HOSTILE NARRATIVES AND PROPAGANDA

Author(s): Igor Munteanu / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This chapter describes four Kremlin narratives that are hostile to Moldovan sovereignty, namely ’Russkii Mir and Soviet Nostalgia’, ‘Federalization Will Ensure Equality’, ‘The European Union is Bad, Russia’s Customs Union is What You Need’, and ‘Romania and NATO are a Threat to Peace’. These narratives overlap and are often contradictory and contain lies. Still, they share some basic principles—they leverage Moldovan vulnerabilities, touch the emotions of different local audiences, and attempt to develop mistrust toward modern Western countries and Trans-Atlantic values and relationships.

A chronology of important events in Slovak foreign policy in 2017

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Krivična djela seksualnog nasilja u pravnom sistemu Bosne i Hercegovine

Author(s): Vladana Vasić / Language(s): Bosnian Publication Year: 0

Pravna regulacija i definiranje pojma silovanja razlikuju se u većini država svijeta. Silovanjem se uglavnom smatra prisiljavanje, prinuđivanje ili upuštanje u seksualni odnos s drugom osobom bez njenog jasnog i svojevoljnog pristanka. Pri tome, seksualni odnos ne mora nužno podrazumijevati penetraciju, već se silovanjem smatra bilo koja vrsta seksualnog odnosa (oralni, upotrebom nekog predmeta, vaginalni, analni spolni odnos, te druge seksualne radnje učinjene bez pristanka žrtve) u koju se počinitelj upustio bez da utvrdi da žrtva na njega svojevoljno pristaje.

Совјетска обавештајна служба у Југославији 1944–1948. године

Author(s): Bojan B. Dimitrijević / Language(s): Serbian Publication Year: 0

The paper gives a survey of the activities of the Soviet Intelligence Service based on the data reached by the Yugoslav Counter-Espionage in its researches after the conflict between Yugoslavia and USSSR in 1948. It is pointed out that these activities were channeled through several forms of cooperation: through military missions sent to the Yugoslav partisans in 1944, through special NKVD and SMERS groups which came to Belgrade after the arrival of the Soviet and partisan forces on October 1944, through units set up among the Yugoslavs which were sent to Yugoslavia, as well as through a number of advisors sent to the Yugoslav Army after the end of the war and finally through broad plans of education courses in USSR attended by members of the Yugoslav Army between 1944 and 1948. What can be gleaned from these analyses is that a precise number of Soviet advisors and other representatives between 1944 and 1948 couldn’t be established, as well as that of the members of the Yugoslav Army (YA) who were educated in USSR. The main question within the YA after the Resolution of the Informbuerau was boiled down to ideological and political declaration concerning the views expressed in the Resolution. These views of the YA members were basically the most important thing to the political and counter-espionage agencies. Thus, the analysis of the activities of the Soviet intelligence service in Yugoslavia 1944–1948 and the depth of its penetration into the Yugoslav establishment was neglected for a long time.

Друштвено-географске и економске карактеристике југословенске зоне Јулијске Крајине 1945–1954.

Author(s): Miljan Milkić / Language(s): Serbian Publication Year: 0

By the decisions of the Belgrade and the Devinski Agreement, the territory of Julijska Krajina was divided into Yugoslav zone (Zone B), in which the Yugoslav military administration had the government and the zone in which the Anglo-American military government administered (Zone A). On the basis of the Peace Treaty with Italy, the Free Territory of Trieste was formed, which legally represented internationally recognized state under the protectorate of the United Nations Security Council. The actual situation on the ground was such that the Zone A and Zone B, despite the existence of a common state, continued to evolve independently of each other. The Zone B was in the period from 1945 to 1954 turned toward Yugoslavia in all segments. In the Zone B lived Slovenian, Italian and Croatian population. All three nations had their own schools and cultural centres. Transport infrastructure in the Zone B was poorly developed and the traffic was usually carried out by sea routes. Economic development of the Zone B was significantly dependent on the assistance of Yugoslavia. Trade and international exchange of the Zone B was related to trade with Yugoslavia and to a lesser extent to the Zone A. At the end of this period, in October 1954, the Zone B was formally connected to Yugoslavia.

Sovjetski uticaj i Josip Broz Tito uoči izbijanja ustanka u Jugoslaviji 1941. godine

