State Security Research Articles

Managing the transformation of foreign economic activity in an unstable macroeconomic environment

In modern conditions of chaoticization of the system of international economic relations and foreign economic activity of business entities, the tasks of improving the management of foreign economic activity of enterprises by the state and the formation of its embedded mechanisms to ensure the protection of state security in the world market are actualized. The purpose of the article is to analyze the topical issues of foreign economic activity transformation in the context of global instability. According to the author, in the system of state regulation of foreign economic activity of an enterprise, the implementation of an integrated foreign economic activity management system will be timely, which will significantly offset the problems existing in subjects of foreign economic activity related to external factors. However, it is impossible to quickly adjust to dynamically changing conditions and ensure management consistency, increase the efficiency of foreign economic activity of domestic enterprises and protect state economic security. The main goal of the transformation, according to the author, is to provide the necessary transparency and flexibility in the management system of foreign economic activity both at the state level and at the level of a specific subject of foreign economic activity, which is very important in the context of growing instability of the macroeconomic environment. Priorities in the context of growing global instability are to increase the efficiency of foreign economic activity, the competitiveness of the economy and the protection of economic security.

Exploring Water Source Preferences and Agricultural Water Use in Rural Communities in the Changing Climate in Yobe State

In the face of a changing climate, rural communities in Yobe State, Nigeria, are experiencing increased water scarcity, impacting agricultural productivity and livelihoods. Despite the abundance of studies on rural water use, gaps remain in understanding the interplay between economic factors, traditions, and agricultural practices in shaping these preferences and utilization. Therefore, this study investigates water source preferences and agricultural water use among rural households in Yobe State, examining the implications of climate change on these dynamics. A mixed-methods approach combining surveys, interviews, and focus groups was employed to collect data from 300 rural households. Statistical Analysis, such as logit, and multinomial regressions were used for the data analysis. Results show that rural households prefer traditional water sources like rivers and wells over modern sources like boreholes and piped water. However, climate change has altered the reliability and quality of these traditional sources, forcing households to adapt their water use strategies. The study reveals a significant shift towards groundwater use for irrigation, increasing the risk of over-extraction and land degradation. The findings highlight the need for climate-resilient water management strategies, improved water infrastructure, and sustainable agricultural practices to ensure food security and livelihood resilience in rural Yobe State. This research contributes to understanding the complex relationships between water sources, agricultural water use, and climate change in rural communities, informing policy and interventions to support climate adaptation and sustainable development.

Montenegrins in the Ottoman Empire as ‘Enemy Aliens’ during World War I (1914–1918)

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the Ottoman Empire and Montenegro, which no longer shared a border due to the shifted territories following the Balkan Wars (1912–13), faced each other as belligerents in two different coalitions (the Entente and the Central powers). Throughout this process, Montenegrin citizens, both Muslim and non-Muslim, living in the Ottoman territories and working in various fields, suddenly found themselves as enemy subjects. This article analyses what it was like for Montenegrins living in the Ottoman territory during the war by assessing their legal status, naturalisation, internment and the security measures taken against them. In the light of Ottoman archival documents and within the framework of the concept of enemy aliens, this article examines just how the war affected these forgotten citizens of Montenegro – who have long been overlooked and overshadowed in scholarly works by the subjects of the Great Powers – and how the Ottoman administration treated them in the context of state security.

