DOCSLIB.ORG

Russia and the Eurasian Republics THIS REGION Spans the Continents of Europe and Asia

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Russia and the Eurasian Republics THIS REGION Spans the Continents of Europe and Asia 390-391 U5 CH14 UO TWIP-860976 3/15/04 5:21 AM Page 390 Unit Workers on the statue Russians in front of Motherland Calls, St. Basil’s Cathedral, Volgograd Moscow 224 390-391 U5 CH14 UO TWIP-860976 3/15/04 5:22 AM Page 391 RussiaRussia andand the the EurasianEurasian f you had to describe Russia RepublicsRepublics Iin one word, that word would be BIG! Russia is the largest country in the world in area. Its almost 6.6 million square miles (17 million sq. km) are spread across two continents—Europe and Asia. As you can imagine, such a large country faces equally large challenges. In 1991 Russia emerged from the Soviet Union as an independent country. Since then it has been struggling to unite its many ethnic groups, set up a demo- cratic government, and build a stable economy. ▼ Siberian tiger in a forest NGS ONLINE in eastern Russia www.nationalgeographic.com/education 225 392-401 U5 CH14 RA TWIP-860976 3/15/04 5:28 AM Page 392 REGIONAL ATLAS Focus on: Russia and the Eurasian Republics THIS REGION spans the continents of Europe and Asia. It includes Russia—the world’s largest country—and the neigh- boring independent republics of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Russia and the Eurasian republics cover about 8 million square miles (20.7 million sq. km). This is greater than the size of Canada, the United States, and Mexico combined. The Caspian Sea is actually a salt lake that lies at the base of the Caucasus Mountains in The Land Russia’s southwest. Farther east is Lake Baikal, The region of Russia and the Eurasian the world’s deepest lake. Many rivers wind republics stretches nearly halfway around the through Russia and the Eurasian republics. Some globe and includes many different landscapes. of the rivers flow eastward, like the Amur, which The Ural Mountains run north to south, divid- forms Russia’s border with China. Others, like the ing Russia into a European region and a much Volga, flow south through plains. The Lena, larger Asian region. West of the Urals is the Yenisey, and Ob Rivers all flow north to the fertile North European Plain—home to three- Arctic Ocean. fourths of the country’s population. East of the Urals lies Siberia, which means “sleeping land.” The Climate Immense and sparsely populated, Siberia is an area of harsh, forbidding landscapes. Russia’s far north is dominated by tundra, a In the southern part of the region, the treeless plain. Winters on the tundra are long, Caucasus Mountains rise along the borders of dark, and fiercely cold. During the brief sum- Russia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Mountains also mers, only the top few inches of soil thaw out. pass through several republics in Central Asia. Deeper down is permafrost—permanently The Pamirs in Tajikistan have some of the region’s frozen ground. highest peaks. The Tian Shan range in Kyrgyzstan South of the tundra are vast evergreen holds some of the world’s largest glaciers. forests. This vast woodland area, known as the 226 UNIT 3 392-401 U5 CH14 RA TWIP-860976 3/15/04 8:07 AM Page 393 UNIT Wildflowers and wooden churches on the North European Plain, in north- western Russia ▼ ▼ Young people strolling and singing in St. Petersburg 227 392-401 U5 CH14 RA TWIP-860976 3/15/04 5:29 AM Page 394 REGIONAL ATLAS taiga, is the largest continuous stretch of forest Industrial growth was also more