1[22]/2007

 

Contents

THE POLITICAL-MILITARY PRESENT
NATO transformation and expansion - Mircea MUREŞAN, PhD, Doina MUREŞAN
Actuality and perspectives on Peace Support Operations - Gheorghe MINCULETE, PhD, Gabriel-Tiberiu BUCEAC

GEOPOLITICS AND GEOSTRATEGIES ON THE FUTURE’S TRAJECTORY
The geopolitics of strategic energy resources. Strategic energetic resources - Silviu NEGUŢ, PhD, Marius Cristian NEACŞU, Liviu Bogdan VLAD, PhD
Energy resources. Consequences in security field - Cristian BĂHNĂREANU

NATO AND EU: POLITICS, STRATEGIES, AND ACTIONS
Poland vis-à-vis the West European Union and European military tools - Janusz SOLAK, PhD
Security concepts - fi eld of coordination, cooperation, competition for European security institutions - Pascu FURNICĂ
Sécurité humaine et qualité de la vie dans le contexte d’integration européene de la Roumanie - Petre DUŢU, PhD

SECURITY AND MILITARY STRATEGY
Security, new challenges. “Need to know“ versus “Need to share“ - Victor BOBOC
Czech defence policy and its institutional and documentary framework - Libor FRANK, PhD, Josef PROCHÁZKA, PhD
The development of the security and defence policy of the Slovak Republic - Elemir NECEJ
From the Defence Agency to the Japanese Ministry of Defence - the (re)birth of a military power - Iulian PÎRVAN

National security management through collective security - Eugen SITEANU, PhD, Marian SANDU
The military security system - present and perspective - Cornel CUCU

INFORMATIONAL SOCIETY. PEACE AND WAR
Reasons regarding the war in the Romanian and foreign political thinking - Dorel BUŞE, PhD

ANALYSIS. SYNTHESIS. EVALUATIONS
Iraq - after four years of war - Constantin-Gheorghe BALABAN, PhD

STRATEGIC EVENT
EU’s new energy policy - Vasile POPA

POINTS OF VIEW
Asymmetric shadows and umbrellas - Gheorghe VĂDUVA, PhD

REVIEWS
Military intelligence within the current security context - C.C.
The psychology of terrorism: a psychological study on terrorists - I.C.

CDSSS’ AGENDA
The activities of the Centre for Defence and Security Strategic Studies, January-March 2007 - Irina CUCU
Instructions for authors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NATO transformation and expansion - Mircea MUREŞAN, PhD, Doina MUREŞAN

Started on the 13th of September 2006 at the Allied Transformation Headquarters in Norfolk (USA), the process of global re-examination of NATO’s role and missions materialized at the Summit in Riga on 28-29 November in a rigorous analysis of the organization’s transformation under the circumstances of the changing world security and of the post-bipolar era risks, as a fundament of the operational training and the effi ciency of the Euro- Atlantic structures. The present paper deals with this important aspect together with that of the Alliance’s “open door policy”.

Actuality and perspectives on Peace Support Operations - Gheorghe MINCULETE, PhD, Gabriel-Tiberiu BUCEAC

The radical changes in the world security architecture, intervened at the end of the XXth century once the menace of East-West confrontation disappeared and at the beginning of the XXIst century following the terrorist attacks on September 2001 against USA, have rapidly succeeded. The political and geographical break up of continental framework, especially the European one, continuing or reactivation of some intrastate or interstate latent tensions, including several states within wider phenomenon of globalization – all these had a solid impact on the international security environment. The occurrence of new risks and threats towards the worldwide security has defi nitely required a new approach of addressing and responding to emergency situation or crises wherever they are. Confl ict prevention and crises response activities have emerged as top priorities of the international community’s foreign affairs policy. As a result, a closer and enhanced cooperation among the state actors within and/or with international or regional security organizations – UN, OSCE, etc. – imperatively required a general revitalization of complex peace management processes at global level.

The geopolitics of strategic energy resources. Strategic energetic resources - Silviu NEGUŢ, PhD, Marius Cristian NEACŞU, Liviu Bogdan VLAD, PhD

The Strategic Energetic Resources – Geopolitical considerations. Oil is not a simple word or a resource like any others. It defines another category of resources – the geo-strategic ones. On the other hand, it defines our civilization, the civilization of 20th-21st centuries. The most part of what we use everyday: electricity, fuel, transportation, plastics, pills, paint, clothes, even food, in a way, derives from oil. This is the resource that has launched many international conflicts. Oil is the most important geo-strategic resource.

 

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Energy resources. Consequences in security field - Cristian BĂHNĂREANU

From ancient times, the exploitation of energy resources has intersected with power disputes on international scene and with various forms of local, regional or world wars. In this paper we analyze the role of energy resources, especially oil and natural gases, in crises and confl icts of the beginning of the millennium based on the “game” and the interests of the actors involved in this “oilrush”.