Author(s): Aleksej J. Timofejev / Language(s): Serbian Publication Year: 0

In the holdings of the Comintern reports by J. B. Tito are preserved that testify to the role of this organization in appointing new leader of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY) and in determining personal and financial policy of the Party on the eve of WWII. Considerable number of Yugoslav communists received good military-partisan training in the USSSR and Spain during the prewar period. It is very likely that Josip Broz Ttio himself was educated at the „partisan school" in the USSR and that he later taught there himself. Connection with the Soviet security organs is also proven by Tito's special engagement in a tricky „cader" matter during the Spanish civil war. After the defeat of the Spanish republic most of the Yugoslav „Spaniards" were interned in France. Only in 1941 did part of the „Spaniards" manage to return to the Balkans. According to the official version of Tito’s biography the whole action was organized by Cvetko Većeslav Flores „without anyone’s help". Obviously someone with military and partisan experience had to help the Yugoslav communists to reach their homeland on the eve of the uprising. In the Comintern’s files of the Yugoslav „Spaniards" questionaries about their engagement on the Iberian Peninsula appeared in late 1940 and early 1941. These enquieries in the files of the Yugoslav „Spaniards" were made at the request of the „external organization" i.e. of the Soviet intelligence service. Some 250 former Spanish combatants took part in the events in Yugoslavia 1941-1945 and to all intents they were one of the main pillars in creation of the partisan movement The ascent of Tito’s career was aided by several factors which had different importance atvarious stages of his career. On the eve of 1941 the most dominant were the endeavors of Soviet instructiors to impart the Yugoslav Party cadres and even J. B. Tito himself, military and special skills during the 1929-1938 period. An important role was played by Tito’s ties with the Cadre's Department of the Comintern and the Soviet intelligence organs which Tito forged during the sending of Yugoslav cadres to Spain.

Dilema věř, nebo pochybuj: Problematika vzdělávání policistů a policistek v oblasti práce s obětí znásilnění

Author(s): Lukáš Sedláček / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

Slovak security and defense policy in 2018

Author(s): Tomáš Čižik / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The year 2018 was not a calm one in world affairs. The post-Cold War international order is becoming more unstable, potentially threatening global peace and security, perhaps irreversibly. Geopolitics has become relevant once again, having adopted a new face. The great powers now compete and use hybrid warfare and political interference to achieve their political goals.

The EU and Kazakhstan: Is the pursuit of energy and security cooperation compatible with promotion of human rights and democratic reforms?

Author(s): Bhavna Dave / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Kazakhstan’s continuing socio-economic and political stability, a formal commitment to political reforms and an avowed pro-Western orientation make it the European Union’s most reliable partner in the Central Asian region. Kazakhstan’s expanding economic and security partnership with Europe is part of its ‘multi-vectoral’ foreign policy geared at balancing its ties with Russia, China, the Western states and the Muslim world. Kazakhstan has skilfully utilised its geostrategic location as a corridor between Asia and Europe and the country’s rising profile as the leading oil exporter to Europe after Russia (almost 80% of EU imports from Kazakhstan consist of fuel) to carve out a special niche for itself within the European market.

Tajikistan and the EU: From post-conflict reconstruction to critical engagement

Author(s): Matteo Fumagalli / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

For the European Union, the development of closer ties with Tajikistan within the context of the recently launched Strategy for Central Asia represents a significant opportunity. Tajikistan occupies a geographically peripheral position, but it is precisely this location outside the limelight – and therefore less subject to the pressures of geopolitics and the strugglefor energy resources that shapes much of the politics of the rest of the region – that could allow the EU to foster new forms of cooperation with the local authorities. Policies should be devised that aim at strengthening the Tajik state’s capacities and stability, there by significantly assisting reform and development in the country.

Rebranding Russia: Norms, Politics and Power

Author(s): Andrey S. Makarychev / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This chapter argues that Russia is in the process of re-branding itself internationally, with a variety of normative arguments increasingly creeping intoits wider international discourse. By appealing to norms, Russia tries to reformulate the key messages it sends to the world and implant the concept of its power worldwide. Yet given that Russia’s normative messages are often met with scarce enthusiasm in Europe, it is of utmost importance to uncover how the normative segment in Russian foreign policy is perceived, evaluated and debated both inside Russia and elsewhere. Within this framework, this paper focuses on aset of case studies highlighting the normative and non-normative dimensions of Russian foreign policy. These include Russia-EU trans-border cooperation, Moscow’s policies towards Estonia, Poland, Ukraine/Georgia and the UK, Russian strategies in the ‘war on terror’ and energy issues.

European and Transatlantic Defence-Industrial Strategies: A European View

Author(s): Burkard Schmitt / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The history of transatlantic armaments cooperation goes back to the beginning of the cold war. Since then, however, the nature of cooperation has changed considerably, from the simple licensing of US systems to Western Europe in the 1950s and 1960s to co-production arrangements in the 1970s, followed by government-to-government joint development in the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years, industry-led cooperation has become the most prominent feature.

Pre-emptive military action and the legitimate use of force

Author(s): Carl Bildt,Alexander I. Nikitin,Walter B. Slocombe,François Heisbourg / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The eleventh meeting of the European Security Forum focused on what is becoming known as the Bush doctrine. The proceedings were underpinned by three particularly penetrating papers, which should beread at leisure, as a brief summing-up will not suffice to convey their full scope. Walter Slocombe, in his oral presentation, emphasised the need to handle the prevention/pre-emption debate as distinct from the unilateralism / multilateralism discussion: although they intersect, they are analytically separate. Conversely, he tied the prevention/pre-emption debate to the specific requirements of non-proliferation, while noting that prevention/pre-emption tend to be a limited element of non-proliferation policy given the inherent difficulties of implementation: it is easier to assert apolicy of pre-emption than to execute it effectively. Mr Slocombe also underscored the elements of continuity of the US National Security Strategy(NSS) with US and international law.

