disruption", including disinformation and propaganda and "functional disruption", referring to cyberspace and electromagnetic attacks. Besides the actuality and the popularity of the concept among the scholars, hybrid war has somehow another connotations in geopolitical discurses. It encompasses and reinforces "the ontological insecurity as a phenomenon", as Ljungkvist (2024) and what some authors (Eberle and Daniel 2022) named, "the anxiety geopolitics". Mainly after the Russia's annexation of Crimeea, hybrid threats, cyberthreats and disinformation campaigns are related to East/ West geopolitical axis and "grey zone war/conflicts have taken centre stage in Western security discourses". It can be related to the geopolitics of fear, metanarrative used often in critical studies, critical geopolitics or in the analysis of risk and uncertainity.

STRATEGIES XXI - TECHNOLOGIES – MILITARY APPLICATIONS, SIMULATION AND RESOURCES

In the context of the electoral year, an analysis of the political participation of young people ... more In the context of the electoral year, an analysis of the political participation of young people is necessary because it may lead to observations that could contribute to the democratic process of voting. The participation of young voters is indicative of their engagement in promoting democratic values. The importance of the topic is relevant in the context of the 2024 elections, especially because it highlights a current and ever-present issue at the societal level, with implications at the national, regional, and/or international levels. What implications could youth political participation have for a healthy democracy? What indicators could explain youth voter absenteeism and/or their declining turnout? Why are they no longer involved in "citizen affairs"? The subject underscores the importance of the political participation of young people as an indicator of an inclusive and resilient society. Keywords: democratic resilience, political participation, youth participation, civic engagement, vote turnout, youth policies

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), May 1, 2015

THE DYNAMICS OF THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN ROMANIA The civic engagement is an important element for ... more THE DYNAMICS OF THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN ROMANIA The civic engagement is an important element for the consolidation of democracy. This article aims at showing the dynamics of the civic engagement in Romania reflected in three series of data pertaining to the years

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2021

The article emphasizes the implications of COVID-19 pandemics concerning the restructuration of a... more The article emphasizes the implications of COVID-19 pandemics concerning the restructuration of a new geopolitical architecture. In the new epidemic context and amid the tensions between US and China, we are witnessing to a a reconfiguration of the power structures. China becomes an important actor in global economy and in international affairs. The “battle” on economic, comercial and geopolitical stage between China and US will be the turning point in the future.The relations between US and China will influence European actors and European borders. How will the European Union continue to function and how all the tensions between the great powers may affect the Eastern Europe security policy are the main challenges of the European Union.

South Korea has a great importance not just for its neighbours (Japan, China, and North Korea), f... more South Korea has a great importance not just for its neighbours (Japan, China, and North Korea), for the region of Central Asia or for the great powers (USA, Russia), but even for Europe. We cannot neglect the country’s aspiring future influence and importance around the world. The economic rising of Asia’s countries will bring attention on Central and Northeast Asia. I guess that Seoul will be included in many economic and political agreements and especially on issues concerning cultural diplomacy. South Korea’s economic performance, the improvement of services trade, foreign investments and its great resources prove the country’s assertive role on global stage. We cannot neglect South Korea’s ‘soft power’ expressed by its traditions, cultural values, soap operas, music already known in almost entire Europe. The success of public diplomacy for South Korea depends on its efficacy to promote its soft power. This is the most important factor of South Korea which could make it visible a...

THE ROLE OF STUDYING THE COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY WITHIN THE RISK MANAGEMENT The number of studies... more THE ROLE OF STUDYING THE COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY WITHIN THE RISK MANAGEMENT The number of studies dealing with vulnerabilities and its role in preventing disasters has increased in the recent years, researchers emphasizing especially its social dimension. Risk-disaster prevention is possible not only by intervening on the physical domain, but by especially analyzing and eventually changing the societal factors that shape the resilience level of the communities. Community's vulnerability emerging from social, economical and political conditions may deepen its exposure to disasters. The analysis on community's vulnerabilities is a necessity for the reduction of the community deficiencies that can constitute obstacles for post-disaster recovery, but also for the reduction of the exposure to risks.

