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The paper first considers peace. Then it makes a comparative analysis of its numerous definitions. On the basis of such an analysis, the complex definition is given that reflects the scope and the contents of peace. The second part deals with basic characteristics of peace as a phenomenon pursued by the progressive mankind. These are as follows: connections with important characteristics and values of specific societies or social groups, contradiction, complexity, dynamics, temporariness, hierarchism, particularity, humanity, causality, orientation and relative openness. A separate section explains peace as a value that frees of the tutelage and of various prejudices, enables creativity, frees from all forms of slavery and increases the overall power of man, social groups and nations.

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Political theory is trying to explain, from understandable level of abstractedness, all political phenomena enabling research and establishment of all relevant facts related to political phenomena as well as all principles, which rule in this sphere of social reality that is considered political sphere. That overall and complete approach to the subject of political science is the first characteristic of theory of politics. The second characteristic of theory of politics is updating. Political theories are specifically divided into those, which belong to history, and those, which have the status of contemporary that is combined to depict the phenomenon of supremacy in politics. Unlike political theory, which is first founded on facts and only then on hypothesis, political philosophy is based on moral religious and meta-physical values that are outside of the political reality.

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Subjects of international politics, especially the state, use a wide conglomerate of resources to implement foreign policy objectives. The choice of funds within the decision-making process is the choice of activity that should in the current situation make change in the international community for the purpose of its own conceptions. Most of the foreign policy actions are planned and implemented in cooperation with certain actors, since there is interdependence on a global scale. The paper discusses the most important means in international affairs with a focus on economic resources. The author points to the phenomenon of economic warfare as essential tools in modern international constellation.

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The paper containts an overview of the existing police organisation in Great Britain, also treating the reforms taken in the security sector. Special attention is devoted to the analysis of facts that led to the estalbishment of Serious Organised Crime Agency – SOCA as a central police organisation with executive police powers and rights to execute them throughout Great Britain. Its primary goal is to fight against perpetrators of crimnal acts belonging to serious and organised crime. The author has also analysed the agencies which are incorporated in SOCA as well as its bodies, structure, fields of acting and modes of its internal and external control.

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Employment is one of key interests of any state and together with inflation, it is the most striking indicator of the economic and social situation of a state. Unemployment protection system plays a primary social and individual problem that has many implications not only for the economic and social development, but also for the existence of individuals and their families. One can perceive the essential significance of employment for every individual and for some community by taking into consideration the general definition of employment such as indicators of economic, cultural and social prosperity of the community, a source of existence of the broadest circle of population, stabilisation of the socioeconomic status of an individual and the community and unemployment such as a synonym of poverty, social marginalisation, unnecessary and irreversible waste of human resources. In the first part of the paper, we have considered the unemployment insurance system itself and labour market in Montenegro, and then we have briefly perceived the unemployment situation in the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

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Capital as the difference between assets and liabilities of insurance companies enables protection against negative deviations of actual damages, costs or investment results from the planned values and it is the capacity, that is the key limiting factor for the supply of insurance services on a local as well as global level. Catastrophe losses represent special issue in the management of insurance and reinsurance companies because of their remarkable impact on available capital and capacity limitation. With the more frequent manifestation of catastrophic losses that have more intense effects the problem of limited insurability of risks and the insufficiency of not only individual companis but of the aggregate capacity of the global insurance and reinsurance industry is intensified. The main conclusion of the conducted research is that insurance and reinsurance in contemporary conditions are no longer sufficient to cover the consequences of catastrophic losses because of the limited capacity for risk acceptance. There is a need to use alternative solutions, which include mechanisms of risk control and mechanisms of risk financing that encompass risk transfer to investors in global capital markets and government intervention, that is the use of public funds and various forms of public-private partnerships, including the participation of international institutions.

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The paper analyses the problems, variants, strategy and negotiation skills of the Serbian representatives in talks with Priština under the auspices of the European Union in Brussels. The first part discusses the need for a high level of expertise and training of public officials and negotiators in order to be able to achieve high results in the protection of state interests. Based on the views presented in the article we have come to the following conclusion: We cannot improve our foreign policy position without public officials who are especially trained and responsible for those functions and are also willing to work in general (not the party) interests. Without trained, prepared and verified negotiators with hard negotiation skills, there is no success in international negotiations. There are no successful negotiations without a solid, pre-arranged and detailed negotiation strategy for each possible course of negotiations. If the negotiations are conducted under pressure and with an imposed solution, these are not negotiations but an ultimatum and, as such, they should be dismissed.

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In this article, the author analyses the impact of the political situation in Serbia on the enlargement policy and its achievements on the path towards EU. Maintaining credibility of the enlargement process, which is crucial to its success, EU has consistently proclaimed the inclusiveness of its policy towards the Western Balkans with the successive European Council confirming that the future of the whole region lies within EU. The Stabilisation and Association process remains the common framework for the necessary preparations. The European Commission has assessed that Serbia has achieved the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria. In particular, the key priority has been taking steps towards a visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo. Further constructive dialogue between Belgrade and Priština is necessary precondition for starting the negotiations with EU. Nevertheless, the deep economic crisis in the EU gives no opportunity for the dynamic and faster European integration of Serbia.

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The article analyses the integration of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary into the Visegrad Group (VG). Forming of VG helped in keeping stability in this part of the Europe after the fall of the Eastern bloc. Still, its forming was influenced by other, long-term interests of the geostrategic character. Having this in mind, the structure of this article is divided into six parts. In the first, introductory part, the basic data of the member states are presented. The second part deals with the historical roots of instability in the relations between some VG members. The third part is devoted to the economic effects of forming VG and the effects caused by the great economic crisis. The fourth part deals with the geopolitical aspects of forming VG and the US geostrategic interests in Central and Eastern Europe. In the fifth part, we are trying to show the potential future political hot spots: Silesian issue (in Poland), Moravian issue (in the Czech Republic), Slovak-Roma relations and the periodical radicalization of the Hungarian electoral body. The sixth part is the conclusion.

