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Factors Limiting the Implementation of the Cognitive Interview into the Czech Police Practice
Vinterova, Kateřina ; Tesař, Jakub (advisor) ; Butler, Eamonn (referee) ; Biagini, Erika (referee)
This study aimed to evaluate what may be limiting the implementation of the cognitive interview (CI) into the police practice in the Czech Republic. While there is nearly 30 years' worth of laboratory research on the CI and its effectiveness, there is not much evidence of the CI being implemented into the police practice, for which it was originally intended. The current study, therefore, aimed to define and evaluate factors, which may be limiting the implementation of the CI into the police practice, with a focus on the Czech Republic. The study was conducted with 34 Czech CPIS officers, and the data for this study was collected through online questionnaires. The findings showed that the most resistance to the implementation of the CI would be on the organisation (the police) level, as there did not seem to be enough opportunities for officers to learn new interviewing techniques. Surprisingly, limitations associated with the method itself, such as the long duration of the CI or the need for cooperative witnesses, were not found to be significant in this study. Limitations of this study and its implications for further research into human security are also discussed. Keywords: police practice, witness interview, cognitive interview, Czech police, human security
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The Geostrategic Stakes of Self-Determination: A Comparative Study of Western Sahara and the Iraqi Kurdistan
Lahdifi, Sahar ; von Bulow, Mathilde (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee) ; Biagini, Erika (referee)
ABSRACT The issue of secessionism, as one constituent of the right to self-determination, is complex, and somehow paradoxical. On the one hand, it seems to pattern the process of decolonisation that happened in the 20th Century, while paradoxically emerging from it. On the other, separatist groups legitimate their battles on the ground of past sovereignty as understood in their own cultural reality. Yet, they do not seek a structural change of the current international legal frame, but rather, are fighting for recognition of their independence within that existing structure. Thus, the very Western-centred concept of territorial nation-state acts simultaneously as an obstacle to and a motive for secessionist claims. This triggers a sort of vicious cycle, where independence would be rarely granted, as it risks disturbing the international status quo, while the structure in which the status quo is built, highly inspires secessionist groups. Furthermore, the importance to maintain the status quo reveals the very strategic essence of secessionist claims, contributing to a fundamental lack of practical tools regarding the settlement of secessionist claims. These numerous paradoxes are illustrated in this dissertation with a comparative study between Western Sahara and the Iraqi Kurdistan: more than having a...
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How can Factors Underlying Human Preferences Lead to Methods of Formal Characterizations towards Developing Safe Artificial General Intelligence?
Al-Nusair, Rana Ghalib ; Špelda, Petr (advisor) ; Butler, Eamonn (referee) ; Biagini, Erika (referee)
This research aims to investigate the Artificial Intelligence (AI) value alignment problem, which refers to the challenge in developing a safe and reliable AI that can achieve our goals and adhere to our values as we intend it to do. A misaligned AI, especially one which transcends all domains of cognitive abilities and has acquired vast computational powers, will be nearly impossible to manage and it will threaten our security. Research addressing this problem is now focused on understanding how to develop AI that can reliably infer our values from our preferences. Thus, preferences are the primary conceptual unit of analysis to the AI value alignment problem. This paper investigates our preferences and seeks to shed light on the issue of obtaining a formal truth that is fundamentally constitutive of our preferences, for the aim of using said formal truth to create a value aligned AI. To do this, this paper gathers data from economics, biological evolution, and neurocognitive studies to bridge the current gaps on the conceptual problem of preferences. The paper concludes with presenting a new kind of security dilemma which stems from the notion of combining a general theoretical framework that fully captures our preferences with the crucial elementof uncertainty inAI, effectively showcasing how...
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Countering Islamist Radicalisation: A Comparative Study of Bulgaria and France's Practices, Experiences and Challenges
Nocheva, Nikolena Hristova ; Anceschi, Luca (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee) ; Biagini, Erika (referee)
This study aims to contribute to Islamist radicalisation and terrorism research in the EU context. It compares and assesses the counter-radicalisation policies that Bulgaria and France adopt. In addition, it seeks to evaluate whether effective practices can be incorporated and adopted in the respective countries. This study grounds its theoretical criticism within Lindekilde's theoretical framework for policy effectiveness. To analyse and better comprehend the main ingredients in the countries' counter-radicalisation model, this study relies on a hermeneutic methodology. The study uses Lindekilde's four evaluative criteria (time, policy design & logic, reception and implementation) to determine whether the existing counter radicalisation policies are well suited to their national contexts. The findings from this study indicate that Bulgaria and France share similar struggles with the implementation of their proposed measures. The study argues that both countries could improve their counter-radicalisation practices provided they introduce measures from a soft character. More precisely, the findings suggest that effective counter radicalisation policies are those which are tailored to the population's local needs and those which benefit from engaging with the richness of their societies. Key words:...