Revista Română de Sociologie, 2020

COVID-19 crisis is harder to be managed and is more durable than the other crises that have occur... more COVID-19 crisis is harder to be managed and is more durable than the other crises that have occurred over time. The shock produced by the pandemics will affect all societal levels, so it is impossible to approach it through a mere adaptation of the system. In order to come up with possible intervention solutions, an investigation of the system capacity to deal with potential crises would be needed. So, the article takes in
consideration the term of resilience. In order to respond to absorption and transformation capabilities, a system needs the best possible management of existing
resources. The monitoring of resilience indicators constitutes one of the main premises for determination of system vulnerability. Also, the collecting of the data concerning vulnerable persons that need attention and caring is a necessity for the management of the situations that could occur. On the other hand, the system has to be adapted to the new situations for the improvement of the communication management. Especially when we are dealing with a health problem, communicating so that the population understands the message is an important premise for managing the situation.

Revista Romana de Sociologie, 2019

First of all, the article emphasizes the perspectives concerning development approaches and socio... more First of all, the article emphasizes the perspectives concerning development
approaches and socio-political dynamics. Cultural and political changes are not linear,
societies following different development trajectories. In accordance with sociopolitical change, there are some indicators that determine economic development,
civic and political participation and the process of democratization. There are many
measurements of the indicators that reflect the socio-political stability of a society. The
quality of election process, generalized trust, trust in institutions, civic and political
participations have a great role concerning socio-political stability, developing
participative democracy, facilitating cooperation and access to information. The article
proposes a discussion concerning the methodological aspects of the indicators
mentioned, showing the vulnerabilities regarding their measurement and what should
be improved for a good governance of a country.

Revista Romana de Sociologie, 2018

Numărul studiilor despre vulnerabilitate şi rolul ei în prevenirea dezastrelor a crescut în ultim... more Numărul studiilor despre vulnerabilitate şi rolul ei în prevenirea dezastrelor a crescut în ultimii ani, cercetătorii punând accent în special pe dimensiunea socială. Prevenirea riscurilor la dezastre este posibilă nu doar prin intervenţia asupra domeniului fizic, ci prin analiza şi, eventual, schimbarea factorilor societali care modelează nivelul de rezilienţă a comunităţilor. Vulnerabilitatea comunităţii, care decurge din condiţii sociale, economice şi politice, poate să adâncească expunerea la dezastre. Analiza vulnerabilităţii comunitare este o necesitate pentru reducerea deficienţelor comunitare care pot constitui obstacole în ceea ce priveşte recuperarea post-dezastru, dar şi pentru reducerea expunerilor la riscuri.

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2018

Demographic changes affect all countries of the world, with higher and more sensitive impact on e... more Demographic changes affect all countries of the world, with higher and more
sensitive impact on economic and social development in nowadays than in the past. An
important aspect for the development of the nations is its demographic potential.
Country population is considered the main factor when we are talking about the
evolution of the society and its sustainable development. The objective of the paper is
to analyse the population of Romania in terms of dimension, age structure and trends in
the context of the international demographic evolution. Changes in dimension and age
structure of the population are important concerning the economic behaviour on
national and international level.
Birth rate, life expectancy, mortality rates, migration rates are important indicators for
the analysis of the population dynamics. Birth decline and high mortality rates show a
natural decrease of the population with negative impact on the development level of the
country. The statistical figures show a deep demographic decline in Romania, the main
causes being the natural decrease of the population and the negative net international
migration. On the other side, as the European countries, Romania faces the complex
economic and social consequences of the slow but steady process of demographic
ageing. Changing of the population structure by age, more balanced on older ages, is
the consequence of the evolution of two major factors: vital events and international
migration on one hand and life expectancy on the other hand. National Institute of
Statistics, Romania and Eurostat mainly provide data used in this paper.

Revista Romana de Sociologie, 2015

The civic engagement is an important element for the consolidation of democracy. This article aim... more The civic engagement is an important element for the consolidation of democracy. This article aims at showing the dynamics of the civic engagement in Romania reflected in three series of data pertaining to the years 1995–1999, 2005–2009, and 2010–2014. Using data from World Values Survey, the article tries to measure the intensity and the development of the civic participation in Romania viewed on three dimensions: civic, electoral and political. The World Values Survey does not cover all the indicators, so we shall use for the study the indicators found in the survey which can best reflect the dimensions suggested. For the civic dimension, we shall use as indicators the membership in voluntary organisations − charitable organisations, churches or religious organisations, labour unions, professional associations, sport or recreation, and other voluntary organisations. For the electoral dimension, we follow the indicators: volunteering for political organizations (membership in political parties), and regular voting (parliamentary vote and national vote). For the political voice dimension, the indicators that suggest political actions are: protesting, attending peaceful demonstrations, sending written petitions (political action − signing a petition), boycotting (political actions − joining in boycotts and also joining strikes), and other acts of protest.

