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The paper explores the causes of the Middle East conflicts. The author considers that apart from historical & religious roots the main causes are the importance of the energy deposits, great & regional powers competition & collisions over energy resources, the complexity of water management in the region for its scarcity, traditional, religious & ethnic differences, social differentiations & conflicts, growing poverty among majority of people, demographic problems. The persistence & not solving of these problems clearly indicate that local terrorisms, wars & armed confrontations remain the ominous feature of the region, concludes the author. References. Adapted from the source document.

The author describes historical & contemporary geopolitical position of the Black Sea region. Up to the present times the primary significance of the region has lain in its trade routes & other transit communications that connect Europe, the Middle East & Asia. Having such geografic position the region has been an interest sphere of great powers & regional states & conquerors. Today most of states of the Black Sea region are economically poor, have unstable political systems & burdened with constant & potential explosive problems. References. Adapted from the source document.

The author explores the operational capability of the European defense policy in the last 3 years. From the creation & adoption of the European Security Strategy, the European Union has made several specific steps in the development of the European Security & Defence Policy. Despite the disagreements with the United States about Iraq & the internal divisions in the "New & Old Europe" EU has shown the ability to set new military & civilian goals, make a small, but effective battle group concept for crisis management & conflict prevention as well as the European Defense Agency. The author also describes the main operations & missions of EU in the world, ranging from the Balkans & Africa to the Middle East & Eastern Asia. Finally, the paper analyses the Constitution for Europe & the articles concerning ESDP. References. Adapted from the source document.

This essay comparatively examines explanations of American foreign policy after 9/11. After introductory reviewing chronology of events, concurring evaluations of American foreign policy & justifications given by the public officials of the Bush administration, author describes six different approaches in explaining american foreign policy & position of USA in the world. Explanations search for causes of current American foreign policy in: myths of American culture, crusading mentality of Americans paired with legitimacy problem of American federal government, ideology of American neoconservatives, war for oil & attempt to geopolitically control the Middle East, logic of capitalist imperialism, & the decline of the capitalist world system. 27 References. Adapted from the source document.

Christian Zionism is a political and religious phenomenon which has shaped the current Middle East to a very significant degree. Prompted by their religious beliefs, Christians played an important role in facilitating Jewish return to Zion, and in subsequent establishment, justification and defense of the State of Israel. Faith as motive behind Christian support of Israel became a more discussed topic during the recent years. That phenomenon was, however, usually superficially explored, particularly in Europe, where it was often perceived as a new and bizarre American excess, prompted by some other, non-religious and obscure interests. By inquiry in its history, this article demonstrates that such a view of Christian Zionism is largely incorrect. Christian Zionism can be traced all the way back to early 19th-century European and American Christian Evangelical movements. It grew out of a certain view of ecclesiology and literal interpretation of the Bible. The article suggests some explanations for reasons why it took so long for Christian Zionism to become recognized as a political and religious phenomenon, and argues that Christian Zionism by mid-20th century underwent a profound transformation. From an eschatological, proselytizing evangelistic movement it became more focused on ideology and geopolitical circumstances. The movement is still based on Christian religion, but support to the Jewish state is not focused on end-time prophecies any more. Among the main themes of the movement's current phase are recognition of Jewish and Christian common roots and civilizational proximity, fulfillment of Old Testament promises to Jews, resistance to global jihad, and Christian remorse for the horrors of the Holocaust. In conclusion, Christian Zionism is probably an unprecedented interfaith phenomenon, which is, in spite of being complex, multifaceted, and multilayered, genuinely and primarily religious. Adapted from the source document.