Cross-border Security Research Articles

Digital identities in the metaverse: Privacy, security, and user authentication in virtual financial systems

The advent of the metaverse has ushered in a new era of digital interaction, commerce, and finance. As users increasingly immerse themselves in virtual spaces, the need for robust digital identities becomes paramount. This study investigates the intricate interplay of privacy, security, and user authentication within the context of digital identities in the metaverse, with a particular focus on virtual financial systems. Employing a cross-case analysis method within the qualitative research paradigm, the study extensively examines real-world instances to extract valuable insights, identify challenges, and propose potential solutions in navigating this dynamic landscape. This approach allows for a comprehensive examination of overarching patterns and trends across case studies, revealing persistent challenges in digital identity management. The study delves into the complexities of pseudonymity in virtual engagement, emphasizing the crucial balance required for user trust and accountability. Furthermore, it uncovers commonalities in successful implementations, spotlighting the transformative role of blockchain technology, exemplified by IBM Blockchain World Wire, and the growing trend of biometric authentication, as seen in the FIDO use case. The successful cases examined demonstrate that a user-friendly experience and scalability are integral to the adoption of advanced security technologies. Industry leaders should take note of the global trends in digital transactions, emphasizing efficiency, transparency and cross-border security. Additionally, the study offers forward-looking insights with implications for future research and practice, advocating for continued exploration of the nuanced dynamics between user privacy, trust-building mechanisms and accountability in the ever-evolving metaverse landscape.

The Impact of Cross-Border Interconnectivity on the International Relations Landscape and Response Strategies

With the continuous acceleration of globalization and rapid technological development, cross-border interconnectivity has become an important force shaping the current international relations landscape. This work delves into the influence of cross-border interconnectivity on the construction of new international relations and analyzes in detail its practices and developments in China's relations with neighboring countries. The findings reveal that cross-border interconnectivity not only promotes the strengthening of economic, political, and cultural ties among countries but also drives the diversified and inclusive development of new international relations. However, it is also necessary to confront the numerous challenges posed by cross-border interconnectivity, such as constraints from major powers and cross-border security risks. In order to address these challenges, this work proposes a series of recommendations. First, strengthen political dialogue between countries and enhance trust in China among neighboring countries through open and transparent cooperation mechanisms. Moreover, deepen regional security cooperation, jointly address cross-border security risks, and maintain regional peace and stability. Additionally, make efforts to enhance the governance capacity of neighboring countries to better adapt to the cooperation needs of cross-border interconnectivity. These recommendations not only provide practical guidance for addressing the complexity brought by cross-border interconnectivity but also substantially contribute to promoting global cooperative relations. This work provides an important contribution to the academic community by comprehensively analyzing the multifaceted impact of cross-border interconnectivity on international relations. Simultaneously, this work offers valuable insights for decision-makers and scholars by delving into the practical experiences and challenges faced by China in its interactions with neighboring countries.

The Impact of Disinformation on the Functioning of the Rule of Law and Democratic Processes in the Eu