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2009

Nowadays, many geopoliticians underline the fact that Russia has become a great power, with great... more Nowadays, many geopoliticians underline the fact that Russia has become a
great power, with great resources and a great role in the international relations. It is
a revival of old imperial supremacy, a revival of super-ethnos and what Lev Gumiliov
named, “passionarity”. Stanislav Secrieru proposes a new vision of post-sovietic
Russia, using the concept of “strategic identity”. The strategic identity is a way of
geopolitical representations about Russia, the construction of Russia’s cognitive map;
it may be seen as a way of the restoration of Russia’s internal and external
supremacy, as Stanislav Secrieru says. In this way, Putin tried to monopolize the
decisional processes and to stress the importance of geo-economical aspects in
Russia’s relations with the West. Euro-Atlantic integration of ex-soviet countries from
the eastern border of the European Union depends on the relations between Russia
and the West, the Russia’s influence upon them and depends on their internal
stability. But the eastern border of European Union seems “to suffer” from
geopolitical instability. The ex-soviet countries (Republic of Moldova, Ukraine,
Georgia) have still many problems related to economic, political and decisional
instability. The geopolitical picture in this area is still unclear and vague.

Revista Romana De Sociologie, 2009

Revista Romana de Sociologie, 2010

Reprezentant de seamă al şcolii realiste de la începutul secolului XX, Hans Morgenthau şi-a dedic... more Reprezentant de seamă al şcolii realiste de la începutul secolului XX, Hans Morgenthau şi-a dedicat cea mai mare parte din viaţă scrisului şi activităţii didactice. Ca teoretician, Morgenthau s-a remarcat, în anii 1940-1950, prin apariţia lucrării Scientific Man versus Power Politics, în care expune filosofia realistă şi face o critică la adresa "liberalismului raţional" (Griffith M., 1999, p. 74), ca şi prin apariţia cărţii sale de referinţă, Politics among Nations. The Struggle for Power and Peace, prima ediţie datând din 1948. În cel din urmă volum, autorul afirmă că întreaga politică este o luptă pentru putere, omul politic fiind o creatură egoistă prin naştere, caracterizată de o nevoie nesăţioasă de a-i domina pe ceilalţi. Realiştii au fost întotdeauna fascinaţi de conflict. Arena relaţiilor internaţionale reprezintă, pentru realişti, o perpetuă "luptă pentru putere". De aceea, analiza schimbărilor în sistemul relaţiilor internaţionale se face din perspectiva schimbării echilibrului de putere dintre state. Politica între naţiuni, cotată drept cea mai importantă operă din domeniul politicii internaţionale, oferă câteva coordonate privitoare la natura relaţiilor internaţionale, evidenţiind politica internaţională ca luptă pentru putere şi problematica păcii la începutul secolului XX. Cartea constituie un ghid în domeniul relaţiilor internaţionale, atât pentru specialiştii din domeniu, pentru profesori, cât şi pentru studenţi. Chiar dacă lectura sa nu este una uşoară şi necesită un minimum de cunoştinţe din domeniul relaţiilor internaţionale, ea devine obligatorie şi de interes atât pentru cei care se apleacă spre domeniul politicii şi diplomaţiei, cât şi pentru studenţii pasionaţi de domeniul ştiinţelor politice. Cei care au reeditat cartea, Kenneth Thompson şi W. David Clinton, au împărţit-o în două părţi: în prima se regăseşte abordarea realistă a lui Morgenthau, iar în a doua sunt prezentate câteva eseuri ale unor autori cunoscuţi ca, de exemplu, John Mearsheimer. Prima parte a lucrării cuprinde, la rândul ei, zece capitole, dintre care cele mai importante, care, de fapt, structurează întreaga lucrare, sunt cele cu privire la teoria şi practica politicii internaţionale, politica internaţională ca luptă pentru putere şi la problematica păcii. Scopul cărţii, precizat încă de la început de autor, este de a prezenta o teorie a relaţiilor internaţionale. Această teorie pune în evidenţă câteva reflecţii privind natura politicii. Morgenthau prezintă în oglindă cele două şcoli ale relaţiilor internaţionale, realismul şi idealismul, sau "utopismul", conform lui Edward H. Carr. Spre deosebire de idealism, care crede că "ordinea politică şi morală este derivată din principii valide universale şi abstracte" (Morgenthau H., 2007, p. 43), şcoala realistă "reprezintă rezultatul forţelor inerente în natura umană" (ibidem). Şcoala realistă a relaţiilor internaţionale îşi are originea în perioada dintre cele două războaie mondiale, însă realismul s-a remarcat îndeosebi în timpul Războiului Rece, fiind în continuă competiţie cu idealismul. După prăbuşirea URSS-ului, realismul a lăsat locul altor şcoli de gândire alternative, cum ar fi constructivismul sau postmodernismul. În primele părţi ale lucrării, Morgenthau identifică principiile realismului politic: primul principiu consideră că politica este guvernată de legi obiective, cu rădăcini în natura umană; al doilea principiu subliniază importanţa conceptului de "interes", definit în termeni de putere. Decidenţii gândesc şi acţionează prin prisma interesului, definit ca putere. Al treilea principiu consideră conceptul de "interes", privit ca putere, drept o categorie universal valabilă. Ideea de interes nu este afectată de circumstanţe de timp sau loc. Al patrulea principiu consideră că principiile morale universale stabilite de idealişti trebuie aplicate prin apelarea la circumstanţe concrete de spaţiu şi timp. Al cincilea principiu face parte din acelaşi registru şi subliniază faptul că realismul refuză să

