Matter Of National Security Research Articles

The oleaginous voice: Auto-Tune, linear predictive coding, and the security-petroleum complex

ABSTRACT In the twentieth century, exploration geophysics and digital vocal processing each underwent key technical transformations based on formally similar signal processing techniques derived from prior work in statistics and information theory. Engineers at Texas Instruments (TI) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed deconvolution filtering as a way to model geological strata from seismograph recordings in order to facilitate oil exploration. Meanwhile, engineers at Bell Laboratories and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) used similar techniques to digitally encode and transmit speech signals more efficiently – a method known as linear predictive coding (LPC). These cognate approaches to modeling geophysical and vocal signals provided a practical basis for subsequent forays by oil industry figures into the world of digital audio. Tracing the histories of four technologies – LPC secure voice transmission terminals, the TI Speak & Spell educational toy, automatic speech recognition, and the vocal pitch correction software Auto-Tune – I analyze the role of security interests in facilitating spillovers between technologies of oil and the voice. I argue that, by approaching both geophysical and vocal signals as matters of national security, the United States’ defense and intelligence services furnished the bulk of socio-economic connective tissue between petroleum geophysics and vocal processing research.

Dual citizenship in Ukraine and the world

This work is devoted to the topic of dual (multiple) citizenship and its features. The author examines aspects that may arise with multiple citizenship in matters of national security, taxes on legal conflicts, as well as advantages and complexities, the relationship between rights and obligations. Dual citizenship offers significant and diverse benefits, including empowerment in employment, education, business and travel. Citizens are able to enjoy the social and economic benefits of both countries, which also contributes to the strengthening of international ties through cultural exchanges and diplomatic cooperation, increasing understanding and respect between peoples. However, despite numerous advantages, there are also significant disadvantages and risks associated with dual citizenship. The main ones – are issues of national security and identity, difficulties arising in the areas of taxation, military service, as well as possible legal conflicts when the same person falls under the legislation of two different states. The article considers possible changes in the legislation of Ukraine regarding the introduction of dual (multiple) citizenship, and the prospects for its possible development. The author notes that before making a separate decision regarding dual citizenship, it is necessary to carefully investigate all its aspects. Consider both positive and negative sides, taking into account personal circumstances. In addition, the author of this article presents arguments both for and against dual citizenship, and also describes the possible risks and challenges associated with it. The conclusion states that dual citizenship is a complex legal concept that can have both positive and negative aspects for individuals who have it. The article emphasizes that the issue of dual citizenship should be carefully studied at the state level with the participation of all interested parties — politicians, experts in the field of law, economics, sociology and ordinary citizens. Only a balanced approach will allow to achieve the maximum benefit from dual citizenship, avoid potential risks and ensure the stability and security of the state.

Leaders but Not Authorities? Gender, Veterans, and Messages about National Security

Politicians’ ability to provide national security to the public is deeply enmeshed in conceptions of the state and of leadership. This article incorporates securitization, feminist, and political communication theories to consider whether gendered and militarized conceptions of national security have different effects for politicians who are women and those who are men. Although scholarship suggests that signaling military bona fides—such as invoking one’s veteran status—can help politicians claim that certain policies are a matter of national security, we consider whether this ability will be gendered. Relying on two national studies, we find results that are contrary to our original predictions. First, we find that military bona fides do help women be seen as leaders. However, we do not find evidence that bona fides increase the “authority” to identify and address national security threats for any politicians.

Mihail Ralea – ministru al Muncii în guvernele dictaturii regale (martie 1938 – iulie 1940)