Disinformation and propaganda are based on the fact that the information: i) is designed to be totally or partially false, manipulated or misleading or uses unethical persuasion techniques; ii) concern a matter of public interest; (iii) is intended to generate insecurity, hostility or polarization or attempt to undermine democratic processes; iv) is disseminated and/or amplified using automatic and aggressive tools, such as social bots, artificial intelligence, micro-targeting or paid human trolls, often with the aim of increasing the public visibility of the content. Especially the systematic dissemination of disinformation by active politicians, parties or authorities is a clear and immediate threat to democracy and is disrespectful of the values of the European Union according to Article 2 TEU, because the trust in such authoritative persons is a value choice which cannot be changed by rational arguments. Moreover, deepfakes (algorithmically generated messages flooding recipients to give a false impression of political consensus) present a significant challenge for democracy, because they may sow uncertainty which may, in turn, reduce trust in news on social media and hinder civic participation in online debates. Finally, a study commissioned by the European External Antion Service, published in 2021, has focused on two more categories of disinformation: 'influence operations' by third countries, aimed at influencing a target audience using a range of illegitimate and deceptive means, and 'foreign interference', aimed at disrupting the free formation and expression of political will. Therefore, among the many issues dealt with by the EP resolution of 1 June 2023 on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, it must be mentioned the fact that foreign interference, including disinformation, is a national and cross-border security threat. Consequently, the EP has stressed the need for solidarity between the Member States so that such activities can be effectively combated, also amending Article 222 TFEU (the solidarity clause) by including foreign interference. In fact, with respect to disinformation a process of securitization is being promoted, consisting of applying security tools and discourses upon an object that was previously not identified as such. An example of this trend is represented by the specific task force set up within the European External Action Service in order to address Russia's ongoing disinformation campaigns. Another example, showing that disinformation has become a CFSP issue, is the Council regulation (EU) 2022/350 of 1 March 2022, based on Council decision (CFSP) 2022/351, concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions destabilizing the situation in Ukraine. However, when determining the focus and political actions of the EU against disinformation, two opposing logics – securitization and self-regulation – coexist and compete. As a result, the EU is promoting a discourse linking disinformation to security, exceptionality and geopolitical strategies, but being lax at the same time with the obligations and responsibilities of the digital platform companies. Received: 25 December 2023 / Accepted: 25 February 2024 / Published: 23 April 2024

Japan’s Border Measures during Covid-19: How the Crisis Shaped ‘Others’ to Protect the ‘Stability of Self’

The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted countries to implement a wide range of specific cross-border security measures. The fear and anxiety induced by this crisis have rapidly expanded and contracted countries’ understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’. This study examines Japan’s shift from liberal pre- Covid-19 border policies to the most stringent border closure measures among the G7 countries during the pandemic. In this study, we argue that the pandemic-induced fear increased anxiety in Japan’s public health safety identity, rapidly reshaping the conceptualization of the ‘self’ and ‘other’ in crisis scenarios. This shift aligns with Japan’s historical narrative of combating unprecedented threats to public health.

Governance in the Free Cross-border Flow of Data

Every part of life, work and friendship has been inseparable from the Internet. When we casually click on the links on the network, when we need to enter personal information on the network due to work and policy, when enterprises are used to storing most of the data in the emerging cloud computing service platform, when the official website of the core departments of the country was maliciously attacked. We are facing more frequent information leakage in the era of big data. Especially with the trend of multinational corporations, regional interoperability, and the integration of the world economy, data and information can flow across borders without obstacles. Undoubtedly, cross-border business trade, project co-operation, geo-location, and server tracking are necessary, but the large amount of data recording, flow, and tracking brings great risks to personal privacy, business secrets, and the maintenance and stability of national security. As a result of the growing awareness of the risks and drawbacks of cross-border data flows, jurisdictions and regions have developed legislation and rules to balance the free flow of data and cross-border security.

The importance of border surveillance and border traffic control at the eastern border of the Republic of Poland to the cross-border security of the European Union

The main non-military criterion of border surveillance is border control; due to the geopolitical situation in Ukraine, preceded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of border surveillance with regard to the eastern border of the Republic of Poland, also performing the function of one of the longest sections of the European Union’s external land border, has become extremely important. Therefore, the article aims to point to the importance of border surveillance and border traffic control at the eastern border of the Republic of Poland to the cross-border security of the EU. To achieve this objective, it presents the main characteristics of border control and cross-border security at the external borders of the EU, describes the ‘Polish’ section of the EU’s external land border, indicates the efficiency of control measures taken and identifies the threats and challenges to the protection and surveillance of border traffic. The article is theoretical and partly comparatively analytical in nature. It relies on traditional research methods: deductive reasoning and comparative analysis.

