From the Outside
UK Foreign Secretary about the role of secret intelligence in foreign policy
25. 11. 2011 | British Foreign & Commonwealth OfficeWhat role does British intelligence play in foreign policy? Foreign Secretary William Hague answers this question during his speech at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London. According to him, intelligence agencies have a fundamental and indispensable role to play in keeping Britain safe and helping Government to understand other countries. Furthermore, intelligence they provide is used within the Government to inform decisions and to help implement it, alongside the work of British diplomats, Armed Forces and other governmental agencies.
Study: Parliamentary Oversight of Intelligence Agencies in EU Countries
26. 10. 2011 | European ParliamentWhat measures can be taken to effectively strengthen the oversight, carried out by the European Parliament (EP), over agencies such as Europol, Eurojust, Frontex and, to a lesser extent, Sitcen? EP looks for inspiration in EU member countries and publishes the results of its search in a study entitled “Parliamentary Oversight of Intelligence Agencies in EU countries”.
U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism
09. 09. 2011 | CRS10 years have passed since the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Centre in New York and the headquarters of US Department of Defence, the Pentagon. On this occasion, numerous studies analysing the contemporary state of counterterrorism efforts have appeared. The report entitled „U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism“ is one of them. It focuses on analysis of the cooperation between the European Union and the United States in the field of counterterrorism.
Report of French TRACFIN
30. 08. 2011 | TRACFINTracfin is a unit of French Ministry for Economy, Finance and Industry and the Ministry for the Budget, Public Accounts, the Civil Service and State Reform with a state-wide reach. Since its foundation in 1990 its aim is to fight against illegal financial operations, money laundering and terrorism financing. Annual report 2010 brings an interesting overview of the Tracfin´s activities.
On Cyber Peace
19. 08. 2011 | Atlantic CouncilCyberspace is an area where it is difficult to ensure security. Despite some effort to agree on common rules, there will always be subjects that will not respect the agreements. Therefore, it is in the interest of every nation to work on its own offensive and defensive cyber policy. The best prevention of a cyber conflict is a thorough threats analysis, new technologies research and also an active approach to risk reduction. In the study entitled „On Cyber Peace“, Les Bloom and John Savage define steps that need to be taken in order to ensure the cyber security.
A Euro-Atlantic Security Community for the 21st Century
01. 08. 2011 | Carnegie EndowmentThere is no doubt that there exists a strong interconnection among the states of North America, Europe and Eurasia based on shared values and often similar interests. The countries of this region manifest their mutual interest in the field of security, for example. In this context, one often speaks about so called Euro-Atlantic security community. What is a Euro-Atlantic security community? How do the countries cooperate? How efficient is this cooperation and what is its future? These are the questions Matthew Rojansky attempts to answer in his article entitled „A Euro-Atlantic Security Community for the 21st Century“.
EU and European Neighbourhood Policy
17. 06. 2011 | EUISSThe events in North Africa have shifted the focus of the EU’s attention to its Southern neighbours, however, the project for the Eastern Partnership is not being forgotten either. It will most likely attract renewed attention under the Polish EU Council presidency during the second half of the year. Therefore, the year 2011 seems to be an important point in shaping the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). In their work entitled " The ENP Strategic Review: The EU and its Neighbourhood at a Crossroads ," Sabine Fischer and Erwan Lannon focus on the ENP assessment and on the need of a clear strategic vision that could become a guideline for a more comprehensive EU policy, both in relations with EU´s partner countries and with other external actors.
EU Terrorism Report
10. 06. 2011 | EuropolNearly ten years after the attacks of 11 September 2001, terrorism continues to pose a current threat to the European union. The fight against terrorism, therefore, remains one of the top priorities for the EU. In 2010 249 terrorist attacks took place in nine Member States and compared to the previous years´ numbers an increasing number of individuals were arrested in connection with terrorism. The causes can be found, i.a., in developments affecting the political stability of neighbouring or farther regions – e.g., developments in North Africa, Northern Caucasus or some conflict zones. The economic recession that has led to political and social tensions also contributed to the existence of terrorism and extremism. The situation is reported by the Annual report of the European Police Office Europol titled „EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report“.
