Suchergebnisse

The author's starting assumption is that the state monopoly of force is being deconstructed through the fragmentation of security interests, the privatization of public security, & the executive deficits of the state monopoly of force. It is shown that the privatization of public security is an extremely subtle phenomenon with a huge scope. Namely, the economization of habitats resulting from globalization leads to the mushrooming of private security services. The first consequence of this is the fragmentation of the social sphere & the creation of privately organized protective zones; the second is the partnership of private & polity interests. The author consequently concludes that the state cannot any longer guarantee internal security. The segregationist culture contributes to the diminishing of the state monopoly of force. This is especially noticeable in the Third World countries where force is often not controlled by the state but by various communitarian or commercial organizations. The supranational integrational processes have a similar effect. The author concludes that at work here is the expansion of the security partnerships with which the state surrounds itself; this strikes a rather postmodern note: the system of a once all-powerful Leviathan today is just a notch removed from its natural state. 20 References. Adapted from the source document.

In today's world, marked by an increasing interdependence, national security is becoming a component of international security, which is not a mere sum of individual national securities, but a permanent international framework of universally acceptable values. Inter-ethnic relations today are central for a state's security, as well as for international order. There is the question of whether the international system must guarantee individual & collective security of ethnic groups/minorities, regardless of the state they live in. Today, human & minority rights have become an important institutionalized international factor of security & stability & a concern of the entire international community, despite the fact that many states still claim that minority policy is their internal problem into which international community has no right to interfere. The affirmation of the rationalist approach to contemporary security implies that the responsibility for guaranteeing security lies not only on individual states & unions but also on the international system as a whole. 8 References. Adapted from the source document.

The Republic of Slovenia, having obtained independence & sovereignty in the June-July war of 1991, launched an intensive build-up of its system of national security. As guidelines, it used the experiences of other states, its own historical experience, & the attitudes of the public & political parties. The analysis of Slovenian national security shows that the threats to it come in the forms of military threats, internal threats, & the threat to the living space. This was the reason that the system of national security was outlined as including the defense system, the security system, & the system of protection & preservation. Though encountering momentous problems in the build-up of the system of national security (particularly its military aspect), Slovenia made major shifts to embrace NATO standards. However, its efforts were not enough, & Slovenia was not among the countries admitted to this organization in the first wave -- Poland, the Czech Republic, & Hungary. 5 Tables, 1 Diagram, 33 References. Adapted from the source document.

The author explores the operational capability of the European defense policy in the last 3 years. From the creation & adoption of the European Security Strategy, the European Union has made several specific steps in the development of the European Security & Defence Policy. Despite the disagreements with the United States about Iraq & the internal divisions in the "New & Old Europe" EU has shown the ability to set new military & civilian goals, make a small, but effective battle group concept for crisis management & conflict prevention as well as the European Defense Agency. The author also describes the main operations & missions of EU in the world, ranging from the Balkans & Africa to the Middle East & Eastern Asia. Finally, the paper analyses the Constitution for Europe & the articles concerning ESDP. References. Adapted from the source document.

Wars & suffering in the 20th century, mostly the consequences of ethnic & religious antagonisms, have been typical for Europe's Southeast. That is why the ethnic aspects of security are central to an understanding of the totality of this region's security, particularly in the 21st century. The security of southeastern Europe can be analyzed using realistic, idealistic, & neo-realistic approaches to contemporary security as its starting point. The security of this region is affected by the internal circumstances of the region's states, particularly their economic situations & interethnic relations. Similarly, significant influence is exerted by the relations among the various states & nations, as well as by the ethnic-based conflicts that result from these relations. This part of Europe is likely to remain a volatile region, fraught with economic difficulties & crises, nationalisms, & xenophobia. In such circumstances, with the open sores of simmering ethnic feuds & the specter of various nationalisms, is it realistic to expect the rational politics needed to lead the countries of southeastern Europe toward a united Europe? The answer to this question is sought not only by this region's states but also by the leading European states & the US. 18 References. Adapted from the source document.

In his examination of the basic coordinates of Croatian foreign policy, the author points to the need for good neighborly relations -- through the mechanism of the Conference on Security & Cooperation in Europe -- with the countries that were, until recently, parts of the former Yugoslavia as well as with those that became independent long ago. He stresses the need to develop relationships with the great powers, especially with the US, & to develop bilateral relationships with nonaligned countries. One of the aims is to develop good relations with Europe through economic & political links as well as cooperation in matters concerning security. The subregional frameworks of international cooperation in which Croatia participates appear to be insufficient for solving political & security questions. Special consideration ought to be devoted to NATO as a mechanism that could protect the security of Croatia. As a new state, Croatia must demonstrate that, in both its internal development & its international activities, it is ready to fulfill the obligations imposed by its membership in the UN. Adapted from the source document.

The dissolution of the great Soviet empire & the demise of the socialist system in the Soviet Union & Eastern Europe has undoubtedly been one of the most significant political developments at the turn of the 20th century. Whether this was brought about by international factors or by the internal cave-in of the system has been the subject of numerous & extensive analyses. It is obvious that the geostrategic shifts & the completely altered position of the new state (the Russian Federation) have made it necessary to look into the political aspects of the problem. That Russia is not faced with an imminent threat from abroad is certainly an extraordinary change, unprecedented in the long Russian history. This particularly applies to the western Russian borders, which used to be almost continually threatened. Political relations that have been developing between Russia & the West, despite all the obstacles, have been improving, & both sides demonstrate a willingness to continue with this trend. Adapted from the source document.

