Contemporary Security Challenges Research Articles

Security beyond the border: exploring Australia and New Zealand trans-Tasman relations in a globalised world

ABSTRACT This article addresses contemporary security challenges related to borders within Oceania, focusing on trans-Tasman relations. We address border security between Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia as a matter of an ascendant relationship, based on coordination and cooperation. By interrogating shared and divergent attributes between the nations, we are able to provide an overview of approaches towards regional threats. Behind these approaches are socio-political contexts, including drivers and authorities for cooperation as well as cultural and political identities. Importantly, the evolution of shared practices between the nations and a future scan of security in the region lead to important geopolitical considerations.

Augmented Reality and the Digital Twin: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives for Cybersecurity

The rapid advancements of technology related to the Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems mark an ongoing industrial revolution. Digital Twins and Augmented Reality play a significant role in this technological advancement. They are highly complementary concepts enabling the representation of physical assets in the digital space (Digital Twin) and the augmentation of physical space with digital information (Augmented Reality). Throughout the last few years, research has picked up on this and explored the possibilities of combining DT and AR. However, cybersecurity scholars have not yet paid much attention to this combined-arms approach, despite its potential. Especially, concerning contemporary security challenges, such as developing cyber situational awareness and including human factors into cybersecurity, AR and DT, offer tremendous potential for improvement. In this work, we systematize existing knowledge on AR-powered DTs and shed light on why and how cybersecurity could benefit from this combination.

INTRODUCTION EU AND NATO: SECURITY RELATIONS

INTRODUCTION EU AND NATO: SECURITY RELATIONS

Nigeria’s Contemporary Security Challenges: Herders – Farmers Conflict and Banditry

Banditry and the violent conflicts between herders and farmers in Nigeria have become potentially dangerous in recent time resulting in humanitarian emergencies as thousands have been killed and many more uprooted from their homes while both the Federal and State government appears clueless on how best to contain the conflicts. The spread of the conflict to southern states of the country is aggravating the fragile relations among ethnic nationalities and religious groups. President Buhari, a Muslim and Fulani, has been accused of allowing the attacks to continue, and his Vice President, Professor Osibanjo, a Christian, has been faulted for failing to speak out. At the heart of the conflicts are dispute over grazing on farmlands and cattle rustlings; expansion of agriculturist population and cultivated land at the expense, deteriorating environmental condition such as desertification; breakdown in traditional conflict resolution mechanisms of land and water disputes, drug abuse, proliferation of small arms and outright criminality, all of which points to a national security failure. The loss of faith in the national security architecture which assumes the form of creation of Special Security Forces, resort to self-help by state governments and citizens’ groups, anti-grazing laws against ECOWAS protocol that allows unrestricted movement of animals for grazing across the countries in the sub-region and the culture of impunity. This paper examines the fundamental issues surrounding banditry and the Herders – Farmers conflict in Nigeria with a view to highlight its implications for national security in contemporary times. It is argued here that considering the seeming intractability of these conflicts and violence, it appears that the security architecture of the country has been hijacked and the Nigerian state has ceased to be in full control and command of the national security situation especially as the safety of life and property can no longer be guaranteed. The security regime has been hijacked, undermined, and compromised by non-state actors who operate confidently with reckless abandon and little decency and respect for human life. Keywords: Herders-Farmers conflict, Banditry, Ethic nationalities, Small arms, Security challenges, and Criminality. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-17-04 Publication date: October 31 st 2020

Political discourse, military and securitization of health nexus: contemporary security challenges and the military role in public health security

The purpose of this paper is to provide answers to the questions why health is viewed through the lens of national and international security, and what might be the potential role of the armed forces in strategic response to health security challenges. Relying on theoretical settings of Foucault’s discourse studies and securitization concept developed by the Copenhagen School of security studies, authors will try to illuminate the nexus between political discourse, military and securitization of health. The analysis of the political and academic discourse has found that with regard to security the most important health challenges are considered the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, and the ability to make use of biological agents as weapons. As the most important reasons why health is viewed through the lens of security are considered to be major economic losses incurred due to health crises, high mortality rates, migration, the impact of health crises on the armed forces and peacekeeping operations. The paper concluded that the armed forces play a role in the public health security through monitoring and early warning, through epidemiological and laboratory opportunities for early detection of new epidemics or pathogens, as well as through providing assistance after major natural disasters. The paper analyzes the public health and security in the Republic of Serbia, and it was concluded that it is necessary to undertake more efforts in recognizing health as a field of national security, and health risks as the risks of security.

