Consequences For National Security Research Articles

Legal integrity of public authorities

This article is devoted to the study of the state of management activity of public authorities in Ukraine, as well as to the disclosure of such a social and legal phenomenon as the term “integrity of public authorities”, providing its legal definition, and revealing its meaning. It was noted that the first steps on the way to fundamentally reforming the old system of public power with the support of our European allies, starting in 2014, were carried out in Ukraine through the initiation of relevant reforms, of which 18 are key reforms. In order to implement the aforementioned, appropriate amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine and relevant laws were drafted. Thus, the movement towards the specified goal, the implementation of the aforementioned reforms by the public authorities of Ukraine depends entirely on its capacity, integrity, primarily in the field of law, in the spheres of lawmaking and law application, i.e. ensuring the supremacy of law over state arbitrariness. The article reveals the concept of “integrity” as a psychological factor, which is based on the tendency to be organized, responsible and hardworking, and also notes its connection with the law, and the legal category “legal integrity”, which is closely related to professional ethics. Related to legal integrity is legal ethics, which plays a certain role and importance of moral principles in the sphere of justice and law enforcement, as well as in other human activities related to law. Attention is focused on the fact that the analysis of the state of implementation of the planned reforms by the public authorities of Ukraine indicates a very slow progress in the fulfillment of the corresponding obligations regarding democratic transformations in the state, since a certain part of them have not been implemented so far. At the same time, new challenges have appeared during the wartime period, the implementation of which largely depends on the “legal integrity of the public authorities”, which, in turn, can affect the speed of military aid to Ukraine from our allies. First of all, this concerns the need to complete the planned reforms. It is emphasized that one of the negative dynamics, which is surprisingly important for Ukraine, is the slowing down of reforms in the security and defense sector. This is one of the most important public administration reforms, the purpose of which is to strengthen the quality of security sector management (SSC) by means of effective and efficient security provision under conditions of democratic supervision and control. In parallel with it, the reform of the defense industry should be carried out. One of the reasons for the mentioned shortcomings is the absence of a state personnel policy, which leads to the occurrence of grave consequences for national security, to the occurrence of acts of corruption, theft of state funds, and state treason. It was established that the confirmation of the above is only a fragmentary involvement of public authorities of civil society in the normative regulation of public life, regarding the regulation of social relations in the relevant spheres of life, as well as the involvement of citizens in the development and adoption of management decisions, which does not correspond to the provisions of Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Evidence of ignoring the rights and interests of citizens on the part of the public authorities is the legislative, regulatory “deterioration” of the pension legislation in 2018 regarding persons released from military service, which was performed without involving citizens in the discussion; the veteran movement of the security and defense sector was split by the authorities. A significant shortcoming of the functioning of public authorities is that in their activities they often do not perceive the modern European democratic principle of orienting authorities to the fulfillment of social requests of society regarding its further development, but instead act on the contrary – offer and lobby their personal vision of directions for the further development of society, which often does not coincide with society’s aspirations and leads to the emergence of social conflicts. And therefore, only in the case of sharpening attention to emerging social problems, in compliance with the obligations assumed to adhere to European democratic principles, the public authorities have the opportunity to jointly solve existing problems with civil society, thereby consolidating society and increasing the efficiency of public administration.

Examining the factors that impact the severity of cyberattacks on critical infrastructures