Since WWII, there have been opposing views of the role & the importance of the state in international affairs. Some think that the importance of the state is slowly decreasing, since the increasing interdependence of the world has an enormous influence on both the internal & foreign policies of a state. On the other hand, some point out that the state has not lost any of its importance; on the contrary, this importance will only be enhanced since the world community has not yet come up with a model to replace sovereign state entities. States generate the structure that has a significant influence on individual & group security. This particularly applies to the post-Cold-War period, since the problems & threats of the present-day world -- economic collapse, political oppression, poverty, ethnic conflicts, uncontrolled population boom, nature degradation, terrorism, crime, & disease -- directly affect many other elements of security. It is these problems that turn our attention to the state as the most important institution of the contemporary world, since it still has at its disposal the resources for reducing or eliminating these threats. Adapted from the source document.

Xenophon founds his plan of economic renewal & development of Athens on the recognition of basic interests of the three principal classes of Athenian population, namely citizens, strangers & slaves. The predominant position of the citizens' class could be upheld only by representation of citizens in the state & by state monopoly with regard to enterprising strangers. In order to give a boost to internal & external trade & fiscal transactions, strangers also had to be guaranteed safety. Thus Xenophon advances an improvement of the strangers' status, the enactment of special protection of their rights (board for the protection of strangers), & the awarding of special commendations to prominent strangers. Faced with the problem of the citizens' impoverishment, Xenophon suggests the introduction of tax & the establishment of a special financial fund, which would provide for daily sustenance wages. He also suggests the expansion of the fund into a state-governed joint stock company, which would collect free assets, invest in various forms of capital objects, & the state would lease them to domestic & foreign entrepreneurs & wealthy people. Furthermore, Xenophon proposes that the "capital fund" be used for financing construction of houses & hotels, port- & other facilities for merchants & visitors, building of state-owned merchant ships for rent to private shipowners, & the purchase of slaves, which would also be rented to private entrepreneurs. Special attention is dedicated to the possibilities of improving & expanding the silver-mines in Laurion, which could ensure great income to the state. According to Xenophon, a prerequisite for the realization of his plan is preservation of peace, for in peacetime large resources can be saved which would otherwise be swallowed by war, risks are reduced, & trust increased. In this way Athens would contribute to the preservation of peace in Greece & enhance its own security. He particularly insists on a close connection between economic development & peace preservation, which is the true foundation of a state's power. Adapted from the source document.

Kant's concept of "perpetual peace" is the cornerstone of the rational human right that, in the form of international law, bears upon all states. However, the prerequisite for enduring international legal security & peace is that the internal affairs of states are based on constitutional & republican principles. Although Kant is clearly aware of the antinomies & paradoxes of a world league of states, he nevertheless postulates the ideal of a world league of republican states, since it corresponds to the general striving of nature & moral consciousness; such a league would guarantee a relatively peaceful coexistence among the states, based on international legal precepts. Hegel has often (& wrongfully) been accused of being an apologist of war; in fact, he only realized (having in mind the realities of sovereign national states) the inevitability of multilateral conflicts -- including military ones. His disproval of Kant's ideal of a league of states is based on his disbelief in the feasibility of supranational law, which should be superior to the absolute sovereignty of the state & keep an eye on & contain its partial interests. Adapted from the source document.

Xenophon was the first Greek philosopher to clearly separate the economic phenomenon from morality, law & politics, defining it from the standpoint of efficiency, deprivation & welfare. These traits of Xenophon's approach are particularly pronounced in Ways & Means. In this essay he presents an integral discussion of possibilities to increase income of the state of Athens, focusing only on issues pertaining to the boosting of economic activity as source of the state's income & the source of its security. Thus it is rather a development study, a strategy of economic growth, an evaluation of economic power & of ways of increasing it, and, to the extent of our knowledge, it is the first such treatise in history. Although its intent is to provide practical instruction on development policy, it is not conceived as a set of suggestions regarding actual steps to be taken, but as an integrated plan of development, the consistency of which is ensured by theoretical understanding of economic processes & by sober insight into the entire internal structure & external relations of a particular state (Athens) with its surroundings. The predominant evaluation criterion is economic efficiency & citizens' welfare, ie., the narrower economic criterion, by which a state's development policy is to be judged. Adapted from the source document.

In its 45 years of existence, NATO has evolved dramatically. This has occurred due to the changes happening within the alliance itself (increased number of member countries, changes within the countries, & in the relations among them) & to the influence of outside factors ensuing from the developments in international relations in general & within the adversarial bloc in particular. The cessation of the Cold War & the disintegration of the Warsaw Pact in the early 1990s confronted NATO with new challenges, particularly in relation to the countries of Eastern & Southeastern Europe & Russia. The fact that the document "Partnership for Peace" was adopted at the start of 1994 (representing a platform for the relations with the countries of "new democracy") & that it was signed by 26 countries meant the overall acceptance of the conceptual document of European security on the threshold of the 21st century. This document provides democratic countries outside NATO with the possibility of cooperating with its political & military bodies & paves the way for their full membership. If regular criteria were applied, Croatia & Bosnia & Herzegovina could count on joining "Partnership for Peace" only after they have resolved internal conflicts & frictions with their neighbors by political means. Nevertheless, depending on further developments in the region, it is possible that Croatia might jump the queue & be accepted in "Partnership for Peace" before its turn. 2 Tables, 32 References. Adapted from the source document.