LIFE IMPRISONMENT AS AN ANSWER TO CONTEMPORARY SECURITY CHALLENGES - THE (IN)ADEQUACY OF THE RETRIBUTIVE APPROACH –

Contemporary Serbian criminal legislation characterizes the concept of expansionism – the strengthening of the prescribed penalties and extending the limits of criminal repression (“punitive populism”), as legislative response to the trends of criminality, potential security challenges and public attitudes on the adequacy of the social response to the phenomenon of crime. The latest in a series of legislative changes envisages the introduction of life imprisonment as a new penalty in the criminal sanction system and, at the same time, the abolition of (long-term) imprisonment from thirty up to forty years. The severity of the criminal law reaction is reflected not only in the introduction of life imprisonment, but also in the prohibition of conditional release for the convicted, to life imprisonment for certain serious crimes, although such a solution is often challenged in comparative and international jurisprudence. The aim of this paper is to review the justification of introducing life imprisonment in our criminal legislation and to point out the (in)acceptability of certain normative solutions; to determine the potential scope and effects of life imprisonment as penalty, that is, to critically analyze the adequacy of the retributive approach in relation to the trends of criminality and contemporary security challenges.

Shifting Security Paradigm in Contemporary Era: Role of Law Enforcement Agencies

In setting of today’s security challenges, striving for sound policing of military character through paramilitary, auxiliary and armed police forces has usurped. The law enforcement agencies are engaged to curb the security threats at realm of dynamic security challenges. The changing perspectives of security scenario along with modern security challenges like terrorism, out and in migration, armed activities and actions of non-state actors are very common to states. The security challenges due to the increase in terrorism, extremism, armed conflict, insurgency, civil war, cyber threats, and non-state actor’s activities, are some of the looming security concerns affecting effectiveness and efficacy of the law enforcement agencies. This research is conducted by applying descriptive research method and secondary sources to identify the perspectives of modern-day security situation and role of law enforcement agencies to combat these challenges. This paper highlights the contemporary security challenges contextualized at the global realm to offer possible future strategies in general for the security agencies within and outside the country.

The critical impasse of peacebuilding: Toward an analytically eclectic critique of liberal peacebuilding

In the decades following the Cold War, scholars of International Relations (IR) have struggled to come to grips with how the fundamental shifts in the international system affect the theoretical underpinnings of IR. The debates on peacebuilding have served as a fierce battleground between the dominant IR research programs—realism and liberalism—as to which provides both the best framework for understanding contemporary security challenges as well as policy prescriptions. I engage with the recent arguments made by David Chandler and Mark Sedra, two prominent critical scholars of IR, and argue that IR as a field would be best served to leave behind the “great debates” of the different research programs, and instead focus on middle-range problem-solving and analytically eclectic approaches. This essay further argues that the best way forward is for critical theorists to take a conciliatory approach with the contributions from the other research programs.

СПІЛЬНА ЗОВНІШНЯ ПОЛІТИКА ТА ПОЛІТИКА БЕЗПЕКИ НА СУЧАСНОМУ ЕТАПІ РОЗВИТКУ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ

The article is dedicated to the study of Common Foreign and Security Policy at the contemporary stage of the EU evolution. The article provides the analysis of both initiatives aimed at enhancing this policy, which have already been initiated in recent years and the major directions of the transformation of this policy from the perspective of the necessity for the EU to face the contemporary security challenges at the global and regional level. The article refers to the fact that the European integration process has always had the security dimension as the entire project was started to prevent another war between France and Germany, which had previously been the major reason for two world wars. The EU’s enlargement after the end of the Cold war also had the security dimension as this process reconnected the European continent previously divided by the «iron curtain». The fact that the new EU members from the Central and Eastern Europe simultaneously became members of NATO only stresses this approach. Thus, security has been among the major issue in the EU relations with its neighbouring countries and primarily within the framework of the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership.However, new security challenges for the EU which appeared in the connection with its attempts to enhance its relations with the neighbouring countries emphasized the need to modernize its common and security policy (CFSP), which remains a separate policy area with its special rules and procedures as provided for by the Lisbon Treaty.The aim of the article is to analyze its Common Foreign and Security Policy at the contemporary stage of the evolution of the European Union. The article focuses on the recent initiatives in terms of the reformation and enhancement of this policy area and on the major directions for the implementation of this policy in the context of the existing global and regional challenges. The task of the article is to provide the insight into the evolution of the CFSP from the perspective of both the initiatives for the reformation of this policy area and the EU’s reaction on the faced security challenges of the global and regional scale.The major conclusion of the offered analysis is the thesis about the need for further transformation of CFSP, which includes the formation of the synergy with other policies within EU common foreign policy and the spread for CFSP of the common principles and approaches existing in the constitutional order of the EU. Moreover, the article emphasizes the fact that the mentioned process has already been started, despite the existing limitations set by the rules of the Lisbon Treaty.The Russian aggression in Ukraine, the war in Syria as well as a number of armed conflicts in Northern Africa stressed the growing importance of the security dimension for the EU’s future. At the same time, this has led to the enhanced demands of the EU member states for a more energetic EU policy in terms of ensuring international peace and security. Moreover, the enhancement of the CFSP is nowadays considered to be not only as one of the means to promote and protect the EU’s values on the international arena but also as an instrument for ensuring strategic autonomy of the EU against the background of the escalating regional and global instability. It should be noted that the enhancement of the CFSP was backed by the European Commission, which should have had other priorities due to the institutional reasons. Among the major initiatives aimed at the enhancement of the CFSP one should stress the start of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and the creation of the European Defence Fund. By forming PESCO the EU member-states agreed for the enhanced military cooperation. The goals of this cooperation include the development of the common military capacities, investments in the common defence projects and the readiness to participate in common military operations initiated by decisions of the EU’s Council. The article consists of two parts. The first one concentrates on the analysis of the evolution of the CFSP after the Lisbon treaty and on the initiatives aimed at enhancing this policy articulated and debated in the recent years. The second part focuses on the major direction of the evolution of this policy in the context of the EU’s practical reaction on the contemporary challenges.

ORGANIZED CRIME AS A RISK FACTOR WHICH THREATENS NATIONAL SECURITY

This paper defines the terms of threats, risks and challenges in security and national security systems. In the modern era, the continent of Europe, which our country is part of, as an expansively accepted synonym for democracy and legal order, faces the worst crisis in terms of security from the end of the Cold War. Specifically, in that period, the security aspects were comprehended through a state-centered attitude, with an emphasis on the military importance of this concern, since the possibility of the outbreak of war conflicts including a nuclear war, was the center of attention. But, nowadays, the term security has expanded from military to other sectors that are not in a jurisdiction of the state. Beside the old ones there are emerging new security challenges, risks and threats, civil disturbance, organized crime, terrorism, migration, human trafficking, high-technology crime, pandemics and climate changes. In connection to that the paper analyzes the phenomenon of organized crime as one of the factors that constitute the most serious threat in contemporary which has a growing tendency to expand on a global scale and endanger the survival of people, economic trends, the environment as well as to endanger the established civilization values. Given the actuality of this phenomenon, the paper elaborates the certain aspects of the issue of organized crime, as one of the most serious contemporary non-military threats to both national and international security. The organized crime as a serious risk-factor for violating national security causes dangerous destructive effects in all areas of society. It is the greatest danger that together with terrorism and corruption is a complex phenomenon that is present at every phase of social development presenting a threat to the modern world. The result of the actions of these stakeholders is manifested through an interrupted social development, creating distrust of the population towards the state and its administrative bodies, blocking the reforms, and inflicting the financial damage, as well worsening an international reputation of the country, etc. The contemporary security challenges should experience a transformation primarily in the field of preventive action in order to prevent organized forms of crime.