What drives public debt in SAARC countries? An empirical assessment

PurposeThis study aims to explore the determinants of public debt in selected South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries for 19 years, from 2001 to 2019.Design/methodology/approachUsing ordinary fixed and random effect models, the authors examine the role of internal and external factors in determining the composition of public debt. Furthermore, for robustness, they compare the results with two-stage least square (2SLS) regression estimates after considering the problem of endogeneity, overidentification, under-identification and weak instruments.FindingsThe findings show that among the selected macroeconomic variables, inflation, exchange rate and broad money have significant negative effects on the debt-GDP ratio. In contrast, military spending, corruption and interest rates appear to positively influence the same as per 2SLS results. From the policymaking perspective, SAARC countries should focus more on reducing military spending and make a concerted effort to augment investments in productive projects. Further, with strong fiscal consolidation and institutional quality, it is important to mitigate the frequent occurrence of corruption conundrums in emerging economies for the development of a transparent economic system.Originality/valueThe study is distinct from previous studies in two ways. First, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are no studies focusing on SAARC countries in the context of public debt. Second, the study expands the existing literature on public debt by taking into account both external and internal debts to decipher the within-country and cross-country determinants of debt accumulation. More specifically, this model considers accountability and transparency in the public sector, cross-border security challenges and benefits of globalization by including explanatory variables such as corruption, military expenditure spending and capital inflows.

TRACE: Transformer-based continuous tracking framework using IoT and MCS

Target tracking, a critical application in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Mobile Crowd Sensing (MCS) domains, is a complex task that involves the continuous estimation of the positions of an object by using efficient and accurate algorithms. Some potential applications of target tracking include surveillance systems, asset tracking, wildlife monitoring, and cross-border security. The existing target tracking solutions are either energy-inefficient or are only effective for fixed-length trajectories, making them impractical for real-world applications. For robust predictive tracking, with irregular trajectory lengths, energy efficiency and accuracy are vital to ensure system’s longevity and reliability. In this work, using a combination of trajectory prediction and path correction techniques, a novel approach, TRACE, is proposed for continuously tracking a target in an environment. TRACE uses locations offered by IoT/MCS localization systems to make predictions about the target’s future movement. A transformer neural network is implemented to learn mobility patterns to predict the target’s future trajectory. To ensure accurate predictions, a path correction mechanism is devised, by updating the predicted trajectory using polynomial regression. Experiments are conducted using a real-world GeoLife dataset to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that TRACE performs better than existing tracking techniques with an improvement in accuracy of about 50% while using 85% less energy, supporting the potential of the proposed approach for enhancing target tracking in IoT/MCS applications.

Post-Revolutionary Iran: Contemporary Society and Cross-Border Security in Confronting International Terrorism

Post-Revolutionary Iran: Contemporary Society and Cross-Border Security in Confronting International Terrorism

Post-Revolutionary Iran: Contemporary Society and Cross-Border Security in Confronting International Terrorism

Post-Revolutionary Iran: Contemporary Society and Cross-Border Security in Confronting International Terrorism

Regional Security and Threat Dynamics: Lake Chad Region in Perspective

The Lake Chad (LC) region today is at crossroads, facing enormous security challenges from the Boko Haram / ISWAP insurgency with very important implications for regional stability. The largely unsecured borders of the region provide platforms for terrorist activities. Unarguably, cross-border security is a historical concern for the Lake Chad region countries. The authors attempt to explore the emerging regionalisation of (in) security and externality of threats around the Lake Chad region. Using the framework of Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT), it conceptualises regional security within the trajectories of the threat in the region. RSCT provides a theoretical and conceptual framework for understanding the emergent structure and dynamics of regional security. The paper adopts the qualitative research method which offers an in-depth description and analysis of the regionalisation of security threats in the LC region. The paper unveils that despite a plethora of research on resurging threats of violent terrorism and the huge publicity of Boko Haram activities in the Lake Chad region, little is known within academia on the element of ethno-cultural and historical tendencies in regional security in the LC region. It thus posits that addressing the challenge of regional security, especially in the Lake Chad would require holistic approach that takes into consideration the ethno-cultural and historical ties and challenges of the region.

