Defence and strategy

Dear readers,

I would like to introduce the new issue of the Obrana a strategie journal, which is devoted to the memory of Professor Otto Pick, doyen of the Czech foreign and security policy and also a former member of the Institute of Strategic Studies of the University of Defence.

In this issue, the peer-reviewed articles include in the first place papers dealing with the issues of the so-called Islamic State. The first one, by Jakub Rafay, deals with the attitude of IS toward chemical weapons. The second one, written by Lukáš Tichý, explores the attacks of this terrorist organization targeting the energy sector. The article by Richard Stojar on Islamic radicalism in the Balkans follows up on the topic. The fourth is an article written by Miroslava Pavlíková about cyber operations during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The fifth article by Jan Záhorík and David Šanc investigates the effects of external factors on the security of Ethiopia. Finally, the sixth peer-reviewed article written by Tomáš Karásek explores the rise of counterinsurgency as a strategic subculture based on the case of the United States of America.

Apart from articles, this issue includes four reviews of interesting professional publications. Josef Melichar introduces the book The Rise of iWar: Identity, Information, and the Individualization of Modern Warfare by Glenn J. Voelz. The second review, written by Josef Kraus, focuses on the book Zapomenuté konflikty (Forgotten Conflicts), written by the team of collaborators under Tomáš Šmíd. The third publication, reviewed by Antonín Novotný and Fabian Baxa, is Bezpečnostní systém ČR: Problémy a výzvy (Security System in the Czech Republic: Issues and Challenges) by the team of authors led by Miloš Balabán and Bohuslav Pernica. The final review by Jan Kyselák deals with the book Aspekty bezpečnosti (Aspects of Security) from Štefan Danics and Štepán Strnad.

Finally, let me express thanks on behalf of the whole of the editorial board to Josef Kraus, who leaves the position of our secretary, for his excellent work for the Obrana a strategie journal and wish him a lot of success in his future career. His agenda will be taken over by Jakub Fučík.

Chairman of the Editorial Board

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