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After the end of the Second World War Germany was split and the divisions between the peoples of the two Germanies were reflected in their different political systems. They were aggravated by the policy of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) which wanted reunification of Germany, while the Democratic Republic of Germany (GDR) sought, above all, to gain international recognition. In 1969, a big turn occurred in relations between the two countries when the social-liberal coalition led by Willy Brandt came to power. The „Neue Ostpolitik“ of Willy Brandt aimed to take a more realistic approach to the dominant trends in East-West relations. The paper aims to explore the achievements made in the field of contractual relations and to examine to what extent this policy model can be applied by countries facing similar problems. In this regard, the author has considered the case study of the two Koreas. The success in conflict resolution largely depends on the ability of the parties involved to adapt to the changes in the international environment when they occur. The author concludes that Neue Ostpolitik is partially applicable to the case of the two Koreas.

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This article presents of short overview of 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations on the occasion of 50th anniversary from its entering into force on 24 April 1963. The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations from 1963 is primarily the biggest success of the United Nations concerning the codification of International Consular Law, which was for centuries uncodified. For 50 years since it was adopted, 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations has justified its existence in the international consular practice, since it was adopted by 175 countries. It could not resolve all issues and problems of consular relations and consular matters, but it has done for most important issues. It has its errors, but it has been left to the states in bilateral consular conventions to solve these problems. It was expected that the Convention would adopt complete immunity to consular officers as was done with diplomats, but it was not adopted. The Yugoslav delegation led by Prof. Milan Bartoš made a significant contribution during the preparations for the Conference and at the very Conference in Vienna when the Convention was adopted. In the Yugoslav and Serbian consular practice, the Convention has justified its existence and helped to resolve thousands of consular cases during these 50 years.

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The paper presents the general framework of the law and policy of climate change identified in the existing international treaties in the field of environment and in particular the provisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. By considering the specific situation of individual countries and using different criteria (share in total emissions of greenhouse gases, membership in international treaties, the implementation of international treaties, the definition of strategic objectives and the existence and characteristics of national legal systems in the area of climate change) there have been analysed the elements of the policy and law of the states which are the largest GHG emitters. It has especially considered the situation in the Member States of Annex I of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Australia, Japan, Germany, UK, USA, Russian Federation) and the situation in several countries that have the status of “non-Annex I” (China, Brazil, India, South Africa, Mexico). The paper is based on the assumption that the global policy on climate change depends solely on the policies of the major GHG emitters. This paper describes the thesis that the policy of the largest GHG emitters, despite the differences, has common elements of importance for the achievement of global politics.

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The subject of the paper is to perceive the important aspects of the contemporary environmental crisis and especially the cause of its origin, what results in the deviations, which have appeared in the process of accelerated and excessive industrialisation of the modern society. Apart from presenting the development of the environmental crisis and pointing to its climax at the present time, the authors aims to point out its key consequences or actually negative effects, which could exert a great impact not only on the considerable lowering of the quality of life of the man in the future, but also on the survival of the Earth itself and the whole mankind. Concerning this as one of the specific consequences of the environmental crisis, there have emerged radical ideologies. Intending to protect the nature and the living world their activities and possible responses to the existing system of values are focused on the use of violence, terrorist methods and weapons.

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International criminal law as a system of legal rules contained in the documents of international community and in the documents of national (internal) criminal law provides criminal liability and punishment for a great number of international crimes, among which crime against humanity is the most prominent. These crimes are acts of breaking war laws and rules of warfare (international humanitarian law) and they are also the acts of endangering peace among nations and security of the mankind. For perpetrators of these crimes in certain cases the primary jurisdiction is the one of international criminal court (supranational) authorities. In this paper, the author has analysed the notion and characteristics of crime against humanity from the theoretical and practical aspects in international criminal law and in criminal law of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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This paper is based on a different approach to the status of the Serbs in Croatia analyzing their population growth, demographic characteristics, rights, the national identity of the Serbs as well as the ways and possibilities of its maintenance. The main data sources are the official population censuses considering that the size and ethnic compactness are the main demographic factors, which significantly affect the achievement of rights and freedoms of every minority. The paper highlights the problem of refugees and the issue of sustainable return of the Serbs to Croatia and achievement of their fundamental rights. Regional cooperation and bilateral treaties are the way for the homeland country for the efficient protection of its compatriots as well as the efficient mechanism for better integration of minorities in all fields of the social life in the country where they live.

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Germany is today the first economy of Europe. A nation that leaves no one indifferent has managed to establish itself through the EU, thus becoming one of the most influential countries in the world. Germany’s contribution to world politics, economy and culture, as well as its present significance make consideration of the Germans, their country, identity, their understanding of organization and the strength and Germanic spirit very pertinent. The Europeans have always followed the rise of the German state with respect and caution, given the historical constellation.

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Obama’s first presidential term was marked by both the beginning of the U.S.-Russian “reset“, and its failure. Since spring 2011, most of the positive outcomes of the “reset“have been annulled including the achieved spirit of cooperation. In Obama’s second term, we are witnessing further worsening in relations between the two powers, which is also accompanied by cold personal relations between the two presidents, Obama and Putin. Prospects for the future are pessimistic, at least until the end of Obama’s term. Nevertheless, we cannot talk of a new Cold War in the sense of the previous confrontation between the two superpowers, but rather of the clash of visions of mutual relations and international order, and yet another failed attempt of the U.S.-Russian rapprochement.