|
|
Central Asian Foreign Fighters in Syria
Nováková, Sabina ; Bureš, Oldřich (advisor) ; Záhora, Jakub (referee)
This thesis deals with the phenomenon of Central Asian foreign fighters in Syria, 2011- 2017. It analyzes their radicalization, recruitment, and travel patterns. Special emphasis is placed on tracking the home states' responses, including elements of de-radicalization and counter-radicalization. The thesis has found that there is arguably no single factor explaining the Central Asian fighters' radicalization; nor is there a typical profile of a Central Asian fighter. Available data suggest that radicalization and extremist recruitment most often occur in Russia. Furthermore, the analysis of travel patterns has shown that the majority of Central Asian fighters traveled to Syria either indirectly via multiple countries (again, most often Russia) or directly from their country of origin, and then crossed the border from Turkey. The thesis concludes that all five Central Asian states have adopted policies to address the perceived security threat of returning foreign fighters, whereas the hard, restrictive and punitive approach has been prevalent all across the region.
|
|
|
Private military and security companies in the fight against pirates from the South China Sea to the Horn of Africa
Perglerová, Soňa ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Bureš, Oldřich (referee)
The international system has been confronting with constant changes since the end of the Cold War. Especially in the last twenty years on the international chessboard has emerged a new player that provides a wide range of military and security services - private military and security companies (PMSCs). While operations PMSCs are mainly associated and confined with conflict and war zones in Africa and the Middle East, this thesis entitled "Private military and security companies in the fight against the pirates from the South China sea to the horn of Africa" is about private military and security companies which provide special security services - naval. The growing demand for these services leads to the increase of private providers not only along the Somali coast, but also in Southeast Asia. The aim of the thesis is to explain why PMSCs engage in the fight against piracy, respectively what are the conditions for the initiation and development of private naval security activities.
|
|
|
Women in CIA: From Typists to Trailblazers?
Uková, Martina ; Bureš, Oldřich (advisor) ; Plechanovová, Běla (referee)
The diploma thesis Women in CIA: From Typists to Trailblazers? analyzes the role of women in the CIA. The development of female workforce within the CIA is tracked in connection to key reforms of the American intelligence community and demands of liberal feminism. The thesis mainly deals with the change of the role of women in the US society and studies areas of intelligence work where gender discrimination against women took place. Although in the past years the number of women on different positions in the CIA proportionally increased, the Agency top management faces a relative scarcity of women. This lower representation of women in the CIA's leadership can diminish effective accomplishment of the CIA's mission. Key Agency's report served for analysis of the transformation of the status of women in the CIA and also for indentifying concrete problems leading to scarcity of women in the CIA's leadership. The author also proposed some incentives for enhancing female representation in the Agency top management.
|
|
| |
|
|
Hledání zpravodajství z lidských zdrojů: Měnící se role HUMINT v rámci americké zpravodajské komunity po 9/11
Lochovský, Jan ; Bureš, Oldřich (advisor) ; Schmidt, Nikola (referee)
Diploma thesis tracks changes of approach to the clandestine human intelligence collection (HUMINT) as part of a wider process of the United States Intelligence Community reform after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Using longitudinal comparative analysis, the author observes which key factors enabling successful HUMINT collection were significantly improved and which were neglected, thus constraining a highly desirable development of this intelligence collection technique so important in combating asymmetric threats such as terrorism. Following factors were identified as critical in improving HUMINT: institutional anchoring of HUMINT, adaptation of operational techniques to successfully monitor decentralized terrorism, 'dependence' of the US intelligence community on technological means of intelligence collection, and availability of qualified and especially linguistically adept intelligence professionals in responsible agencies. Keywords CIA, DIA, HUMINT, intelligence, reform, terrorism, United States of America
|
|
| |
|
|
Saudi Arabia and its "Soft" Approach in Counterterrorism
Rakovská, Petra ; Bureš, Oldřich (advisor) ; Charvát, Jan (referee)
The thesis deals with the phenomenon of global terrorism and Saudi's counterterrorism strategy. This strategy consists of several "soft" counterterterrorist measures, which represent some sort of innovation in the field of counterterrorism. The first part is an introduction into the background of the thesis. It introduces the key terms, such as terrorism, counterterrorism and its main concepts, typology and root causes of terrorist activity. Saudi Arabia is presented as islamic country and corrupt interpetation of the islamic ideology is supposed to be the cause of extremism. Other parts of the thesis are dealing with the "soft" approach itself, which was launched in the aftermath of Rijad terrorist attacks in 2003. There is an attempt to explain its individual components, whilst the PRAC strategy is considered to be the key part. PRAC strategy offers counselling and rehabilitation to extremist individuals or sympathizers with terrorists. Saudi authorities have implemented some other countermeasures, which are then clarified by the author. Eventually, the author evaluates the approach and outlines its advantages and disadvantages.