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Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab resiliency and incumbent governments' ineffectiveness: Rethinking counterinsurgency against Salafist Islam-inspired insurgencies through a wicked problem analytical approach
Edet, Isidore Henry ; Aslan, Emil (advisor) ; Biagini, Erika (referee)
This study explores the relationship between Jihadist insurgency typified by Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab conflicts and wicked problems. Although a large number of research has been carried out on insurgency and counterinsurgency (COIN), and the concept of the wicked problem has been applied to many studies in varying academic disciplines, there is no research on Salafism-inspired insurgency and the COIN efforts to resolve it using the concept of wicked problem. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using a document analysis strategy to provide critical analysis of the ''how'' and ''why'' the two insurgencies are wicked problems, the failures of the incumbent states to defeat them, and a proposal of a wicked problem governance framework for managing the conflicts. The study concluded that the wicked problem concept has an explanatory utility that can illuminate the character of jihadist insurgencies and proposed taming as a governance solution to the insurgencies.
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Corporate social responsibility: The case of extractive and energy multinationals in sites of contested governance
Couchellou, Alexis ; Berg, Julie (advisor) ; Biagini, Erika (referee)
[Corporate Social Responsibility: The case of extractive and energy multinationals in sites of contested governance] [July 2021] [2486710C] [19108419] [99409106] Presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of International Master in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies Word Count: 21,869 (Total: 23,905) Supervisor: Dr. Julie Berg Date of Submission: 25th , July 2021 Abstract Corporate Social Responsibility is a concept that has been constantly evolving since the 1950s. The notion of CSR has been the subject of various and varied studies allowing for new approaches and definitions. The concept appeared late in the literature related to the extractive industry. This emergence of the term has allowed the development of CSR policies by multinational companies operating in the extractive industry. This paper provides a lexicometric analysis of Total Energies' 2018 CSR report. This approach allowed us to demonstrate that the French Group, through its CSR reports, attempts to legitimise its actions and projects. These results allowed us to propose recommendations focused on a new approach to stakeholders.
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The role of cyber operations in Iran's policy toward the United States: A qualitative perspective
Monsen, Ingunn Helene Landsend ; Kučera, Tomáš (advisor) ; Biagini, Erika (referee)
This study examines the role and utility of low-severity cyber operations in one state's policy toward another within the context of a long-term hostile feud. This study has fulfilled this task through an explanatory qualitative analysis with cyber operations as an embedded unit of study. The subject of research is the policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran toward the United States in the time spanning from the historic agreement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Nuclear Deal, in July 2015 through 2020. The role of the cyber operations in Iran's policy is examined by juxtaposing the pattern of escalations and de- escalations occurring in the context, and in the political and military domains conducted by the Islamic Republic with their deployment of cyber operations. Through this pattern matching, this study identified a visible relative restraint in the cyber domain during the first years following the conclusion of the JCPOA, as the Islamic Republic had obtained its top strategic goal, defined as eliminating all sanctions burdening its economy. Iran's cyber operations towards the United States re-emerged when Washington exited the Nuclear Deal in 2018 and began re-instating sanctions, and the operations were intensified when Tehran began steadily escalating in...
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Gender and the state: Gender construction and response to gender-based violence in the Post-Soviet Kyrgyz Republic
Ubysheva, Zulaika ; Biagini, Erika (advisor) ; Cheskin, Ammon (referee)
Despite Kyrgyzstan's adoption of legislations to promote gender equality, the country remains an unsafe place for women, who are subjected to severe forms of gender based violence and discrimination. Recently, gender based violence propelled women to mobilise in greater numbers to demand better rights and greater equality. In most instances, however, their mobilization was met with further backlash from patriarchal forces and the same state. This research presents a gendered analysis of post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, with the goal to assess how the state has incorporated gender in its nation-building process since independence in 1991 until 2020. It seeks to evaluate Kyrgyzstan's efforts to achieve gender equality and address the issue of violence against women. In doing so, the research highlights the gaps and inconsistencies in the state's manifestation and practice of its gender policies. The research demonstrates that Kyrgyzstan has one of the most advanced gender policies in the Central Asian region. However, gender inequality persists in the form of traditional gender norms, the normalization of violence against women, and customary practices embedded in the structures of the society and manifested by the state through the 'tradition and culture' and 'nation-building' narrative. As a result, the...
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Assessing coercion in liberal peacebuilding: The EU peacebuilding attempts in Palestine
van Heeswijk, Emma ; Biagini, Erika (advisor) ; Hardman, Helen (referee)
2 Abstract Thi di er a ion e plore he e of coercion in he EU liberal peaceb ilding frame ork in Palestine. Palestine has a long- anding hi or of foreign ac or in ol emen . Since he 1993 O lo Accord , he EU peaceb ilding role a one of Pale ine main financial donors has increased. There is scholarly disagreement and a lack of understanding on the role of coercion in peacebuilding practices. While scholars argue that coercion is a core element for human organisations, others do not recognise the negative impact of coercion in peacebuilding when this does not entail the use of force. Furthermore, the peacebuilding scholarship offers little to no conceptualisation of coercion. Therefore, this dissertation explores how coercion manifests in peacebuilding practices, looking at the case of the EU liberal peacebuilding activities in Palestine. In doing so, the research emphasises on how local Palestinian recipients perceive coercion. The current liberal approach of the EU is built upon the economic dependency of Palestinians, which essentially constitutes a coercive structure. The asymmetric power relations between different actors in the region allows space for the contestation of coercion. This dissertation argues that coercion in this context goes beyond its traditional understanding, and therefore requires...
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