{"title":"Examining the Globalist and Marxian Groundworks on Human Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st Century: Insights from Nigeria and South Africa","authors":"K. W. Olawoyin, O. Akinrinde","doi":"10.53477/2284-9378-23-56","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53477/2284-9378-23-56","url":null,"abstract":"This study probes into the globalist and Marxian perspectives on human insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa,with a particular focus on Nigeria and South Africa. By employing a case-study methodology and data from relevant secondary and archival sources, the study seeks to understand the effects of globalization, globalist ideologies, and Marxist ideologies on human insecurity in the region. While previous studies have primarily attributed human insecurity in Africa to internal factors, such as corruption, self-destructive public policies, poverty, environmental degradation, militancy, and insurgency, the globalist and Marxist contexts of the insecurity have received limited scholarly attention. While findings partly confirm that most human insecurities in the region are largely influenced by internal factors, the global environment, encompassing job insecurity, global warming, deadly viruses and pandemics, transnational crimes, drugs, and interstate conflict, also plays a significant role. The study further uncovers the exploitative, oppressive, and conflict-ridden interactions between the bourgeoisie and proletariats in Sub-Saharan Africa, thereby contributing to unfairness, deprivation, and conflicts that usually morph into human insecurity. To mitigate human insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa, the study proposes a collaborative global approach and a more equitable distribution of resources within the state. Understanding the globalist and Marxian foundations of human insecurity can provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in devising comprehensive strategies to address this pressing issue in the region.","PeriodicalId":516822,"journal":{"name":"BULLETIN OF \"CAROL I\" NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY","volume":"32 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140503969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cold War Geopolitics","authors":"Jeremy Black","doi":"10.53477/2284-9378-23-45","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53477/2284-9378-23-45","url":null,"abstract":"Swiftly following World War Two, the Cold War between a Soviet-led alliance and an American-led one might appear to be a clearcut case of a continuity with Mackinder’s 1904 perspective. In practice, there was the significant intervening stage of the earlier ideological political contest of 1918-41 between the Soviet Union and a British anti-Communist system.","PeriodicalId":516822,"journal":{"name":"BULLETIN OF \"CAROL I\" NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY","volume":"103 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139640341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The S-400 “Triumf ”: between expectations and results","authors":"Catalin Chiriac","doi":"10.53477/2284-9378-23-47","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53477/2284-9378-23-47","url":null,"abstract":"During the Cold War, the Soviet Union invested heavily in its air defense systems, so its rightful successor, Russia, has now some of the most advanced air and missile defense systems in the world. Among them, the S-400 “Triumf” surface-to-air missile system is perhaps the most criticized, shrouded in mystery, and feared system in Russia’s arsenal. Developed and then presented as capable of engaging a variety of aerial threats, the system gained a reputation, at least declaratively, of being able to counter US and NATO ambitions to win a conflict through airspace dominance.","PeriodicalId":516822,"journal":{"name":"BULLETIN OF \"CAROL I\" NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY","volume":"202 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140504265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Glimpse of Baltic States over the Russia-Ukraine War","authors":"Saranya Antony","doi":"10.53477/2284-9378-23-57","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53477/2284-9378-23-57","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict and its implications for the Baltic states. In the wake of July 11, 2023, the NATO summit was held in Lithuania with the participation of U.S. President Joe Biden. The summit occurred amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine and provided an opportunity for the East European nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to assert their positions on international platforms. Thus, the Baltic states serve as a transformed stage for the strategic alliance among the EU allies and NATO in opposition to Russia. Russia disclosed a list of unfriendly countries and territories, which includes the Baltic states. The war between Russia and Ukraine poses a security threat to the Baltic states, given their close geographical proximity and location as a junction between East and West. However, the Baltic states receive high-level military drills and special training for their nation-level armed forces as NATO member countries. Subsequently, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has multiple implications for the Baltic states. Thus, the paper argues that the Russia-Ukraine military escalation has strong geopolitical, economic, socio-cultural, and security disruptions over the Baltic states.","PeriodicalId":516822,"journal":{"name":"BULLETIN OF \"CAROL I\" NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY","volume":"187 