The interest of social sciences in the military dates back ages, and currently, special attention is being paid to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The present paper also follows this research trend, and it intends to analyze both the tactical and operational levels of war by investigating how the military assistance provided by Western states and international organizations to Ukraine is influencing the course of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Subsequently, the paper studies the military assistance in all three phases of the war, beginning from the invasion of Crimea, through the Donbas offensive, to the phase of Ukrainian counter-offensives. The research method used by this paper was to review and synthesize the existing but scarce and sometimes disinformative literature. The findings suggest that Western military aid began cautiously by providing only non-lethal, defensive weapons, but it was of crucial importance in the second phase of the war by guaranteeing heavy weaponry. The paper concludes that Western military assistance, especially from the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, and Germany, has had a significant role in the Russo-Ukrainian war, without which Ukrainian forces may not have persisted to now.

Access to safe and clean water (Sustainable Development Goal 6 of the United Nations) is a fundamental human right and the most basic human need. However, 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water, including 703 million without a basic water service in 2022, according to the United Nations. The current research examined the current state of water security of Burkina Faso which is one of the most vulnerable in the field of water security. The current study identifies a significant research gap in the field of sustainable water security by adopting a security-focused perspective, complementing the existing emphasis on water-related development. The present study shows that despite the numbers of water-related development projects—financed by the African Development Bank—Burkina Faso is the only country in West Africa where the proportion of the population with access to basic drinking water services has decreased (by 8%) between 2000 and 2022. Moreover, 40% of the country’s regions had fewer people with access to basic drinking water services. The research also found that Burkina Faso is the most affected by water-related conflicts in West and Central Africa where the regions of the country with the highest number of water-related conflicts are precisely those with the least access to drinking water and the least number of implemented water security projects. Thus, water security strategies must prioritize physical security, since armed conflict can easily reverse years of progress and investment. Graphical abstract

As the global population exceeds 8 billion, pressure on food systems is growing, especially in developing regions where funding gaps hinder progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 2. This study investigates sustainable food security in West Africa, focusing on the role of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). A quantitative, secondary research approach is applied, combining a literature review with time series data. Three indicators are examined, undernourishment (2000–2022), food insecurity (2014–2022), and AfDB-funded projects (1970–2023), with a detailed focus on the overlapping period of 2015–2022. Findings reveal significant disparities across countries. From 2015 to 2022, undernourishment decreased in only seven of fifteen countries, while food insecurity rose in nearly all. In 2022, 17% of the population was undernourished, and 61% lived in moderate or severe food insecurity. Although Nigeria recorded a relatively low undernourishment rate, it had the highest absolute number of affected individuals due to its population size. Since 1970, AfDB has financed 339 food security-related projects in the region, with notable growth during the MDG and SDG periods. Ghana and Mali received the most projects, while Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria attracted the largest funding volumes. Per capita distribution reveals significant disparities, with Cape Verde and Gambia receiving proportionally more support. Over time, project focus evolved from rural development to climate resilience and value chain enhancement, showing the change in development priorities. The study contributes to understanding how long-term, targeted investments by development finance institutions influence food security outcomes in West Africa.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been long examined since every company affects its natural and social environments. This study presents research on CSR practices and their relationship with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim to find out about CSR from the aspect of sustainability in practice. The study reviews the theoretical framework for sustainability and CSR, and by conducting qualitative research focusing on the CSR activities of the Hungarian HR service industry, it presents the relation of these CSR practices to sustainability. This regional focus combined with the industry-specific focus provides the novelty of the study. Results show that the Hungarian HR sector has made a significant contribution to sustainable development in the areas of equality and inclusiveness in the responsible workplace and environmental/ecological responsibility. It was also found that the CSR practices of the examined HR companies greatly overlap, although differences were identified. It concludes that HR companies operating in Hungary can contribute to sustainable development and that the examined companies’ CSR practices are aligned with the SDGs, since sustainability is an integral part of their CSR strategy, though in various degrees.

The internationalization of higher education has become a focal point in Hungary during the past few years. Consequently, all Hungarian higher education institutions aim to increase the number of international students. It is because one positive and multiplicative effect of internationalization is perceived to be an increase in the level of cultural sensitivity of both the international and the Hungarian students. The present paper, therefore, investigates this auspicious effect by presenting the rationale, the purposes, the contents as well as the findings of a small-scale quantitative research which aims to uncover how the cultural sensitivity of the respondents has changed after they began their tertiary studies in an international environment. The research was conducted among Hungarian and international students studying on English-taught programmes in the field of social and economic sciences at a Hungarian university, namely Széchenyi István University. Findings reveal that the cultural sensitivity of the respondents (both international and Hungarian) was indeed enhanced during their tertiary studies and this was as a result of the international learning environment. However, due to the limitations of the research, these findings remain tentative rather than conclusive.

The advent of cutting-edge technologies has changed the way humans communicate. Corporate communication also has to face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities stemming from the evolution of infocommunication technologies. The paper aims to present the best practice of a Hungarian certified company providing full HR services regarding the use of a chatbot software application as a corporate communication tool. The company applies its award-winning chatbot to communicate with its temporary workforce in five different languages. The paper is a single-case study based on secondary and primary research. The empirical research is carried out by means of an in-depth interview with the examined company’s representative to get details about the successful application of the chatbot software. The results reveal that the company was able to successfully integrate a rule-based chatbot into its corporate communications. The use of the chatbot has brought a number of benefits, e.g. time- and cost-effectiveness, satisfaction from both the temporary workforce and the internal staff. The paper concludes that even the most basic type of chatbot software can be applied effectively if the users are informed and well-prepared in advance, meanwhile the knowledge base of the chatbot software is appropriately determined and constantly updated.