important on the earth. Snow blankets the taiga for as than the needs of the people. Shortages of many as eight months of the year. Even farther consumer goods—clothing and household south, the taiga gives way to flat grass-covered products, for example—were common. plains, or steppes. Here the climate is less harsh, In the 1990s, when Russia and the other and the soil is quite rich. For centuries, routes republics of the Soviet Union became inde- across these plains brought invading armies. pendent countries, each took charge of its Today the plains make up Russia’s most important own economy. Today Russia and the Eurasian farming and industrial area. republics are struggling to make the change to a free market system, in which people run their own businesses and farms. The Economy For many years, Russia and the Eurasian The People republics formed one state called the Soviet Union. It had an economy planned and run by About 220 million people live in Russia and Communist leaders. Wheat and other crops the Eurasian republics. Russia has the region’s were grown on huge government-owned farms. largest population with about 145.5 million The top economic priority was heavy industry, people. Climate and landscape affect where or the manufacturing of goods such as machin- people live in Russia and the Eurasian republics. ery and military equipment. Rich deposits of Most people in Russia live west of the Ural minerals, coal, and oil supplied the raw materi- Mountains, where the climate is mildest and als and energy for many industries. The Soviet the land is most fertile. push to industrialize, however, led to wide- Ethnic Groups Each of the republics has a spread pollution of the air, soil, and water. major ethnic group, language, and culture. There are also many smaller groups in each republic. More than 100 different ethnic groups live throughout the region. Most Russians are descendants of Slavic peoples, or Slavs. They speak Russian and practice Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Various ethnic groups inhabit Armenia and Georgia. They practice their own forms of Christianity. Turkic ethnic groups (Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Turkmenis, and Azeris) are dominant in Central Asia. They have their own languages and practice the religion of Islam. ▼ Russian worker inspecting tractors in a factory UNIT 3 392-401 U5 CH14 RA TWIP-860976 3/15/04 5:30 AM Page 395 UNIT The Arts The arts of Russia and the Eurasian republics include architecture, painting, music, and dance. Each republic has its own rich her- itage. You have probably seen pictures of Russia’s onion-domed churches and heard the classical music of Peter Tchaikovsky and Russia other Russian composers. Ancient churches Data Bits with drumlike tops and bells are scattered across the rugged countryside of Armenia Automobiles per 1,000 people 120 and Georgia. In the Central Asian republics, beautiful tiles in swirling patterns decorate Television sets per 1,000 people 421 Islamic mosques. VOTE Democratic elections Yes Ethnic Makeup m Church of the Resurrection World Ranking in St. Petersburg, Russia Tatar 4% Other 10% Chuvash 1% GNP per capita Life Ukrainian 3% in US $ 1st expectancy 50th 76th $2,680 100th 114th 67 years Russian 82% 150th Population: Urban vs. Rural 73% 27% Sources: World Desk Reference, World Development Indicators, 2000; 2002; The World Almanac, 2004. Exploring the Region 1. Why might Russia’s north-flowing rivers be difficult to travel in winter? 2. Why would it be hard to grow crops on the tundra? 3. What was the top economic priority of Communist leaders? 