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140503676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Repressing the Voice, Increasing the Noise: The Imperative for Negotiation as a Panacea to Security Crisis in the South East, Nigeria (PART II)","authors":"Victor Chukwugekwu Ebonine","doi":"10.53477/2284-9378-23-61","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53477/2284-9378-23-61","url":null,"abstract":"This part II examines the Nigerian government’s response to insecurity in the South East Nigeria. As argued in the part I of this article, insecurity in the region has largely taken a dimension of secessionist struggle over long term marginalization, misrule and bad governance. This part dominantly utilized secondary materials and therefore argues that the Nigerian government’s known strategy of managing the crisis has been the deployment of kinetic instruments that have done little to address the phenomenon. It is therefore proposed that only deliberate round-table negotiation can address this phenomenon for the peace and harmony of the region and Nigeria.","PeriodicalId":516822,"journal":{"name":"BULLETIN OF \"CAROL I\" NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY","volume":"231 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140504709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ukraine – environmental aspects of humanitarian demining","authors":"Serhiy Orel, Vadim Durach","doi":"10.53477/2284-9378-23-55","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53477/2284-9378-23-55","url":null,"abstract":"In 2021, Ukraine produced such an amount of food that it would have been possible to feed about 400 million people, not counting the population of Ukraine. The strategy for the development of the agricultural sector of Ukraine envisages providing food for 1 billion of the world’s population by 2030. However, the aggression of Russia on February 24, 2022, and the subsequent hostilities led to the contamination of agricultural lands with a significant amount of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), which requires humanitarian demining. This article is devoted to the review of the humanitarian demining process from the point of view of its impact on the environment and the determination of the main components affecting the production of agricultural products. In the first period of the demining process, there will be a significant decline in the production of agricultural products. This decline will be determined by the reduction in the area of cultivated agricultural land due to the danger of explosion. In the course of the demining and liquidation of ERW, the area of land will increase, as will the volume of production, but the quality of products will decrease due to the presence of heavy metal compounds and explosive residues in it and the deterioration of the quality of the soil itself. Therefore, after the liberation of Ukraine’s territory, contaminated by mines and ERW, taking into account its importance as the world’s granary, the demining time is of great importance and Ukraine will be very grateful for any help that will reduce it.","PeriodicalId":516822,"journal":{"name":"BULLETIN OF \"CAROL I\" NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY","volume":"7 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140504599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advancing NATO’s quality assurance education by implementing the ‘learn-watch-ask’ training model","authors":"Radu Emilian Bălănescu","doi":"10.53477/2284-9378-23-52","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53477/2284-9378-23-52","url":null,"abstract":"The paper introduces a detailed analysis and a method of implementing the “Learn-Watch-Ask” (LWA) training model, as a potential solution, to enhance quality assurance training within NATO. By addressing the fast-evolving demands of specialized domains, the LWA model integrates digital tools with traditional teaching methods to create a learning experience that is responsive to the student`s needs. The model is comprised of three interdependent components: the Learn module, represented by a structured online course; the Watch module, supported by a specialized YouTube channel for enhanced visual understanding; and the Ask module, created with an AI-driven chatbot for interactive learning. This innovative approach supports diverse learning styles, offering 24/7 accessibility and effectiveness. The paper further digs deeper into the identified shortcomings of traditional training models, emphasizing the need for practical, visual, and interactive elements in modern education. It explores the integration of the IBM WatsonX Assistant as a conversational AI chatbot in the LWA model, highlighting its advantages in providing consistent, accurate, and user-friendly interactions over Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) AI models. Additionally, a 7-step process for adapting the LWA model to various domains is outlined, as well as the description of a comprehensive continuous improvement loop for the IBM WatsonX Assistant, ensuring its relevance and efficiency in the rapidly evolving educational landscape. The LWA model, with its unique approach to modern educational techniques, not only enhances the learning experience for NATO’s Quality Assurance Course (S7-137) but also has the potential to be adapted across various specialized domains, promising a more effective and efficient workforce.","PeriodicalId":516822,"journal":{"name":"BULLETIN OF \"CAROL I\" NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY","volume":"189 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140503776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}