Former Jewish guerrilla-turned-Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, reputedly remarked that the ‘darkest place is directly under the light.’ While the context of his observation was rooted in conducting a terrorist war of attrition against British mandate forces, the logic can be superimposed onto nearly any situation involving the game of political hide and seek.
By Mitchell A. BelferThe EU faces a gap between its security ambitions and its military capabilities. It is often argued that the regulated use of Private Military Companies and Private Security Companies (PMSCs) would prove beneficial for cost saving and for the removal of an organisation’s dependence on voluntary and poorly equipped contributions from member states. This work provides policy recommendations on the [...]
By Marco MarilliThis article explores the EU’s history of practicing political conditionality prior to its adoption as a “mechanism” and formalised as “policy.” The EU succeeded in making political conditionality a cornerstone of foreign affairs by offering the model of the European Community (EC) and by practicing the same policy regardless of the interests at stake. In doing so, the EU delegitimised [...]
By Dan LazeaOver time, the distinction between war and peace evolved into a legal paradigm recognising a just war theory which contains jus ad bellum focusing on the justness and sincere intentions of the war, and jus in bello which deals with the legitimacy of actions undertaken during hostilities. The basic rule was that the end of war meant peace. However, in the post-World War II era, the framework of [...]
By Ivar ScheersThis work demonstrates that, to some extent, the EU is responsible for the enduring status quo in BiH since it the international actor most BiH citizens attach a recognisable set of expectations. This exposes a serious credibility gap for the EU since it is increasingly paralysed and unable to assert itself as an actor capable of resolving the cumbersome BiH enigma.
By Bedrudin BrljavacThis article contrasts realism and constructivism as they relate to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The spread of nuclear weapons to Iran, and to the Middle East more generally, represents a unique international security dynamic that has not otherwise existed in the brief history of proliferation. Stratification of political, economic and cultural power at the regional and national levels alters the [...]
By Christopher WhyteDemocracy and the promotion of human rights have always been one of the main components of US foreign policy. This article delves into the question of why the US promotes democracy and human rights and seeks to provide a solid depiction of the US’s ideological attachment to international democratisation.
By Arif MammadovObama deployed linguistic constructs related to “change” and a “new beginning” with the Muslim and Arab worlds. These are embedded in a new type of political language calling for a constructive dialogue with “partners” in an attempt to dust off the stains which the eight-year Bush Administration brought to US foreign policy. This article examines the transformative language of [...]
By Ibrahim A. El-HussariThe unfolding crises in the Middle East and North Africa encouraged new debates over the relationship between social capital and civil society. This article centres on three themes: the existing stock of social capital and the mechanisms of contemporary civic activities in establishing stable democracies across MENA; how civic movements can contribute to the current deficit of social capital; and [...]
By Akbar Valadbigi & Shahab GhobadiRecent legislative elections have stirred Russian civil society to actively protest the Kremlin. Russian decision-makers cannot ignore the increased tremors and will have to adjust their policies to better reflect socio-political expectations and Russia will either experience a hardening that will...
Iran’s December (2011) naval exercises and brash rhetoric (Admiral Habibollah Sayyari’s remarked that closing the Strait of Hormuz ‘will be easier than drinking a glass of water’) in response to new sanctions against Iran’s hydrocarbon exports, has brought policy-makers clamouring around ‘crisis...
Contributing to OpenSource information related to Central European security, CEJISS is proud to announce two quarterly newspapers; in Czech and Russian, as a renewed drive to provide reliable analysis of the events which shape our common present. ...