4. To which ethnic group do most Russians belong? 229 392-401 U5 CH14 RA TWIP-860976 4/1/04 4:05 PM Page 396 REGIONAL ATLAS Russia and the Eurasian Republics Physical 70 60 ° ° ° 80 W 100 W N ° ° ° NORTH N GREENLAND 60 W 120 W AMERICA °N 40°W 80 140°W ICELAND 20°W 160°W ARCTIC OCEAN ATLANTIC A R OCEAN C ° North ° Wrangel I. Chukchi T 0 Pole 180 I Peninsula C C I R East C 20°E 160°E L Siberian E New Sea 40°E North Siberian Land Islands 60°E 120°E K K E U R O P E Novaya ° ° o o Klyuchevskaya 80 E 100 E 140°E l l y y Sopka ea Barents Zemlya Laptev Sea m m S a c a 15,584 ft. lti Kola Sea R a R a (4,750 m) B Peninsula Kara Sea n g RUSSIA e L V KAMCHATKA e e n rk a h PENINSULA NORTH oyansk Range R. Sea of EUROPEAN S CENTRAL N . Okhotsk I R PLAIN S I B E R I A °N A b T 50 Moscow O WEST SIBERIAN . N R Y U e n . SIBERIAN n y Sakhalin o R O i o a s PLATEAU v D . Kam M PLAIN e o e . Island R y n g R a t a n lg L R a r Vo Ir S R ty . u A s h y U m r R y a RUSSIA v A C Mt. Elbrus l R . R U o au . R n c 18,510 ft. e a lo g s b b n u (5,642 m) O Ya a s Lake R GEORGIA ts. Baikal M KAZAKHSTAN M T'bilisi a Astana yan t e s a °N . S S 40 ARMENIA Sea of Yerevan n U THE Lake a Aral Japan i Z Balkhash p Sea T B STEPPES (East Sea) Baku s U a E R K C K G I M a AZERBAIJAN ra S E g T Tashkent Bishkek N u A K m N YR I GYZ Ashgabat S STAN T T A Dushanbe AJI N KIST AN °N 30 ASIA N National capital Mountain peak E 0 mi. 1,000 W 0 km 1,000 S OF Two-Point Equidistant projection PIC RO ER T NC CA °N 20 PACIFIC 26,247 ft. 0 mi. 500 8,000 m OCEAN NORTH EUROPEAN PLAIN 0 km 500 19,685 ft.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Distribution of Freshwater Midges in Relation to Air Temperature and Lake Depth
    J Paleolimnol (2006) 36:295-314 DOl 1O.1007/s10933-006-0014-6 A northwest North American training set: distribution of freshwater midges in relation to air temperature and lake depth Erin M. Barley' Ian R. Walker' Joshua Kurek, Les C. Cwynar' Rolf W. Mathewes • Konrad Gajewski' Bruce P. Finney Received: 20 July 2005 I Accepted: 5 March 2006/Published online: 26 August 2006 © Springer Science+Business Media B.Y. 2006 Abstract Freshwater midges, consisting of Chiro- organic carbon, lichen woodland vegetation and sur- nomidae, Chaoboridae and Ceratopogonidae, were face area contributed significantly to explaining assessed as a biological proxy for palaeoclimate in midge distribution. Weighted averaging partial least eastern Beringia. The northwest North American squares (WA-PLS) was used to develop midge training set consists of midge assemblages and data inference models for mean July air temperature 2 for 17 environmental variables collected from 145 (R boot = 0.818, RMSEP = 1.46°C), and transformed 2 lakes in Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest depth (1n (x+ l); R boot = 0.38, and RMSEP = 0.58). Territories, and the Canadian Arctic Islands. Canon- ical correspondence analyses (CCA) revealed that Key words Chironomidae : Transfer function . mean July air temperature, lake depth, arctic tundra Beringia' Air temperature . Lake depth' Canonical vegetation, alpine tundra vegetation, pH, dissolved correspondence analysis . Paleoclimate E. M. Barley· R. W. Mathewes Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A IS6 Introduction I. R. Walker Departments of Biology, and Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Palaeoecologists seeking to quantify past environ- Kelowna, BC, Canada VIV IV7 mental changes rely increasingly on transfer func- e-mail: [email protected] tions that make use of biological proxies (Battarbee J.