Digital Innovations and their Ramifications for Financial and State Security

Digital Innovations and their Ramifications for Financial and State Security

THE NEW ECONOMIC SECURITY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Geopolitical changes have shown that current threats are not only directed at the state’s security but also at the individual’s. Besides the traditional concept of security, a new concept has emerged: economic security. The liberal conception was based on the hypothesis that economic interdependence would lead not only to prosperity but also to greater security. Traditional analyses do not sufficiently capture the real connections between the economy and security. In traditional approaches to security, the key concept was state security; in neo-traditional ones, new actors such as international organizations and non-governmental organizations also intervene alongside the state. Transformations in the international system demonstrate the need for a geostrategic renegotiation of relations at the regional level to ensure states of regional economic cooperation based on principles promoted by the European Union. Our analysis is a qualitative one, examining documents relevant to our topic, as well as a series of theories that underpin our analysis. Our research methods include content analysis of important documents and a SWOT analysis of the current crisis generated by the conflict in Ukraine. The central issue is given by these major changes that challenge the European project. In the face of these geopolitical changes, the following question arises: “Can economic interdependence be used to create stable bilateral relations between EU member states and between the EU and third countries to ensure European economic security?” The research starts from the following hypothesis: “As long as there is cooperation between the countries neighbouring the EU, there will be no risk of conflicts.” Since the EU acts not only in its own interest but also to create a business environment conducive to the development of enterprises in member countries, the risks the EU is exposed to as a global actor will also impact various industrial sectors and the internal market. Our objective is to demonstrate that the European Union, as a regional actor, can ensure the economic security of member states in the face of new hybrid threats. Our analysis focus on examining the economic relations between the European Union and its Eastern neighbours in the context of rapid changes in the international arena.

The Significance of Relations between Hungarian and Dutch Reformed Congregations under the Single-Party State – With a Special Emphasis on the Dutch Connections of Dezső Szabó, Pastor in Káloz, in the Focus of the State Security Services

The study provides a glimpse into the ministry of Dezső Szabó, the Reformed pastor in Káloz (Hungary) in the 1960s, when he rebuilt informal church relations – independent of church leadership – with Dutch congregations. Prior to the war, Dezső Szabó studied in the Netherlands on a scholarship. The party-state authorities, however, did not approve of inter-church relations with Western churches, but in the changed environment of church politics and church law brought on by the 1960s, Dezső Szabó seized the opportunity to rekindle old ties through his former theological acquaintances. Dezső Szabó’s activity was monitored by state security, and the records also provide information on the situation of the Dutch Reformed Church. The study draws attention to dilemmas of wayfinding and identity, full of challenges, during the second half of the 20th century. Keywords: neo-Calvinism, identity, surveillance, single-party state, Káloz

Pathfinding and Connections in the Life of Small Reformed Communities in Budapest. The Contexts of the 1967 YMCA Trial

In July 1967, the communist political police arrested five members of Keresztyén Ifjúsági Egyesület (the Hungarian equivalent of the YMCA), which had been dissolved in 1950, on charges of conspiracy against the state. Among those arrested were pastors, elders, and a former deacon. The trial is considered to be the last politically motivated trial against the Reformed Church and the most significant of all state security actions against the Reformed in Hungary. In order to understand the background of the trial and the changing considerations of church policy and state security surrounding it, it is necessary to look at how the image and political approach of the decisive actors of church policy had evolved by the 1960s. On the other hand, the documents produced by the party-state can be examined not only from the perspective of power but also from that of communities in action: what were the individual and collective strategies for active Christianity in the first decades of the Kádár regime? What were the individual and collective aspirations, adaptation techniques, and patterns of value transmission that can be discerned among different groups, congregations, youth communities, and their leaders in Reformed Christianity? Which forms of church or religious behaviours were considered dangerous by the party-state, and how did it set forth for the church policy enforcement bodies the activities it considered to be within the category of church or religious resistance and opposition? Keywords: communist church policy, Hungarian Reformed Church, political trial, religious resistance, YMCA

How the Police and Armed Forces Construct Gender on Social Media: A Comparison of El Salvador and Honduras

Although social media is the new frontier for policing, little research has examined how state security forces construct gender online. To address this gap, we analyzed 315 TikTok videos posted by law enforcement agencies in El Salvador and Honduras. We find that gender is constructed by (1) showcasing (or not) female officers; (2) displaying masculinized and feminized policing practices; (3) advancing gendered ideas through editorial additions. We further find that gendered performances by police vary between the “iron-fist” regime of El Salvador and the “soft-touch” regime in Honduras, while the armed forces of both countries adopt more gender-neutral images.

