NEW THREATS AND VULNERABILITIES REGARDING NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The events that took place at the end of the twentieth century led to important transformations that determined the need to reconfigure the geopolitical and geostrategic environment in terms of risk diversity, threats and interests of the actors involved. Russia is a key element in establishing the new security architecture as it seems to focus all necessary forces and means on maintaining its influence in Eastern Europe. In this article, I will address not only the main security threats and vulnerabilities deduced from Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, whose purpose is to reconfigure the security environment and restore the new world order, namely the Black Sea region, but I will also refer to the weapons of the mass destruction, cyber-attacks, climate change and, last but not least, the flow of refugees. All these new risks and threats to national security demonstrate once again Romania’s strategic role in shaping global security architecture. Strengthening Romania’s national security is a key element in the coming years in the unpredictable context of the regional security environment.