Digital Commons Network^™

The Shaping Of Threat Through Narration, Carl Ciovacco

Journal of Strategic Security

Threat is a problematic term since it is both objective and subjective in nature. It is in one sense objective, especially in a national security perspective of capability to inflict harm, but it is also highly subjective in how it is discussed and perceived. More often than not, the very interpretation of the threat, influenced by threat narratives, dictates the reality of the threat. Through the iterative process of narration and the inherent subjectivity that narration introduces, a threat perception generally evolves in a direction away from objectivity. The nature of threat narration is based on a two-part process of …

Temperature Rising: Iran’S Revolutionary Guards And Wars In The Middle East. By Nader Uskowi. Lanham, Md; Rowman & Littlefield, 2019., Mark Roberts

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Cyberwar And Revolution: Digital Subterfuge In Global Capitalism. By Nick Dyer-Witheford And Svitlana Matviyenko. Minneapolis, Mn: University Of Minnesota Press, 2019., Mark Peters Ii

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

The Illogical Logic Of American Entanglement In The Middle East, Ryan Burke, Jahara Matisek

Journal of Strategic Security

The logic of the American approach to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Syria – both in policy and practice – bears striking resemblance to the U.S. approach to Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite policies of restraint, it has proven difficult to stop the inertia of war, be it against Communism or terrorism. As this inertia grows, so too does illogical entanglement. Such deepening involvement, whether in Vietnam or the Global War on Terror, often results in combat forces undertaking nation- and state-building missions that they are not designed for, yet have been doing for almost two …

Getting Deterrence Right: The Case For Stratified Deterrence, Brent J. Talbot

Journal of Strategic Security

The potential for hostilities in the 21^st Century is not likely to be deterred by a Cold War deterrence strategy. And while nuclear deterrence remains important, regional powers armed with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and accompanying long-range delivery capabilities are a rising concern. New technological breakthroughs in the space, cyber, and unforeseen realms could also provide asymmetric means of undermining deterrence. Moreover, the effort to achieve strategic stability in this day and age has become increasingly complicated in light of the changing relationship among the great powers. Today’s world has become one of “security trilemmas.” Actions one state …

Blockchain Empowers Social Resistance And Terrorism Through Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, Armin Krishnan

Journal of Strategic Security

The invention of the Internet has changed the way social resistance, revolutionary movements and terror groups are organized with new features such as loose network organization, netwars, social media campaigns, and lone wolf attacks. This article argues that blockchain technology will lead to more far-reaching changes in the organization of resistance to authority. Blockchain is a distributed ledger that records transactions using a consensus protocol, and when it meets objective conditions, it also enables smart contracts that execute transactions. Blockchain technology is not only a system for transferring value, but also it is a trustless system in which strangers can …

The Cia War In Kurdistan: The Untold Story Of The Northern Front In The Iraq War. By Sam Faddis. Havertown, Pa: Casemate Publishers, 2020., Mark J. Roberts

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Climate Change And Global Security, Nathan Jones, John P. Sullivan

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Climate Change And Hybrid Warfare Strategies, Chad M. Briggs

Journal of Strategic Security

Concepts of hybrid warfare and climate security are contested on their own, and are rarely considered as connected in planning for future security risks. Yet climate change presents new hazards for national security, and opportunities for those looking to foment instability and uncertainty in traditional institutions. This article examines the connections between climate change risks and hybrid war strategies, and focuses on concepts of resilience targeting, information warfare, and geoengineering, illustrating that ‘full spectrum’ analyses of security are necessary in developing future security strategies.

Climate Change, Environmental Terrorism, Eco-Terrorism And Emerging Threats, Paola Andrea Spadaro

Journal of Strategic Security

The footprint of human advancement has accelerated a climate variability with no precedents, further driving devastating natural and social events. The decrease in basic resources like water, has already been identified as a driver of violent conflicts, which have given way to the strengthening of terrorist organizations that used the environment as a tool of coercion. The damage caused to the earth’s ecosystem has additionally raised a wave of defensive activism that was initially considered as eco-terrorism. While the original eco-movements had not induced fatalities, recent extremist organizations are showing a more violent anti-progress and pro-environment agenda. Added to these, …

Between Five Eyes: 50 Years Of Intelligence Sharing By Anthony R. Wells. Havertown, Pa: Casemate Publishers. 2020., Mark T. Peters Ii

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Two Armies: Balancing America’S Landpower For Competition And National Security, Mike Anderson

Journal of Strategic Security

Abstract:

The United States ground forces face divergent array of threats from a return of great power competitors and from a continuance of irregular non-state opponents and stability operations, leading the Army and Marine Corps to struggle with capability focuses. American ground forces historically swing from preparing their forces for one spectrum of conflict to the other based on immediate and perceived threats. The pendulum swing creates uncertainty and capability gaps, requiring sharp shifts when unanticipated, immediate threat emerge. A hybrid force model creates two distinct army groups within the larger Army force – allowing one to focus on conventional …

Understanding Cyber Warfare: Politics, Policy And Strategy By Christopher Whyte And Brian Mazanec. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017., Mark T. Peters Ii

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Russian Influence In Latin America: A Response To Nato, Mason Shuya

Journal of Strategic Security

Since facing international backlash from the West over the situation in Ukraine, Russia has had to focus on new international agreements. In retaliation for NATO expansion towards the east, Russia has sought to create these agreements in Latin America. Russia has specifically sought greater ties with Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brazil, and Mexico. Currently, these countries maintain close economic ties with the United States. However, new military agreements are giving Russia greater military access to the region and access to locations that would facilitate greater ease in conducting military and espionage operations against the United States.

India’S Maritime Diplomacy In South West Indian Ocean: Evaluating Strategic Partnerships, Chinmoyee Das

Journal of Strategic Security

Being a maritime nation with considerable economic and military power, India has shown keen interest in demonstrating its role as a major security provider in the IOR. In the Southwest Indian Ocean too, India has sought to develop a security presence and strengthen its position by capitalising on its historic ties with the littoral nations of the region through provision of military training, defence equipment and security advisors. India’s efforts are mostly directed at making the Indian influence more visible in the strategic affairs of the region that seem to be clouded by the increasing Chinese forays into the region. …

Behind The Scenes Of Al-Qa`Ida’S Media Strategy, Agnes Hankiss Dr

Journal of Strategic Security

Jihadi terrorist organizations view their media opportunities as weapons in their war against the West. While there is a considerable body of work discussing the content and form of Al-Qa'ida's media, including both their written press and video products, we have significantly less information on what goes on behind the scenes: how the tactical elements and strategic goals are designed and implemented to generate these products. The paper asserts that while we still have insufficient information on the media strategies of the Islamic State, due to the ideological, operational and network-to-network continuity between the two organizations, the documents shedding a …

The Global Positioning System And Military Jamming: The Geographies Of Electronic Warfare, Tegg Westbrook

Journal of Strategic Security

GPS supports infrastructure assets that are essential to the functioning of national and international banking operations, power grid, transportation, and communication systems, therefore its reliability and accuracy is critical. GPS boosts productivity around the world and has radically changed military operations. Despite the importance of GPS, the relative weakness of GPS signals are vulnerable to interference. This weakness provides a range of opportunities for criminals, terrorists and state actors using GPS jamming devices. Different types of jammers can cause varying degrees of interference, but the use of powerful military jammers are becoming more prevalent. This article provides an overview of …

Nato Under Pressure, Lyubomir Monov

Journal of Strategic Security

This article examines some of the formidable challenges and concerns of North Atlantic Treaty Organization that could influence its unity and integrity. A combination of issues that encompass military problems, internal political glitches and critical rhetoric from the President of the United States may undermine NATO’ s capacity to act in the best interest of its members. Now even more than ever before, this causes uncertainty about the future of the Alliance. Therefore, this paper opens a discussion about possible scenarios for NATO’s disintegration and how this might affect some of the smallest member states, namely, Bulgaria. Admittedly, the security …

The Changing Dynamics Of Twenty-First-Century Space Power, James Clay Moltz

Journal of Strategic Security

Many recent assessments of space power have posited a US decline and predicted a gloomy future in comparison to China and Russia. However, such analyses—based almost exclusively on state-run activities—present only part of the picture. In the twenty-first century, a new form of bottom-up, net-centric, commercially led space innovation is emerging that promises cheaper and more timely technological developments to those nations that can effectively tap into them, thus reshaping traditional definitions of space power. This study first sets a baseline by focusing on Cold War space power determinants, next analyzes recent changes among the three leading spacefaring nations, and …

Conflict And The Need For A Theory Of Proxy Warfare, Amos C. Fox

Journal of Strategic Security

Modern conflict is dominated by proxy wars but the United States military fails to account for this type of environment. Instead, it speaks euphemistically by using phrases like, By, With, and Through to articulate the complexities of proxy environments. In doing so, it falls short in understanding the dynamics at work between actors in a proxy relationship, which has resulted in it doing poorly in modern proxy wars. Therefore, the United States military should embrace proxy warfare from a theoretical standpoint and develop a resultant proxy warfare doctrine. Proxy environments - dominated by principal-agent problems, the oppression of time, and …