    [Show full text]
  • Siberia and the Russian Far East in the 21St Century: Scenarios of the Future
    Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences 11 (2017 10) 1669-1686 ~ ~ ~ УДК 332.1:338.1(571) Siberia and the Russian Far East in the 21st Century: Scenarios of the Future Valerii S. Efimov and Alla V. Laptevа* Siberian Federal University 79 Svobodny, Krasnoyarsk, 660041, Russia Received 07.09.2017, received in revised form 07.11.2017, accepted 14.11.2017 The article presents a study of variants of possible future for Siberia and Russian Far East up until 2050. The authors consider the global trends that are likely to determine the situation of Russia and the Siberian macro-region in the long term. It is shown that the demand for natural resources of Siberia and Russian Far East will be determined by the economic development of Asian countries, the processes of urbanization and the growth of urban “middle class”. When determining possible scenarios, the authors use a method of conceptual scenario planning that was developed under the framework of foresight technology. Three groups of scenario factors became the basis for determining scenarios: external constant conditions, external variable factors, internal variable factors. Combinations of scenario factors set the field for the possible variants of the future of Siberia and Russian East. The article describes four key scenarios: “Broad international cooperation”, “Exclusive partnership”, “Optimization of the country”, “Retention of territory”. For each of them the authors provide “the image of the future” (including the main features of international cooperation, economic and social development), as well as the quantitative estimation of population and GDP dynamics: • “Broad international cooperation” – the population of Russia will increase by 15.7 % from 146.5 million in 2015 to 169.5 million in 2050; Russia’s GDP will grow by 3.4 times – from 3.8 trillion dollars (PPP) in 2015 to 12.8 trillion dollars in 2050.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia: the Impact of Climate Change to 2030: Geopolitical Implications
    This paper does not represent US Government views. This page is intentionally kept blank. This paper does not represent US Government views. This paper does not represent US Government views. Russia: The Impact of Climate Change to 2030: Geopolitical Implications Prepared jointly by CENTRA Technology, Inc., and Scitor Corporation The National Intelligence Council sponsors workshops and research with nongovernmental experts to gain knowledge and insight and to sharpen debate on critical issues. The views expressed in this report do not reflect official US Government positions. CR 2009-16 September 2009 This paper does not represent US Government views. This paper does not represent US Government views. This page is intentionally kept blank. This paper does not represent US Government views. This paper does not represent US Government views. Scope Note Following the publication in 2008 of the National Intelligence Assessment on the National Security Implications of Global Climate Change to 2030, the National Intelligence Council (NIC) embarked on a research effort to explore in greater detail the national security implications of climate change in six countries/regions of the world: India, China, Russia, North Africa, Mexico and the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Island States. For each country/region we have adopted a three-phase approach. • In the first phase, contracted research explores the latest scientific findings on the impact of climate change in the specific region/country. For Russia, the Phase I effort was published as a NIC Special Report: Russia: Impact of Climate Change to 2030, A Commissioned Research Report (NIC 2009-04, April 2009). • In the second phase, a workshop or conference composed of experts from outside the Intelligence Community (IC) determines if anticipated changes from the effects of climate change will force inter- and intra-state migrations, cause economic hardship, or result in increased social tensions or state instability within the country/region.
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary State of Glaciers in Chukotka and Kolyma Highlands ISSN 2080-7686
    Bulletin of Geography. Physical Geography Series, No. 19 (2020): 5–18 http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/bgeo-2020-0006 Contemporary state of glaciers in Chukotka and Kolyma highlands ISSN 2080-7686 Maria Ananicheva* 1,a, Yury Kononov 1,b, Egor Belozerov2 1 Russian Academy of Science, Institute of Geography, Moscow, Russia 2 Lomonosov State University, Faculty of Geography, Moscow, Russia * Correspondence: Russian Academy of Science, Institute of Geography, Moscow, Russia. E-mail: [email protected] a https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6377-1852, b https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3117-5554 Abstract. The purpose of this work is to assess the main parameters of the Chukotka and Kolyma glaciers (small forms of glaciation, SFG): their size and volume, and changes therein over time. The point as to whether these SFG can be considered glaciers or are in transition into, for example, rock glaciers is also presented. SFG areas were defined from the early 1980s (data from the catalogue of the glaciers compiled by R.V. Sedov) to 2005, and up to 2017: these data were retrieved from sat- Key words: ellite images. The maximum of the SGF reduction occurred in the Chantalsky Range, Iskaten Range, Chukotka Peninsula, and in the northern part of Chukotka Peninsula. The smallest retreat by this time relates to the gla- Kolyma Highlands, ciers of the southern part of the peninsula. Glacier volumes are determined by the formula of S.A. satellite image, Nikitin for corrie glaciers, based on in-situ volume measurements, and by our own method: the av- climate change, erage glacier thickness is calculated from isogypsum patterns, constructed using DEMs of individu- glacier reduction, al glaciers based on images taken from a drone during field work, and using ArcticDEM for others.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia's Arctic Cities
