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US Private military companies.
Pejřimovský, Martin ; Anděl, Petr (advisor) ; Raška, Francis (referee)
Private military companies in the USA aren't a completely new phenomenon. According to various sources, first mercenaries set foot on the American soil no later than during the famous war of independence. What has changed about the US private military contractors since these times is their overall number, the amount of countries they operate in, the scale of services they can provide and last but not least, the extent of money they receive. The process of development of the US private military firms wasn't continual. They played only a minor role approximately up to the end of the Cold war. The US Army used them only to provide the construction, support and logistical services. These days however, the department of defense needs them to provide highly specialized tasks such as spy and counterspy operations, risk consulting, training of the elite armed forces, and the protection of convoys or high-profile people in the warzone. In this thesis I am trying to examine, why did the US private military companies become so essential for the army of the United States. The results of my research show that the most important reasons for this development were the introduction of professional armed forces in 1973, a continuous decline of the defense budget after the end of the Cold war and the widespread...
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Russian investments in European oil refining industry
Pejřimovský, Martin ; Svoboda, Karel (advisor) ; Young, Mitchell (referee)
Europe suffers from a new form of dependence. Not only does it need to import natural gas, crude oil, and nuclear fuel, but it also cannot meet its own demand for crude oil products such as the jet fuel and the diesel fuel, most of which comes from Russia. Furthermore, Russian state owned and private companies have been steadily extending their influence in the refining sector of the European Union. They possess a complete control over the refining sector of Bulgaria, and have a significant position in Romania, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Italy. The leverage of Russian companies in European oil refining sector is set to rise, because Europe will inevitably experience further closures of refineries in the future. The overall level of risks associated with Russian control of European refineries is significant, and policy makers should see it in context with other tools of Moscow's influence such as the dependence on natural gas or the anti-EU and the anti-US propaganda, disinformation campaigns and financial support for the extremist parties.
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US Private military companies.
Pejřimovský, Martin ; Anděl, Petr (advisor) ; Raška, Francis (referee)
Private military companies in the USA aren't a completely new phenomenon. According to various sources, first mercenaries set foot on the American soil no later than during the famous war of independence. What has changed about the US private military contractors since these times is their overall number, the amount of countries they operate in, the scale of services they can provide and last but not least, the extent of money they receive. The process of development of the US private military firms wasn't continual. They played only a minor role approximately up to the end of the Cold war. The US Army used them only to provide the construction, support and logistical services. These days however, the department of defense needs them to provide highly specialized tasks such as spy and counterspy operations, risk consulting, training of the elite armed forces, and the protection of convoys or high-profile people in the warzone. In this thesis I am trying to examine, why did the US private military companies become so essential for the army of the United States. The results of my research show that the most important reasons for this development were the introduction of professional armed forces in 1973, a continuous decline of the defense budget after the end of the Cold war and the widespread...
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