Arshba Otari

This article is based on an analysis of the strategic context of the sanctions policy in different historical periods and in various countries, as well as effectiveness of the sanctions mechanism itself. The authors show that in the course of several waves of sanctions policy directed against Russia, the European partners of the United States, under the powerful pressure of Washington, began to fully participate in the sanctions measures, which partly looked very formal. The article examines the experience of sanctions policy both from international organizations and the United States. Assessing the effects and analyzing the proportionality of sanctions measures compared with other methods of achieving political and geopolitical purposes, the authors point out the low effectiveness of Euro-Atlantic economic sanctions against the Russian Federation. Russia's implementation of countermeasures against Western countries, the introduction of the complete ban on food imports from the EU countries, caused enormous damage to the initiators of anti-Russian sanctions, especially to some European countries that suffered serious losses having big impact on the GDP of these countries. Contrary to the expectations of the initiators, the sanctions policy has had a healing effect on the Russian agro-complex. While tens of thousands of jobs were lost in the EU countries, in Russia new jobs were created, and the country strengthened its food security.

The Netherlands were considered the most tolerant and multicultural society in Europe for decades. As a former colonial empire the country took onboard migrants from its previous colonies in South-East Asia. It also received huge amounts of migrant workers according to bilateral hiring agreements with Turkey, Morocco and South European countries which where mostly dominated by an Islamic cultural foundation. At the turn of the century, Dutch society faced a new challenge when this migrant population within the country, refused to integrate into the host society and accept its common social and cultural values. Right-wing political sentiments and nationalist parties with xenophobic and anti-Islamic slogans became stronger. The Netherlands as one of the most liberal and prosperous countries attracted ever more “social tourists” from Asian and African countries. Subsequently, the native-born Dutchmen got tired from their own liberalism, mostly because of the rising social costs of immigration. The author analyzes how the Netherlands toughened its immigration laws at the beginning of the XXI century limiting access to its labour market and associated social benefits. There is also another aspect relating to measures taken by the state regarding the poor and suffering immigrants which have been receiving social support as from the beginning of the 1980s. At that time the Netherlands had aspired building a society as much tolerant and multicultural as possible. In contrast, nowadays Dutch society expects the migrants to take it upon themselves the responsibility for their successful integration. The authors analyze the effectiveness of the new Dutch naturalization rules and the “contracts for new immigrants” in the Netherlands.

Over the last decade global immigration processes in Europe have led to increased xenophobia and intolerance towards “others”. As a result, people are more actively voting for far right politics or even extremist, while dreaming of more authoritarian states and experiencing anti-islamic sentiments. Modern far right politics tend to be more local, more radical and they try to modernize their parties, radical movements and the whole right wing subculture. The authors try to analyze this for both – Western and Eastern European countries (France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary). Special attention is paid to the variety of types of far right politics, as well as to the most effective ways to fight the right wing extremists at all levels of society and various forms of intolerance and discrimination that spread throughout Europe.

The proposed review contained the book author's opinion about the negativity of the demographic, social, immigration and education policy for the German population, which has been carried out by the liberal government of the country for many years.

The article presents a discussion on the efficiency of political and legal, ethical, economic regulators of global migration processes in European countries. The challenging issue of social transfers as one of the most complicated mechanisms of social security is analyzed on the example of Germany.