Critique of the statement traditional focus on state security is inadequate and needs to encompass safety and well-being for citizens

This study sought to critique the Statement “Traditional Focus on State Security is Inadequate and Needs to Encompass Safety and Well-being for those Living There”. It became clear that the traditional security concept stresses on military threats and by extension its application to the safety of people and communities. It largely addresses mere existence (survival) to define well-being and dignity of human beings within a populace jurisdiction. Despite its strengths, traditional security has its challenges/flaws that non-traditional security enhances. This study apart from establishing the focus of traditional security and its origins goes further to examine how non-traditional security attends to the well-being of states. Moreover, the study moves to give recommendation in its conclusion that inspite of weaknesses traditional security still offers inalienable security to states who are themselves traditional Westphalia outfits yet this is augmented with the paradigms that accrue due to contemporary security challenges. Nonetheless, this study underscores that whether traditional or non-traditional focus to state security, the final aim is safety and well-being of those living therein.

Constructions and uses of laïcité (French secularism) in French public discourses

ABSTRACTDiscourse analysis of six actors’ political lines, their conceptions, and their uses of French secularism (laïcité) between 2013 and 2018 shows that mobilization of laïcité as a value is correlated to the construction of Islam and Muslims as objects of security in France. Perception of military and identity insecurities goes along with mobilization of laïcité as a shield-value of the French Republic that manifests into the desire to reinterpret the French 1905 law on separation of the Churches and the State, in reaction to Muslim practices or religious symbols. Since 1989, laïcité as a value has emerged both as the socially accepted representation of French secularism and the privileged discursive response to contemporary identity and security challenges posed by Islam, while laïcité as a principle has appeared as a counter-discourse defending the liberal spirit of the 1905 law.

Uticaj dostignutog stepena razvoja telekomunikaciono-informacionog sistema Vojske Srbije na odbranu Republike Srbije

Information, as one of the important factors of armed conflicts, greatly influences the physiognomy, the direction and the speed of the development of contemporary conflicts. It expresses the availability of knowledge and data necessary for successful command and control at all levels. Its availability reduces the uncertainty in military activity and enables a better assessment of the situation, as well as making relevant decisions in real time. In the paper, the Telecommunications and Information System (TkIS) of the Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) is looked at from several aspects, and the issue of the need for improvement of the existing system, imposed by constant development of information technologies, is being updated. The concept, purpose, structure and level of development of the TkIS are dealt with in the paper, particularly the level of development of the SAF TkIS and its cause-effect relation with the defense of the Republic of Serbia, with a focus on military defense. The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of the Serbian Armed Forces telecommunications and information system on the defense of the Republic of Serbia with the emphasis on military defense, and to point out the need for continuous improvement of the TkIS and continuous education, i.e. adequate and timely training of the personnel for its use for military defense. The importance of the work is in the analyzed state of the Serbian Telecommunications and Information System in relation to the needs of the military defense of the Republic of Serbia in the context of contemporary security challenges.

Determinants of strategic communication significant for national defense and security

Strategic communication is one of the expressions of state power and represents an instrument in the political and security achievement of national interests. In the context of contemporary conflicts, it is an expression of a hybrid action in the fields of information, media, internet, and the entire spectrum of public diplomatic performances. It can have an offensive or defensive character. The main goal is to influence the public opinion and further move the focus in relation to the public towards cultural values and eventual adjustment of the political system through the ?reprogramming? of the political culture in accordance with the given objectives. Strategic communication is a planned and comprehensive activity of the organizational entity, which aims at achieving a successful and efficient interaction with the environment. Some of the elementary forms of strategic communication that support the highest national goals, even in the case of defense and security issues, are propaganda, public diplomacy, and interest communications (advocacy, lobbying, etc.). In this paper, using the analysis of the content and synthesis, a projection of strategic communication in the scope of propaganda, public diplomacy, and lobbying as determinants of strategic communication is presented. A framework for strategic propaganda planning, a strategic approach to public diplomacy, and a lobbying strategy have been developed, with a basic proposal for the modelling of every listed component of strategic communication. The paper contributes to the thesis that strategic communication aims at supporting the organization?s mission. In the field of defense and security, strategic communication has one of the vital roles in supporting the achievement of the mission of strengthening the overall identity, the international position of internal cohesion and the unity of the nation, as well as the general readiness to respond to the contemporary security challenges. Strategic communication represents a wide area of communication disciplines that combine different co-information areas, disciplines, and skills in a hybrid and inventive way. Strategically guided propaganda, public diplomacy, and lobbying are certainly areas of importance for the comprehensive construction of the ?soft? power, but also in support of the construction of the ?hard? power. The conclusion is that the planning and implementation of the strategic communication, through strategic determinants, such are propaganda, public diplomacy, and lobbying, must be meticulously studied and planned, according to scientific and practice-tested postulates. In this way, it is possible that strategic communication really strongly and significantly supports the achievement of the organization?s mission, which in the case of the state relates to its international position, resistance to contemporary, hybrid challenges of risk and threats, and readiness for the defensive, and, if necessary, offensive activity. This approach seeks to raise general defense capacities, thus turning the state into an unwanted opponent, and achieving the effect of preventing and deterring possible aggressive action.

CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF POLICE TRAINING

Contemporary security challenges necessarily impose the need for changes in conventional police action, which from "power with a stick" should change police in a partner of the community that will jointly deal with global security threats, especially after the events of September 11, 2001, have important changed the perception of what kind of security threats should be handled by police services around the world. Transnational organized crime and money laundering are only part of a series of complex criminogenic forms whose dealing without an exceptionally high level of professionalism and expertise will not achieve more than mediocre results in the pre-trial procedure, which is key to the further form of criminal legal effect of the crime. Professionalism and expertise as one of the basic competencies of the police officer, to deal not only with contemporary, but also with routine police activities, have their foundations in the police training where is the start of all preconditions that form professional police officer.

The Age of Post-Truth: State Influence and Strategic Communication - Contemporary Security Challenges on Europe’s Eastern Flank

The Age of Post-Truth: State Influence and Strategic Communication - Contemporary Security Challenges on Europe’s Eastern Flank

The Age of Post-Truth: State Influence and Strategic Communication - Contemporary Security Challenges on Europe’s Eastern Flank

 IntroductionBetween 14-18 May 2018, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies brought together 54 civilian, law enforcement and military mid- to senior level security policy practitioners and experts from 19 countries in order to

HYBRIDITY OF CONTEMPORARY THREATS

The world we are dealing with today has made security issues one of the most important matters in the modern world and world of the future. Due to the evolution of thinking about safety, but also because of the often common perception of these problems, these issues have not always been properly interpreted. Today, the security environment is heteronomous in relation to the surroundings, time and actors at the international security scene. In this respect, particular attention needs to be paid to security threats and their perception by political scene entities. Dynamic changes that have taken place in the world mean that knowledge of the modern security environment will quickly become outdated. The aim of the article is to present contemporary threats bearing the hallmarks of hybridity, affecting international security, as well as state security. It attempts to explain what hybridity is and how to define hybrid actions, phases of hybrid actions and the impact of hybrid actions on PEMSII areas. The first part of the article presents the contemporary dimension of safety and the characteristics of hybrid actions. It seeks to formulate a new analytical approach to armed conflicts in the context of contemporary security challenges, including their asymmetry, cultural divisions and side effects of globalisation. The second part of the article presents the areas and phases of hybrid actions, the implications of understanding hybrid challenges, opportunities and threats resulting from the changes taking place in the global security environment.

Life in the “Gray Zone”: observations for contemporary strategists

ABSTRACTThe term “Gray Zone” is gaining in popularity as a way of describing contemporary security challenges. This article describes the “short-of-war” strategies – the fait accompli, proxy warfare, and the exploitation of ambiguous deterrence situations, i.e. “salami tactics” – that are captured by the term and offers several explanations for why state and non-state actors are drawn to these strategies. The analysis highlights why defense postures based on deterrence are especially vulnerable to the short-of-war strategies that populate the “Gray Zone.” The article concludes by suggesting how defense officials might adapt defense policies to life in the “Gray Zone.”

Macedonian security crossroad in 21 century, contemporary security challenges

Macedonian security crossroad in 21 century, contemporary security challenges