Articles
NEW ACTORS IN ARMED CONFLICTS
Case Study of the Supreme Court of Israel
The article discusses the occurrence of a new group of actors in the field of pursuing military conflicts, namely the national courts. We present on the case of the Supreme Court of the State Israel that the process described as judicialization gained importance even in the issue of decision-making on pursuing military conflicts. We point out that in order to adequately grasp the position of the Supreme Court and its influence, it is necessary to consider also the acceptance of the Court’s case-law from the side of other important actors in the political system of the State Israel.
NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE IN A NUCLEAR WEAPON-FREE WORLD
The Logic of Virtual Arsenals in the Context of Nuclear Disarmament
The article aims to unpack the paradoxical double-edged nature of military nuclear infrastructure in relation to nuclear disarmament. On the one hand, efficient nuclear complex provides the nuclear weapon possessors with confidence in the sensitive final stages of nuclear abolition, and therefore facilitates the political decision to engage in disarmament. On the other hand, the maintenance of a robust infrastructure beyond the abolition point as a latent “virtual arsenal” represents a serious threat to the stability of the disarmament regime.
KURDS IN SYRIA
No More “Forgotten”…
The paper focuses on Syrian Kurds, who compared to Kurds in Iraq and Turkey were out of the spotlight of academic community of researchers. Introduced are Syrian Kurds and their relationship to various regimes that ruled Syria. Complicated relation of Kurds in Syria towards consequences of the Arab Spring is also explained. Relations to the Arab Spring are affected by the historical experience. Kurdish traditional political parties were careful to join the Syrian opposition, but young activists and the diaspora (also diaspora in the Czech Republic) was less hesitant to join the opposition movement. Fight with the so called Islamic State has united Kurds in Syria, (and the same happened in Iraq as well) however some differences among them remain.
THE NEW POLISH SECURITY STRATEGY
Emphasis on the Territory Defence
The new Polish National Security Strategy was approved at the end of the last year. Its creation reflected ongoing shifts in global security environment most importantly the Ukrainian crisis and current assertive behaviour of the Russian federation towards her traditional areas of geostrategic interest. It focuses on a transmission of strategic priorities from participation in international operations to an imminent provision of the Polish territorial defence. New priorities are laid upon national defence potential, fulfilment of commitments towards the NATO and strategic partnership with the United States.
“NEW QUALITY” OF DEFENCE COOPERATION WITHIN THE VISEGRÁD GROUP IN 2010-2014
The aim of the article is to analyse the actions taken by the Visegrád Group (V4) in 2010-2014 in the field of defence and the attempt to answer the question: To what extent do the decisions taken by the Visegrád Group represent a new quality in the cooperation? In the analysed period, the Visegrád Group presented the change in the approach to the defence cooperation. The evidence for this is: placing defence cooperation on the Visegrád agenda, presenting common positions on this issue in the international arena, involving into the discussion on the defence matters other countries in the Visegrád Group Plus (V4+) formula, and, above all, setting specific objectives to implement and create the institutional structures and procedures in the defence planning. The change in the approach is also indicated by the establishment of the Visegrád EU Battlegroup (V4 EU BG). The action taken indicates the new approach, but also, to some extent, creates a new quality of the cooperation. The new quality will mean effectively completed projects and a common position consistently presented on the issues that are the most important for the region and particular countries.