Wave blockers: When governments use foreign military interventions to offset transnational political currents

ABSTRACT Why do governments use interventions to shape the internal political composition of other states? Many explanations focus on intervention’s strategic utility, which can include a wider sphere of influence and enhanced state security. Alternatively, this article argues that how regimes view the internal political conditions of other states in relation to their own political spheres dictates the utility that they assign to intervention. Drawing on archival content related to Saudi Arabia’s intervention in the North Yemen Civil War (1962–1967), the article tests this political-threat explanation of intervention against the strategic-threat alternative.

Dangerous winds: Criminal threats and the indigenized security of wind power in Colombia

AbstractGlobal energy companies have regularly depended on state and private security for sustaining their operations, often with deadly consequences for union leaders, environmental defenders, and local communities. This article examines how these security arrangements are mutating amid the rapid expansion of renewable energy in Latin America. It uncovers how wind energy companies in Colombia rely on Indigenous knowledge, social networks, and legal norms to safeguard themselves in La Guajira, a border region reputed by outsiders as haunted by criminality and (il)legal practices. Through long‐term ethnographic research of corporate spaces, I argue that Wayúu lifeways are mobilized by green energy capital to craft a hybrid security apparatus that, though failure‐prone, is crucial for Colombia's low‐carbon future. This case reveals how corporate and Indigenous configurations of protection and risk prevention work in tandem across sites that are being demarcated for the energy transition and climate change mitigation in Latin America.

Legal regulation of the activities of Soviet and party bodies in the fight against the fascist-nationalist underground in the Baltic States (1944-1953)

The relevance is due to the theoretical and practical significance of scientific problems related to the study of the legal regulation of the activities of Soviet and party bodies in the fight against the fascist-nationalist underground in the Baltic States in the last years of the Great Patriotic War and the post-war years. The experience of fighting nationalism in the post-war decade, when the Soviet state managed to cope with the fascist-nationalist underground in a relatively short time, seems instructive at the present time.Purpose. Сlarification in the historical and legal aspect of the peculiarities of the struggle of Soviet and party organs, as well as organs and troops of the NKVD-NKGB of the USSR with the fascist-nationalist underground in the Baltic States in 1944-1953.Objectives: to analyze the main normative legal documents regulating the fight against the fascist-nationalist underground in the Baltic States in 1944-1953; to determine the features of the counteraction of Soviet and party organs, organs and troops of the NKVD-NKGB to the activities of participants in the fascist-nationalist underground in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in the last years of the Great Patriotic War and the first decade after the end of the war.Methodology. The dialectical, historical, comparative legal method was used as the methodological basis of the study due to the historical and legal nature of the article.Results the research was of a historical and legal nature and made it possible to identify the specifics of the activities of the Soviet authorities in the fight against the fascist-nationalist underground in the Baltic States. Not only operational-Chekist, military operations were carried out, but also criminal and repressive measures were carried out, but also administrative, agitation and propaganda measures corresponding to the "current moment" were applied. The struggle against the fascist-nationalist underground was led by party and Soviet bodies, both at the republican and all-Union levels.Conclusion. The complex of measures carried out in 1944-1953 in order to combat the fascist-nationalist underground in the Baltic States has historical and legal significance. The experience of its implementation can be used by the troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, state security agencies and other law enforcement agencies, both now and in the future, including as part of a special military operation.

Sociological Analysis of Restorative Justice in Rehabilitative Law Enforcement for Drug Abuse Cases

The escalating trend in drug abuse, particularly among the youth, necessitates a unified approach from all law enforcement entities to address this shift in paradigm. It is essential to view drug addicts and victims of drug abuse not only as perpetrators but also as victims, warranting the incorporation of rehabilitation as an alternative form of punishment. The severity of narcotics crime in Indonesia poses a profound threat not only to individual health both physical and mental but also to societal well-being and national development, potentially compromising state security and sovereignty. This paper explores the enforcement of narcotics law in Indonesia as dictated by Law Number 35 of 2009 and examines the application of restorative justice, a concept often referred to in criminal law enforcement, which emphasizes recovery and atonement for the perpetrator or their family towards the victim, facilitating out-of-court reconciliatory efforts. By examining the legal sociological perspective, this research advocates for resolving narcotics-related criminal cases through means that prioritize restoration over retribution. It argues for a restorative justice approach, where the focus shifts from imprisonment to alternatives like medical and social rehabilitation, aiming for a resolution that restores harmony and agreement between involved parties, thereby aligning legal outcomes with societal values and needs.

