Asymmetric threats

obligatory courses

none

Classroom

Evolution of the concept of national and international security - traditional and contemporary paradigms of security. “New” threats to national security. Domestic and international terrorism – key terms and classifications, main forms and trends, strategic importance. Transnational Organized Crime – the nature of influence on state security, forms, strategic importance. Information security – main threats, strategic importance, countermeasures. Use of WMD by non-state actors – probability of it. Problem of illegal trade and smuggling of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and materials, problem of so called „toxic weapon” (toxic waste), reaction of selected states and international community. Piracy. Insurgency and counterinsurgency

I. Contemporary definition of security, concept of asymmetric threats

- evolution of the term ‘security’

- process of securitization

- the concept of asymmetric threats

- asymmetric threats vs. transnational and non-military threats

II. Terrorism – definition

- problem of definition

- main characteristics

- terrorism and other forms of non-state political violence

- domestic and international terrorism

III. Motivations of terrorism

- main typologies of motivations

- religious motivation – general view

- Islamic terrorism – genesis, ideology, differences between groups

- ethno-nationalist terrorism

- leftist terrorism

- other motivations

IV. Terrorism – aspect of organization

- typical organizational structures

- financing of terrorism

- state sponsored – terrorism

V. Terrorism – operational aspect

- typical modes and means of terrorist operations

- suicide terrorism – the essence, forms, development geographic and cultural patterns

VI Terrorism – assessment of strategic importance and perspectives

- statistical review and analysis

- Al Qaeda and “global jihad” – recent development

- perspectives of terrorism as a threat to national/ international security

VII Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) as a national security threat

- TOC – question of definition

- specificity (peculiarity) of TOC’ impact on security

- contemporary TOC – main evolutional trends

- TOC and non-state political violence

VIII. TOC – main areas of criminal activity

- drug production and trade

- smuggling (of arms, human, other)

- corruption as a security threat

IX. Non-state use of Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) - I

- WMD – main categories

- Psychological aspect of non-state use of WMD

- probability of non-state use of nuclear weapons

- probability of non-state use of radiological weapons

X. Non-state use of Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) - II

- biological and chemical weapons and materials (toxic weapons included) – probability of use by non-state actors

- case studies: Aum Shinrikyo i Al Qaeda

XI -XII. Cybersecurity – non-state use of Information Technologies (IT) as a national threats

- information security – key terms and definitions

- typologies of IT-activities of non-state actors

- cybercrime and cyberterrorism

- hackers, crackers and hacking and cracking

- the issue of critical infrastructure

- Wikileaks case

- examples of hostile use of IT (Stuxnet, Estonia 2007, Flamer, others)

XIII. Piracy

- definitional issues

- specificity in realtion to other forms of organised crime

- geographicasl distribution and intensity of the phenomenon

- main methods of countering

XIV Insurgency and counterinsurgency

- definitional issues

- insurgency's evolution

- contemporary forms of insurgency

- classical concepts of counterinsurgency

- contemporary strategies and tactics of counterinsurgency

Basic:

1. M. Madej, Zagrożenia asymetryczne bezpieczeństwa państw obszaru transatlantyckiego, Warszawa 2007 (podręcznik bazowy)

2. S. Dębski, B. Górka-Winter, Kryteria bezpieczeństwa międzynarodowego państwa, Warszawa 2003

3. R. Kuźniar (red.), Porządek międzynarodowy u progu XXI wieku, Warszawa 2005

4. M. Madej, Międzynarodowy terroryzm polityczny, warszawa 2001

5. B. Hofman, Oblicza terroryzmu, Warszawa 1998

6. B. Bolechów, Terroryzm w świecie podwubiegunowym. Przewartościowania i kontynuacje, Toruń 2002

7. P. Williams, Groźny Nowy Świat: Transnarodowa przestępczość zorganizowana w przededniu XXI wieku [w:] D. B. Bobrow, E. Haliżak, R. Zięba (red.), Bezpieczeństwo narodowe i międzynarodowe u schyłku XX wieku, Wydawnictwo Scholar, Warszawa 1996

8. R. Kuźniar, Z. Lachowski (red.), Bezpieczeństwo międzynarodowe czasu przemian. Zagrożenia – koncepcje - instytucje, PISM, Warszawa 2003

9. M. Gawrycki, A. Bógdał-Brzezińska, Cyberterroryzm i problemy bezpieczeństwa informacyjnego we współczesnym świecie, Warszawa 2003

10. M. Madej, M. Terlikowski (red.), Bezpieczeństwo teleinformatyczne państwa, Warszawa 2009

11. T. Aleksandrowicz, Terroryzm międzynarodowy, Warszawa 2008

12. R. Kuźniar (et.al.), Bezpieczeństwo międzynarodowe, Warszawa 2012

13. M. Lakomy, Cyberprzestrzeń jako nowy wymiar rywalizacji i współpracy państw, Katowice 2015

After the participation in the course student should have knowledge concerning contemporary theories of international security, including concept of asymmetric threats. He also should be able to use correctly relevant terminology, know basic information about contemporary terrorism (groups, attacks, ideologies), transnational crime (groups, activities), non-state use of WMD or IT, as well as other non-military threats and challenges to security (ecological, pandemics, demographic problems). The course should also prepare participants to assess independently current strategic relevance of asymmetric threats (intensity of threat, consequences etc.) and to make an effort to predict future evolution of these threats and responses to them.

S1_W01, S1_W02, S1_W03, S1_W09, S1_U01, S1_U02, S1_U03, S1_U04, S1_U05, S1_U06, S1_K01, S1_K03

attendance and active participation (15%), final written exam (open questions,) (85%)

none