Author: Pauli Järvenpää
Last week the Finnish Parliament debated the 2012 Defence White Book. It was to be a formal, well-choreographed discussion, with the Kokoomus-led six-party majority government already firmly lined up behind the text. But then something happened: a question was raised as to whether or not Finland could still be called a militarily non-aligned country.
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Author: Erik Männik
The conflict in Mali veers towards a protracted counterinsurgency campaign. Lacking the skills necessary to contribute, Chadian troops are about to leave the conflict zone. France intends to keep 1,000 troops there for offensive operations against insurgents. They will operate side by side with the UN troops. The UN Security Council has authorised the deployment of 11,200 military and 1,440 police personnel to Mali. The UN forces will start their deployment on July 1st and their tasks will include the stabilisation of the country and the training of Malian troops. They will work side by side with the EU training mission in Mali.
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Author: Martin Hurt
According to one definition, defacement is a type of vandalism that involves damaging the appearance or surface of something. The object of damage may be architecture, books, paintings, sculpture or other forms of art. It may also be a nation.
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Author: Anna Bulakh (ICDS research assistant)
Sequels of outstanding movies inevitably tend to pale in comparison to the originals. Yet with the “never-ending story” of the Ukraine-Russia gas disputes, however, the plot gets more captivating by the year. On April 4, Coal and Energy Minister of Ukraine Eduard Stavytskyi brought the audience into familiar territory, responding to a Russian promise that there would be no discounts by declaring that Ukraine would simply stop buying gas from its neighbor altogether Stavytskyi affirmed that Ukraine stops completely buying Russian gas:
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Authors: Emmet Tuohy and Anna Bulakh
The effects of the recent revolution in North American shale gas are now being felt in Europe, as both states and energy companies rush to be the first to reap the promised benefits of the region’s reserves. The Ukrainian government—making positive headlines for a change—has seized the momentum, calling for a new European energy future that will break the chains of Russia’s energy monopoly in the region.
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Author: Hannes Hanso
The problem with North Korea and the Kim dynasty is that they will continue to exist as long as they have a certain utility for major regional or global powers. This appears to be the case for all parties involved, including China, the US, Russia and Japan. North Korea is in an awkward way a necessary evil that holds regional powers in balance and helps to maintain a functioning status quo. When this delicate balance crumbles, a whole new security structure will have to be found. Nobody appears willing to take the first step into the unknown. North Korea’s leaders seem well aware of the situation and are trying to exploit this to their own advantage i.e. trying to ensure regime survival and international acceptance as a nuclear power.
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Autor: Martin Hurt
Eestis arutletakse aeg-ajalt selle ümber kas NATO liitlaste tahe ja suutlikkus Eestile kriisiolukorras appi tulla on piisav. Seda küsimust arutades asetame end meie-nemad positsiooni. Aga kuidas on lood meie endiga? Kas oleme end korralikult sisse elanud NATO riigi rolli?
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Author: Julian Tupay
History is repeating itself! The Germans are marching once again in their zealous campaign to gain dominion over Europe. Those that would think the Germans simple enough to repeat the mistakes made seventy years ago – when they last sallied forth in order to subjugate Europe – couldn’t be more wrong. This enemy, devious and full of low cunning, has devised a convoluted strategy of such brilliance that it is beyond the comprehension of mortal men to unravel. Nonetheless, I will herein try to bring the details of this devilish scheme to the light of day.
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Author: Erik Männik
Syrian conflict is moving slowly but steadily toward the inevitable – the end of Bashir al-Assad’s regime. External support to rebel forces is growing. They receive more aid and better training than before, and have taken the first larger city from the regime. Moreover, France and the UK are pushing to lift an arms embargo on rebels; CIA is rumoured to consider drone strikes in support of rebels, and NATO countries are conducting a contingency planning on Syria. At the same time, Syrian Army continues to suffer from exhaustion and defections.
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Author: Tomas Jermalavicius
In mid-February, the Estonian Ministry of Defence (MoD) rolled out its defence industrial policy for 2013-2022 – a document outlining the ends, means and ways of building a defence industrial base in Estonia. The document responded to the expectations of a number of enterprises seeking to develop products and services for the armed forces and for security organisations such as the police and the border guard. Commendably, and very much in the spirit of ’broad-based defence’ and comprehensive security, the strategy includes the Estonian Ministry of the Interior and its agencies as important stakeholders.
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