Military Exercises: Political Messaging and Strategic Impact

No abstract available

Military Exercises: Political Messaging and Strategic Impact

No abstract available

Strategy in the practice of statecraft? The interrelationship of foreign and military policies in Putin’s Russia, 2014-2021

This dissertation empirically examines press releases and documents issued by the Russian government to measure their relative frequency and intended message over the years 2014-2021. It then quantifies how the quantities of diplomatic meetings and military exercises over time shift the relative quality of Russia’s relations with other countries of the world as well as the degree of military threat expressed toward each country by the geographical and tactical distribution of the military exercises acknowledged by the state. Finally, it assesses this shifting distribution using mixed methodologies: a quantitative methodology to determine if and how the changing foreign policy quality and military threat are correlated and a qualitative methodology to examine the patterns by which different leading Russian politicians and bureaucratic organs discuss their competing outlooks on and objectives of policy. It concludes by assessing that despite efforts to better harmonise policymaking across the Russian government, relatively little evidence exists to suggest that a coherent strategy is determining the everyday coordination of Russian foreign and military policies

The application of the United Nations collective security system in territorial disputes

The thesis is an attempt to critique the operation of the UN collective security system, in particular in relation to territorial disputes. In the introduction, the author argues that territorial disputes are an important, common but dangerous type of international disputes which can be, and have been controversially intervened by the UNCSS. Accordingly, the author has found out that the interaction between territorial disputes and the UNCSS is worthy to be studied. In the First main chapter, the author has reviewed the past literatures on either the UNCSS or territorial disputes, and evaluated the traditional route of legal research. Accordingly, the author argues that his research perspective of jointly studying territorial disputes and the UNCSS by combining legal and political theories is rather original, as the existing literatures tend to focus on general studies from their own research fields. Meanwhile, the author also argues that the realistic philosophy and the qualitative library-based literary methods are rather suitable for the current research topic, as they can deviate from the set paradigm without becoming impracticable. In the second main chapter, the author has addressed the inherent nature and the peaceful settlement of territorial disputes. Accordingly, the author argues that the land-territory disputes among member states of the United Nations can be defined as the working objects of study of this thesis. Moreover, the author also argues that the characters of territorial disputes are unfavorable for their settlement, and the peaceful measures are overly affected by the will of the direct parties, thus the intervention of the UNCSS is necessary. In the third main chapter, the author has described the authoritative institutions, operating mechanism and predetermined purposes of the UNCSS in handling territorial disputes. Moreover, the author has also analyzed the relationships between the UNCSS and the peaceful measures, the right of self-defence and definite regional organizations in regard to territorial disputes. Accordingly, the author argues that the UNCSS is responsible for returning the relevant situation to peace, and it has to primarily trust in its own changing structure and ability. In the fourth main chapter, the author has examined the practice of the four sets of forcible or non-forcible measures of the UNCSS in dealing with territorial disputes. Accordingly, the author argues that none of these measures is perfect, but their effectiveness is generally determined by their coerciveness, or mandatory power. In the fifth main chapter, the author has proposed his thoughts and plan for the reform of the UNCSS in the field of territorial disputes. Accordingly, the author argues that the shortages of the UNCSS related to territorial disputes are both explainable and amendable, so that the future of the application of the UNCSS in territorial disputes is worthy to be anticipated. In the conclusion, the author summarized the entire thesis through listing all his research findings, following the set research questions

Early 21st Century Russian Naval Strategy at Europe‘s Southern Maritime Flank:Continental Power, Fleet Design and Naval Operations

This thesis “Early 21st Century Russian Naval Strategy at Europe‘s Southern Maritime Flank: Continental Power, Fleet Design and Naval Operations” examines Russian naval strategy at Europe's southern tier in the period 2000-2019, focusing on the Black Sea, Sea of Azov and Mediterranean Sea regions, and secondarily on the Caspian Sea and the Horn of Africa. Drawing on theories of seapower and geopolitics, it argues that the continental nature of the Russian state and its navy served as the driving force behind Russian naval strategy during the first two decades of the 21st century. Using, among others, archive research, data gathered through Lloyd's Intelligence and interviews, the thesis examines the nature of the early 21st century Russian state; the Russian Federation's policies related to the maritime domain; Russian naval arms procurement; and naval operations from 2000 to 2015.<br/

Terrorism and counter-terrorism: impact of ambiguous and disputed definitions on fundamental human rights