Books by Veronica Dumitrascu

RAO Publishing House, 2014

Frontierele şi graniţele par de domeniul trecutului într-o Românie euroatlantică. Însă trecutul e... more Frontierele şi graniţele par de domeniul trecutului într-o Românie euroatlantică. Însă trecutul este cel care a trasat pe harta emoţională a românilor câteva frontiere dureroase. O parte însemnată a populaţiei româneşti de peste graniţe se află în Ucraina şi Republica Moldova, state care nu sunt membre ale instituţiilor euroatlantice. În cele două ţări, criteriile de multiculturalism şi drepturile minoritare sunt, deocamdată, facultative şi aplicate arbitrar. Pariul acestei cărţi este să demonstreze că integrarea euroatlantică nu înseamnă distrugerea nucleului identitar, cultural şi de civilizaţie al unei ţări şi că, dimpotrivă, trebuie purtată o discuţie raţională şi lipsită de patimă pe această temă tocmai pentru a vindeca idiosincrazii istorice. Sunt români pe care autorităţile de o parte şi de alta a graniţelor i-au lăsat, din laşitate, nepăsare sau incultură, să dispară în cutele unei geografii peste care istoria a marcat graniţele cu cimitire şi sânge. Veţi citi, aşadar, o carte cu dublu obiectiv: analizează evoluţia concepţiei asupra graniţelor şi frontierelor, aplicând, deopotrivă, această analiză asupra cazului concret al mobilităţii frontierelor României pe parcursul secolului XX.

ARS Docendi Universitatea din Bucuresti, 2013

Pro Universitaria, 2015

Lucrarile prezentate in volum abordeaza, intr-o maniera pluri si inter-disciplinara subiecte de a... more Lucrarile prezentate in volum abordeaza, intr-o maniera pluri si inter-disciplinara subiecte de actualitate si de mare interes din cadrul domeniului stiintelor socio-umane. Cartea este impartita in patru sectiuni: expresivitate, emotie si dimensiunea spirituala a socialului, mobilizare in spatiul virtual, identitate si etichetare si riscuri sociale, devianta si probatiune.

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2024

The article is trying to emphasize the elements and characteristics of the hybrid war in the work... more The article is trying to emphasize the elements and characteristics of the hybrid war in the work of a great Romanian diplomat, Mircea Malița. The volume "Between War and Peace" is a true manual about the study of the wars, enhancing theories, schools of thoughts and strategic visions regarding future conflicts. Beside the interesting ideas and perspectives, the author underlines some elements and characteristics of the modern wars, placing the author among the greatest visionaries of what many scholars named, "hybrid wars". "Asymmetry"," "disruptive innovation", "the gray zone of war and peace", "ambiguity and attribution" are some of the elements of the hybrid wars encountered in Mircea Malița's volume. Hybrid warfare takes in consideration informational warfare, including "cognitive warfare". Marsili (2023) distinguishes two types of "information disruption": "cognitive disruption", including disinformation and propaganda and "functional disruption", referring to cyberspace and electromagnetic attacks. Besides the actuality and the popularity of the concept among the scholars, hybrid war has somehow another connotations in geopolitical discurses. It encompasses and reinforces "the ontological insecurity as a phenomenon", as Ljungkvist (2024) and what some authors (Eberle and Daniel 2022) named, "the anxiety geopolitics". Mainly after the Russia's annexation of Crimeea, hybrid threats, cyberthreats and disinformation campaigns are related to East/ West geopolitical axis and "grey zone war/conflicts have taken centre stage in Western security discourses". It can be related to the geopolitics of fear, metanarrative used often in critical studies, critical geopolitics or in the analysis of risk and uncertainity.