Very few studies have dealt with Mihail Ralea’s activity as Minister of Labor. Scholars mostly focused on his involvement in the creation of the movement “Muncă şi voe bună“ [Work and Good Will]. Several authors who explored the history of the late interwar period referred to M. Ralea’s role as prominent member (even founder) of the National Renaissance Front, the only legal political party during King Carol II’s dictatorship. In contrast, the article examines M. Ralea’s activity by tying it to a variety of topics pertinent to labor politics: the definition of industrial work as a matter of national security; the search for social harmony in a state that invoked “workers’ justice“, but relied on big industrialists and financiers close to the dictator king; the infiltration of the working class by the fascist Legionary Movement; corporatism; the evolution of the „Work and Good Will“ movement; the establishment of the Guilds; and, the nationalist drift within the Ministry of Labor under Ralea, previously perceived as a center-left politician. I also examine the importance of M. Ralea’s main collaborator at the Ministry of Labor: Stavri C. Cunescu. The contribution relies on the following sources: Ralea’s and Cunescu’s files at the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives (CNSAS); material drafted by various informative-repressive bodies; relevant documents from the Ministry of Labor collection at the Central National Historical Archives; and, specialized publications from the late 1930s.

Securitising Biotic Risk: Reframing Biosecurity in China

AbstractThis article offers an in‐depth analysis of the meaning and scope of biosafety and biosecurity in China, thereby relating domestic debates to global developments, exploring notions of safety and security in public policy more broadly and embedding a key policy initiative, Chinaʼs new Biosecurity Law, into attempts by Chinaʼs leadership to develop a holistic national security strategy. The article finds that biotic threats have more recently been reframed as matters of national security, in ways that undeniably go beyond conventional understandings of biosecurity and that blur the boundaries to more accident‐focused biosafety measures. Given Chinaʼs political and economic importance this apparent trend to securitise biotic risks is likely to impact on global trade relations, international transport and passenger traffic, not the least in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative.

POLITICAL DETERMINANTS OF THE ORTHODOXY JURISDICTIONAL DIVISION IN UKRAINE IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT

The events of recent years in Ukraine testify to the growing importance of religious and political factors in Ukrainian society, which requires a rethinking of the phenomena and processes associated with them. For young Ukraine, the formation of an autocephalous church is a matter of national security, establishing the reference point of national self-identification, the prestige of the state in the international arena, and most importantly, the possibility of consolidating citizens into a single, largest confession in the country. The purpose of the article is to highlight the problems of political influence in a European scale on the process of total division of the branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy into different jurisdictions. The evolution of political processes during the formation of the autocephalous system is revealed. It has been established that the future unification of Ukrainian Orthodoxy will contribute to the consolidation of Ukrainian society. This is the key task of the state, the church and all civil institutions in conditions of open war on the part of the aggressor. It has been proven that the reason for the evolution of state and political processes in Europe is the lack of clear regulation of the procedure for declaring a new autocephalous church, which deepened the division of churches in Ukraine.

Соціально-екологічні аспекти інноваційного управління у сфері надрокористування

The article defines the socio-ecological aspects of innovation management in the sphere of subsoil use. It is noted that innovative management in the field of subsoil use is a separate branch of management and relevant activity, which arose and developed as a result of contradictory trends in the growth of subsoil use and limited opportunities for their effective involvement in economic processes. It is noted that the social aspects of innovative management in the sphere of subsoil use require an appropriate assessment to obtain an adequate answer to the question of the effectiveness of this type of management. It is determined that the ecological aspects of innovation management in the field of subsoil use are considered very important, since the modern competitive environment requires that ecological responsibility becomes the life philosophy of an economic entity and be the basis for building relationships with suppliers and consumers, as well as local communities. The principles and directions of improvement of innovation management on ecological issues in the field of subsoil use in Ukraine are determined. Attention was focused on ecological audit, which is a tool for determining how production activities meet national and international standards of sustainable development. It is noted that due to the full-scale war in Ukraine, the responsibility of each business entity for the preservation and restoration of the environment is growing. It is concluded that the socio-ecological aspects of innovative management in the sphere of subsoil use form the basis for the interest and combination of interests of the State, business and society to achieve a certain balance in matters of national security, meeting the needs of the population in public goods and ecological development on the basis of innovativeness, which in the future will create conditions for the formation and implementation of appropriate ecological strategies that will contribute to the development of education and science, social protection of the population, reducing the outflow of highly qualified workers, increasing innovative activity in the country’s economy, etc.

