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111. Distance Learning in the Bundeswehr: Skills Are More Than Knowledge

Author:
Manuel Schulz and Andrea Neusius
Publication Date:
10-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
As it is a military force that often conducts operations, the German Bundeswehr must always be prepared to cope with new tasks and challenges. This holds true not only for the organization as a whole, but also for each soldier and civilian employee. The diverse nature of these challenges imposes new and complex requirements on the Bundeswehr, requirements that must be met primarily through the competent action of Bundeswehr soldiers and staff. Therefore, the fi eld of training holds a central position in the organization's diverse processes. The success of the overall organization in all fi elds depends heavily on the competence of its staff. As a result, it becomes clear that training that is appropriate in terms of tasks and their complexity has a considerable infl uence on the force's success at all levels and across the entire spectrum of tasks.
Political Geography:
Germany

112. The Arab Spring: Challenges, Obstacles and Dilemmas

Author:
Graeme P. Herd
Publication Date:
10-2011
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
On the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union, long-standing authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen have fallen, Libya is in the fi nal stages of a civil war that toppled the forty-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi , and the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria may be tottering on the brink of implosion. Through 2011, demonstrations in Bahrain and Iran have been met with force, while Morocco, Jordan, Djibouti, Iraq, Oman, and Algeria have all reported protests. The Arab Spring has not been confi ned to the Middle East and North Africa; rather, its effects have gone global, with analysts drawing attention to its ripples, ramifi cations, and the potential of "revolutionary contagion" through the greater Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, Russia and Eurasia, as well as China and East and South East Asia. Although there is broad agreement among experts and commentators who have studied the Arab Spring itself as to the scale and importance of revolutionary change in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, its causes are contested, and there is little consensus as to its likely consequences and strategic effects. As Prince Hassan of Jordan noted, "The outcome of this tectonic realignment is not just unpredictable, but unknowable.
Political Geography:
Africa, Russia, China, Eurasia, Middle East, Libya, Soviet Union, Arabia, North Africa, Egypt, and Tunisia

113. Foreword

Author:
General Raimund Schittenhelm
Publication Date:
06-2010
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
The Republic of Austria joined the Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes through its Ministry of Defense in 1999. Right from the beginning, Austria's primary interest centered on the issues of security policy and crisis management, with a special focus on the Western Balkans region. As a consequence, the Austrian National Defense Academy promoted the establishment of a Study Group on Regional Stability in South East Europe (RSSEE) jointly with Croatia and Bulgaria at the Consortium's second annual conference in Sofia in December 1999.
Political Geography:
Europe and Austria

114. Lessons from NATO's Military Missions in the Western Balkans

Author:
Dennis Blease
Publication Date:
06-2010
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
The subject of learning lessons is fraught with difficulties, not least because lessons, like beauty, are often in the eye of the beholder. It has been the author's experience that many lessons that are formally identified as such are not learned. The reasons for this are varied: those identifying the lessons may be biased; the resources to enable learning may be lacking; and the lessons simply may not "stick." Nonetheless, those lessons that do become embedded in the human and organizational psyche are those that have created new doctrines, reshaped institutions, become an integral part of new training standards, and demonstrably shown an improvement in the conduct of business.
Topic:
NATO
Political Geography:
Balkans

115. The Dynamics of Russia's Response to the Piracy Threat

Author:
Simon Saradzhyan
Publication Date:
06-2010
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
Russia's Maritime Doctrine describes "maritime shipments" as being of "vital importance" to the country. Maritime shipments have accounted for 60 percent of Russia's foreign trade shipments in the recent years. However, vessels bearing the Russian flag account only for 4 percent of Russia's foreign trade shipments. And the Russian fishing fleet remains relatively near to Russia's shores, not venturing into the Indian and South Pacific Oceans.
Political Geography:
Russia