STRATEGIES XXI - TECHNOLOGIES – MILITARY APPLICATIONS, SIMULATION AND RESOURCES

In the context of the electoral year, an analysis of the political participation of young people ... more In the context of the electoral year, an analysis of the political participation of young people is necessary because it may lead to observations that could contribute to the democratic process of voting. The participation of young voters is indicative of their engagement in promoting democratic values. The importance of the topic is relevant in the context of the 2024 elections, especially because it highlights a current and ever-present issue at the societal level, with implications at the national, regional, and/or international levels. What implications could youth political participation have for a healthy democracy? What indicators could explain youth voter absenteeism and/or their declining turnout? Why are they no longer involved in "citizen affairs"? The subject underscores the importance of the political participation of young people as an indicator of an inclusive and resilient society. Keywords: democratic resilience, political participation, youth participation, civic engagement, vote turnout, youth policies

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), May 1, 2015

THE DYNAMICS OF THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN ROMANIA The civic engagement is an important element for ... more THE DYNAMICS OF THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN ROMANIA The civic engagement is an important element for the consolidation of democracy. This article aims at showing the dynamics of the civic engagement in Romania reflected in three series of data pertaining to the years

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2021

The article emphasizes the implications of COVID-19 pandemics concerning the restructuration of a... more The article emphasizes the implications of COVID-19 pandemics concerning the restructuration of a new geopolitical architecture. In the new epidemic context and amid the tensions between US and China, we are witnessing to a a reconfiguration of the power structures. China becomes an important actor in global economy and in international affairs. The “battle” on economic, comercial and geopolitical stage between China and US will be the turning point in the future.The relations between US and China will influence European actors and European borders. How will the European Union continue to function and how all the tensions between the great powers may affect the Eastern Europe security policy are the main challenges of the European Union.

South Korea has a great importance not just for its neighbours (Japan, China, and North Korea), f... more South Korea has a great importance not just for its neighbours (Japan, China, and North Korea), for the region of Central Asia or for the great powers (USA, Russia), but even for Europe. We cannot neglect the country’s aspiring future influence and importance around the world. The economic rising of Asia’s countries will bring attention on Central and Northeast Asia. I guess that Seoul will be included in many economic and political agreements and especially on issues concerning cultural diplomacy. South Korea’s economic performance, the improvement of services trade, foreign investments and its great resources prove the country’s assertive role on global stage. We cannot neglect South Korea’s ‘soft power’ expressed by its traditions, cultural values, soap operas, music already known in almost entire Europe. The success of public diplomacy for South Korea depends on its efficacy to promote its soft power. This is the most important factor of South Korea which could make it visible a...

THE ROLE OF STUDYING THE COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY WITHIN THE RISK MANAGEMENT The number of studies... more THE ROLE OF STUDYING THE COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY WITHIN THE RISK MANAGEMENT The number of studies dealing with vulnerabilities and its role in preventing disasters has increased in the recent years, researchers emphasizing especially its social dimension. Risk-disaster prevention is possible not only by intervening on the physical domain, but by especially analyzing and eventually changing the societal factors that shape the resilience level of the communities. Community's vulnerability emerging from social, economical and political conditions may deepen its exposure to disasters. The analysis on community's vulnerabilities is a necessity for the reduction of the community deficiencies that can constitute obstacles for post-disaster recovery, but also for the reduction of the exposure to risks.

Revista Română de Sociologie, 2020

COVID-19 crisis is harder to be managed and is more durable than the other crises that have occur... more COVID-19 crisis is harder to be managed and is more durable than the other crises that have occurred over time. The shock produced by the pandemics will affect all societal levels, so it is impossible to approach it through a mere adaptation of the system. In order to come up with possible intervention solutions, an investigation of the system capacity to deal with potential crises would be needed. So, the article takes in
consideration the term of resilience. In order to respond to absorption and transformation capabilities, a system needs the best possible management of existing
resources. The monitoring of resilience indicators constitutes one of the main premises for determination of system vulnerability. Also, the collecting of the data concerning vulnerable persons that need attention and caring is a necessity for the management of the situations that could occur. On the other hand, the system has to be adapted to the new situations for the improvement of the communication management. Especially when we are dealing with a health problem, communicating so that the population understands the message is an important premise for managing the situation.