СТРАТЕГІЧНЕ ПАРТНЕРСТВО УКРАЇНИ ТА ТУРЕЧЧИНИ У ВІЙСЬКОВО-ТОРГОВЕЛЬНІЙ СФЕРІ

The relevance of the research topic arises from the fact that international military-technical cooperation is an important prerequisite for the ability of modern Ukraine to defend itself against Russian military aggression and to protect the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. The article presents a retrospective analysis, institutional aspects, and the current state of cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey in the military-technical sphere. This article aims to assess the priority directions of military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and the Republic of Turkey in the conditions of the active phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war and to identify the directions for developing this cooperation, taking into account the significant potential of the Ukrainian defense industry. This article is based on the statistical and analytical materials in the domestic and foreign specialized literature, data from international organizations, and analytical and expert centers. During the research, the methods of analysis and synthesis, comparison, grouping, and systematization, as well as elements of the institutional approach, were used. The research results show that Turkey's status, as one of the most important strategic partners of Ukraine in national security matters, is caused by its long-term support in the military-technical field, assistance in unblocking the maritime export routes for Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea, and the implementation of important humanitarian projects. The list of military goods for actual cooperation such as the production of engines, unmanned combat aircraft, digital communication systems, precision weapons, radar systems, and others has been identified. The potential of further intergovernmental cooperation, which will support the strengthening of the export capacities of both countries in the global arms market, was revealed. It was identified that Ukraine's strategic cooperation with Turkey, as one of the most active players in the modern geopolitical environment, can strengthen the ability of our countries to consolidate international forces in support of its aspirations to protect its independence. Prospects for further research may relate to the disclosure of areas of potential cooperation in the conditions of the post-war revival of the Ukrainian economy, Turkey's support for our country's accession to NATO, and the assessment of opportunities for the formation of production and supply chains through the format of international strategic alliances with the participation of Ukrainian and Turkish companies to promote the latest high-tech weapons models in international markets.

Religion (Islam) and International Relations: A Perspective

This article argues that religion (Islam) and international relations in the era of post-war globalization, have its own relevance and contextuality. So far, the international relations in the post-Cold War was marked by the rise of actors and issues. In the realm of actors, emerging non-state actors who perform various international relations practices both leading to cooperation and peace as well as toward conflict and conflict. The state is no longer a dominant actor although it remains the primary actor. In the realm of the issue, the concern of mankind is no longer focused on high politics in the form of matters of national security and military alone, but the issues that were originally included in the category of low politics were even more prominent. As an impact, disruption to international security and order is not a monopoly of the issue of national security. Non-traditional security threats such as environmental issues, the spread of disease, transnational crime and others, also threaten global peace. Conflicts of communal identity that are usually based on religion, ethnicity, race, clan, tribe, or other identity become one of the leading ones. And in such international situation, Islam is challenged to respond the complexities of today's international problems.

Regulatory and Legal Bases of Digitalising Book Monuments of Ukraine

The aim of the article is to analyze the laws of Ukraine, the resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Orders of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine in the context of their defining the normative and legal bases of working with book monuments of Ukraine. The article studies the settlement of the issue of Ukrainian book heritage digitization as a tool for its preservation and popularization.
 Research methods involve a combination of analysis and synthesis methods in their dialectical interaction, as well as methods of empirical and theoretical research, and system and structural analysis.
 The scientific novelty of the study consists in highlighting the presence of legal grounds in the current regulatory and legal base of Ukraine for the implementation of the technology of digitalizing Ukrainian book monuments, and working out ways to bring the legal field of Ukraine closer to the EU standards in terms of rare books digitization.
 Main conclusions. Book monuments of Ukraine are of great importance for the national identity formation. The demand for the formation of a stable Ukrainian identity has increased after the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Under these conditions, the protection of the spiritual heritage of Ukraine has become a matter of national security, taking into account the fact that it is impossible to form a national identity without it. In conditions of the active formation of a digital society, the opportunities for preservation, study and presentation of cultural monuments in the modern cultural sphere grow rapidly. Digitization technology is an effective tool for preservation and protection of book monuments, opens the way to their unhindered promotion in modern information space. In this article, the importance of protecting book monuments of Ukraine through the digitization technology introduction in conditions of the russian-Ukrainian war is emphasized. It is established that the existing regulatory and legal bases ground the legitimate foundation for the book monuments digitization. The prospects for improving the legal sphere of Ukraine in terms of its approximation to the standards of the European Union are clarified.