In light of the rising threats of cyberattacks on critical infrastructures, cybersecurity has become a high priority for government agencies worldwide. In particular, the severity of cyberattacks could lead to devastating consequences for national security, economic growth, and public health and safety. While earlier studies have examined several factors related to detecting, preventing, and predicting cyberattacks on critical infrastructures, they have largely neglected to consider the severity aspect of these attacks. This study aims to bridge this research gap by examining the factors that influence the severity of cyberattacks on critical infrastructures. To achieve this, we analyze 897 reported attacks on critical infrastructures to examine the impact of incident type, ransomware, zero-day vulnerability, attacker type, conflict type, initial access vector, and the number of targeted countries on the severity of these cyberattacks. The results show that cyberattacks employing ransomware and initiated by nation-state actors have the most impact on severity. On the contrary, cyberattacks that include data theft, disruption, hijacking with or without misuse, involve multiple types of conflict, and target the energy and finance sectors have the least impact on the severity of attacks. To gain further insight into these results, we perform sub-analyses on the metrics that makeup severity. Findings show that cyberattacks on the health sector are more vulnerable to data theft of sensitive information compared to other sectors. Also, nation-state-led attacks are more likely to involve data theft of sensitive information and long-term disruptions. Finally, as years progress, the results generally indicate a decreasing likelihood of attacks involving data theft of sensitive information and hijacking with misuse.

Politics in the energy-security nexus: an epistemic governance approach to the zero-carbon energy transition in Finland, Estonia, and Norway

ABSTRACT To reduce the energy sector’s CO2 emissions, sustainability transitions are essential but may have unexpected national security consequences. We investigate policymaking around energy transitions and national security, combining sociology with sustainability transitions thinking to analyse 73 policy documents issued between 2006 and 2023 in Estonia, Finland, and Norway and investigate how zero-carbon energy and security issues have co-evolved with, strengthened, or undermined one another by analysing the rhetoric in official national strategy documents. With an epistemic governance framework, we identify the discourses that contextualise, justify, and explain policymaking in the energy–security nexus. We find that sustainable energy transitions are strengthened by connections to national security when alternative energy niches have matured but undermined for the same reason when fossil fuels are viewed as more robust sources of security. We detect policy intervention points aiming to indicate how transitions are enabled. Estonia and Finland evince strategic directions to destabilise the regime while supporting niches, whereas Norway focuses on continued oil and gas production. Whereas all are in principle in favour of sustainability transitions, they define transitions differently: Estonia values national sovereignty, Finland preparedness and the economy, and Norway sustainable development and economic security tied to hydrocarbons.

Russian Foreign Policy Concept and Global Health: The War as a Turning Point

Abstract: This essay argues that the complex qualitative shift in Russian foreign policy has far-reaching implications for international cooperation on global health governance and health security. “Global health” in Russia’s new Foreign Policy Concept (FPC) is less about the country’s existence in the well-established “Global Health” architecture but more about presenting itself as a sovereign power with a global strategy based on national science, technology, and health security capacities aimed to operate more effectively during various biological incidents with strategic consequences for national security. While pandemic preparedness and the next international response to the health crisis must be more efficient, Russia is a critical starting point for thinking about the future of cooperation on global health security.

Terrorism Threats and Rising Bullion Van Robbery Attacks in Ghana

Bullion van robbery attacks have emerged as a significant security threat in Ghana in recent years. They pose grave consequences for national security and social, political, and economic stability. This paper provides an overview of Ghana’s rising bullion van robbery attacks. In the paper, realism theory is used to portray the rate of bullion van robberies and their daringness. The subsequent analysis illuminates the factors contributing to the rise of these attacks, including the current economic downturn, socioeconomic problems, and corruption complicity. It explores the potential involvement of organised crime syndicates. The paper recommends a multifaceted approach involving enhanced collaboration between security agencies. It also involves stringent regulation and oversight of cash transportation, technological innovations in security systems, and improved training for law enforcement personnel. Additionally, it emphasises the importance of public awareness campaigns and citizen engagement to foster a collective response to combat bullion van robberies. The paper concludes that the rising trend of bullion van robbery attacks in Ghana requires immediate attention from both the government and the private sector. A comprehensive strategy encompassing preventative measures, swift response mechanisms, and robust law enforcement efforts is imperative to mitigate the risks posed by these attacks. This will safeguard the nation's security and socioeconomic stability.

