This study examines Zimbabwe’s Deeds Registries Regulations, Statutory Instrument 76 of 2025 as a legislative foundation for mitigating syndicated land fraud through strategic adoption of Kenya’s Ardhisasa digital governance model. Employing qualitative documentary analysis of Zimbabwean litigation trends (Zavazava, Mutumbuka, Chirimuta, Mariko) and regulatory frameworks within the e-governance paradigm, the research identifies Sections 40–44’s mandate for title validation and blockchain-backed securitised deeds as pivotal yet reveals critical gaps in biometric verification and automated compliance that perpetuate impersonation and document tampering risks. Consequently, the paper proposes institutional recalibration beyond digitisation: (1) integrating Kenya’s stakeholder-centric "phygital" hybrid systems during Zimbabwe’s 24-month validation phase; (2) embedding real-time identity cross-checks; and (3) implementing immutable audit trails to fulfil Section 90 of the Deeds Registries Act. These recommendations reconfigure the Deeds Registry as a guarantor of constitutional property rights guaranteed in Section 71(1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, 2013. The study contributes to debates on counteracting deed fraud in Africa.
As economic instability grows and the risk of global threats increases – including pandemics, wars, climate crises, and sudden migration flows – conventional indicators of progress, such as gross domestic product (GDP), are increasingly recognised as insufficient to assess socio-economic development, societal resilience, and a country’s capacity to recover from crises. This article highlights the role of culture in evaluating the socio-economic development of European Union member states under conditions of uncertainty. Culture is understood as a factor shaping long-term development trajectories, influencing not only economic outcomes but also institutional quality, social trust, and societies’ ability to adapt to shocks. From a methodological perspective, the article applies criteria for assessing the cultural sector in line with the EU's "Beyond GDP" approach, focusing on cultural employment, the business environment of the cultural sector, and public expenditure on culture across EU countries. These indicators are analysed alongside levels of trust in public institutions and the Human Development Index (HDI), as well as their correlations, to identify key factors that may significantly impact societal resilience, sustainability, and long-term growth. Using descriptive and comparative methods, the study seeks to identify recurring patterns and structural imbalances across countries, particularly when high GDP levels are not reflected in social well-being or national stability. The empirical findings suggest that cultural indicators are more closely associated with long-term development outcomes than with short-term economic performance. The results indicate that the vitality of the cultural sector and consistent public support contribute to strengthening social cohesion and resilience, while their impact on economic growth is indirect and materialises through longer-term institutional and value-based transformations. The article concludes that culture should be regarded as a strategic resource for long-term development rather than a secondary component of economic policy, especially in contexts of global crisis and uncertainty.
This article analyses the transformation of European security policy resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the deteriorating global security environment, and ongoing geopolitical shifts. The author aims to identify the principal strategic, institutional, and geopolitical challenges faced by the European Union in pursuing its security policy, and to assess its capacity to respond as a respected, autonomous actor in a multipolar world. The research employs a qualitative, theoretical, interdisciplinary approach, based on content analysis of political and security documents, critical analysis of secondary sources, and scholarly literature. The author highlights the fact that the war in Ukraine has significantly accelerated the EU's geopolitical maturation process; however, its practical capacity for action is limited by internal fragmentation, the unanimity-based decision-making mechanism, and a persistent dependence on transatlantic ties. Simultaneously, the study points to the tension between the EU's normative ambitions and its actual ability to project security from both a regional and a global perspective. This study contributes to the academic discussion on the redefinition of the European security order and the EU's position in an era of worsening regional and global security environments and escalating geopolitical change.
This article offers scholarly insight into contemporary international relations, which in recent years have been increasingly shaped by the intense rivalry between great powers, taking place below the threshold of open armed conflict. This article examines the enduring relevance of neorealism in explaining the dynamics of competition in the grey zone in the 21st century. Drawing on structural realism, the study argues that the fundamental characteristics of the international system – anarchy, the primacy of state actors, and the pursuit of security through relative power – remain central despite profound changes in the domains, instruments, and technologies of conflict. Particular attention is paid to the conceptualisation of the grey zone as an operational space between war and peace, where state actors employ hybrid, coercive, and ambiguous strategies to advance their interests while avoiding escalation. By comparing Cold War precedents with contemporary practices, the article demonstrates both continuity and transformation in great power behaviour. The findings suggest that grey-zone strategies strengthen neorealism's explanatory power and highlight its enduring analytical value for understanding strategic competition, hybrid threats, and the evolving global security environment.