Halting Boko Haram / Islamic State's West Africa Province Propaganda In Cyberspace With Cybersecurity Technologies, Sunday O. Ogunlana

Journal of Strategic Security

Terrorists use cyberspace and social media technology to create fear and spread violent ideologies, which pose a significant threat to public security. Researchers have documented the importance of the application of law and regulation in dealing with the criminal activities in cyberspace. Using routine activity theory, this article assessed the effectiveness of technological approaches to mitigating the expansion and organization of terrorism in cyberspace. Data collection included open-source documents, government threat assessments, legislation, policy papers, and peer-reviewed academic literature and semistructured interviews with fifteen security experts in Nigeria. The key findings were that the new generation of terrorists who are …

Secret Operations Of World War Ii. By Alexander Stillwell. London, United Kingdom: Amber Books Ltd, 2018., Millard E. Moon

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Delegated Interstate War: Introducing An Addition To Armed Conflict Typologies, Jakob Hauter

Journal of Strategic Security

Drawing the dividing line between civil and interstate war can be a difficult task. This task is made even more difficult by a gap in the current typology of armed conflict. The conflict studies literature in general and the coding rules of the Uppsala Conflict Data Program in particular acknowledge that internal conflict can involve external actors but ignore that interstate conflict can be disguised as internal rebellion. This creates an unnecessary risk of categorization errors and a risk of neglecting the potential complexity of interstate conflict in the modern world. This article uses Idean Salehyan's distinction between intervention and …

Can Volunteer Forces Deter Great Power War? Evidence From The Baltics, Lionel Beehner, Liam Collins

Journal of Strategic Security

Deterrence theory typically focuses on states’ armed forces and other tools of coercion. However, what about the resolve, resilience, and willingness of ordinary civilians who voluntarily organize and arm themselves as reservist militias to defend their homeland? Can well-armed volunteers in smaller states deter larger powers? We examine the case of the Baltic States and Russia, one of the central fault lines of global politics. Questioning the commitment of NATO to their collective security, the governments of the Baltic States have begun to actively arm, organize, recruit, and train thousands of volunteer reservists to defend their homelands from an asymmetric …

The Future Of Strategic Information And Cyber-Enabled Information Operations, Ben Hatch

Journal of Strategic Security

To prepare for future challenges across the continuum of conflict, the United States (US) must optimize how it manages, counters, defends, and exploits the effects of information by organizing for strategic information and cyber-enabled information operations across and through multiple domains. Currently, information related capabilities are fielded across the United States Government (USG) among multiple organizations and agencies, and therefore lack efficiencies normally gained through combined action, unity of command, and unity of effort. In considering a solution to these challenges, this study examines historic and current examples of successful information operations to show organization matters, and reviews options to …

Cyberwar And Revolution: Digital Subterfuge In Global Capitalism. By Nick Dyer-Witheford And Svitlana Matviyenko. Minneapolis, Mn: University Of Minnesota Press, 2019., Dr. Mark T. Peters Ii

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Front Matter/Table Of Contents

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Threats To Homeland Security: Reassessing The All-Hazards Perspective, 2nd Edition. Ed. By Richard J Kilroy. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2018., Mark T. Peters

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

Engaging English Speaking Facebook Users In An Anti-Isis Awareness Campaign, Dr. Anne Speckhard, Ardian Shajkovci, Claire Wooster, Neima Izadi

Journal of Strategic Security

This article reports on The International Center for Study of Violent Extremism (ICSVE’s) small-scale Facebook ad awareness campaigns ran between December 7, 2017 and December 31, 2017 in the United States, UK, Canada, and Australia. Two ICSVE-produced videos were used, namely The Promises of ad-Dawlah to Women, featuring the testimony of a Belgian female ISIS defector, and Today is the Female Slave Market in ad-Dawlah, featuring a Syrian male ISIS defector who witnessed the sexual enslavement of women by ISIS. The purpose of the campaign was to reach as many English-speaking individuals in U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia to drive …

India-Myanmar Relations And The Management Of Transnational Militant Threats, Saira H. Basit

Journal of Strategic Security

Militant groups hiding in Myanmar launch cross-border attacks into India, killing soldiers and civilians. The Indian Army has responded by launching cross-border military incursions into Burmese territory. After decades of trial and failure to curb the militants, a reciprocated spirit of cooperation for the first time seems to characterize India and Myanmar’s joint efforts in fighting them. This article analyses the evolution of these efforts and argues that a sum of dovetailing drivers have created space for enhancing countermilitancy cooperation in an ambivalent and distrustful relationship. Central elements are an overall improvement in bilateral relations, India’s need to counter China’s …