The security and deterrence policy of the Baltic states in 2014-2024

ObjectivesThe full-scale annexation of Crimea and Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted the political elites of the Baltic states to devote even more attention to security problems and to update the defence plans of the Baltic region. The aim of the work is to analyze the development of the security and deterrence strategies of the Baltic states in the years 2014-2024 in the face of potential Russian threats on the border of the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The starting point for the discussion is the hypothesis that the sense of threat from the Russian Federation contributes to the intensification of trilateral military cooperation between Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The theoretical basis for the empirical analysis is the adaptive strategy model (so-called grand strategy ) developed by Colin Dueck .Methodscase studyResultsAfter the annexation of Crimea and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states were encouraged to tighten strategic trilateral cooperation and develop the potential of their armed forces to increase the ability to defend their own territory, while striving to strengthen collective defence and deterrence within NATO.ConclusionsThe Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in active investment in defense in the Baltic states. In Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, there is currently strong political will to continuously develop military potential, combined with increased public interest in state security issues.

Defending the Candid Gaze: Theory, the Archive, and Depolicing Street Photography

Abstract Since practically the dawn of photography, there have been concerns over street photography’s invasive and potentially exploitive nature, from late nineteenth-century tropes of pests and “sneaky characters” trailing women in public parks to more recent panics over “camera fiends” and even state security warnings of the need to be vigilant of photographers potentially casing infrastructure for terrorist attacks. This article argues, using potted history and critical theory, that such straw-man arguments distract from the real dangers that the policing and curtailment of public photography pose, characteristic, as they are, of authoritarian regimes where control over taking and circulating images is an integral part of oppressive state and corporate apparatuses. Street photography’s implicit role in the construction of an archive of aesthetic and documentary value can be understood as a type of resistance to such threatened microfascisms.

Sending Couriers to Czechoslovakia as Part of Anticommunist Resistance in the First Half of the 1950s

The anticommunist resistance in Czechoslovakia, organized from abroad, was led primarily by groups of experienced Czechoslovak intelligence officers who fled to the West after the coup d'état in February 1948. Financed and organized by the intelligence services of France, Great Britain, and the United States, and in isolated cases by the Czechoslovak exile organizations, these groups sent hundreds of couriers to Czechoslovakia to carry out various intelligence tasks. Recruited mainly from young individuals placed in refugee camps, these people faced a perilous mission. The State Security Service apprehended many of them. Those deemed unsuitable for intelligence use by the communist security apparatus faced years of imprisonment or even execution. A few years after the communist coup d'etat in Czechoslovakia, when it became clear that World War III would not break out, activities of the Western intelligence services that previously sent couriers dramatically changed. Risks when crossing the national border and working in Czechoslovakia became enormous. The state borders with Western countries were heavily guarded. Czechoslovak society was overcome by fear, and it was difficult to find people willing to cooperate with patriots in exile. In the middle of the 1950s, Western intelligence services stopped sending couriers to Czechoslovakia. They began to focus more on the use of legal channels and tried to recruit collaborators from among Czechoslovak citizens who regularly visited Western countries for business or cultural purposes.

Profiling Practices in the Context of Anti-Terrorism Prevention Strategies: Acceptable or Controversial Anticipatory Measures

In the face of the constant threat and severity of terrorist acts that continue to claim an increasing number of victims, the international community is incessantly exposed to such dangers. Anticipating certain early interventions conducted by security and law enforcement services in the European Union member states, such as profiling practices, has become essential for identifying individuals on the path to radicalization or violent extremism.