Poland vis-à-vis the West European Union and European military tools - Janusz SOLAK, PhD

Poland’s policy towards West European Union (WEUO) and the adequate European defence tools, without taking advice from anyone, puts Poland’s allies in a diffi cult position, rouses contradiction and amazement. After Poland, together with Spain, blocked the Union’s Constitution, there were fears that in the future Poland may block the votes and counteract the European Union’s plans on the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Instead of becoming an active participant of the discussion, it takes the tactic of observing the Americans and become dependent on Washington’s decision that conditions the “European” policy not to be, in any case, against NATO. The Poland’s “ambivalent” strategy (on politics and security – the full orientation towards the US, on the economic aspect – waiting for a larger assistance from EU) did not bring the expected profi ts. On one hand, weakens Polish position on the international arena, and on the other hand – per saldo – it turns profi table both in the objective state of the Polish reasoning and in the subjective citizens’ attitudes.

Security concepts - field of coordination, cooperation, competition for European security institutions - Pascu FURNICĂ

In this article, the security concepts of the three major European Security Institutions, namely NATO, EU and OSCE, will be analyzed in order to identify their commonalities and distinctiveness, and to sustain the fact that European Security Institutions are able to cooperate in the field of security and defence, despite the differences between how they understand this domain. In this respect, the documents that explain the way in which these organizations understand and apply their security concepts will be analyzed.

Sécurité humaine et qualité de la vie dans le contexte d’integration européene de la Roumanie - Petre DUŢU, PhD

Sécurité humaine et la qualité de vie sont deux aspects de la réalité quotidienne. Elles sont interdépendantes et dépendante de milieu de sécurité national, régional et global. Une haute sécurité humaine demande une bonne qualité de vie. A son tour, une bonne qualité de vie demande l’assurance de la sécurité humaine. Tout le monde cherche tant une bonne qualité de vie qu’une haute sécurité humaine.

Security, new challenges. “Need to know“ versus “Need to share“ - Victor BOBOC

The article tries to provide a short description for a new issue revealed in common use of the intelligence products in theatres or in support of some NATO missions, in which there also participate PfP countries or even the ones with which there are only bilateral agreements for accomplishing some missions. Beside the issues related to some gaps concerning the applicability of some new principles regarding the common use of intelligence in theatres, the article tries to be a short description of the situation from a doctrinal point of view and also from the perspective of the negative effects that can be induced, due to the lack of some clear statements on the subject. Also, the author tries to propose some solutions in order to pass those impediments especially by inputting some new evaluating criteria for the intelligence supporting structure belonging to the echelons dislocated in different NATO missions. The conception of common use of some sources of information is used by the author in order to stress out not only some aspects related to this process, insuffi cient adapted to the operational reality of the theatres, but also some implications related to the structures for coordinating and conducting the intelligence operations in different areas and, therefore, the implications upon military structures security.

 

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Czech defence policy and its institutional and documentary framework - Libor FRANK, PhD, Josef PROCHÁZKA, PhD

This article refl ects discussion outputs of a bilateral workshop between members of the Institute for Strategic Studies of Defence University in Brno (Czech Republic) and the Centre for Defence and Security Strategic Studies of the National Defence University “Carol I” in Bucharest (Romania), held in Bucharest on November 9, 2006. The discussed topic was focused on current defence policy defi nition of both countries and its refl ection in strategic and conceptual documents. This article aims at explaining of the documentary framework of the Czech defence and security policy as well as roles, relations, rights and obligations of the highest-level constitutional bodies in the process of creation and carrying out these policies (especially positions of the President, the Parliament, the Government and other important institutions).

The development of the security and defence policy of the Slovak Republic - Elemir NECEJ

The thinking of the Slovak elite in area of military, defence and especially security policy passed over quite development during the Slovak Republic’s existence. In the fi rst years it was a fact that the attitudes towards NATO and European Union were not clarifi ed. After 1994, foreign and accordingly security and defence policy of the Slovak Republic (SR) became more or less speculative and, consequently, Slovakia found itself out of a main stream of integration processes. Parliamentary elections in 1998 brought a change that signifi ed a consolidation of internal policy situation and changes in characters of foreign and security policy of the Slovak Republic. Pursuant to a realistic assessment of international position of the Slovak Republic an integration strategy with two main aims was formulated. The fi rst aim was to rebuild a confi dence and to strengthen the co-operation with the NATO and European Union members and the second one was to acquire a membership of both structures. The fi rst aim was achieved in 2002, when the Slovak Republic obtained an invitation to the NATO entry talks and was asked to join the European Union, the other one when the Slovak Republic joined NATO on the 29th March, 2004 and EU on the 1st May, 2004.