116. The Military and the Fight Against Serious Crime: Lessons from the Balkans

Author:
Cornelius Friesendorf
Publication Date:
06-2010
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
Serious crime poses major obstacles in peace operations. International actors intervening in war-torn countries face the challenge of putting pressure on suspected war criminals, members of organized criminal groups, those who instigate interethnic violence, and corrupt officials. While it is widely acknowledged by now that serious crime and public security gaps cause lasting damage to international stabilization efforts, international and domestic policing structures remain weak. This article examines the law enforcement role of international military forces. It shows that in post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, military support for crime-fighting efforts has been unsystematic, although it has improved over time. Practical, political, and normative reasons stand in the way of employing the military for law enforcement tasks. However, under conditions of weak policing, preparing the military for law enforcement is necessary in order to better protect citizens against serious crime.
Topic:
Security
Political Geography:
Bosnia, Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Balkans

117. Fifteen Years of Peace-building Activities in the Western Balkans: Lessons Learned and Current Challenges

Author:
Michael Daxner
Publication Date:
06-2010
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
While Michael Schmunk's observations presented at the twentieth workshop of the PfP Consortium Study Group on Regional Stability in South East Europe are largely accurate, in this essay I will bring more precise emphasis on a few key issues. I will use the case of the Kosovo intervention as an example for my views on the region, and I shall try to generalize some of my experiences in the light of other, more recent interventions elsewhere. A partially subjective approach is chosen to demonstrate the problems that confront social scientists who attempt to bear in mind both the political and the scientific, while recognizing that they belong to two different systems.
Political Geography:
Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans

118. Enabling Factors and Effects of Corruption in the Defense Sector

Author:
Todor Tagarev
Publication Date:
06-2010
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
Corruption is a curse of modern societies, and the defense sector is just as susceptible to corruption as any other. As this essay will argue, a number of defense-specific factors, such as secrecy, urgency, and populist causes, facilitate corruption. Unchecked corruption impacts the operational effectiveness of the armed forces, the military's standing in society, the level of respect that international partners have for a given nation's military, the security of the citizens and, in its extreme manifestation, may threaten the democratic governance mechanisms and even the foundations of modern states. NATO has launched a "building integrity" initiative to address the problem of corruption in defense and in military operations that envisions systematic efforts to build integrity, increase transparency, and improve accountability of defense establishments. NATO currently pursues several practical activities that will be discussed in this essay, along with more detail on the compendium of best practices in building integrity and reducing corruption in defense.
Topic:
NATO and Corruption

119. The View from Kosovo: Challenges to Peace-building and State-building

Author:
Ilir Deda
Publication Date:
06-2010
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
Kosovo in its third year of independence faces three sets of challenges: internal, regional, and international. The consolidation of the state is affected by developments in these three areas, and the degree of success in these realms will directly affect the future and the substance of the new state. The international community, once focused on building peace and stability in Kosovo (from 1999–2008) has recently shifted its focus toward the functionality of the new state's institutions and the rule of law. Kosovar society, on the other hand, is focused on an internal debate about what kind of a state it wants.
Political Geography:
Kosovo

120. Advice and Advocacy: Ten Years of the Regional Stability in South East Europe Study Group

Author:
Frederic Labarre, Ernst M. Felberbauer, and Predrag Jureković
Publication Date:
06-2010
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Connections
Institution:
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
Advocates and advisers share a passion for the region they work in, but they are separated by the quality of their functions. Advocates are practitioners of reform and reconstruction working in the region, while advisers propose (but, ideally, do not proselytize) decision options. Dictionaries define advice as the "an opinion given to someone about what they should do in a particular situation," whereas advocacy is defined as "the act or action of supporting an idea, way of life, person, etc." Rarely is the English language so clear in its distinctions between two neighboring concepts. Both advocates and advisers, however, are often criticized for appearing to be too ready to offer opinions, and not being receptive enough to the realities on the ground and the grievances or actual needs of the local population.
Political Geography:
Europe