Insect Utilization in Criminal Investigations: The Imperative of Forensic Entomology and its Future Future Prospects

Forensic entomology is the practice of collecting, examining, and presenting insect-related evidence to support forensic investigations. The findings from such investigations play a vital role in civil and criminal cases, including law enforcement, conflict resolution, and national security matters. These findings are recognized and accepted by various legal systems worldwide. This paper specifically delves into the criminal aspect of forensic investigations, focusing on the role of forensic entomology within the field of criminology.
 In criminal cases, particularly those involving murder, forensic investigations aim to address key questions concerning the 'when,' 'where,' and 'how' of the crime. However, when a considerable amount of time has passed since the victim's death and most other biological evidence has deteriorated or become unrecoverable, the analysis of insect evidence found on the deceased becomes a crucial method for uncovering details about the victim's demise. This is where forensic entomology takes center stage, and it serves as the primary emphasis of this paper.
 The following review encompasses a comprehensive exploration of the history, methodology, and scientific principles of forensic entomology. It discusses the utility of forensic entomology in criminal investigations, highlights landmark cases where entomological evidence played a pivotal role in solving crimes, and considers the potential for further development and expansion within this field."

Risk management of critical information infrastructure: threats-vulnerabilities-consequences

Today, interaction between people and objects, including industrial ones, has become an integral part of our everyday life. Access to communications, finance, and all forms of information management and permission to use them can be obtained from almost anywhere using compact devices.
 For example, operators can remotely control individual sectors and control operations in several areas at the same time, surgeons can operate on patients thousands of miles away, and car manufacturers can detect when one of their vehicles has been in an accident within a few seconds after the accident.
 As a result of the spread of the Internet and wireless data networks, the interconnection of so much data, technology and network equipment and devices has quickly become the basis of modern society. At present, we have become a knowledge-based society that often relies on technology to execute or support almost all tasks and functions of human life. Undoubtedly, this has greatly expanded the range of tasks to be solved, but at the same time, the society became much more vulnerable to threats in information and communication systems.
 The vulnerability is explained by the fact that at some point most of the production of different directions and industries is supported by the introduction, storage and search of data/information in a interconnected network of hard disks and data servers, locally or remotely located. And at each of these stages there is an opportunity to steal data, bypass protection, manipulate or replace information. But the risks associated with unintentional accidents caused by human errors, system failures, incompatibility or other unexpected problems, as well as “natural disasters,” must also be taken into account.
 Therefore, the security of computer or cyber systems is a matter of national security. Actually, cyber-threats are so great that more and more security experts are pointing out that protection of cyber systems and data is more of a problem than terrorism. Given the scale of the threat (in terms of cyberattacks) and the actual damage it can be argued, certain systems and structures are at risk [1, 2]. It is proved that hackers can break into government and business websites, steal personal data, change the traffic light scheme, accelerate and slow down travel, and much more.
 As an example, the implementation of a specially created malware program - Stuxnet. The effects of its use were the self-destruction in 2010 of dozens of centrifuges, which supported Iranʼs nuclear program [3, 4]. Some experts think that Stuxnet was created not by independent attackers and possibly with the support of the government. Thus, as a conclusion, it can be confirmed that hackers operate from anywhere in the world, and the links and boundaries between cyberspace and physical systems are sufficiently leveled. Thus, as a conclusion, it can be confirmed that intruders operate from anywhere in the world, and the links and borders between cyberspace and physical systems are sufficiently leveled.
 Society is increasingly faced with the fact that a group or even a person armed with a complex computer virus or knowledge about the vulnerability of software or hardware can cause a lot of physical damage to people’s lives or physical destruction, impose significant social or economic damage, and so on. For example, there are facts published by the Financial times on May 8, 2012 (http://on.ft.com/1wviXHW) that an unknown group for many years is trying to penetrate into the systems of managing the networks of gas pipelines of the USA. At the end of 2014, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States announced that hackers from China successfully broke and destroyed American satellite networks, causing loss of services related to the prediction of various natural cataclysms, air flight corridors, navigation and other industries within a few days (http://wapo.st/1u7N9dJ).
 As a rule, the critical infrastructure includes power and transport main networks, oil and gas pipelines, sea ports, high-speed and governmental communication channels, systems of life support (water and heat supply) of mega-cities, waste management, emergency services and emergency response services, high-tech enterprises and enterprises of military-industrial complex, as well as central authorities.
 The government critical information infrastructure is only one of many important systems and networks that create our modern society. Therefore, the state and society are fully dependent on the functioning of different objects and subjects of critical information infrastructure, and the loss of integrity of any of them can lead to various kinds of failures (termination of production and transfer of electricity, temporary and long-term interruptions, improper access to medical care, and much more). Each state is a separate critical information infrastructure, but cooperation between states takes place within the framework of global critical information infrastructure. At the same time, large investments in each sector of critical information infrastructure have led to an increase in economic development rates and improvement in the quality of life.