Revista Romana de Sociologie, 2019

First of all, the article emphasizes the perspectives concerning development approaches and socio... more First of all, the article emphasizes the perspectives concerning development
approaches and socio-political dynamics. Cultural and political changes are not linear,
societies following different development trajectories. In accordance with sociopolitical change, there are some indicators that determine economic development,
civic and political participation and the process of democratization. There are many
measurements of the indicators that reflect the socio-political stability of a society. The
quality of election process, generalized trust, trust in institutions, civic and political
participations have a great role concerning socio-political stability, developing
participative democracy, facilitating cooperation and access to information. The article
proposes a discussion concerning the methodological aspects of the indicators
mentioned, showing the vulnerabilities regarding their measurement and what should
be improved for a good governance of a country.

Revista Romana de Sociologie, 2018

Numărul studiilor despre vulnerabilitate şi rolul ei în prevenirea dezastrelor a crescut în ultim... more Numărul studiilor despre vulnerabilitate şi rolul ei în prevenirea dezastrelor a crescut în ultimii ani, cercetătorii punând accent în special pe dimensiunea socială. Prevenirea riscurilor la dezastre este posibilă nu doar prin intervenţia asupra domeniului fizic, ci prin analiza şi, eventual, schimbarea factorilor societali care modelează nivelul de rezilienţă a comunităţilor. Vulnerabilitatea comunităţii, care decurge din condiţii sociale, economice şi politice, poate să adâncească expunerea la dezastre. Analiza vulnerabilităţii comunitare este o necesitate pentru reducerea deficienţelor comunitare care pot constitui obstacole în ceea ce priveşte recuperarea post-dezastru, dar şi pentru reducerea expunerilor la riscuri.

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2018

Demographic changes affect all countries of the world, with higher and more sensitive impact on e... more Demographic changes affect all countries of the world, with higher and more
sensitive impact on economic and social development in nowadays than in the past. An
important aspect for the development of the nations is its demographic potential.
Country population is considered the main factor when we are talking about the
evolution of the society and its sustainable development. The objective of the paper is
to analyse the population of Romania in terms of dimension, age structure and trends in
the context of the international demographic evolution. Changes in dimension and age
structure of the population are important concerning the economic behaviour on
national and international level.
Birth rate, life expectancy, mortality rates, migration rates are important indicators for
the analysis of the population dynamics. Birth decline and high mortality rates show a
natural decrease of the population with negative impact on the development level of the
country. The statistical figures show a deep demographic decline in Romania, the main
causes being the natural decrease of the population and the negative net international
migration. On the other side, as the European countries, Romania faces the complex
economic and social consequences of the slow but steady process of demographic
ageing. Changing of the population structure by age, more balanced on older ages, is
the consequence of the evolution of two major factors: vital events and international
migration on one hand and life expectancy on the other hand. National Institute of
Statistics, Romania and Eurostat mainly provide data used in this paper.

Revista Romana de Sociologie, 2015

The civic engagement is an important element for the consolidation of democracy. This article aim... more The civic engagement is an important element for the consolidation of democracy. This article aims at showing the dynamics of the civic engagement in Romania reflected in three series of data pertaining to the years 1995–1999, 2005–2009, and 2010–2014. Using data from World Values Survey, the article tries to measure the intensity and the development of the civic participation in Romania viewed on three dimensions: civic, electoral and political. The World Values Survey does not cover all the indicators, so we shall use for the study the indicators found in the survey which can best reflect the dimensions suggested. For the civic dimension, we shall use as indicators the membership in voluntary organisations − charitable organisations, churches or religious organisations, labour unions, professional associations, sport or recreation, and other voluntary organisations. For the electoral dimension, we follow the indicators: volunteering for political organizations (membership in political parties), and regular voting (parliamentary vote and national vote). For the political voice dimension, the indicators that suggest political actions are: protesting, attending peaceful demonstrations, sending written petitions (political action − signing a petition), boycotting (political actions − joining in boycotts and also joining strikes), and other acts of protest.

