Era Of Threats Research Articles

Shared adversaries in the Anglo-American Special Relationship: from the Cold War to contemporary threats

The Anglo-American Special Relationship has been at its most vibrant when the two countries have shared a common adversary. The Cold War confrontation with the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies, and then Islamist terrorism during the ‘War on Terror’, gave the relationship strength and purpose. Within these periods of intense cooperation, however, there were issues that caused tensions between the two sides. The Special Relationship languished during the decade after the end of the Cold War, as well as the period between 2008 and 2021. During these periods, the US and the UK lacked a shared external threat, which consequently led to a decline in the vitality of their bilateral cooperation. Now, however, the Special Relationship is beginning to face a new era of threat. Russia, following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and China, represent a dual challenge that is once again galvanizing the Special Relationship.

Research on students’ perception of information technology security – a new era of threats

Purpose: The aim of the article is to diagnose the level of students’ awareness about the security of information technology, the risks associated with it, attitudes towards threats and to identify the way of obtaining knowledge about it, protecting oneself against cyber fraud. Design/methodology/approach: The achievements and results presented in the article were obtained on the basis of literature research and surveys conducted among 119 students. The research technique was a standardized questionnaire completed without the presence of an interviewer via a website. Findings: On the basis of the obtained quantitative research results, the basic threats related to the use of information technology were identified, the level of students' awareness of cybersecurity and the sources of their knowledge on the subject were assessed. Research limitations/implications: The analysis of the obtained opinions of students is only a signal of the problem of the needed changes in education on cyber security, threats and opportunities to protect against cybercrime. Research should be extended to other stakeholder groups (e.g. due to age, education, type of work performed) and in a larger area of threats. Competences of students in the field of cybersecurity as future employees are very important, as they affect the willingness to adapt and the level of involvement in new technologies. Practical implications: The results of the survey have a practical impact on the Police as a source of information on the general knowledge of students in the field of cybersecurity, where they meet it, where they get information about protecting themselves against the threat. Originality/value: Original research achievements include valuable research results in the area of cybersecurity among the young generation of students. Their knowledge and ability to protect, use and responsibly deal in the area of information technology security is important now and in the future. This ability also indicates gaps and/or appropriate directions of education in the topic in question. Keywords: information technology security, cybersecurity, online safety, grandson scams. Category of the paper: research work.

Rethinking Intersections of Crime and Terrorism: Insights from Political Economies of Violence

AbstractThe post–Cold War environment has ushered in an era of threats from terrorism, organized crime, and their intersections giving rise to the growing literature on the so-called crime–terror nexus. This article takes stock of this literature, assesses its accomplishments and limitations, and considers ways to deepen it conceptually, theoretically, and empirically. To challenge assumptions informing the crime–terror studies and suggest avenues for future research, the article draws on ideas from the scholarship on political economies of violence. These insights are used to probe the (1) non-state actors that form the crime–terror nexus, (2) conditions under which the nexus is likely to emerge, and (3) varied effects of criminal–terrorist intersections. The article emphasizes the ties of criminal and terrorist groups to local politics, society, and economy, and relationships of competition, rather than cooperation, which often characterize these ties. The conditions under which these groups operate cannot be understood without considering the role of the state in criminal–terrorist constellations. The structure of resource economies influences both the preferences of terrorist groups for crime and the consequences of terrorist–criminal convergence, which are also mediated by state participation in crime.

New Security Challenges and the Need for New Forms of EU Cooperation: The Solidarity Declaration against Terrorism and the Open Method of Coordination

The new transnational security threats, such as terrorism, challenge traditional methods of European Union cooperation. In the era of threats to inter-state peace the Union engendered security through ‘passive’ integration in the form of the abolition of European borders. Today the EU is increasingly given the responsibility for creating security and safety, both externally and internally, by the means of ‘active’ security instruments such as the European Security and Defence Policy and the Solidarity Declaration of 2004. The challenge is that these policies and principles require a vision beyond that of a free market, common threat perceptions and effective coordination of the crisis management capacity of EU member states. This article argues that the practical needs following this qualitative step, such as the strategic engagement of new security actors and levels of EU governance on a long term basis, are very similar to the ones that the Open Method of Coordination has attempted to resolve in EU cooperation in the field of welfare policies. It suggests that this method should be used also to strengthen the Union security policy and crisis management capacity.

Development and the ‘New’ Imperialism: a reinvention of colonial discourse in DFID promotional literature

In this ‘new’ era of threat, crisis and (in)security, discussion abounds seeking to understand and contextualise this contemporary historical moment. Wherefore is the dream of liberal democracy? Wh...

From Necessity to Reality: The History, Philosophy, and Programs of the Green Cross Foundation.

Following a brief overview, this article describes the inception of the Green Cross Foundation, its history, and its programs as a way of illustrating how an institution developed in response to a set of vital needs. The Foundation emerged to provide financial and intellectual leadership in a new era of threat. To meet this threat, the Foundation established the Academy of Traumatology to identify the world leaders in the field and to establish the first set of Standards of Traumatology Practice. The Academy and the Foundation were instrumental in establishing a Traumatology Certification program that eventually led to the formation of a Commission to administer it. The article also addresses the future directions of the Foundation.