National Peace Essay 2014
(An Analysis of the Security Sector Reforms in Russia and Bulgaria)
Over the past twenty years, civilization has seen vast changes in which our society performs and operates. “Security sector is a broad term often used to describe the structures, institutions and personnel responsible for the management, provision and oversight of security in a country. These can include defense, law enforcement institutions, corrections, intelligence services, border management, customs, elements of the judicial sector, management and oversight bodies, civil society groups and other non-state actors, among other elements.
Security sector reform aims to develop a secure environment based on development, rule of law, good governance and local ownership of security actors. SSR concept is based on the reform and/or rebuilding of a state's security sector. It starts where a dysfunctional security sector is unable to provide security to the state and its people effectively under democratic principles. Parallel to that, the security sector can be a source of widespread insecurity by itself. In this respect, an unreformed security sector represents an obstacle to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” (Information and Communications Technology Division). Although there is no absolute definition of a security sector reform, the trial and error process countries must go through is quite noble. To be able to reflect upon a governments failures and success in security is ultimately needed to continue peace building in our nations.
The current inadequacy of Russian governmental control of the security sector is problematic in furthering the country’s social and economic progress.“In general, consistent with the dominant Weberian view, patrimonialism seems to undermine the capacity of Russian state coercive organs. An alternative account contends that
The Legacy of Russia and the Soviet Union - Authoritarian and Repressive Traditions that Refuse to Die
“The Sources of Soviet Conduct” Foreign Affairs, 1947, explains the difficulty of summarizing Soviet ideology. For more than 50 years, the Soviet concept held the Russian nations hypnotized, discontented, unhappy, and despondent confined to a very limited Czarist political order. Hence, the rebel support of a bloody Revolution, as a means to “social betterment” (Kennan, 567). Bolshevism was conceptualized as “ideological and moral, not geopolitical or strategic”. Hoover declares that… “five or six great social philosophies were struggling for ascendancy” (Leffler, The Specter of Communism, 20).
Mau, Vladimir. " The road to 'perestrokia': economics in the USSR and the problem of
The Slavophile and westernizer conflict is an inherent cultural question that Russians must answer about their country. Russian thinkers have long been fragmented between the Westernizer and the Slavophile viewpoint. Both disagreed about the true nature of the country as well as its relation with the West. It is a problem that has plagued Russia for centuries, and continues to do so to this day. Adopting the mindset of recognizing this conflict is essential to better understanding Russian history as well as the motives and thought processes of Russian leaders today.
Watson, Robert P., Devine, Michael J. and Wolz, Robert J. eds., The National Security Legacy
Glaser , C. L. (1997). The Security Dilemma Revisited. Cambridge University press, 50(1), 171-201. Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~iscs/assets/docs/cg-docs/SecurityDilemma-WP-1997.pdf
According to Elaine Tyler May in her article Security against Democracy: The Legacy of the Cod War at Home, the cold war made an impact on Americans state of mind. During the nuclear arms race, many Americans became paranoid about their own country as well as foreigners . Instead of trying to get rid of this situation and mediating it , America decides to join this race, which only fuels the fire. At the same, American citizens were living their lives in fear everyday. Citizens were preparing themselves in case of an attack, as a result of the government doing nothing to try to protect America. Elaine Tyler May also states that the media back then was only fueling this phobia to grow. For example, the Los Angeles Times showing hypothetical bomb targets if the Soviets were to attack in Los Angeles. Some Americans, who were considering the possibility of a nuclear war, modified their homes into concrete to resist an atomic blast, created backyard bunkers, or even sheltered in their basements. In addition, whether you were for or against the buildup of nuclear weapons, fear would be present.
Avant, D. & Sigelman, L. (2010, May 28). Private security and democracy: Lessons from the us
Historically, Russia has repeatedly relied on rapid and drastic reforms to catch up to the modern Western world. Sometimes these reforms were successful, and sometimes they failed. Peter the Great’s reign is an example of successful reform, while Alexander II’s is an example of failed reform. The success of Peter’s reforms led to Russia’s rise as an imperial power, and player on the international stage, especially in Eastern Europe. On the other hand, the failure of Alexander II’s reforms eventually led to Tsarist Russia’s collapse, and the rise of the Soviet Union. Clearly, Russian reforms had an impact on world history, and must be studied as a result. This paper will seek to explain why Alexander II’s reforms failed. This will be done
Global security is an extraordinarily imperative idea when it comes to public safety. The purpose of global security is to protect the interests of the public. When viewing this through the lens of public and private relationships, it is effortless to see how the two walk hand in hand when it comes to trying to achieve global security. Global security is a relevant concept because the people of the United States need to be protected at all costs. Along with protecting the public, the government also needs to protect the interests of itself. To achieve global security by way of protecting the public, the government works endlessly to ensure public safety.
Weak and failed states share many common characteristics. One of the most common features of a weak state is the presence of persistent violence. This violence is in the form of civil wars and civil unrest, this is an indicator that a government has lost legitimacy as well as control over some parts of territory. Other features include a weak bureaucracy that is very susceptible to corruption especially corruption from non-state actors such as terrorists and warlords. As the government’s power and influence continues to decline, citizens turn to these non-s...
"From Autocracy to Oligarchy." The Structure of Soviet History: Essays and Documents. Ed. Ronald Grigor. Suny. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. 340-50. Print.
A private security manager in general definition is one that the program, scheme or method of worked for the accomplishment of an objective or course of action and direct supervising of security function and activities in a particular time in giving the protection and safety against any danger or injury of an administration or corporation. A private security manager is dissimilar to law enforcement officers and this private security manager does not work for the government but instead to a private company and work with certain limits of rights like keeping people under restraint or custody and taking weapons but it all depends on the state law where they do service. The most essential duties and responsibilities of a private security manager are planning, management and reporting.
Taking into account that states asses its strengths in order to adopt the most effective strategies to deal with potential menaces, westerns states understand the advantages of the aforementioned theory. The current threats that the Western world take into account are composed by local, regional and global menaces. To this paper it is essential recognise the scope of all of those elements that configure a threat to the West. Among many others there are drugs, crime, and terrorism, geo-strategic actors such as the Middle East and Russia, and growing powers such as China. These are complicated patterns that states need to strategically cope with. In fact, the security strategy from Western states is framed between the combination o...
Security is very important for many different reasons. A nation must insure their safety as a whole, as well as the persons living in the nation. It is equally important that the nation's economy is stable and growing. Security is something that every nation deals with, in many different ways. It is a way that nations come to together and create allies. However, it is also a way for nations to create enemies. There are a variety of concerns that require attention around the world including state security, human security, and economic security. Political and economic relations impact each of these security issues different proven by history and present events around the world.