The National Security Consequences of the Major Questions Doctrine

The rise of the major questions doctrine—the rule that says that in order to delegate to the executive branch the power to resolve a “question of ‘deep economic and political significance’ that is central to [a] statutory scheme,” Congress must do so expressly—threatens to unmake the modern executive’s authority over foreign affairs, especially in matters of national security and interstate conflict. In the twenty-first century, global conflicts increasingly involve economic warfare, rather than (or in addition to) the force of arms. In the United States, the executive power to levy economic sanctions and engage in other forms of economic warfare are generally based on extremely broad delegations of authority from Congress. The major questions doctrine (MQD) threatens the ability to fight modern conflicts for two reasons. First, classic national- security-related conflicts—wars of territorial conquest, terrorism, or nuclear proliferation—increasingly are met with economic measures. But the statutes that authorize economic warfare actions are incredibly broad and recent administrations have interpreted these statutes in ways that risk running afoul of an expansive and free-form MQD. Second, “foreign affairs exceptionalism,” in which the Court decides not to apply the MQD to statutes involving foreign affairs, is not likely to work well as a response because what is “foreign” and “domestic” cannot be easily distinguished and attempts to do so will have perverse consequences. The MQD raises serious problems for foreign affairs and national security. If the MQD is applied to domestic, but not foreign, delegations, then the executive branch will have an incentive to use broad foreign affairs delegations to accomplish domestic policy objectives in order to evade the safeguards and limits that attend domestic administrative action. At the same time, judges will have to police the porous boundary between “foreign” and “domestic,” with especially high error costs because wrong decisions will affect national security. If the MQD is applied to economic delegations that touch foreign commerce, the most likely consequence is that judges—particularly lower court judges—will be put in the position of second-guessing executive branch decisionmaking on precisely those questions—economic foreign policy questions of deep economic and political significance—on which the political branches enjoy both constitutional primacy and institutional expertise. This result is troubling; judges lack the knowledge and training to make effective decisions bearing on foreign policy, and putting them in the position to do so contravenes the norms of our legal system.

SYNTHESIS OF THREATS AND RISKS OF CYBER SECURITY OF MONTENEGRO - THE VULNERABILITY ASPECT OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

That there are no untouchables and that cyber threats are entering Montenegro through the big doors, is indicated by the hacker attack on the Government of Montenegro. Fortunately, the hackers did not get hold of confidential data, but their act itself caused a serious act of endangering state security, especially because they breached the system that is networked with all state bodies. It was not the first time in 2022 that hackers broke into Government IC systems and state and private companies and organizations. Experts from the IT sector have been warning about the vulnerability of the system for a long time, but not loudly enough to be taken seriously. Let’s also mention the attack on Montenegro on the eve of joining NATO, where Montenegro was under increased cyber attacks, and the Ministry of Defense says that it is similar today.Cyber is no longer the world of gamers and geeks, it is increasingly becoming a prefix for terrorism, crime, and other types of threats (Kazerić 2017). Internet trade and the use of electronic services such as e-government are also on the rise. To the global trend, almost everything that was only tangible and materialized in the real world is moving to the virtual community. This brings with it many advantages, but also disadvantages, and one of them is certainly the vulnerability of critical information and communication infrastructure and the danger of cyber attacks. In such circumstances, the issue of security partially shifts the focus to cyber, that is, cyber security. Precisely for this reason, it is necessary to take a critical look at the existing information and communication infrastructure and analyze the existing threats and risks brought by the modern, cybernetic age. The synthesis of threats and risks is necessary so that we can adequately face them and predict the difficulties that may come our way, which could have significant consequences for national security.