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2009

Nowadays, many geopoliticians underline the fact that Russia has become a great power, with great... more Nowadays, many geopoliticians underline the fact that Russia has become a
great power, with great resources and a great role in the international relations. It is
a revival of old imperial supremacy, a revival of super-ethnos and what Lev Gumiliov
named, “passionarity”. Stanislav Secrieru proposes a new vision of post-sovietic
Russia, using the concept of “strategic identity”. The strategic identity is a way of
geopolitical representations about Russia, the construction of Russia’s cognitive map;
it may be seen as a way of the restoration of Russia’s internal and external
supremacy, as Stanislav Secrieru says. In this way, Putin tried to monopolize the
decisional processes and to stress the importance of geo-economical aspects in
Russia’s relations with the West. Euro-Atlantic integration of ex-soviet countries from
the eastern border of the European Union depends on the relations between Russia
and the West, the Russia’s influence upon them and depends on their internal
stability. But the eastern border of European Union seems “to suffer” from
geopolitical instability. The ex-soviet countries (Republic of Moldova, Ukraine,
Georgia) have still many problems related to economic, political and decisional
instability. The geopolitical picture in this area is still unclear and vague.

Revista Romana De Sociologie, 2009

Revista Romana de Sociologie, 2010

Reprezentant de seamă al şcolii realiste de la începutul secolului XX, Hans Morgenthau şi-a dedic... more Reprezentant de seamă al şcolii realiste de la începutul secolului XX, Hans Morgenthau şi-a dedicat cea mai mare parte din viaţă scrisului şi activităţii didactice. Ca teoretician, Morgenthau s-a remarcat, în anii 1940-1950, prin apariţia lucrării Scientific Man versus Power Politics, în care expune filosofia realistă şi face o critică la adresa "liberalismului raţional" (Griffith M., 1999, p. 74), ca şi prin apariţia cărţii sale de referinţă, Politics among Nations. The Struggle for Power and Peace, prima ediţie datând din 1948. În cel din urmă volum, autorul afirmă că întreaga politică este o luptă pentru putere, omul politic fiind o creatură egoistă prin naştere, caracterizată de o nevoie nesăţioasă de a-i domina pe ceilalţi. Realiştii au fost întotdeauna fascinaţi de conflict. Arena relaţiilor internaţionale reprezintă, pentru realişti, o perpetuă "luptă pentru putere". De aceea, analiza schimbărilor în sistemul relaţiilor internaţionale se face din perspectiva schimbării echilibrului de putere dintre state. Politica între naţiuni, cotată drept cea mai importantă operă din domeniul politicii internaţionale, oferă câteva coordonate privitoare la natura relaţiilor internaţionale, evidenţiind politica internaţională ca luptă pentru putere şi problematica păcii la începutul secolului XX. Cartea constituie un ghid în domeniul relaţiilor internaţionale, atât pentru specialiştii din domeniu, pentru profesori, cât şi pentru studenţi. Chiar dacă lectura sa nu este una uşoară şi necesită un minimum de cunoştinţe din domeniul relaţiilor internaţionale, ea devine obligatorie şi de interes atât pentru cei care se apleacă spre domeniul politicii şi diplomaţiei, cât şi pentru studenţii pasionaţi de domeniul ştiinţelor politice. Cei care au reeditat cartea, Kenneth Thompson şi W. David Clinton, au împărţit-o în două părţi: în prima se regăseşte abordarea realistă a lui Morgenthau, iar în a doua sunt prezentate câteva eseuri ale unor autori cunoscuţi ca, de exemplu, John Mearsheimer. Prima parte a lucrării cuprinde, la rândul ei, zece capitole, dintre care cele mai importante, care, de fapt, structurează întreaga lucrare, sunt cele cu privire la teoria şi practica politicii internaţionale, politica internaţională ca luptă pentru putere şi la problematica păcii. Scopul cărţii, precizat încă de la început de autor, este de a prezenta o teorie a relaţiilor internaţionale. Această teorie pune în evidenţă câteva reflecţii privind natura politicii. Morgenthau prezintă în oglindă cele două şcoli ale relaţiilor internaţionale, realismul şi idealismul, sau "utopismul", conform lui Edward H. Carr. Spre deosebire de idealism, care crede că "ordinea politică şi morală este derivată din principii valide universale şi abstracte" (Morgenthau H., 2007, p. 43), şcoala realistă "reprezintă rezultatul forţelor inerente în natura umană" (ibidem). Şcoala realistă a relaţiilor internaţionale îşi are originea în perioada dintre cele două războaie mondiale, însă realismul s-a remarcat îndeosebi în timpul Războiului Rece, fiind în continuă competiţie cu idealismul. După prăbuşirea URSS-ului, realismul a lăsat locul altor şcoli de gândire alternative, cum ar fi constructivismul sau postmodernismul. În primele părţi ale lucrării, Morgenthau identifică principiile realismului politic: primul principiu consideră că politica este guvernată de legi obiective, cu rădăcini în natura umană; al doilea principiu subliniază importanţa conceptului de "interes", definit în termeni de putere. Decidenţii gândesc şi acţionează prin prisma interesului, definit ca putere. Al treilea principiu consideră conceptul de "interes", privit ca putere, drept o categorie universal valabilă. Ideea de interes nu este afectată de circumstanţe de timp sau loc. Al patrulea principiu consideră că principiile morale universale stabilite de idealişti trebuie aplicate prin apelarea la circumstanţe concrete de spaţiu şi timp. Al cincilea principiu face parte din acelaşi registru şi subliniază faptul că realismul refuză să