Performing (In)securities in West Africa: Territorial meshing and local participation in cross-border security

What does preparing for a border crisis mean in concrete terms? And how are local communities incorporated into a security apparatus that seeks to regulate circulation and protect its borders? These are questions I investigate by analysing the IOM-UN Migration Agency’s border community engagement programme in the Senegalese borderlands. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2019, I examine the various components of the programme. The objective of these territorial meshing practices, ranging from awareness-raising theatre plays, primers and cartoons to a crisis simulation exercise, is to improve cooperation between security forces and communities. In so doing, they foster a border control culture as a distinct mode of governance that shifts the responsibility for securing borders to citizens. At the same time, I argue that the project’s emphasis on “local communities” and their knowledge contrasts with the global standardisation of spaces and temporal logics of preparedness and prevention these exercises are based on. The tension between how these scenarios and crises are envisaged and how they eventually unfold opens up a space for criticism and digression.

Defence Diplomacy Activities Engendering States’ Cooperation: Addressing Contemporary Global Security Threats in Africa

Scholars and practitioners in foreign policy deemed defence diplomacy (DD) as a contradiction or ambiguous because institutions claiming to apply it were in the realm of bearing arms for coercion. In the post-Cold War era, DD emerged as leading concept in importance as an instrument of States’ foreign defence and security policies. Globalization imperatives and the pragmatic view of State security through human security perspectives, brought in knowledge on evolution of inter-State’s security challenges. Moreover, States engagement in multilateral diplomacy were on the rise to address emerging cross-border security threats. The roles of defence and security institutions were evolved with emerging security threats particularly in the realm of human security. The paper examines DD activities engendering states’ cooperation, with a view to addressing contemporary global security threats in Africa. It adopted mixed research design employing purposive sampling techniques and strategist paradigm for primary data analyses. It revealed three key DD activities engendering cooperation in African states including: foreign defence and security policy outreach, defence and security cooperation in education and training, and defence and security partnerships cooperation. It concludes that application of DD activities engenders African states cooperation in promotion of peace and security. Finally, the paper recommends that, the African States’ policymakers, particularly in sub-regional security mechanism, should leverage defence diplomacy to promote cooperation between their defence and security institutions.

БРИКС в глобальном режиме ИКТ-безопасности

The ubiquitous implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is giving rise to cross-border security threats that require joint international responses. Fragmentation and growing conflict in the global information space complicates international cooperation within the UN to form a comprehensive global information security regime. Western countries actively support the formation of a cyber security regime based on Western values and promoted as a general initiative of the international community without taking into account the position of developing countries. An alternative approach focused on securing digital sovereignty is being promoted by many non-Western negotiating platforms, among which the BRICS occupies an important place. This article aims to assess the potential of BRICS influence in the framework of the international ICT security regime and the main directions of the BRICS activities in this area. In this paper, the BRICS agenda in the field of ICT security is studied on the basis of official documents of the annual summits and the main commitment made by the BRICS. The discourse analysis of the strategic planning documents of the BRICS countries allows to identify their priorities in the area under consideration, and to assess the potential for the implementation of the achieved obligations at the BRICS level. All the BRICS countries focus on ensuring sovereignty in the field of ICT. However, Russia, India and China consider digital development and ICT security as the most important direction of state policy and international cooperation; at the same time, they are more advanced in the field of digital technologies compared to other countries of the five and, as a result, are more vulnerable. In turn, Brazil and South Africa do not consider this area as a priority, placing more emphasis on ICT development and being more interested in access to technology and bridging the digital divide. However, all five countries are interested in solving the problem of extremism and terrorism in the digital sphere, which is also a promising area for the BRICS multilateral cooperation. A study of the voting of the BRICS countries in the UN and an analysis of their participation in alternative initiatives in the field of forming a cyber security regime promoted by Western countries showed the high efficiency of BRICS as a negotiating platform - the main contribution is made by developing a common position on the norms and principles of the international information security regime and their support at the UN level. Thus, BRICS can make a constructive contribution to the formation of the norms and principles of the international ICT security regime based on the principles of respect for state sovereignty, internationalization of the Internet governance, and counteraction to the criminal use of ICTs. An important advantage of BRICS in this area is the possibility of aggregating the interests and positions of developing countries.