The National Security Consequences of the Major Questions Doctrine

The National Security Consequences of the Major Questions Doctrine

Analysis of informal communications in conditions of hybrid war

The article considers the information-psychological component of the Russian-Ukrainian hybrid war and the resilience of Ukrainian society in relation to external information influences, in particular, informal communications as their component. A brief overview of the most important research in the study of the phenomenon of hybrid warfare and its features in the context of the actions and military thought of the Russian Federation. Examples of the use of informal communications as a tool of the Russian information war against Ukraine are analyzed. The results of the study confirm that the channels of informal communication under certain conditions can be used to inject panic and provoke threatening consequences for national security. The need to increase society’s resilience to this category of hybrid influences is pointed out.

Views on the Most Important Threats from the National Defense Strategy - Corruption, Organized Crime Transnational Organized Crime Terrorism (Cyber Terrorism)

Abstract New threats from cyber bullying, new risks and vulnerabilities, can have serious consequences for national security. For this reason, it is necessary for specialists in preventing and combating terrorism and organized crime to be noticed through ingenuity, predictability and a good knowledge of human psychology. This will ensure the information filter necessary to make the best decisions for the defense of the Romanian state. The Italian intelligence service considers that the terrorist threat is the main security priority and that “Islamic radicalism remains a first-rate threat, despite the significant losses suffered by Daesh (Arabic acronym of the Islamic State - no)” in Iraq and Syria. In addition to terrorism, the Intelligence Services also warn of several other potential threats to the security of the states, including increasing the presence of extreme right-wing groups characterized by racism and intolerance. “These groups have been set up, which have a good implantation especially among the youngest, and the best organized ones do not lack the connections with other organized crime networks. In line with the fight against corruption, it is necessary in the new National Security Strategy to ensure an important place to combat the phenomenon and causes of corruption, corruption being considered a threat to national security.

The Opioid Epidemic: Challenge to Military Medicine and National Security.

We examine the current status of the military relevance of opioids, their use and misuse in military and veteran populations, the national security consequences of opioid use in our military age population, public health implications, and military, veteran, and government solutions for opioid addiction. A literature search of recent published research, federal government, and related open source materials was conducted using PubMed, Google, and Google Scholar, and all materials retrieved were manually identified, screened, and evaluated for inclusion. A modified Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach was used for the selection of relevant articles. Heath policy literature and relevant demographic information published within the last 5 years was also included to provide current information and search for solutions to address the escalating national opioid crisis. Synthetic opioids are used for pain and trauma management, not readily substituted, and have exceptionally high addiction potential. Combat wounded veterans have greater potential for opioid misuse than civilian populations. Assessment, management, and treatment of opioid use in this population are essential. Veterans receiving synthetic opioids have been noted to have multiple overdose risk factors. Opioids are readily available nationally as "street drugs" and also in the form of fentanyl-contaminated heroin. The opioid crisis affects the military age population and the top states for military enlistments. Younger age males with lower education and income are at significant risk for opioid use disorder. Recently increased drug overdose deaths contribute to an increased U.S. mortality rate with a commensurate decline in life expectancy at birth. Opioid abuse contributes to increased incidence of infectious disease. Behavioral health programs directed at military and veterans to identify risk factors for opioid misuse have been introduced. Prescription drug monitoring initiatives continue for these populations with increased information exchanged between military and civilian healthcare. Lifesaving interventions for opioid addiction include methadone maintenance and fentanyl test strip accessibility. Newly implemented federal funding healthcare initiatives to the states are now directed at opioid use prevention and enhanced surveillance. Given increasing rates of opioid addiction and death, viable solutions are universally needed. Successful intervention measures should be widely shared between military, veteran, and civilian healthcare and public health communities. Increased collaboration between these groups could inculcate successful programs to prevent and decrease opioid use. Results received from recent military and veterans' programs for prescription and electronic medical record (EMR) monitoring and data sharing may also prove useful for civilian healthcare providers and hospital systems. Future evaluations from ongoing federally funded programs to the states for addiction surveillance and intervention may help create measures to address the proliferation of opioid addiction with increased death rates. Anticipated results from these federal efforts should help inform opioid programs in military and veterans' health systems.

Police in the nation state - an apolitical and independent institution?