    ? chapter one Russia’s Arctic Cities Recent Evolution and Drivers of Change Colin Reisser Siberia and the Far North fi gure heavily in Russia’s social, political, and economic development during the last fi ve centuries. From the beginnings of Russia’s expansion into Siberia in the sixteenth century through the present, the vast expanses of land to the north repre- sented a strategic and economic reserve to rulers and citizens alike. While these reaches of Russia have always loomed large in the na- tional consciousness, their remoteness, harsh climate, and inaccessi- bility posed huge obstacles to eff ectively settling and exploiting them. The advent of new technologies and ideologies brought new waves of settlement and development to the region over time, and cities sprouted in the Russian Arctic on a scale unprecedented for a region of such remote geography and harsh climate. Unlike in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of other countries, the Russian Far North is highly urbanized, containing 72 percent of the circumpolar Arctic population (Rasmussen 2011). While the largest cities in the far northern reaches of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland have maximum populations in the range of 10,000, Russia has multi- ple cities with more than 100,000 citizens. Despite the growing public focus on the Arctic, the large urban centers of the Russian Far North have rarely been a topic for discussion or analysis. The urbanization of the Russian Far North spans three distinct “waves” of settlement, from the early imperial exploration, expansion of forced labor under Stalin, and fi nally to the later Soviet development 2 | Colin Reisser of energy and mining outposts.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia and Asia
    17. Russia in the Asia–Pacific area: challenges and opportunities Vyacheslav B. Amirov 1. Introduction Not for the first time in its history, Russia is facing new realities in its standing in the international arena—realities which emerged mainly because of internal and economic problems that had accumulated over decades. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia, having lost the Baltic states, Belarus and Ukraine, has shifted east. That is one reason, among others, why its place in the Asia– Pacific arena and its relations with the countries of the region have become even more important than they were under the USSR—although the real sig- nificance of the region was not realized by the Soviet rulers. Although the last years of the Soviet Union witnessed some improvements in its relations with countries of the Asia–Pacific region, in some critical aspects and cases the legacy of the past is a burden for the new Russia. There are some unresolved issues with its neighbours and, more important, old-style approaches to various problems persist which the policies of perestroika and ‘new thinking’ were not able to correct. It is clear that the working-out of a long-term national strategy towards Asia– Pacific cannot be expected until after the next presidential election in Russia. It is not, however, clear whether such a policy will reflect Russia’s genuine national interests. There are still too many questions, and a reliable policy, if one is finally adopted, cannot be formulated without a critical assessment of the legacy of the past, taking into account the fact that neither the old Russia nor the Soviet Union could cope properly with the realities and the state authorities quite often took decisions which were not in the national interests.
    [Show full text]
  • Background Guide, and to Issac and Stasya for Being Great Friends During Our Weird Chicago Summer
    Russian Duma 1917 (DUMA) MUNUC 33 ONLINE 1 Russian Duma 1917 (DUMA) | MUNUC 33 Online TABLE OF CONTENTS ______________________________________________________ CHAIR LETTERS………………………….….………………………….……..….3 ROOM MECHANICS…………………………………………………………… 6 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM………………………….……………..…………......9 HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM………………………………………………………….16 ROSTER……………………………………………………….………………………..23 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………..…………….. 46 2 Russian Duma 1917 (DUMA) | MUNUC 33 Online CHAIR LETTERS ____________________________________________________ My Fellow Russians, We stand today on the edge of a great crisis. Our nation has never been more divided, more war- stricken, more fearful of the future. Yet, the promise and the greatness of Russia remains undaunted. The Russian Provisional Government can and will overcome these challenges and lead our Motherland into the dawn of a new day. Out of character. To introduce myself, I’m a fourth-year Economics and History double major, currently writing a BA thesis on World War II rationing in the United States. I compete on UChicago’s travel team and I additionally am a CD for our college conference. Besides that, I am the VP of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, previously a member of an all-men a cappella group and a proud procrastinator. This letter, for example, is about a month late. We decided to run this committee for a multitude of reasons, but I personally think that Russian in 1917 represents such a critical point in history. In an unlikely way, the most autocratic regime on Earth became replaced with a socialist state. The story of this dramatic shift in government and ideology represents, to me, one of the most interesting parts of history: that sometimes facts can be stranger than fiction.