|
|
|
Securitizing Culture: Normative Behavior and the US Central Intelligence Agency in the Global War on Terror
Svítek, Filip Jakub ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Bureš, Oldřich (referee)
Bibliographic record SVÍTEK, Filip. Securitizing Culture: Normative Behavior and the US Central Intelligence Agency in the Global War on Terror. Prague, 2016. 82 p. Diploma work (Mgr.) Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Political Studies. Department of Security Studies. Diploma work supervisor JUDr. PhDr. Tomáš Karásek, Ph.D. Abstract This monograph attempts to explore the system the intelligence community in the US from a constructivist perspective to understand domestic security policy as applied to international threats. The research questions examine how the US Central Intelligence Agency is able to functionally employ controversial tactics such as coercive interrogations and extrajudicial detention within a society that represents liberal normative democracy - one that in theory should prefer to uphold norms of human rights rather than infringe upon them. There appear to be two main concepts at play: security as an underlying culture (as a product) and security as a subjective act (as a process). Thus, this work will apply concepts of National Security Culture and securitization as product and process, respectively, using interrogations of suspected terrorists as a case example. The underlying results show that norms, rules, and culture of national security, utilized through...
|
|
|
International Intervention and Local Hybrid Order: UNIFIL in South Lebanon
Daniel, Jan ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Bliesemann de Guevara, Berit (referee) ; Bureš, Oldřich (referee)
Bibliographic Record DANIEL, JAN. International Peacekeeping and Hybrid Order: UNIFIL II in South Lebanon. Prague, 2017. 257 p. Doctoral dissertation (Ph.D.) Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Political Studies. Thesis supervisor: JUDr. PhDr. Tomáš Karásek, Ph.D. Abstract The thesis explores an engagement of a UN peace operation with a local political order. It builds on understanding of peacekeeping as policing of certain vision of international and local order and on that basis, it explores practices and politics of keeping peace. Drawing on the study of UNIFIL II, the UN peacekeeping operation deployed in South Lebanon, the study focuses on practices by which peacekeepers perform their policing duties in the local order, which is marked by entanglements between state and non- state ordering authorities and different practice of stateness. By doing so, it seeks to advance the research on the everyday practices of peacekeeping, as well as the research on local hybridity of peace operations and engagement of liberal actors with the local difference. Drawing on the debates in critical peace studies and works on practice-oriented approaches to research on liberal governmentality, it makes the case for focusing on the peacekeepers' engagement with the 'local' order on the...
|
|
|
Gender Mainstreaming in UN Peacekeeping Operations
Jašová, Lucie ; Bureš, Oldřich (advisor) ; Kocmanová, Markéta (referee)
Responding to the inequal impact of women in conflict and their contribution to peace processes, the Security Council has adopted eleven resolutions within the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, which further defined gender mainstreaming strategy within the field of peace and security. The strategy calls for integrating gender perspectives and considerations in all peacekeeping structures. Framed with the liberal feminist approach, this work aims to analyse how five of the current UN peacekeeping operations reflect gender mainstreaming strategy, both in their mandates and operational practice. Using the content analysis method, the study examines the missions' mandates to evaluate gender mainstreaming references from the establishing resolutions to the current one and is further supplemented by the review of their implementation process. The findings reveal a significant gap within the establishing mandates, as UNISFA and MONUSCO included minimal gender references in their authorizing resolutions while UNMISS covered almost all gender considerations. Such disparities have become less evident within the current mandates. The analysis of the operational practice further suggests a two-track gap between the mission's mandate and the situation in the field, as the evidence gathered shows that...
|
guest ::
RSS feed.