TRANSATLANTIC STUDIES

GO HOME, OCCUPY MOVEMENT!!

(The McFB – Was Ist Das?)

Anis H. Bajrektarevic,
(Professor, Chairman Intl Law & Global Political Studies, University of Applied Sciences IMC-Krems, Austria, and RIEAS Member of International Advisory Board)

* First published by the US Journal of Foreign Relations (January 2012)

Copyright: Annis H. Bajrektarevic on line

Ever since, years ago, I coined the expression “McFB way of life” and particularly since my intriguing FB articles (Is there life after Facebook I and II) have been published, I was confronted with numerous requests to clarify the meaning. My usual answer was a contra-question: If humans hardly ever question fetishisation or oppose the (self-) trivialization, why then is the subsequent brutalization a surprise to them?

Not pretending to reveal a coherent theory, the following lines are my instructive findings, most of all on the issue why it is time to go home and search for a silence.

Largely drawing on the works of the grand philosophers of the German Classicism and Dialectic Materialism, it was sociologist Max Weber who was the first – among modern age thinkers – to note that the industrialized world is undergoing a rapid process of rationalization of its state (and other vital societal) institutions. This process – Weber points out – is charac-terized by an increased efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control over any ‘threat’ of uncertainty. Hereby, the uncertainty should be understood in relation to the historically unstable precognitive and cognitive human, individual and group, dynamics. A disheartened, cold and calculative over-rationalization might lead to obscurity of irrationality, Weber warns. His famous metaphor of the iron cage or irrationality of rationality refers to his concern that extremely rationalized (public) institution inevitably alienates itself and turns dehumanized to both those who staff them and those they serve, with a tiny upper caste of controllers steadily losing touch of reality. .... Read more

TWO OLYMPIADS EIGHT YEARS APART (ATHENS 2004 – LONDON 2012)

BG (ret’d) Ioannis (John) Galatas, MD, MA (Terr), MC (Army)
(RIEAS-CBRN Scientific Coordinator & Editor, CBRNE-Terrorism Newsletter)

BG (ret’d) Ioannis (John) Galatas participated in a workshop on Urban Crisis: Emergency Lessons, Response, Training and Technologies for the Digital Age, and delivered a lecture on “Two Olympiads Eight Years Apart (Athens 2004- London 2012) in the Serious Games Institute, University of Coventry, London Campus, (Nov 17, 2011). .... Read more

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND SECURE INFORMATION SHARING

Sandro Bologna
(President, Italian Association of Critical Infrastructures)

Copyright: www.infrastrutturecritiche.it

This note summarizes some of the findings of the EU – CIPS co-funded project National and European Information Sharing and Alert System (NEISAS).

Public – private partnerships are becoming a popular mode of tackling large and complex problems. The idea has recently emerged in national as well as international policy discussions. Yet the new partners in these initiatives are strangers to each other in many ways. And we are still learning about how best to manage these partnerships. We know little about the conditions when partnerships succeed and about the strategies for structuring partnerships.

ΕΓΧΕΙΡΙΔΙΟ ΕΠΙΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑΣ ΣΕ ΤΡΟΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΚΡΙΣΕΙΣ ΤΗΣ SAFE COMMS ΓΙΑ ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΣ ΑΡΧΕΣ

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

Το Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS)- Ερευνητικό Ινστιτούτο Ευρωπαικών και Αμερικανικών Μελετών δημοσιεύει Εγχειρίδιο Επικοινωνίας σε Τρομοκρατικές Κρίσεις της SAFE COOMS για Δημόσιες Αρχές.

Συνολικά, το εγχειρίδιο (Manual) περιέλαβε συνεντεύξεις με περισσότερους από εκατό ανθρώπους με εμπειρία σε τρομοκρατικά γεγονότα. Οι συμμετέχοντες μίλησαν για τις δύσκολες συνθήκες που αντιμετώπισαν στη διάρκεια συγκεκριμένης τρομοκρατικής επίθεσης. Τα διορατικά και λεπτομερή τους σχόλια αποτέλεσαν για την ερευνητική ομάδα πλούσια πηγή δεδομένων προς ανάλυση.

THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEIR REPERCUSSION TO GREEK POLITICS

Dimitri C. Tsitos
(Author – Negotiations Consultant)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

Following the recent events and activities, and the highly significant outcomes, in the Arab –for the most part- world a very interesting question arises in reference with “what is happening in Greek politics and what is going to happen, and how can be the situation by the social media”.

Firstly we will try to give a very concise idea of what social media is:"Social media essentially is a category of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online."