    [Show full text]
  • US Sanctions on Russia
    U.S. Sanctions on Russia Updated January 17, 2020 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45415 SUMMARY R45415 U.S. Sanctions on Russia January 17, 2020 Sanctions are a central element of U.S. policy to counter and deter malign Russian behavior. The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia mainly in response to Russia’s 2014 invasion of Cory Welt, Coordinator Ukraine, to reverse and deter further Russian aggression in Ukraine, and to deter Russian Specialist in European aggression against other countries. The United States also has imposed sanctions on Russia in Affairs response to (and to deter) election interference and other malicious cyber-enabled activities, human rights abuses, the use of a chemical weapon, weapons proliferation, illicit trade with North Korea, and support to Syria and Venezuela. Most Members of Congress support a robust Kristin Archick Specialist in European use of sanctions amid concerns about Russia’s international behavior and geostrategic intentions. Affairs Sanctions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are based mainly on four executive orders (EOs) that President Obama issued in 2014. That year, Congress also passed and President Rebecca M. Nelson Obama signed into law two acts establishing sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Specialist in International Ukraine: the Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Trade and Finance Ukraine Act of 2014 (SSIDES; P.L. 113-95/H.R. 4152) and the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 (UFSA; P.L. 113-272/H.R. 5859). Dianne E. Rennack Specialist in Foreign Policy In 2017, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Countering Russian Influence Legislation in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017 (CRIEEA; P.L.
    [Show full text]
  • The North Caucasus Region As a Blind Spot in the “European Green Deal”: Energy Supply Security and Energy Superpower Russia
    energies Article The North Caucasus Region as a Blind Spot in the “European Green Deal”: Energy Supply Security and Energy Superpower Russia José Antonio Peña-Ramos 1,* , Philipp Bagus 2 and Dmitri Amirov-Belova 3 1 Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia 7500912, Chile 2 Department of Applied Economics I and History of Economic Institutions (and Moral Philosophy), Rey Juan Carlos University, 28032 Madrid, Spain; [email protected] 3 Postgraduate Studies Centre, Pablo de Olavide University, 41013 Sevilla, Spain; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +34-657219669 Abstract: The “European Green Deal” has ambitious aims, such as net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. While the European Union aims to make its energies greener, Russia pursues power-goals based on its status as a geo-energy superpower. A successful “European Green Deal” would have the up-to-now underestimated geopolitical advantage of making the European Union less dependent on Russian hydrocarbons. In this article, we illustrate Russian power-politics and its geopolitical implications by analyzing the illustrative case of the North Caucasus, which has been traditionally a strategic region for Russia. The present article describes and analyses the impact of Russian intervention in the North Caucasian secessionist conflict since 1991 and its importance in terms of natural resources, especially hydrocarbons. The geopolitical power secured by Russia in the North Caucasian conflict has important implications for European Union’s energy supply security and could be regarded as a strong argument in favor of the “European Green Deal”. Keywords: North Caucasus; post-soviet conflicts; Russia; oil; natural gas; global economics and Citation: Peña-Ramos, J.A.; Bagus, P.; cross-cultural management; energy studies; renewable energies; energy markets; clean energies Amirov-Belova, D.
    [Show full text]
  • Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western Or the Latin Civilization? Piotra Murzionak
    Comparative Civilizations Review Volume 78 | Number 78 Article 5 4-2018 Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western or the Latin Civilization? Piotra Murzionak Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, History Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, Political Science Commons, and the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Murzionak, Piotra (2018) "Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western or the Latin Civilization?," Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 78 : No. 78 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol78/iss78/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the All Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Comparative Civilizations Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Murzionak: Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western or t Comparative Civilizations Review 41 Does Belarusian-Ukrainian Civilization Belong to the Western or the Latin Civilization? Piotra Murzionak Abstract The aim of this article is to further develop the idea of the existence of a distinct Belarusian-Ukrainian/Western-Ruthenian civilization, to define its place among Western sub-civilizations, as well as to argue against the designation of Belarus and Ukraine as belonging to the Eurasian civilization. Most of the provided evidence will be related to Belarus; however, it also applies to Ukraine, the country that has had much in common with Belarus in its historical and cultural inheritance since the 9th and 10th centuries. Key words: designation, Belarus, Europe, civilization Introduction The designation of a modern country or group of countries to one or another civilization bears two aspects.
