On Wednesday, September 7, 2022, Assist. prof. Primož Šterbenc gave a lecture entitled "Slovenia among the Four Worlds", which began with an excellent introduction to the theory of international relations, which is extremely important for Slovenia as a small country, as its citizens, and especially for people in certain positions or professions (politicians, diplomats, economists, teachers, journalists, and public sector employees), need to be knowledgeable about the world, or rather, they need to know the world relatively well.
Slovenians need to know not only about the European Union but also about Africa, the Middle East, and Asia because, in a globalizing world, knowledge is becoming increasingly important as the world becomes smaller. An excellent example of this need is Slovenia's possible non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. The Master's degree in Political Science international relations and economic diplomacy at the UP Faculty of Management serves the very purpose of (better) knowledge of the world to act more successfully in it.
Slovenia is located at the intersection of four worlds - Slavic, Germanic, Romance, and the Mediterranean, so it could be said that Slovenians are at a certain geographical and historical "crossroads". We have realized this also because of the pressures of the Germanic and Romance worlds throughout history, especially during the Second World War. Not so long ago, we got our own country, which we will only be able to keep if we invest enough in our knowledge. The Dutch say there are only 17 million of them, so they must know the world well. So Slovenians, as a much smaller nation, should know the world even more. But is that so? It is possible to say that Slovenians, in general, should become more globally aware, because the world does not only extend to Austria, Italy, Croatia, and the wider European Union. In our immediate neighborhood, just across the Mediterranean Sea, is the Arab or Muslim world, and the center of economic activity in the world is moving to Eurasia, where China, India, Russia, and other important countries are located. China is building a new road that will reach Europe; the maritime part of it will reach Europe via the Greek port of Piraeus, and the Chinese are also negotiating with the port of Trieste so that the port of Koper will have to adapt to this development. The world is getting smaller and smaller due to globalization - for example, because the Chinese eat a lot of pork, we breathe worse air all over the world, including in Slovenia. How much do Slovenian young people know, at least in the rough outlines, about the world's countries, continents, religions, and world events?
After the lecture, Assist. Prof. Primož Šterbenc also gave a brief presentation on the second cycle Master's degree programme in Political Science - international relations and economic diplomacy.
A recording of the lecture can be found HERE
Interested in learning more about our unique programme Political Science - international relations and economic diplomacy? Click HERE.
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