RESEARCH AREAS

Tassos Symeonides
(RIEAS Academic Advisor)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 9 July 2018

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

Greece’s future as an independent state of sorts came to an end in 2010 when she was hastily put in EU “bailout” irons to save French and German banks. The worst though was still to come.

In 2015 half the (primarily Moslem) population of the Asian and African Third World decided to move to Europe without invitation—and Greece became the gate to the World of Dreams for all and sundry pushing their way from the Anatolian coast across the narrows to land on Greek islands...Read more

Daniel Little

(RIEAS Senior Advisor, former military officer responsible for planning and training numerous militaries. As Head of NATO Planning at the Warrior Preparation Center, US Forces – Europe, Daniel’s activities ranged from researching the original KFOR training to certifying Corps Headquarters of 27,000 military members to become first time certified or recertified at NATO. In addition to real-world mission planning, he has served as advisor to the US Joint Chiefs as well as numerous militaries worldwide. As a Program Manager in the Pentagon, Daniel authored education courses in the areas of Modelling and Simulation (M&S) as well as strategic technologies. He was a feature speaker at the NATO Lecture series on Modelling and Simulation).

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 15 July 2018

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

Although titles are supposed to draw the reader in to explore an article’s content, it is also important to define an issue to an exact, granular level in order to fully appreciate its significance. To date, notions of security, terrorism and resilience lacks explanation in one particular area, namely the existence of ‘hybrid’ actors and the heuristics that explains their behavior. Hybrid actors in security are those who occupy positions in both terror organizations and organized crime. Heuristics on the other hand is something learned over time – largely through trial and error (Merriam-Webster, 2018). For hybrid actors, heuristic behavior not only impacts the power they exercise but also influences the way they bolster their own sense of survival...Read more

Zhyldyz Oskonbaeva

(RIEAS Senior Advisor and Eurasian Liaison, founded and was first Secretary General of the Black-Sea Caspian Sea International Fund in 2009. As a result, the Presidents of Romania and Azerbaijan ratified an agreement to promote the project and to establish its Headquarters in Bucharest, Romania. Starting with eight countries, the Fund has grown to eleven countries (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. She served as an academic researcher in support of law enforcement at the Centre for Technology, Security and Policy at Virginia Tech National Capital Region. Through her efforts law and customs enforcement cooperation extended across numerous countries and organizations worldwide, especially in areas related to narcotics, nuclear proliferation and money laundering. She received her Master’s Degree in Social Anthropology at Bishkek Humanities University. She speaks a total of ten (10) languages).

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 22 July 2018

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

Asia is the largest continent, comprising a third of all dry land and more than half of world’s population. Its role is constantly growing and, I am sure, will grow in the future. - Margaret Thatcher.

This article explains why Russia is eager to avoid any major diplomatic crises in Asia. Instead, their subtle approach triangulates Russian interests by interlocking the Korean peninsula (North and South), Vietnam and the Philippines to further their mid-to-long term strategy. ..Read more

Tassos Symeonides
(RIEAS Academic Advisor)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 29 July 2018

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

On July 23, Greece suffered an unprecedented catastrophe when wildfires devastated several seaside communities near Athens. With gale-force winds gusting up to 70 mph, the fires blasted through densely populated areas trapping thousands between impassable narrow streets and the sea. As of this writing, the death toll stands at 86 and dozens of people are missing. Those in the know presume the worst. Preliminary inspections in the devastated areas suggest one in every two affected homes and other buildings is totaled and must be demolished. Temperatures generated by the fires were estimated at 1000 degrees Celsius (1832 degrees Fahrenheit) melting automobile parts and metal fencing, and cracking brick and mortar structures like carton boxes. ..Read more

Daniel Little
(RIEAS Senior Advisor, former military officer responsible for planning and training numerous militaries. As Head of NATO Planning at the Warrior Preparation Center, US Forces – Europe, Daniel’s activities ranged from researching the original KFOR training to certifying Corps Headquarters of 27,000 military members to become first time certified or recertified at NATO. In addition to real-world mission planning, he has served as advisor to the US Joint Chiefs as well as numerous militaries worldwide. As a Program Manager in the Pentagon, Daniel authored education courses in the areas of Modelling and Simulation (M&S) as well as strategic technologies. He was a feature speaker at the NATO Lecture series on Modelling and Simulation).

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 5 August 2018

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

This past week on July 31st, three Russian journalists were found murdered in a remote area near Sibut, Central African Republic. As if the circumstances for their being there were not suspicious enough, the official statements from multiple sources is indicative of a much larger-scale cover-up between the United Nations, the Central African Republic and the home country of the journalists, Russia. What the journalists were in the process of exposing was the planned resumption and escalation of a civil war where billions in potential revenue remain at stake...Read more

Sozon A. LEVENTOPOULOS
(Security Analyst, CISSP, CASP, CEHv8, Security+, Network+)

Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 8 August 2018

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS).

It is a universal truth that today we live in the “era of information”. Like “stone”, “bronze”, and “iron” in the ancient years, “information” is what dominates our era. This “revolution” could not have taken place without the use of two technologies, the Internet and the World Wide Web. While easily confused these two technologies are vastly different . The combination of these technologies created the so-called “cyber space”. The “cyber space” is like a new universe, parallel and similar to our own. Unfortunately, it has and its “dark side”, the so-called “the dark web ”. It is where cyber-crime thrives and the main reason behind the creation of “cyber-security a combination of protocols, best practices, tools and devices that are designed to maintain the CIA triad. CIA comes from the words Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability (and not the famous Intelligence Agency)...Read more