National Security Architecture and the Question of Nigerian Federalism: The Phenomenon of State Police and its Feasibility

Nigeria is one of the countries that operates a federal system of government. Likewise, Nigeria has been a federal state with several security challenges for many decades, despite a strong and unified security architecture controlled by the government at its centre. The matters of national security are vested with the central government in the Exclusive List of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution. Despite the huge budget that the Federal Government has allocated towards security operations and operations for many years, there is dissatisfaction and outcries from several segments of the country regarding the current security situation. This study examined the various discourses on redesigning the Nigerian security architecture, including the calls for state police in a fashion that will appease the comprising federating units. The problem is the reservation and the resentment that some stakeholders are expressing towards the decentralisation of the national security architecture. The theory of decentralisation and devolution of powers was adopted in the study. The study utilised documented sources of data, including books, journal articles, newspapers, reports, and internet sources, for data collection. The data obtained were analysed using content analysis, where themes were designed and discussed concerning the adopted theoretical framework. The study discovered that the agitations for state police were perceived by the Federal Government, some state governments, and stakeholders as a political move to weaken the might of the FG and to muster extra powers by some state governors against the public, the opposition, and the FG. The study recommends, among others, that the calls for the decentralisation of national security architecture should not be jettisoned totally as political, but there is a need for caution in establishing them to avoid further security crises in the future because practically, it is not feasible now.

From Crown Privilege to State Secrets1

Abstract The state secrets privilege is the most formidable evidentiary privilege available to the United States government. Available only to the executive branch, it is used to protect national security information from disclosure during litigation, and is habitually acquiesced to by courts. Once invoked, the privilege prevents covered material from being put into evidence that touches sensitive matters of national security. It is apparent that this privilege is subject to abuse by the executive branch to shield activities and personnel from judicial scrutiny and legal inquiries for reasons other than to protect national security. The privilege derives from British and Scottish doctrines of Crown Privilege that allow government to withhold evidence from legal proceedings to protect the public interest. The derivation of the state secrets privilege from the tradition of Crown Privilege has never been thoroughly explored. This article traces the influence of Crown Privilege in the development and evolution of the state secrets doctrine in the United States.

The conceptual evolution of poverty alleviation through labour transfer in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

ABSTRACT This paper argues that in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, work placements of re-education detainees and Xinjiang’s implementation of the national Poverty Alleviation through Labor Transfer programme for the transfer of rural surplus labourers operate under fundamentally different policies. Drawing on new documentary and witness evidence, it is argued that within Xinjiang’s unique context of frontier settler colonialism, its recent coercive labour transfer programme evolved alongside decades-long efforts to facilitate surplus labour transfers throughout China. From 2014, when Beijing shifted the region’s work focus towards de-extremification, Uyghur underemployment was framed as a matter of social stability and national security. Between 2017 and 2019, labour transfer coercion dramatically increased alongside campaigns of mass internment and of enforcing poverty alleviation work goals. Xinjiang’s shift in 2021 from a campaign-style mobilizational to an institutionalized approach deepens coercive risks of this often poorly understood coercive labour strategy.