Border Insecurity and the Challenges of Transnational Terrorism in North East Nigeria

Background: Using secondary sources of data, and adopting transnationalism theory, it is discovered that Nigeria’s territory and population are vulnerable. Consequently, the border towns and its people become prey to transnational terrorists’ organizations; drug barons; smugglers; among others. Some frontline settlers are conscripted into or give support to the criminal elements; engage in illegal smuggling, thereby making the state lose vital revenue from some traders and corrupt state officials at the border posts. Aim: The study looked at some of the literature on border security and insecurity, terrorism on both a domestic and international scale, the effects of porous border security on people's lives, property, and socioeconomic activities, and the implications for those living in the border region of northeastern Nigeria. Method: Articles from magazines, newspapers, textbooks, and other resources were compiled. The many authors' viewpoints and contents are studied or addressed in the sections that follow. Findings: Border insecurity is the factor responsible for the inability of the states to halt the terrorists’ activities across Nigerian international boundary in the north-east axis. Government is therefore urged to establish its authority in those frontline states; equip the nation’s security operatives; boost cross-border security surveillances; provide social infrastructures for those at the border to make them patriotic and loyal to the state as the panacea for halting trans-border criminality and terrorism in the North-East in particular and Nigeria at large.

National Security Policies of Nigeria and Benin Republic as Strategies for Curbing Cross-border Crimes

This study interrogates the constantly changing nationalsecurity policies of Nigeria and Benin Republic in responseto the cross-border security threats that are currently ravagingthe two West African countries. The common focus in extantliterature is on the diverse transnational organised crimes,with little or no attention paid to the manner in which thesecurity threats have substantially shaped the national securitypolicies of the two states. The study is guided by criticalhuman security theory. Data was collected from primarysources; 13 interviews were conducted in Nigeria and BeninRepublic, which were complimented by direct observationsat the Nigeria-Benin borders. Some data were also derivedfrom secondary sources, and the analysis of data generatedwas essentially qualitative, using descriptive and contentanalyses. Findings show that the security policies of bothcountries are encapsulated in an array of different documentsand that they are, essentially, reactions to the constantlyevolving security threats. The study calls for theharmonisation of border security policies of the twoneighbouring countries in order to successfully rein in oncross-border criminal cartels.

Ad-hoc Security Initiatives, an African response to insecurity

ABSTRACT This article contends that Ad-hoc Security Initiatives (ASI) have developed over the last decade in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin and represents a new form of African collective security mechanism. The G5 Sahel Force and the Multi-National Joint Task Force emerged from a context-specific need for small clusters of African states to respond collectively to a shared cross-border security threat(s). The existing African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) mechanisms were not specific and responsive enough to meet this emerging need. Despite substantial investments over the last twenty years by the African Union, Regional Economic Community/ Regional Mechanisms and international partners to establish the African Standby Force, this instrument was not agile enough to respond to the type of threats experienced in the greater Sahel region. In this article, we trace the emergence of a new type of ASI, examine how they fill an essential gap and analyse why the African Standby Force was not able to meet this need. We then consider the implications of these developments for the future of the APSA and how closer collaboration between ASIs and APSA can be developed.

European transnationalism between successes and shortcomings: threats, strategies and actors under the microscope

ABSTRACT This article introduces the Special Issue ‘European transnationalism between successes and shortcomings: Threats, strategies and actors under the microscope’. Specifically, it focuses on transnationalism in terms of a key concept to be deployed while seeking to decode and evaluate EU political and legal governance-related choices, and particularly those made to address cross-border security threats. In doing so, it first explains the choice of ‘transnationalism’ as focal point while referring to the current momentum, namely legal and political developments that have recently taken place or are currently under consideration. In this context, it looks both at current and diachronic transnational challenges, such as terrorism and irregular migration. Second, it explores the links between law and politics with respect to security and transnationalism, in order to present the background of this Special Issue as well as its added value. Third, it provides an overview of the studies included in the latter and explains how those are connected to each other, while seeking to identify which threats, strategies and actors shall be put under the microscope.