Abstract Police is one of the most important institution related to security in nation state, which in the era of globalization is subject to constant changes. The police as institution was established to protect peoples safety and to maintain public safety and order. In order to be able to effectively carry out its tasks, the police must have social trust and be perceived as an independent and apolitical institution. Can the institution in which the politicians of the ruling party decide about who will hold the highest positions be independent and apolitical? What can be the social consequences and consequences for national security resulting from the actions of police related to the implementation of political decisions related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and social protests of October 2020? This paper is a voice in the discussion on this topic.

Emergency Response Ontology Informatics: Using Ontologies to Improve Emergency and Hazard Management

The Large-scale natural and man-made hazards and disasters sometimes triggered and/or encouraged by regional conflicts, climate change, or migration are growing in intensity and frequency. These disasters, affecting thousands of homes and lives, have consequences for national security and defense. Adequate preparation, response and recovery are required to manage the effects of such large-scale disasters. With many organisations involved in their handling, often times crossing regional and national borders, information exchange is crucial in order to help save lives and properties. Very often, this information exchange is cumbersome and difficult due to differing vocabularies, semantics and representations at the human language, systems and data levels. This paper describes HERO, the Hazard and Emergency Response Ontology, a vocabulary used to describe hazards, either emerging, existing or ones that might have happened. Having a common vocabulary to describe hazards will give emergency management officials a common language (or a common set of terms) to describe an event, a disaster, or a hazard, making the information exchange between differing political and social boundaries easier, more efficient and more effective. We describe how we have made use of HERO to help us to model migration hazard data. We end with lessons learnt and conclusions.

Consequence evaluation model of leak the state secret from cyberattack directing on critical information infrastructure of the state

Today, more and more attention is paying on cybersecurity of critical information infrastructure by leading world state. Ukraine, which has critical infrastructure facilities in information and telecommunication systems of which the information that constitutes a state secret information, is not an exception. Extensive use of modern information and telecommunication technologies in critical infrastructure objects leading a lot of new vulnerabilities and potential cyberattacks. Therefore, the negative consequences for national security in case of a leak the state secret should be evaluated. Well-known approach allows to determine the damage from disclosure or loss of state secret in the score equivalent as well as monetary value, but only on one subject of regime-secret activity without taking into account the information and telecommunication system. Consequently, the question remains about the assessment of the negative consequences of the leakage of information with limited access from cyberattacks to information and telecommunication systems for a complex of critical infrastructure in a given rayon or for the state as a whole. In view of this, was developed the consequence evaluation model of leak the state secret from cyberattack directing on critical information infrastructure of the state which take into account the determined numerous of potential violation, typical threats, secrecy degree, a set of information constituting state secrets, indicators of economic damage, severe consequences and others (included in the corresponding list), affording to create the method of evaluating negative consequences of SS from cyberattacks to the critical information infrastructure of the state.

Developmental Reversals in Risky Decision Making

Intelligence agents make risky decisions routinely, with serious consequences for national security. Although common sense and most theories imply that experienced intelligence professionals should be less prone to irrational inconsistencies than college students, we show the opposite. Moreover, the growth of experience-based intuition predicts this developmental reversal. We presented intelligence agents, college students, and postcollege adults with 30 risky-choice problems in gain and loss frames and then compared the three groups’ decisions. The agents not only exhibited larger framing biases than the students, but also were more confident in their decisions. The postcollege adults (who were selected to be similar to the students) occupied an interesting middle ground, being generally as biased as the students (sometimes more biased) but less biased than the agents. An experimental manipulation testing an explanation for these effects, derived from fuzzy-trace theory, made the students look as biased as the agents. These results show that, although framing biases are irrational (because equivalent outcomes are treated differently), they are the ironical output of cognitively advanced mechanisms of meaning making.