Martin Petersen on Intelligence Analysis
11. 05. 2011 | CIAMartin Petersen is a retired senior CIA Directorate of Intelligence (DI) officer and the author of a number of articles on intelligence and intelligence analysis. In the article entitled „What I Learned in 40 Years of Doing Intelligence Analysis for US Foreign Policy Makers“, he shares some of his experience obtained while working in the CIA. In the text, he focuses on the relationship between an intelligence analyst (an intelligence product provider) and a decision maker (an intelligence product consumer). What makes a good analysis? What does a decision maker expect from an intelligence analyst? These are the questions Martin Petersen gives answers to.
The Arab Democratic Wave and the EU
27. 04. 2011 | EUISSThe recent regime changes in Tunisia and Egypt inspired a group of authors to write a report entitled The Arab democratic wave: How the EU can seize the moment edited by Álvaro de Vasconcelos. The report examines the significance of these events and simultanously it calls for a radical shift in the way in which Euro-Mediterranean relations are formulated and conducted. The first part of the report focuses on individual countries in the region (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria), meanwhile, the second part of the report addresses the question of human rights, the rule of law in the region, the social and economic aspects of the democratic transition process, and the European Neighbourhood Policy.
Energy Security and NATO
25. 02. 2011 | WSNDue to Europe’s growing dependency on oil and gas, the growing energy needs of rising powers such as China and India, the depletion of fossil fuels expected to set in after the middle of this century, an intensifying debate on climate chase, and a renewed interest of many nations in civilian nuclear energy, energy security has become one of the most important topics in debate over international security. What role should NATO play in ensuring energy security of its members? That is the question Michael Ruehle attempts to answer in his article entitled NATO’s new Strategic Concept on Energy.
Cyber Security
04. 02. 2011 | DCAFThe Internet has been a boon for humanity. It has fundamentally sped up the transmission of information and enabled interconnection among organisations, individuals, and nations. Since most of national infrastructures as well as intelligence, communication, and commercial services depend on IT systems, their ubiquitous connectivity also puts them at risk. An adversary need only attack the weakest link of a network and the following disruptions – seemingly localized – can quickly spread across the entire system. In their work entitled Cyber security: The road ahead Fred Schreier, Barbara Weeks a Theodor H. Winkler draw attention to possible threats resulting from connectivity of information networks. They also propose some measures the key actors should take to ensure the cyber security.
GCHQ Chief about Cyber Security
11. 01. 2011 | GCHQGCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) is a British inteligence agency whose primary mission is Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Information Assurance (IA). In October 2010, the GCHQ’s director Ian Lobban spoke to the International Institute for Strategic Studies about cyber security. In his speech he outlined how cyber is not just a national security or defence issue but is something which goes to the heart of our economic well-being and national interest.
The Implementation of the New NATO Strategic Concept
04. 01. 2011 | ISNMeeting in Lisbon , the leaders of NATO member countries adopted a new Strategic Concept . It is the third strategic concept that had been adopted since the end of the Cold War. Over the past 20 years no NATO summit demonstrated a comparable degree of internal unity, outward determination and ambitions. In his work entitled “NATO summit: Forward-looking decisions, difficult implementation” Victor Mauer focuses on great moments in history of the Alliance since the end of the East-West conflict. Mauer thinks that the new NATO programme is an exceptionally ambitious one and its viability will soon be tested in several areas such as the NATO missile defence, the relation with Russia, and the future of the engagement in Afghanistan.
EEAS: Towards a Common Diplomacy?
26. 11. 2010 | Fondation Robert SchumanCreated by the Lisbon Treaty, the European External Action Service (EEAS) should bring together, within an autonomous diplomatic institution, the services of the Commission and the Council responsible for external affairs. From an administrative point of view this means the creation of the post of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and formation of the common diplomacy. Will the creation of the EEAS lead to a common European diplomacy with greater coordination with national diplomacies? Will the new Service be able to assert itself in the areas where it is not qualified by the Lisbon Treaty? These are the questions Christophe Hillion and Maxime Lefebvre would like to answer in their work entitled „EEAS: Towards a common diplomacy?“