From the Defence Agency to the Japanese Ministry of Defence - the (re)birth of a military power - Iulian PÎRVAN

The end of the Cold War, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the persistence of the asymmetric threats, the globalization or the irresistible rise of China do not represent the only “strategically surprises” of the latest years.
After 60 years of penance and lethargy, the Japanese military giant wakes up and looks to the future with a very changed approach, despite its neighbour’s reticence. The specialists consider that the impact of such a re-orientation, along with the re-evaluation of Japan’s foreign policy and the reconsideration of the country’s international status, will be spectacular and it will change the grid of geopolitical analysis of Asia.

 

National security management through collective security - Eugen SITEANU, PhD, Marian SANDU

National security is ensured either directly, through collective security, or indirectly, through the security management. In the present paper, we explain the way in which the security management can contribute substantially to the achievement of national security through collective security.

The military security system - present and perspective - Cornel CUCU

Within the actual geopolitical context, while the war has taken new forms, the necessity of developing the Military Security System is inextricably related to the course of Romanian Army transformation and its participation to the Alliance’s international missions.

Reasons regarding the war in the Romanian and foreign political thinking - Dorel BUŞE, PhD

As the famous American military-political theorist, John Mearsheimer has said, within the international policy ’’the relations between states are relations of forces” and ’’the history of international relations is the history of the struggle for hegemony”. The realistic paradigm concerning the theory of international relations is strengthened by the genuine material given to analysis by the history of mankind. This shows war as a persistent and important constant of history. Starting from this cruel truth, all of the representative political thinkers, Romanian or foreigners, have tried to put into words a logical explanation and the prevention, when applied, of this controversial social phenomenon. In their philosophies, they described war using an extremely wide range of means, from Hegel’s “force of reason” to Nicolae Iorga’s “tragedy of life”. Concurrently with the evolution of science and the accelerated development of last hour technology, the global society, the forms of manifestation and the ways of fi ghting a war have changed and diversifi ed; yet, this continues to represent a reality of nowadays and world peace remains a significant desideratum.

Iraq - after four years of war - Constantin-Gheorghe BALABAN, PhD

Although the dictator Saddam Hussein was removed from power, the international massmedia registered (more than three years after the military intervention unleashed in Iraq) the situation has not improved yet. There were invested over 700 millions dollars and, in the fi eld, near the Iraqi capital, almost 36,000 military personnel, policemen, special troops and security agents act. Nevertheless, the security situation in Baghdad seems to be out of control. Submissively to new pressures, Iraq continues to be the scene of bloody attacks, in spite of increased security measures endorsed in the Iraqi capital. More and more people, also Iraqi military personnel and
policemen, lose their lives not only in Baghdad, but also in different cities of the country. Attacks, kidnappings and assassinations against the American army increased signifi cantly, and the interconfessional violence between the Shi’a community and the Sunni community intensified, after the bombing (on 22nd February) of a Shi’a mausoleum in Famarra. It has been said that, after Saddam Hussein’s execution, Iraq is already on the brink of civil war. In fact, Iraq was already affected by the civil war, on the background of inter-religious violence scale in this country2, the nuances are different. Despite the fact that part of media adopted the “civil war” syntagm regarding Iraq, the White House doesn’t allow it. Moreover, the American President sent – from Riga – where he participated
to the NATO Summit, on November 28-29, 2006 – the message that he will not withdraw the troops from Iraq till he obtains the victory.

Asymmetric shadows and umbrellas - Gheorghe VĂDUVA, PhD

In a circumstance where, among others, the asymmetrical warfare was also discussed, somebody had a very sharp intervention: “What asymmetrical war? What’s this? How many types of war will you fi nd in our world? Which is the meaning of asymmetrical?” Of course, nowadays, everything can be denied or affi rmed. But this kind of question that, in fact, denies the asymmetrical war suggesting that it can’t be anything else but a violent armed confrontation which embodies a political decision, can’t get an equal trenchant answer as they are, firstly, because, in a way or another, almost all the world’s wars were asymmetrical or had profound asymmetrical stages. From ancient times, the asymmetry has been searched or even cultivated. The entire work “Art of War” of Sun Tzi, as well as “Arthashastra” of the Indian Kautylia, is nothing more than a coherent and convincing system to apply a principles’ philosophy or, more exactly, the asymmetry’s realities in the confrontations between the entities. These works, available and applicable even today, develop an intelligent and complex way to think and do war, to pull out the maximum advantages after it, with lesser damages and lower costs, to use war as an instrument and not as a goal and the latter as a goal in itself. There is very advantageous to fi nd the suitable method to convince the enemy to leave without fi ght, to accept the done fact, to be put on the situation not to react or, more, to be convinced that war (even the defensive one) would be an error and that the crises could have other ways to solve them despite the opening of some hostilities with huge human lives and values wastages and except that, it will enter the collective memory as a fact necessary to be revenged in the future.

 

 

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