City Under Siege: Narrating Mumbai Through NonStop Capture

When Mumbai became the target of terror in the 26/11 attack in 2008, the events in that city, like other tragic global events in recent years, were narrated through new media platforms. The increasing convergence of technologies and mobile telephony enabled new forms of gaze and the ability to bear witness through these new media technologies. The non-stop capture of events through recording equipment embedded in mobile phones and their connectivity to the World Wide Web constructed Mumbai through civilian narratives and images, and this phenomenon was described as the “coming of age of Twitter”. Conversely the event raised fundamental questions about the role of broadcasting and protocols in live telecasts of terrorist attacks which have consequences for national security. In narrating the city through the civilian gaze and traditional media the spectacle of suffering in postmodernity becomes an open-ended exercise where the city is both a canvas for showcasing the risks of modernity and new forms of visibilities which emerge from social media and the “act of sharing” content on global platforms.

Sovereign Wealth Funds and National Security: The Dog that Will Refuse to Bark

Concerns have been raised that Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) might be used by governments to advance international political goals, raising red flags about their possible economic and national security consequences. These concerns are overstated. Warnings about national security threats related to foreign investment have been sounded repeatedly throughout history, but they have invariably been false alarms. Although there are novel attributes about SWFs in contemporary world politics, establishing their national security consequences is much more difficult than it might seem. And in those instances where theoretical connections between SWFs and “high politics” can be established, on closer inspection the SWFs appear to be intervening variables – manifestations of other pathologies – rather than the root cause of the postulated problem. The potential geopolitical problems caused by SWFs are the result of shifts in wealth in the international system, and not by the establishment or functioning of wealth funds.

The Due Diligence Model: A New Approach to the Problem of Odious Debts

Odious debts are debts incurred by a government without either popular consent or a legitimate public purpose. There is a debate within academic circles as to whether the successor government to a regime that incurred odious debts has the right to repudiate repayment. In the real world, however, repudiation is not currently an option granted legitimacy by either global capital markets or the legal systems of creditor states. There are, thus, compelling reasons to reform the law of odious debts to allow for such repudiation in strictly limited circumstances. Beyond the moral problem of requiring the formerly captive citizens of a tyrant to repay their oppressor's personal debts, the burden of odious-debt servicing can perpetuate the cycle of state failure, which has direct national security consequences. In addition, a properly designed odious debt reform could function as an alternative punitive mechanism to trade sanctions with fewer harmful implications for the general population of the targeted state. Classical proponents of odious debt reform advocate for recognition of a legal rule under which successor governments could challenge the validity of debts incurred by prior regimes against the odious debt legal standard in a judicial-style forum. I make the case for an alternative “Due Diligence Model” of reform that provides far greater ex ante certainty for lenders, both as to which debts might be classified as odious debts and what steps the lender must take to protect its investments from subsequent invalidation. The Due Diligence Model also solves certain time-consistency problems inherent to the Classical Model.

Many calls, little action

What is the role of United States universities role in preparing graduates for an increasingly interdependent world in which the knowledge of other languages and cultures is once again a critical need? The article reviews the many calls for global understanding and language competence, the barriers to sustained follow-up and action, and the consequences for national security, economic competitiveness, and a globally aware citizenry. It concludes with several recommendations for universities to undertake in partnership with schools, states, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and the federal government.

Arms race and economic growth

This paper investigates the dynamic implications of an arms race between two rival countries. By incorporating defence spending into the conventional overlapping generations growth model, this paper explores long‐run consequences for national security and economic growth. The security spending–GDP ratio increases with economic growth if defence technology has a fixed benefit. Although the steady‐state defence spending is too much in terms of the static efficiency (or compared with private consumption), it may be too little if private saving is too little in terms of the dynamic efficiency. We also explore the unstable nature of an arms race when defence technology needs a fixed cost in the cases of “open war” and “closed war”, or it is efficient and the initial capital stock is low in the case of “open war”. In such cases, both countries could not grow in the long‐run due to the arms race effect.