The role of terrorism in political discourse changed dramatically over the last fifty years, moving from ambiguity to the forefront of public policy and security concern. After the 9/11 attacks, terrorism has earned the news headlines, and has become a global security priority. Governments and the international community have enhanced measures to counter international and transnational terrorism, although there is no universally accepted definition of the term. The lack of an undisputed and legally binding definition of terrorism leaves significant room for free interpretation by policymakers. Governments are given what is essentially a carte blanche to develop programs and counter-terrorism initiatives that may lead, or have already led, to the development of policy that infringes on fundamental human rights. This thesis investigates the connection between terrorism and fundamental human rights. The question that guided this dissertation is the potential consequence of arbitrary and politicallydriven definitions of terrorism over counter-terrorism policy and fundamental human rights. The thesis moves from a historical framing of the concept of terrorism that changes with time. There are many definitions of the term, and there is no common definition with legal value. The current debate on terrorism is linked almost exclusively with non-state actors, which implies that state and terrorism have no linkage, even if there are evidences of these ties. The thesis scrutinizes the instrumentalization of terrorism, starting from an analysis of the concept based on three pillars: historical, theoretical-conceptual and legal (in the light of international law and human rights law). Then an empirical analysis based on these tools through the use of political and legal mechanisms to obtain a political output was conducted. To answer the starting question, the research moved from a historical-documentary analysis, then took into consideration the literature, and focused on how the states use the justification of the fight against international terrorism to restrict fundamental human rights. After the theoretical-conceptual and legal analysis, the research focuses on the legal aspects of the War on Terror and security policies. Large part of the empyrical research is dedicated to scrutinize the case of Turkey after the 2016 coup d'état attempt, to review some rulings of the European Courts, and to examine some prominent 'terrorist' organizations. While this topic presents a serious challenge, it does open much room for possible explorations of new fields of research without necessitating a fixed point of departure – or arrival. The thesis ends suggesting some future research directions.O papel do terrorismo no discurso político mudou drasticamente nos últimos cinquenta anos, passando da ambiguidade para a linha de frente da política pública e das preocupações de segurança. Após os ataques de 11 de setembro, o terrorismo ganhou as manchetes dos jornais e se tornou uma prioridade de segurança global. Os governos e a comunidade internacional aumentaram as medidas para combater o terrorismo internacional e transnacional, embora não haja uma definição universalmente aceita do termo. A falta de uma definição indiscutível e juridicamente vinculativa de terrorismo deixa espaço significativo para a livre interpretação dos decisores políticos. Os governos recebem basicamente o que é uma 'carta branca' para desenvolver programas e iniciativas de combate ao terrorismo que possam levar, ou já conduziram, ao desenvolvimento de políticas que infrinjam os direitos humanos fundamentais. A tese investiga a conexão entre o terrorismo e os direitos humanos fundamentais. A questão que orientou esta dissertação é a conseqüência potencial de definições arbitrárias e politicamente dirigidas do terrorismo sobre a política antiterrorista e os direitos humanos fundamentais. A tese se move a partir de um enquadramento histórico do conceito de terrorismo que muda com o tempo. Existem muitas definições do termo e não há uma com valor legal. O atual debate sobre o terrorismo está ligado quase exclusivamente a atores não estatais, o que implica que o Estado e o terrorismo não têm vínculo, mesmo que haja evidências desta ligação. A tese examina a instrumentalização do terrorismo, a partir de uma análise do conceito baseada em três pilares: histórico, teórico-conceitual e jurídico (à luz do direito internacional e do direito internacional humanitário). Em seguida, è realizada uma análise empírica baseada nessas ferramentas por meio do uso de mecanismos políticos e legais para obter um resultado político. Para responder à questão inicial, a pesquisa partiu de uma análise histórico-documental, depois levou em consideração a literatura e enfocou como os estados usam a justificação da luta contra o terrorismo internacional para restringir os direitos humanos fundamentais. Após a análise teórico-conceitual e jurídica, a pesquisa enfoca os aspectos legais da Guerra ao Terrorismo e das políticas de segurança. Grande parte da pesquisa empírica é dedicada a investigar o caso da Turquia após a tentativa de golpe de Estado de 2016, a rever algumas decisões dos tribunais europeus, e a examinar algumas proeminentes organizações 'terroristas'. Embora este tópico represente um desafio sério, abre muito espaço para possíveis explorações de novos campos de pesquisa sem precisar de um ponto de partida fixo - ou de chegada. A tese termina sugerindo algumas direções futuras de investigação

Index

Janus.Net vol.14, nº

Tematski zbornik radova međunarodnog značaja. Tom 2 / Međunarodni naučni skup “Dani Arčibalda Rajsa”, Beograd, 3-4. mart 2015

In front of you is the Thematic Collection of Papers presented at the International Scientific Confer-ence “Archibald Reiss Days”, which was organized by the Academy of Criminalistic and Police Studies in Belgrade, in co-operation with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education, Science and Techno-logical Development of the Republic of Serbia, National Police University of China, Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Volgograd Academy of the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry, Faculty of Security in Skopje, Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security in Ljubljana, Police Academy “Alexandru Ioan Cuza“ in Bucharest, Academy of Police Force in Bratislava and Police College in Banjaluka, and held at the Academy of Crimi-nalistic and Police Studies, on 3 and 4 March 2015.International Scientific Conference “Archibald Reiss Days” is organized for the fifth time in a row, in memory of the founder and director of the first modern higher police school in Serbia, Rodolphe Archibald Reiss, PhD, after whom the Conference was named.The Thematic Collection of Papers contains 168 papers written by eminent scholars in the field of law, security, criminalistics, police studies, forensics, informatics, as well as members of national security system participating in education of the police, army and other security services from Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Bela-rus, China, Poland, Armenia, Portugal, Turkey, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Srpska and Serbia. Each paper has been reviewed by two reviewers, international experts competent for the field to which the paper is related, and the Thematic Conference Proceedings in whole has been reviewed by five competent international reviewers.The papers published in the Thematic Collection of Papers contain the overview of contemporary trends in the development of police education system, development of the police and contemporary secu-rity, criminalistic and forensic concepts. Furthermore, they provide us with the analysis of the rule of law activities in crime suppression, situation and trends in the above-mentioned fields, as well as suggestions on how to systematically deal with these issues. The Collection of Papers represents a significant contribution to the existing fund of scientific and expert knowledge in the field of criminalistic, security, penal and legal theory and practice. Publication of this Collection contributes to improving of mutual cooperation between educational, scientific and expert institutions at national, regional and international level