Border Security Management and State Security: a Case Study of Kenya and Somalia Border Relations (1991-2017)

The porous border of Kenya-Somalia has always been problematic to the Kenyan government, ever since the Somali government’s fall in 1991. This study was based along the Kenya-Somalia boundary in Mandera County. The study examined border security management and state security between Kenya-Somalia from 1991-2017. One specific objective guided it: To, identified cross-border security threats along with the Kenya-Somalia border. The study applied theories of structural realism and border security theory/ psychoanalytic theory. The study was guided by descriptive survey research design and experimental research designs. This research used several sampling strategies: convenience, systematic, snowball, random sampling, and purposive techniques. The researcher selected a sample size of 398 that comprised heads of families. Further, 85 critical informants of private and public responders were chosen from the two case studies. Primary information was gathered using FGDs, survey tools such as questionnaires and observations and interviews. On the other hand, secondary data is retrieved through relevant articles and publication content analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics proved vital in analyzing preliminary information, while content analysis was utilized when analyzing qualitative data. Tables and figures presented the data analyzed. The study established that 70% of the respondents stated that terrorism was a critical security threat along the Kenya-Somalia border. The researcher was informed of a newly emerging strategy employed in terrorism, through which the beasts of burden( donkey) has made the war against terror more complex. The donkey, a domesticated animal, is used by man as a helper; however, the latest creative (mis) use of the beast of burden for terrorism has emerged as a critical concern to the security apparatus.

ARMED BANDITRY AND BORDER MONITORING: CHALLENGES FOR NIGERIA’S SECURITY, PEACE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The greatest challenge facing Nigeria today is international terrorism that is aided by religious extremism, porosity of borderline and cross-border security challenges and crime. Indeed, the existence of porous borders and cross-border and frontier activities in Nigeria has aided crimes and security challenges across Nigerian borders for long without any specific solutions. This paper examines the security challenges and the socio-economic effects of insurgency and armed banditry in Nigeria. The country as a nation state is under a severe internal socio economic and security threat. At a more general level, the threat has social, economic, political and environmental dimensions. Each of these dimensions has greatly affected the nation’s stability, and can be traced to the ethnic militia armies, ethnic and religious conflicts, poverty, terrorism, armed robbery, corruption, economic sabotage and environmental degradation. The efforts of the government to eradicate insurgency, banditry and corruption have been slow and costly in terms of public funds spent, lives and properties lost. This has made the citizenry to question, the efficiency of the menace. Using frustration-aggression theory, the paper then revealed that the major criminal activities in Nigeria borders are smuggling of contraband goods and illegal immigrants, trafficking in weapons and human parts, drug trafficking, vehicle crime, trafficking of illegally exploited natural resources, including the illicit trade in timber, oil and diamond among others. This growth and flourishing entry without proper check or monitoring, has brought about insurgency, armed banditry, kidnapping and corruption, etc. which has become a problem of security as a result of these borderless-borders in Nigeria, with armed banditry becoming one of the most intractable challenges facing the country today. There are many speculations that the groups may have found their way through our porous borders. Therefore, the study probes into the nature of Nigeria borders using Historical/descriptive method of research and analysis in Armed Banditry and Border Monitoring: Challenges for Nigeria’s Security, Peace and Sustainable Development. The study data were collected through documentation of secondary sources, including review of related literature journals and write-ups even as it built on the findings of already existing works about emerging security threats in Nigeria. The study is concluded by recommending among others that the country should evolve a sustainable social security system which will discourage public office holders from engaging in corruption, with good information sharing techniques providing gainful employment opportunities for the citizenry, etc.
 
 <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0854/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>