The Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS) organized the 1st Executive Security Training Seminar entitled: "National Security and Intelligence Analysis in the Mediterranean Region". The training seminar, which took place in an Athenian hotel on 7th-10th July 2014, is part of the activities that are planned, implemented and supported organizationally by the Research Institute for European and American Studies... Read more
Conference Proceedings;
Edited by Antonia Dimou
&
Antonia Chatzopoulou
Conference Proceedings;
Edited by Antonia Dimou
&
Antonia Chatzopoulou
PREFACE
The Mediterranean is a geopolitically
significant region which is, however, overwhelmed by security problems
considered as vital ranging from interstate conflicts, intrastate crises and
transnational threats with most prominent the proliferation of conventional and
mass destruction weapons, cyber-warfare and terrorism. A comprehensive approach
to security in the Mediterranean , including
hard security-soft security integration and civil-military-private sector
coordination is the key to stability.
If the imperative for concord over instability prevails, then the dividents
that will accrue in the entire Mediterranean
will be multifold. What some of the
threats to stability present, the level of their complexities and whether they
can be coped efficiently under the
current regional exigencies as evidenced in Syria and Libya, have led to the
formation of the agenda of the 1st training executive seminar of the
Research Institute for European and
American Studies.
An underlying theme of the seminar has been security as a prerequisite
for foreign direct
investment that can help overcome the legacies, psychological
and otherwise that have burdened the Greek and other regional economies for so
long. As it is widely acknowledged, issues of national security related to poor
governance affect international economic transactions and have become more
complicated after September 11th, 2001 when the term was expanded to
include human security in the context of international trade.
Equally primary topic has been the presentation of the challenges
related to CBRN risks and the illegal export of sensitive military technology
as well as the outline of a series of effective strategies to mitigate risks
through coordination of different national agencies like the intelligence
communities, and cooperation between regional countries and international
organizations.
In articulating their presentations, instructors made no pretense to
providing answers to complex issues addressed. As the chairman of the executive
seminar noted in his concluding remarks, “instructors treated their topics with
sincerity and clarity, and thus increased our understanding of the complex
issues involved”.
This precisely has been the goal of the Research Institute for European
and American Studies (RIEAS). In the context of its training activities, RIEAS
sustains keen interest in the affairs of the Mediterranean region and supports
a holistic approach to security encouraging cooperation and dialogue to
identify contemporary risks and provide solutions.
The current publication of the summary of the conference proceedings serves
as guide to the instructors’ information sharing and presentations with focus
on the multi-dimensional challenges facing the Mediterranean .
Be that as it may, challenges still lie ahead…
Antonia Dimou, Editor
August 2014
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