The EU as a region-builder beyond its borders? An analysis of the EU's promotion of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and Mercosur

The European Union’s enduring belief in the virtues of integration as an instrument for peace and prosperity has nurtured policies that seek to promote cooperation and integration in almost every other region of the world. This thesis investigates whether, how and to what extent these policies have been successful in promoting regional cooperation beyond the EU’s own borders. Among all regions towards which the EU pursues such a policy, the study selects two with diverse dependency on the EU for the empirical analysis: the Western Balkans and Mercosur. In contrast to previous studies, often characterised by a systemic argumentation, this analysis develops a micro-level approach. This approach focuses on the traceability of specific EU influences and allows to empirically assess the EU’s impact. Building upon diffusion theories, the analytical approach spells out stylised paths of EU influence and tests these on individual instances of institutional change in the two regions selected. Using original data acquired in interviews with policy-makers and through document analysis, the study traces whether and to what extent EU activities and influences played a role in seven cases of institutional change across the two regions. Building on the results of the case studies, a cross-case analysis examines the prevalence of different EU influences and the role of local conditions. The study finds that EU influence on regional cooperation beyond its borders is strongest when it operates with a mixture of (technical) assistance and the proactive provision of lessons and experiences that are taken up by its partners. Its track record is generally positive in terms of influencing institutional change, but it often lacks political influence (or will) to shape the contexts in which such institutions operate. Quite surprisingly, EU impact does not necessarily depend on the degree of economic or political influence upon the region concerned. In fact, the EU was – on average – more effective in the Mercosur region than in the Western Balkans. Instead, the EU’s success in promoting its preferred institutional change is most often contingent on a congruence between domestic incentives in the region, the EU’s ability and/or willingness to accommodate these and its patience to rely on political windows of opportunity

Evropská unie jako tvůrce regionů za svými hranicemi?

Trvalé přesvědčení Evropské unie o přínosech integrace jako nástroje míru a prosperity je základem politik, které se snaží prosazovat spolupráci a integraci téměř ve všech dalších regionech světa. Tato práce zkoumá, zda, jak a do jaké míry byly tyto politiky úspěšné v prosazování regionální spolupráce za hranicemi EU. Ze všech regionů, vůči nimž EU takovou politiku sleduje, jsme pro účely empirické analýzy v této práci zvolili dva s rozdílnou mírou závislosti na EU: západní Balkán a Mercosur. Na rozdíl od předchozích prací, pro něž je často charakteristická systémová argumentace, tato analýza přistupuje k tématu z pohledu mikroroviny. Tento přístup se zaměřuje na sledovatelnost konkrétních vlivů EU a umožňuje empiricky posoudit vliv EU. Analytický přístup vychází z teorie šíření inovací, objasňuje stylizované cesty vlivu EU a zkoumá u nich jednotlivé případy institucionálních změn ve dvou vybraných regionech. Za využití původních dat získaných v rozhovorech s tvůrci politik a prostřednictvím analýzy dokumentů studie sleduje, zda a do jaké míry hrály roli činnosti a vlivy EU v sedmi případech institucionálních změn v obou regionech. Na základě výsledků případových studií je v cross-case analýze zjišťován výskyt různých vlivů EU a role místních podmínek. V práci konstatujeme, že vliv EU na regionální...Miguel Haubrich Seco The EU as a region-builder beyond its borders? An analysis of the EU's promotion of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and Mercosur. Abstract in English The European Union's enduring belief in the virtues of integration as an instrument for peace and prosperity has nurtured policies that seek to promote cooperation and integration in almost every other region of the world. This thesis investigates whether, how and to what extent these policies have been successful in promoting regional cooperation beyond the EU's own borders. Among all regions towards which the EU pursues such a policy, the study selects two with diverse dependency on the EU for the empirical analysis: the Western Balkans and Mercosur. In contrast to previous studies, often characterised by a systemic argumentation, this analysis develops a micro-level approach. This approach focuses on the traceability of specific EU influences and allows to empirically assess the EU's impact. Building upon on diffusion theories, the analytical approach spells out stylised paths of EU influence and tests these on individual instances of institutional change in the two regions selected. Using original data acquired in interviews with policy-makers and through document analysis, the study traces whether and to what extent EU...Katedra evropských studiíDepartment of European StudiesFakulta sociálních vědFaculty of Social Science