Moral Support and Performance

This study presents unique empirical evidence on the importance of moral support for performance. We take advantage of an unusual change in Argentinean football legislation. In August 2013, as a matter of national security, the Argentinean government forced all teams in the first division to play their games with only home team supporters. Supporters of visiting teams were not allowed to be in stadiums during league games. We estimate the effect of this exogenous variation of supporters on team performance and find that visiting teams are on average about 20% more likely to lose without the presence of their supporters. As a counterfactual experiment, we run the analysis using contemporaneous cup games, where the visiting team supporters were allowed to attend, and find no effect of the ban on those games. Moreover, the ban does not seem to bias the decisions of referees, the lineups, or the market value of the teams, suggesting that the effect on team performance is due to the loss of moral support rather than other factors. Finally, we find that moral support is more relevant when there is equal power between the two teams, suggesting that moral support compensates the power of monetary resources. This paper provides a proof of concept of moral support as an important nonmonetary resource, even in settings with high monetary incentives. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Supplemental Material: The e-companion and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.02906 .

Reimagining US rare earth production: Domestic failures and the decline of US rare earth production dominance – Lessons learned and recommendations

China has dominated the global production of rare-earth elements (REE) since the 1990s. This market dominance is often described as a Chinese victory over competitors—particularly the US—in a geopolitical contest, since REEs are critical components of numerous advanced technologies, including military systems, that great powers compete to control. However, this geopolitical explanation for recent trends in global REE market fails to account for domestic factors—technical, economic, political, and environmental—that significantly impact the exploitation of geologic resources. This paper assesses the causes of decline in US REE production, which facilitated China's domination of the global market. We show that the failure of the US REE production was primarily caused by domestic factors, including misalignment between the US government and corporate interests. At a time when the China-US competition for REE production is seen not only as an economic contest, but also as a matter of national and international security, we argue that strategic cooperation between China and the US could effectively diversify and improve the resilience of REE supply chains and mitigate economic and national security risks associated with potential future disruptions.

Climate Security Connects Fragile and Strong States via Cascading Effects: A Review Article

Abstract During the ongoing decade, the importance of security as a topic has heightened, not least because of the health and broader implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian attack on Ukraine. We have also seen a rapid acceleration in extreme weather events influenced by climate change, including forest fires in Australia, the United States, and Europe; severe flooding in many parts of the world; and extreme heat waves in, for instance, India and Pakistan. These demonstrate how climate change is also increasingly a matter of human and national security. Therefore, climate change as a policy issue and a political topic reaches beyond the remit of sectoral climate or environmental policy. It should be seen as a horizontal cross-government policy area that increasingly affects the security of the whole society.

Constructing a "Border" with China: The Russian Approach

Abstract: The Russian and Soviet governments believed the border to be a social and political construct. They often described and considered it as a foreign policy issue and a point of military vulnerability. In the course of 70 years of Sino-Russian relations since 1949, the border turned from a porous imperial fringe to a line of defense, a zone of economic growth, and a zone of economic anxiety. Throughout this evolution process, the Russian central government failed to grant agency to the local authorities and indigenous communities. The article argues that the current Russian federal government entrusts the local government with two conflicting goals in the borderlands: building strong cross-border ties and maintaining a "strong vertical of power" with top-down management and absolute supremacy of national security matters.

The significance of clean energy development for China’s energy security from 2010 to 2019

Energy security is a matter of economic security and national security. This paper examines the influencing mechanism of clean energy on China's energy security from 2010 to 2019, by using the entropy method and spatial econometric model. The results show that (1) from 2010 to 2019, China's energy security index shows an overall decreasing trend. The western region has the highest energy security index, followed by the central, northeastern, and eastern regions; (2) there is an inverted u-shaped relationship between clean energy and energy security; (3) in the short term, clean energy will have a negative effect on industrial structure upgrading. But with the expansion of its scale, clean energy development will promote the industrial structure upgrading, and then improve energy security; and (4) the development of clean energy has a positive effect on the adjustment of energy structure.