by

Constantin Ardeleanu

on
14 Jun 2017

Fishing in Troubled Waters

The Lipovan fishermen communities of the Danube Delta have faced geopolitical and environmental challenges, their fate is that of a local population whose human security is at stake.

by

Joep Schenk

on
09 May 2017

The Netherlands for sale? Hostile takeovers and national security

Ascending protectionist economic policies have created a context in which hostile takeovers are understood as a threat to national security, forcing national governments to act.

by

Wouter Klem

on
21 Apr 2017

The Rules of Guess Who? From Daguerrotypes to Algorythms

The introduction of new surveillance techniques often ensues without much societal debate. Yet the impact on civil liberties has been, and will continue to be, significant.

by

Constantin Ardeleanu

on
20 Mar 2017

Historical Narratives and National Interests, or: on the Orwellian Characters of Eastern Europe

In Moldova, President Igor Dodon instrumentalizes history to change the country’s political direction and counter a perceived threat to national independence.

by

Erik de Lange

on
06 Mar 2017

The Plague on Board. Algiers and the American Sanitary Ban of 1818

As the plague raged in Algiers in 1818, US consul William Shaler proposed sanitary measures of exclusion. His plans reflect a recurrent policy wish.

by

Ozan Ozavci

on
22 Feb 2017

Historicising the Present: Syria through the Looking Glass

How can we historicise the story of present miseries in Syria? Wherein this sad story will we be?

by

Beatrice de Graaf

on
06 Feb 2017

For the Benefit of All Mankind. A Blueprint of European Peace and Security after 1815

In times of turmoil, it is good to have leaders with a vision, preferably a vision for peace and prosperity. Following a preponderance of perils – protracted warfare, brigandry, plagues…

by

Rachel Gillett

on
30 Jan 2017

Decolonizing the Curriculum

We ought to decolonize curricula and classrooms by challenging Eurocentric narratives. The stakes are as high as societal security.

by

Trineke Palm

on
10 Jan 2017

Bosnia after Brexit. Causes for Concern?

Brexit may change the EU’s military involvement with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Is this a cause for concern?

by

Niels Terpstra

on
12 Dec 2016

Assessing IS as a State. A Comparison of Rebel Governance

Are the days of IS as a state numbered? Under the current military pressure the Caliphate seems to lose not only its geographical territory, but also its governing capacities.

by

Joep Schenk

on
29 Nov 2016

An ‘Ordering Moment’ for Climate Change. Awaiting the Leap of the Brainless Frog?

Great Powers are pivotal in reordering the international order after major crises. Yet, in tackling the current climate problem the input of smaller powers might be paramount.

by

Constantin Ardeleanu

on
17 Oct 2016

Information and Disinformation. The Threat of Online Trolling

The EU recently adopted resolutions against Russian propaganda and disinformation. Are we entering a new age of propaganda wars fought by online trolls?

by

Beatrice de Graaf

on
03 Oct 2016

Drudging Diplomacy. Appreciating Multilateralism

John Kerry should win the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Diplomats behind the scenes are overlooked, but throughout the modern era, they are the ones that keep multilateral diplomacy alive.

by

Erik de Lange

on
12 Sep 2016

Secure Remembrance. 9/11 Fifteen Years On

With 11 September 2001 being fifteen years ago, we ought to rethink the way we commemorate 9/11 and be considerate of its wider repercussions.

by

Daan Donkers

on
29 Jul 2016

Cybersecurity: The Future is Now

Cybersecurity is the security challenge of the 21st century, it is fuelling a digital arms race between governments and hackers all over the world.

by

Wouter Klem

on
27 Jun 2016

Closing Borders While the Bullet is Within

Trump’s ideas to close US borders for specific groups of immigrants proved to be of little use in the past. Instead, the country might be better off countering its actual security problems.

by

Ozan Ozavci

on
13 Jun 2016

The Dispute

What is the dispute around the Armenian Genocide about? Why does it repeatedly come to a dead-end? How can the spell of nationalism be replaced by constructive apologies?

by

Constantin Ardeleanu

on
30 May 2016

Between the Devil and the Deep Black Sea

As Russia, NATO, Georgia and Ukraine are currently all flexing their military muscles, the Black Sea witnesses an escalation of tensions. These tensions can only be understood as part of the region’s tormented history.

by

Lisa Bald

on
17 May 2016

Inflation of Emergencies: Italy in continuous “crisi”

During the past four decades, Italy’s 24 governments saw themselves exposed to numerous cases of extraordinary threats – and reacted with urgency

by

Melle Lyklema

on
03 May 2016

State Formation in the Middle East: the Case of Securing the ‘Persian Gulf’ from Piracy

British efforts to suppress piracy in the Gulf and its treaties with local powerbrokers laid the somewhat haphazard foundations for state formation on the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf.

by

Erik de Lange

on
18 Apr 2016

Security for Sale! On Selling What Cannot be Bought

Outsourcing security is becoming common practice and the private security sector is growing. But is private security new? And can security even be bought?

by

Joep Schenk

on
05 Apr 2016

Walls, Ramparts and Bulwarks: Europe Against the ‘Other’

By presenting themselves as the European bulwark against an urgent threat, European governments have repeatedly employed ‘othering’ to gain legitimacy.

by

Wouter Klem

on
21 Mar 2016

The Lure of the Conspiracy: From the Russian Okhrana to Erdoğan’s Rhetoric

Secretive Okhrana practices in the past as well as present day examples illustrate how conspiracies present alternative ‘truths’ to serve specific interests.

by

Beatrice de Graaf

on
07 Mar 2016

The Never-Ending Search for the Radical Profile – and the Loss of the Person Behind It

This blog offers a short genealogy of centralized practices of registration and identification, asking in the process whether the emergence of risk profiles has not obscured the person behind the profile.

by

Melle Lyklema

on
29 Feb 2016

Security and Expert Knowledge in Times of Revolution: the ‘Arab Spring’ Anno 2016

The academic aftermath of the ‘Arab Spring’ shows that historians are right to abstain from quick interpretations of sudden events of immediate ‘historical magnitude’. But what exactly were the insidious effects of time pressure on expert knowledge?

by

Constantin Ardeleanu

on
15 Feb 2016

Buridan’s Ass and its Historical Traumas

The political situation of the small post-Soviet Republic of Moldova has worsened in 2015, following disputes in the pro-European coalition that has been governing the country since 2009. This blogpost discusses the historical roots of this conflict and analyses why Moldova’s choice is such a difficult one.

by

Ozan Ozavci

on
01 Feb 2016

On Ascribed Identities, Human Dignity and History

Between security and civic liberties there tends to be an antagonistic relationship. It is not uncommon that in times of emergencies liberties are undervalued in pursuit of security, as became…

by

Erik de Lange

on
18 Jan 2016

A Fox News Anchor and the Amazon Pirates

The marketing of the recently published Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates indicates the dangers and pitfalls of drawing easy security analogies from history to the present.

by

Wouter Klem

on
14 Dec 2015

Paths through Policy: The Historical Roots of CT Approaches

In the wake of the frightful terrorist attacks in Paris and the subsequent manhunt in Brussels, it has once again become clear that, although security services cooperate intensively across state…

by

Joep Schenk

on
30 Nov 2015

ISIS’s Water Wars and the Land of Two Rivers

When looking at the situation in Iraq and Syria today, a clear relation between water, power and security can be discerned. By extending its control over the course of the…