    [Show full text]
  • Arctic Report Card 2018 Effects of Persistent Arctic Warming Continue to Mount
    Arctic Report Card 2018 Effects of persistent Arctic warming continue to mount 2018 Headlines 2018 Headlines Video Executive Summary Effects of persistent Arctic warming continue Contacts to mount Vital Signs Surface Air Temperature Continued warming of the Arctic atmosphere Terrestrial Snow Cover and ocean are driving broad change in the Greenland Ice Sheet environmental system in predicted and, also, Sea Ice unexpected ways. New emerging threats Sea Surface Temperature are taking form and highlighting the level of Arctic Ocean Primary uncertainty in the breadth of environmental Productivity change that is to come. Tundra Greenness Other Indicators River Discharge Highlights Lake Ice • Surface air temperatures in the Arctic continued to warm at twice the rate relative to the rest of the globe. Arc- Migratory Tundra Caribou tic air temperatures for the past five years (2014-18) have exceeded all previous records since 1900. and Wild Reindeer • In the terrestrial system, atmospheric warming continued to drive broad, long-term trends in declining Frostbites terrestrial snow cover, melting of theGreenland Ice Sheet and lake ice, increasing summertime Arcticriver discharge, and the expansion and greening of Arctic tundravegetation . Clarity and Clouds • Despite increase of vegetation available for grazing, herd populations of caribou and wild reindeer across the Harmful Algal Blooms in the Arctic tundra have declined by nearly 50% over the last two decades. Arctic • In 2018 Arcticsea ice remained younger, thinner, and covered less area than in the past. The 12 lowest extents in Microplastics in the Marine the satellite record have occurred in the last 12 years. Realms of the Arctic • Pan-Arctic observations suggest a long-term decline in coastal landfast sea ice since measurements began in the Landfast Sea Ice in a 1970s, affecting this important platform for hunting, traveling, and coastal protection for local communities.
    [Show full text]
  • Chechnya's Status Within the Russian
    SWP Research Paper Uwe Halbach Chechnya’s Status within the Russian Federation Ramzan Kadyrov’s Private State and Vladimir Putin’s Federal “Power Vertical” Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik German Institute for International and Security Affairs SWP Research Paper 2 May 2018 In the run-up to the Russian presidential elections on 18 March 2018, the Kremlin further tightened the federal “vertical of power” that Vladimir Putin has developed since 2000. In the North Caucasus, this above all concerns the republic of Dagestan. Moscow intervened with a powerful purge, replacing the entire political leadership. The situation in Chechnya, which has been ruled by Ramzan Kadyrov since 2007, is conspicuously different. From the early 2000s onwards, President Putin conducted a policy of “Chechenisation” there, delegating the fight against the armed revolt to local security forces. Under Putin’s protection, the republic gained a leadership which is now publicly referred to by Russians as the “Chechen Khanate”, among other similar expressions. Kadyrov’s breadth of power encompasses an independ- ent foreign policy, which is primarily orientated towards the Middle East. Kadyrov emphatically professes that his republic is part of Russia and presents himself as “Putin’s foot soldier”. Yet he has also transformed the federal subject of Chechnya into a private state. The ambiguous relationship between this republic and the central power fundamentally rests on the loyalty pact between Putin and Kadyrov. However, criticism of this arrange- ment can now occasionally be heard even in the Russian president’s inner circles. With regard to Putin’s fourth term, the question arises just how long the pact will last.
    [Show full text]