National Repository of Grey Literature 121 records found  previous11 - 20nextend  jump to record: Search took 0.01 seconds. 
Targeted Killing as a Counterterrorism Instrument: Evaluating Impacts on The Islamic State and Al Qaeda
Štěpán, David ; Bureš, Oldřich (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee)
This study analyzes targeted killing as a counterterrorism instrument and evaluates its impacts on the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in two separate case studies, one analyzing the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while the other assesses the impact of the killing of Osama Bin Laden. The theory of leadership decapitation is applied in this thesis and the academic discourse on this theory is discussed. Additionally, moral and legal aspects of targeted killing are also briefly considered. The analysis combines a quantitative approach in the form of descriptive statistics of data regarding terrorist attacks with qualitative evaluation of other counterterrorism policies and political as well as societal aspects surrounding the operations. There are some general suggestions regarding leadership decapitation that are validated in this study. Various factors need to be considered when employing targeted killing in counterterrorism, such as the structure of the terrorist group as well as its age. This study presents evidence that targeted killing of high-ranking terrorist leaders is likely to increase the use of suicide bombing in the short-term period after leadership decapitation. It also points out evidence that there is no correlation between targeted killing and the decrease of casualties from terrorism....
Deployment and proliferation of Turkish UAVs and their impact on regional balance of power
Kocáková, Lenka ; Solovyeva, Anzhelika (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee)
This diploma thesis is focused on discussing Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) deployments in Libyan and Syrian conflicts in 2019 and 2020 respectively, and their implications on regional balance of power. Theoretical framework is based on the balance of power theory, and more specifically on the concept of regional balance of power which is concerned with more nuanced dynamics that occur on a regional level. The concept is then applied to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where Turkey is the main case study of this paper, and its involvement in Libya and Syria makes both countries the sub- case studies. The development of UAVs, their categorization, some technical aspects, and their brief history, showing how Turkey emerged as an important producer is also discussed. The findings of this study show a significance of Turkey's participation in both conflicts and the deployment of its own UAVs in Libya and Syria, among other factors, which resulted in Turkey achieving its objectives and shaping the outcomes of both conflicts. Consequently, the thesis suggests that Turkey indeed plays a key role in defining the dynamics in the MENA region.
Wars with heaven: Can celestial securitisation produce effective planetary defence?
Dillon, Joseph ; Hynek, Nikola (advisor) ; Leonard, Sarah (referee)
Wars With Heaven: Can Celestial Securitisation Produce Effective Planetary Defence? Abstract: This dissertation is primarily concerned with the issue of planetary defence against Near Earth Objects (NEOs). Using securitisation theory as its theoretical framework and employing a qualitative content analysis as its research methodology, the work investigates the attempt by President Ronald Reagan to securitise his Strategic Defence Initiative. This analysis is then used to inform an argument in favour of the securitisation of NEOs as a method of procuring planetary defences.
Sources of innovation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest
Stejskal, Clara ; Hynek, Nikola (advisor) ; Parks, Louisa Rosemary (referee)
The Amazon Rainforest, known as 'the lungs of the Earth,' has been under threat for decades. There has been a domino effect of global insecurities caused by the extraction of resources through human interventions, including industrial activity and large-scale agriculture. With new data and research showing the rising levels of environmental degradation, the international community has joined together under a unified goal to combat environmental insecurity. From locals and governments to the private and public sectors, stakeholders across industries have pledged to devote their time and resources to creating more climate-friendly regulations, innovation, and action plans. A congruent part of creating a more sustainable world comes from scientific research and technological advancements. While innovation is generally seen to be tied to economic patterns, it can also be used for the objective of human growth. Under the latter objective, innovation has the potential to play an intrinsic role in resolving environmental insecurity. However, the effects of innovation in the shape of emerging technologies will vary depending on how an actor understands the meaning of innovation. As sources of innovation continue to evolve, there is a need to investigate the long- and short- term impacts of innovation on...
Neoclassical realism: a metatheoretical critique
Šenk, Michal ; Hynek, Nikola (advisor) ; Solovyeva, Anzhelika (referee)
Neoclassical realism entered the fields of International Relations and Security Studies in the late 1990s as a powerful new approach to explaining foreign policy. Building on the combination of structural and classical realism, it promised to offer better explanations than other existing approaches, such as liberalism or offensive and defensive realism. As such, it quickly became a popular and an arguably potent choice for many a scholar, progressively growing into prominence that continues to hold even as it enters its third decade. That said, there exists something of a paradox surrounding neoclassical realism: despite its popularity and scores of sound empirical works under its banner, the school appears dramatically ill-defined to the extent that nobody seems to be sure what it is and what it is about. This is where this thesis comes in to play: building on hitherto scattered and piecemeal critiques of neoclassical realism, it seeks to shed more light on the school's apparent success by providing the first truly comprehensive metatheoretical critique of neoclassical realism. Following the simple question of 'what is neoclassical realism', the thesis arrives at the conclusion that though it may be far from a uniform research program or a general theory, neoclassical realism exhibits a number of...