Radiation survey of the territory of Teriberka village and Kildin Island of Murmansk Region

The Arctic zone is a strategically important territory of the Russian Federation from the point of view of socio-economic, scientific, and technological components, as well as in terms of planning the development of a system for ensuring national defense, state, and public security. Intensive exploration and development of Arctic territories, combined with a rapidly changing environment due to global climate change, carries a few risks for the environment. This determines the need to assess potential environmental damage and determine the significance of factors of potential negative impact on unique Arctic ecosystems now and in the future. The article presents current data from a radiation survey of the coastal zone of residential areas close to the site of the sinking of the nuclear submarine ‘K-159’ – Teriberka village and Kildin Island, Murmansk region, as well as the sea area to assess the primary levels of man-made and natural radionuclides before starting work on the potential lifting of the submerged object. This work was carried out as part of the implementation of the State Program of the Russian Federation ‘Health Development’ (approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated December 26, 2017, No. 1640). The results of measuring the ambient dose equivalent rate of gamma radiation in open areas and determining the content of man-made and natural radionuclides in samples of environmental media (soil, aquatic vegetation, marine aquatic organisms) and food products of local origin and production (mushrooms, berries, fish, milk). The research results showed that the state of the study area is generally stable in terms of the radiation factor, the content of radionuclides is at the background level. As part of this work, electronic database modules have been developed based on the results of radiation monitoring in Teriberka village and on Kildin Island. Certificate No. 2022621890 was received on registration of a database with the results of the radiation situation of the above-mentioned territories.

‘Resisting’ while Collaboratively Informing in Communist Czechoslovakia

Abstract Informers in the service of state secret police collaborate with authorities and thus contribute to the power of repressive regimes. Through a case-study of Communist Czechoslovakia (1945–1989)—and drawing from secret police archives– this article presents selected stories of informers who in one way or another also ‘resisted’ collaboration with the Czechoslovak State Security (StB). By doing so, we try to further complexify the notions of ’everyday resistance’, on the one hand, and ‘collaboration’ on the other. We demonstrate that resistant acts, similar to collaborative acts, can be apolitically devoid of ideology, highly idiosyncratic, and motivated by private drivers. Informing can be a tool of social navigation—namely, making the most out of one’s circumstances—in repressive times. Hence, resisting while informing also can be approached as a method for an individual to maximize opportunities within the overlapping incentives—both public and private, personal and professional—that contour decision-making and social action in repressive regimes.

Determination of Capsaicinoids in Air Using Colorimetric Detectors

The significant physiological effect of capsaicinoids on the human body is utilized in the fields of food industry, medicine, and internal state security (riot control agents, RCAs). Detection and determination of capsaicinoids in solutions and extracts are fairly well developed, but only marginal attention is given to their detection in the form of aerosols and vapors, which are the primary form of their use as RCAs. In the article, three variants of a simple tube detector for direct detection of capsaicinoids in air (using pelargonic acid vanillylamide – PAVA, as the standard) are presented, utilizing classical color reactions with Turnbull’s blue, Gibbs reagent, and Marquis reagent. The use of these reactions for these purposes is innovative. Each reaction has been optimized and the proposed detectors have been compared, emphasizing their sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. PAVA in the air at a concentration of 0.1 mg/m3 can be detected with the naked eye. The stability of the proposed detectors allows for their commercial use.

Topical dynamics of terrorism from a global perspective and a call for action on global risk

Research on terrorism is a sensitive and critical aspect globally from a security perspective that calls for an action policy. Since 9/11, terrorism has been considered a high risk or a disaster for global governance without geographical exceptions. Its association with political and economic and the severity of causalities it causes leaves a worrisome and long-lasting impact on global cohesion and peacefulness, just like a natural disaster would. This study unveils the political and policy measures, public expenditures, and likely external intervention determinants and their association with terrorism in the panel data of 151 countries from 2012 to 2022. The statistics of SGMM say that political stability is the most impactful and significant factor in reducing terrorism globally. External intervention from political agencies and economic forces is the second-most influential factor in mitigating terrorism incidents. The study further observes that the effectiveness of counter-terrorism measures and policy implementation has proven less impactful in mitigating terrorism. The innovative findings of this study state that government expenditures toward basic facilities are impactful in deterring terrorism but do not have a significant role in global analysis. The study recommends that the EU and America should collaborate and work on Asian and African regional security, rather than invade state security and sovereignty as part of their collective measures of counter-terrorism. A collaborative effort helps eradicate external evil forces or groups and sustain the state and global peace.