Suchergebnisse

In this research I propose that the concept of diversionary theory provides at least a partial explanation for North Korea's conflict activities. I examine and analyze the country's data on diplomatic and military activities from 1997 to 2011 and argue that North Korea's domestic conditions influence its willingness to engage in external conflict. I also examine the impact of such external influences as UN sanctions, leadership changes in the region, national capacities of the US, South Korea and Japan, and strategic military exercises on DPRK-initiated conflicts. This study provides insight into the activities of this reclusive state and also demonstrates useful techniques that can be applied to analyze other similarly closed nations. The findings suggest that there are identified links between internal conditions and the Kim regime's aggressive actions between 1997 and 2011 in support of the diversionary argument. Concurrently, there is less evidence that North Korea's hostile diplomatic and military activities are based on external pressures.

The 20th and 21st centuries are the periods of urbanization. In 2008, for the first time the world's urban population exceeded 50%. This process is driven mainly by technological, economic and social changes. In the case of Europe, "metropolitan Europe" has already become a commonly used name. However, the question arises as to whether the processes of urbanization take place with the same intensity throughout Europe and if there are any regional differences in these changes. This paper attempts to present regional differences in the development of cities in France. As an indicator of development the changes of city population have been adopted. The analysis was based on the number of urban population in France in the years 1965–2007. The analysis of these changes was carried out in relation to various administrative units: regions, departments, units and urban agglomerations (unité urbaine). After analyzing the changes of the degree of urbanization of regions an attempt was made to create a model of urban development in various regions of France and, on this basis, forecast their future growth. Finally, selected indicators of socio-economic changes have been compared with the rate of urban population changes. This has been aimed at verifying the influence of individual factors on contemporary processes of urbanization.