Turkey's strategic future

Author(s): Natalie Tocci,Henry J. Barkey,Natalia Oultchenko,Hüseyin Bağci,Şaban Kardaş,François Heisbourg / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The European Security Forum’s meeting about Turkey’s strategic future took place shortly after the end of combat operations in Iraq, against the backdrop of redefined US-Turkish relations. To set the stage, we had four papers: “Anchoring Turkey in Europe”, by Nathalie Tocci (Research Fellow at CEPS); “A US View”, by Henri J. Barkey (Head of the Dept. of International Relations, Lehigh University); “A Russian View” by Natalia Oultchenkov (Head of the Turkey Desk, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences); and “Post-11 September Impact: The Strategic Importance of Turkey Revisited”, by Hüseyin Bagci and Saban Kardas (both are Professors at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara).

MACEDONIA: The Threat Posed by Foreign Terrorist Fighters to the Republic of Macedonia and the Western Balkans

Author(s): Vasko Šutarov / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The topic of religious radicalism in the Western Balkans has long attracted the attention of media, researchers, and security services. Ill-advised policy approaches to the issue, along with a lack of knowledge and information, mean the phenomenon has often been misused for political aims. In the last decade, reports about “growing terrorist threats,” “Islamic terrorism,” “terrorist training camps,” “dangerous Salafists,” etc. have burgeoned, with most of these “warnings” coming from self-proclaimed “security experts” and irresponsible politicians – who are regularly invited to present their security assessments in the media and at various conferences. Several incidents involving Salafi adherents from the region have further contributed to the idea that the Western Balkans is under threat from religious radicalism. In this climate, full of unconfirmed information and irrelevant speculation, security services have occasionally tried to calm the situation and relieve feelings of uncertainty among citizens by issuing official statements. [...]

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS IN THE REFUGEE CRISIS IN BULGARIA

Author(s): Adela Bozmarova / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

We are increasingly seeing crisis situations where communication and coordination between institutions as well as the public have played a key role in the consequences of the crisis. Although the problem of refugee influx has passed its hottest moment in out country, this example can always be used as a case to be discussed and analyzed in the context of interinstitutional communication and coordination. The оbject of the article is the refugee crisis in Bulgaria, the subject of research will be communications, as part of the crisis management. The tasks of the author are: 1. to present the refugee crisis in Bulgaria and its basic parameters; 2. Provide communications, in particular during crisis, as part of crisis management; 3. to present a model for crisis communications. The material will aim to present a concrete alternative communication model during the refugee crisis in Bulgaria. The work will be limited only in the context of the refugee crisis in Bulgaria in the period of its biggest boom in 2014-2015.

SMUGGLING AND ILLEGAL TRADE IN TOBACCO PRODUCTS – CONNECTIONS AND ADDICTIONS

Author(s): Gergana Tsankova / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

In the present study the concept of smuggling and tobacco products was analyzed. The relationships and relationships between the two concepts are indicated. The main issues and challenges of smuggling and illegal trade are characterized. Measures have been proposed to improve countering smuggling and illicit trade in tobacco products.

Deportation of Foreigners in Turkey: What Has Changed After the Law On Foreigners and International Protection and the Creation of the Directorate General of Migration Management? Evidence from Kocaeli

Author(s): Ali Haydar Soysüren,Kuvvet Lordoğlu,İbrahim Soysüren / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Historically, the deportation of foreigners has been considered as an indispensable tool by the nation states firstly for the construction of their “imagined communities” (Anderson, 2006) and then for the implementation of their migration policies. In this regard, Turkey has not been an exception. As it is rapidly trasnforming into a country of immigration, the deportation of foreigners has become an essential tool of this country’s immigration policies .

Migration and Security: Three Capitals and Three Terrorist Attacks as Reflected in the Press

Author(s): Filiz Goktuna Yaylaci,Mine Karakuş Yetkin,Melis Karakuş / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

On October 10, 2015 a rally named “Peace right now against War, Peace, Labour Democracy” was organized at one of the central squares of Ankara the Capital of Turkey. The gathering place for the rally was at the gate of Central Station. At 10:04 as the crowds gathered and passengers were getting out of the newly arrived train two suicide attacks occurred. The attack was described as the deadliest throughout the history of the Turkish Republic. 103 people lost their lives 246 injured. The attack was claimed by ISIS.

Lebanon’s Political Discourse and the Role of the UNHCR in the “safe and secure return” of Syrian Refugees from Lebanon into the so-called “secure” zones in Syria

Author(s): Laura El Chemali / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The conflict in Syria began in March 2011, after that 15 young boys were kidnapped and tortured in the town of Daraa in the South of the country. The group of young boys were captured because they supported with graffiti the Arab revolutions. One of the boys, Hamza al-Khateeb, died due to his injuries in the age of 13 years in the Syrian village of Daraa (Tomass, 2016). The social unrests in Syria took first the shape of peaceful protests – as in Tunisia and Egypt - the discontent of the Syrian people was related to limited freedoms of opinion, raising unemployment rates and limited professional opportunities especially for the younger generation (Mostafiz, 2014).