BEING HARD ON SOFT POWER

Andrew Liaropoulos (PhD)
(RIEAS Senior Analyst)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

Over the past two decades, the term ‘soft power’ is one of the most contested concepts in international relations. It is widely used in the international relations’ literature and lists as one of the most popular clichés for policymakers. Despite the growing body of literature on the topic and the numerous policies that assert some use of soft power elements, there is still no agreement on what exactly soft power is, how it works and how to measure its effectiveness.

SOCIAL REORDERING IN CYBER ERA

Tsirigotis Anthimos Alexander
(Researcher, M.Sc International and European Studies in the University of Piraeus, Greece)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

At the dawn of the 21st century, “cyber” seems to have become the common prefix of every human activity expressing the tendency of people towards networking. Cyber world has emerged in parallel with the real world and its dynamic is so intense that many pundits consider it to be the fifth dimension in addition to land, sea, air and space. States throughout the world have expressed their vested interest in “armoring” their cyber dimension against intruders who intend to harm their vital interests. Networks of any nature (as for instance financial, political and social) have emerged as tools in the hands of anyone willing to take part in them regardless of their country of origin, mother tongue, religious belief or race. They seem to be supranational and many analysts describe networks as virtual societies that exist even though they cannot be defined using real life terms such as land or frontiers. It is interesting to think that many people spend a big part of their day “surfing” the virtual world rather than the real one. They are interlocutors in a worldwide chatting room of a society without borders, without limitations and with free flow of information; citizens of a virtual society with no or limited physical touch. This paper focuses on another aspect of cyber, laying emphasis on its societal dimension and potential to lead to worldwide reordering of power. It is suggested that cyber stems directly from societies and that it involves a different way of international societal organization. Cyber is not considered to be just a technological breakthrough. Instead, it is viewed as the next step to international organization. As chaotic and anarchical as it may be, cyber space is alleged to be the next form of international order. Read more

MASTER DEGREE (MA) IN “COUNTER TERRORISM AND SECURITY STUDIES” IN ITALY

The Master's Degree (MA) in “Counter Terrorism and Security Studies” is organized by the University Campus of Pomezia, Italy in collaboration with the University LUM Jean Monnet.

The Master Degree aims at being an innovative graduate program that will provide students with an advanced knowledge, allowing them to succeed and advance in their educational and career goals.

The M.A. in Counter-Terrorism and Security Studies will combine 433 hours of academic lectures, 72 hours of laboratory sessions and workshops, 715 hours of individual study and research, and a 280 hours internship (in one of the international Research Centre around the world in connection with us), in a total of 1500 hours. Furthermore, the M.A. will be taught entirely in English language. Read more: MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM

EUROPEAN UNION INTELLIGENCE: A SHORT DESCRIPTION

Dimitrios Anagnostakis
(PhD Candidate in transatlantic relations, Department of Politics and International relations, University of Nottingham, UK)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

Note: Dimitrios Anagnostakis received his MSc in Intelligence and Strategic Studies in Aberystwyth University, UK.

During the last years both academics and practitioners have argued for greater cooperation between the member states of European Union (EU) in the field of intelligence (Heinrich, 2006; Nomikos, 2005, p.201; Segell, 2004, p.82). The transnational nature of most of the current threats to European security (such as international organized crime, terrorism, illegal immigration and drug trafficking) implies that the member states should enhance their cooperation in areas which are placed at the heart of national sovereignty (Coosemans, 2004, p.6). Read more

FROM HUMAN TO MARITIME SECURITY: THE IMPLICATIONS AND COST OF PIRACY

Ioannis Chapsos
(Commander, Hellenic Navy (PhD Cand), Hellenic Supreme Joint War College Instructor, Global Security specialist)

Copyright: www.rieas.gr

The 1994 United Nations Human Development Report (UNHDR) introduced a new security approach, broadened and deepened beyond the stratum of the state, putting emphasis on the security of human beings per se and the web of their social and economic relations. The concept of this form of security, the human security, goes beyond military threats; Read more

SPANISH INTELLIGENCE: AN OVERVIEW

Dr. Antonio Díaz
(Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Burgos, Spain)

At the structural level, Spanish intelligence after transition to democracy came about without a prior blueprint, and was turned into a hotchpotch of bureaucracies (Defence, Interior, and Foreign Affairs) that competed for this emerging area of the Administration dedicated to intelligence and information gathering. Up until about 1995, enormous strains and overlapping responsibilities were evident, while attempts by the Prime Minister’s office to establish order and assign specific tasks to the different agencies were to no avail. Although the idea of coordination and of having an Intelligence Community (IC) appeared in political speeches as long ago as 1976, the first time that Spain attempted to give some real substance to the idea was in the mid-1980s.

PRIVATIZATION OF INTELLIGENCE: TURNING NATIONAL SECURITY INTO BUSINESS?

