Book Reviews/Boekbesprekings

No Abstrac

Austrian Security Policy after the End of the Cold War

Introduction Austrian security policy evolved gradually and in several phases after the Second World War. For a long time it was shaped by Austria’s specific geographical position during the Cold War, directly on the “front line” between the two blocs, and by the neutrality policy adopted in 1955. Whereas the military always saw its main task (as formulated in the Constitution and the Army Law) in preparing for military defense in the case of war in Europe, the political leadership never trul..

Book Reviews/Boekbesprekings contd

No Abstract

Austrian Security Policy after the End of the Cold War

Introduction Austrian security policy evolved gradually and in several phases after the Second World War. For a long time it was shaped by Austria’s specific geographical position during the Cold War, directly on the “front line” between the two blocs, and by the neutrality policy adopted in 1955. Whereas the military always saw its main task (as formulated in the Constitution and the Army Law) in preparing for military defense in the case of war in Europe, the political leadership never trul..

Austria's International Position after the End of the Cold War

In the past quarter century we have moved from the Cold War to the Post-Cold War era in Austria, Europe and the world at large. Yet relatively little assessment is available what the change from the Cold War to the Post-Cold War era signaled for Austria's position in the world. Austrian foreign policy went through sea changes. The country lost its exposed Cold War geopolitical location on the margins of Western Europe along the iron curtain. With the removal of the iron curtain Austria moved back into its central location in Europe and rebuilt her long-standing traditional relations with neighbors to the East and South. Austria joined the European Union in 1995 and thus further “Westernized.” Its policy of neutrality - so central to its foreign policy during the Cold War - largely eroded during the past quarter century, even though pro forma and for reasons of identity, the country holds on to its neutral position. Austrian failed to join NATO and gained the reputation of a “security free rider.

“Primeval forest relict beetles” of Central Europe : a set of 168 umbrella species for the protection of primeval forest remnants

Identification of forest stands with priority for the conservation of biodiversity is of particular importance in landscapes with a long cultural and agricultural history, such as Central Europe. A group of species with a high indicator value for the naturalness of forest ecosystems are saproxylic insects. Some of these species, especially within the order Coleoptera, have been described as primeval forests relicts. Here, we compiled a list of 168 “primeval forest relict species” of saproxylic beetles based on expert knowledge. These species can serve as focal and umbrella species for forest conservation in Central Europe. They were selected because of their dependence on the continuous presence of primeval forest habitat features, such as over-mature trees, high amounts of dead wood, and dead wood diversity, as well as their absence in managed Central European forests. These primeval forest relict species showed a moderately strong clumping pattern within the phylogeny of beetles, as indicated by phylogenetic signal testing using the D-statistic. When we controlled for phylogenetic relatedness, an ordinal linear model revealed that large body size and preference for dead wood and trees of large diameter are the main characteristics of these species. This list of species can be used to identify forest stands of conservation value throughout Central Europe, to prioritize conservation and to raise public awareness for conservation issues related to primeval forests

O enquadramento das Missões de Paz (PKO) nas teorias da guerra e de polícia

A clareza original do que sejam as operações de manutenção, ou Missões de Paz - PKO - já não existe, se é que algum dia ela de fato existiu. No decorrer desse artigo Busca-se enquadrar as PKO nas teorias de guerra e de polícia, com base no entendimento sobre força e violência, uso da força, guerra e paz. Ao final, há algumas observações sobre a utilidade desses enquadramentos.<br>The original meaning of what are the Peacekeeping Operations - PKO - no longer exists, that is, if some day it really existed. This article tries to fit the PKO in the theories of war and police, based on the comprehension of strength and violence, the use of strength, war, and peace. In conclusion, there are some observations about the utility of those allocations