Establishing A Human Security Framework for Intelligence Analysis
Donald-Tebbutt, Ashley ; Kilroy, Walt (advisor) ; Butler, Eamonn (referee) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee)
The intelligence and security communities are in a constant state of evolution due to new technologies, emerging threats, and the increasing movement of information, people, and ideas. Intelligence analysts play a key role in the interpretation of this evolving world. Intelligence analysts take the data that has been gathered and add value by constructing an analytic product that can be disseminated to key actors and government officials. With the process of interpreting data comes with the risk of biases; however, it is important to note that intelligence analysts are already working with a degree of bias sample, as they take the data they can get and do not have an endless supply of information, despite our perception. Frameworks and techniques have been developed in an attempt to limit the bias that enters analytic products. However, it is important to acknowledge that bias is unavoidable. In attempts to provide best practices for intelligence analysts the literature has expanded and incorporated cross-disciplinary approaches. This project looks at the possible incorporation of human security into the intelligence analysis. Human security, with its shift to the individual as the primary reference point, expands the interpretation of security as comprising a multidimensional approach. This...
Innovative Peacekeeping: The Potential of Digital Technologies in CSDP Operations
Lazar, Alexandru ; Butler, Eamonn (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee) ; Dowd, Caitriona (referee)
In the past two decades, digital technologies have changed how international organisations respond to conflicts. With contemporary armed struggles gaining new dimensions and becoming more complex, a challenge remains to comprehend the potential of both militarised and unconventional digital capabilities, and to determine which of them are the best devices and systems for peacekeeping operations. Nevertheless, the potential of such innovative digital technologies in EU's CSDP operations remains unclear. Along those lines, this study aims to firstly assess the practicality and functionality of these innovative capabilities, in terms of their impact on the actors, intelligence gathering and analysis process, and the opportunity for advocacy that such technologies offer to local communities. Secondly, it identifies and deconstructs the narratives and initiatives dealing with digital technologies in EU external action, in order to understand the growing emphasis placed on these tools and the direction in which the Union is going with regard to these innovative capabilities. Thirdly, in its quest to answer the research question, this study examines the potential benefits and shortcomings posed by both existing and more novel digital capabilities to CSDP operations. This dissertation proposes and defines...
The Construction of Warfare Technology in Russian Military Thinking
Solovyeva, Anzhelika ; Hynek, Nikola (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee) ; Eichler, Jan (referee)
The Construction of Warfare Technology in Russian Military Thinking Anzhelika Solovyeva Abstract This dissertation traces the dynamics of military-technological innovation in Russia over the last hundred and fifty years. The analysis relies extensively on primary data obtained from Russian archives, complemented by a series of expert interviews. The goal is to understand whether and to what extent Russia's respective discourses and practices constitute a distinct strategic cultural approach. The relationship between strategic culture and military- technological innovation is considered from two different, yet complementary, perspectives. From an empirical standpoint, the analysis is guided by six substantial arguments derived from the existing literature on Russian strategic culture, technology and military doctrine, interviews conducted by the author, and partially from the author's own knowledge of the problematic. In theoretical terms, this dissertation offers and graphically nuances a novel conceptual model, theorizing processes related to military-technological innovation and the role of strategic cultural frames. The last two arguments guiding the empirical focus of this dissertation are derived from the theoretical discussion. This model is subsequently applied to three case studies, with the key...
Threat Assessments and Intelligence Sharing: Toward Desecuritisation of School Shootings in the United States
Roth, Caitlyn Regan ; Anceschi, Luca (advisor) ; Hynek, Nikola (referee) ; Dowd, Caitriona (referee)
'The first step in developing effective assessment approaches and appropriate policy is to identify clearly the types of behavior or outcomes that one is trying to prevent' (Chavez, 1999; Furlong & Morrison, 2000 quoted in Reddy et al, 2001, 158-59). This dissertation answers the question of why a skewed perception of risk exists for the threat of school shootings in the United States. It further seeks to propose the creation of an intelligence database to inform threat assessment teams in schools to increase knowledge of threat communications and behaviours of potential shooters. This assessment is significant to understanding how the skewed assessment of risk negatively impacts the implementation of prevention policies, resulting in a failure to prevent school shootings and lasting detrimental consequences on the learning environment. By applying the Copenhagen School's securitisation theory to US policy responses, discursive language will be analyzed to support the claim that school shootings are perceived as an existential threat to the United States, marking a successful securitisation. A within case analysis of unfavorable policies will inform the selection of a policy recognized in the research as a positive step toward achieving desecuritisation. The policy, behavioural threat assessment,...
Testing the applicability of hacker typologies and models: A comparative case study of Fancy Bear and The Shadow Brokers
Valentová, Anna ; Hynek, Nikola (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
The Master's Thesis named "Testing the applicability of hacker typologies and models: A comparative case study of Fancy Bear and The Shadow Brokers" focuses on different categorization techniques of hacker groups. It explains how hackers are studied in the field of social sciences and theoretical and practical cyber security. The thesis aims to test the disciplines and applicability of their typologies and models on two cases - The Shadow Brokers and Fancy Bear, hacker groups representing a novel type of threat actor. Firstly, the theoretical section focuses on explaining typologies and models while also representing the trends and evolution of research on hackers. Secondly, a practical part of the thesis picks a few frameworks to be tested via the two cases. After the testing, the virtues and shortcomings of the frameworks are analysed, and the approaches of disciplines are compared. The practical part of the thesis shows there is no unified approach to studying hacker groups and almost all previous ones are not applicable to the two hacker groups cases. Therefore, based on the results, the dimensions for a new typology are proposed with the objective of creating a stepping stone for an applicable approach to studying hacker groups in security studies research.

National Repository of Grey Literature : 121 records found   previous11 - 20nextend  jump to record:
Interested in being notified about new results for this query?
Subscribe to the RSS feed.