Dr. Andrew Liaropoulos
(RIEAS Senior Analyst and Lecturer in Piraeus University)

Dr. Ioannis Konstantopoulos
(RIEAS Research Associate and Lecturer in Piraeus University)

Over the last decade, the intelligence community is facing without a doubt, many challenges. The international environment has transformed and is more complex compared to the one that shaped the intelligence services during the Cold War era. The need to provide timely and sound intelligence has increased and the request for intelligence reform seems imperative. Governments have decided to outsource part of their intelligence needs, but this choice raises some critical questions: Are governments turning national security into business? Ιs the private sector in a position to penetrate the intelligence community and thereby spin intelligence and downgrade the role of intelligence agencies?

WAR AND ETHICS IN CYBERSPACE: CYBER-CONFLICT AND JUST WAR THEORY

Dr. Andrew Liaropoulos
(RIEAS Senior Analyst and Lecturer at the University of Piraeus, Greece)

Over the last two decades there is a growing body of literature over exploiting cyberspace for offensive and defensive purposes. Cyber-conflict is after all the newest mode of warfare and cyber-weapons have been described as weapons of mass disruption. The Information Revolution has transformed not only the way society functions, but also the way war is conducted and a new type of conflict that takes place in cyberspace has emerged. Cyber-conflict is one of the greatest threats to international security and has become a part of modern warfare. Cyber-attacks are rapid; they cross borders and can serve both strategic and tactical goals. Militaries and terrorist groups now have the capability to launch cyber-attacks not only against military networks, but also against critical infrastructures that depend on computer networks.

EUROPEAN SPY AGENCIES MUST AUGMENT ECONOMIC ROLE

Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis
(Teaches politics and history at King College, USA. He is Senior Editor of intelNews.org)

Last February, Spain’s intelligence services began investigating alleged suspicious efforts by foreign financial speculators to destabilize the Spanish economy. According to newspaper El País, the Spanish government asked the country’s Centro Nacional de Inteligencia to probe links between speculative moves in world financial markets and a series of damaging editorials “in the Anglo-Saxon media”(01).

REPORT: “COULD EUROPE DO BETTER ON POOLING INTELLIGENCE”

John M. Nomikos, Director of the Research Institute for European and American Studies, laments the lack of cooperation among intelligence services in the Balkans, notes a lack of cooperation in that area and an unwillingness to share information, which only benefits international terrorists. (page 9), Read more

THE EUROPEAN UNION POST 9/11 COUNTER-TERROR POLICY RESPONSE: AN OVERVIEW

Examinations of the European Union response to the threat of jihadist terrorism in Europe tend to encompass these policies with the vague label of “EU Counter-Terrorism.” This paper contends that such approach ignores the fact that the impact and influence of the European Union as a counter-terror actor diverges profoundly across the different dimensions of the response. Read more.

FUSION CENTERS IN EUROPE: A STEP FORWARD?

Jean Labrique
(Secretary General to Western Defense Studies Institute, Rome
and President to European Osint Nexus - EON, Paris – Bruxelles)

Copyright: Jean Labrigue on line

Spain, Hungary and Belgium have agreed to cooperate during the period they will each head the EU.

The challenges are many and amongst them there is one that we should monitor with interest: inter-government cooperation in the sharing of information and intelligence. I use both words deliberately. In the modern computerized world, information - masses of information, is readily available to everyone, private citizen and governments alike…however, intelligence is that information which has been collected, processed and analyzed…usually by governments. It is this process of collection, analysis and dissemination that makes information useable, i.e. intelligence…and also probably sensitive and classified.

U.S.A.: NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY AND NATIONAL MILITARY STRATEGY

The National Security Strategy (NSS) responds to the international and domestic events that directly or indirectly affect the national interests of our country. The NSS must remain flexible so that the United States can successfully confront the various and ever changing challenges it faces on a daily basis. In turn, our National Military Strategy (NMS) adapts to the national security objectives of the NSS. Read more on PDF

GREEK PERCEPTIONS OF U.S. PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA’S ELECTION AND FOREIGN POLICY

Dr. Yannis A. Stivachtis
(Associate Professor at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
and RIEAS Member of International Advisory Board)

Since the proclamation of the Truman Doctrine and the end of the Civil War that torn the country apart, Greece has become very sensitive to changes in the White House and subsequent changes in US foreign policy. It is worth noting that the American foreign policy is primarily responsible for the anti-American attitudes that various segments of the Greek society have displayed overtime. Therefore, it is always interesting to find out what the Greek perceptions and beliefs of the new US President are.

THE ROLE OF THE PRESSURE GROUPS IN FYROM