RAO Publishing House, 2014

Frontierele şi graniţele par de domeniul trecutului într-o Românie euroatlantică. Însă trecutul e... more Frontierele şi graniţele par de domeniul trecutului într-o Românie euroatlantică. Însă trecutul este cel care a trasat pe harta emoţională a românilor câteva frontiere dureroase. O parte însemnată a populaţiei româneşti de peste graniţe se află în Ucraina şi Republica Moldova, state care nu sunt membre ale instituţiilor euroatlantice. În cele două ţări, criteriile de multiculturalism şi drepturile minoritare sunt, deocamdată, facultative şi aplicate arbitrar. Pariul acestei cărţi este să demonstreze că integrarea euroatlantică nu înseamnă distrugerea nucleului identitar, cultural şi de civilizaţie al unei ţări şi că, dimpotrivă, trebuie purtată o discuţie raţională şi lipsită de patimă pe această temă tocmai pentru a vindeca idiosincrazii istorice. Sunt români pe care autorităţile de o parte şi de alta a graniţelor i-au lăsat, din laşitate, nepăsare sau incultură, să dispară în cutele unei geografii peste care istoria a marcat graniţele cu cimitire şi sânge. Veţi citi, aşadar, o carte cu dublu obiectiv: analizează evoluţia concepţiei asupra graniţelor şi frontierelor, aplicând, deopotrivă, această analiză asupra cazului concret al mobilităţii frontierelor României pe parcursul secolului XX.

ARS Docendi Universitatea din Bucuresti, 2013

Pro Universitaria, 2015

Lucrarile prezentate in volum abordeaza, intr-o maniera pluri si inter-disciplinara subiecte de a... more Lucrarile prezentate in volum abordeaza, intr-o maniera pluri si inter-disciplinara subiecte de actualitate si de mare interes din cadrul domeniului stiintelor socio-umane. Cartea este impartita in patru sectiuni: expresivitate, emotie si dimensiunea spirituala a socialului, mobilizare in spatiul virtual, identitate si etichetare si riscuri sociale, devianta si probatiune.

Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies, 2015

The last events demonstrated South Korea’s influence in the Central Asia and its significance fo... more The last events demonstrated South Korea’s influence in the Central Asia and its significance for the great actors from the international stage. South Korea is a major player in Asia and its partnerships and collaborations with USA, Japan, even Russia situate it among the most important powers. In the same time, South Korea has a great importance not just for its neighbors (Japan, China, and North Korea), for the region of Central Asia or for the great powers (USA, Russia), but even for Europe. We cannot neglect the country’s aspiring future influence and importance around the world. The economic rising of Asia’s countries will bring attention on Central Asia and Northeast Asia. I guess that Seoul will be included in many economic and political agreements and especially on issues concerning cultural diplomacy. South Korea’s economic performance, the improvement of services trade, foreign investments and its great resources prove the country’s assertive role on global stage. In some years, as many authors underlined, South Korea will become “the world’s major international business hub” (Allison Hyatt, “The Key to South Korea’s Future Growth”, August 28, 2011, www. archdaily.com.). We cannot neglect South Korea’s “soft power” expressed by its traditions, cultural values, soap operas, music already known in almost entire Europe. I guess that the success of public diplomacy for South Korea depends on its efficacy to promote its soft power. And I think that this is the most important factor of South Korea which could make it visible among regional powers. The paper underline that the soft power component could reassert the social dimension of South Korea, the recognition and acceptance of the country’s regional power by other countries. "

„Puterea”, 2020

Un interviu acordat, împreună cu Veronica Dumitrașcu, cotidianului „Puterea” în data de 11. 04. 2020