In 1975, Lieutenant Commander Valeriy Sablin led his crew in a mutiny on the Soviet warship Storozhevoy. The ship was then located in Riga, Soviet Latvia. Sablin’s avowed intention was to foment a new communist revolution by taking the warship to Leningrad, where he expected to receive the support of the navy and the masses. […]
An examination of the only complete Soviet KGB active measures campaign plan that has surfaced. Based on it, a number of conclusions can be drawn on what characterized Soviet active measures during the Cold War, and for this reason might still characterize contemporary Russian active measures. Get Full text in PDF
In Part 2 Michael Fredholm von Essen looks at the circumstances that led Temuchin to change Nomad strategy and create the greatest land empire in history. He then examines the causes of the downfall of nomad military superiority, of which gunpowder was the chieftest. Get Full text VERSION 1 in PDF Get Full text VERSION […]
See more – Adlibris Alla de svenska hemligheterna från det kalla kriget. Boken bygger på tidigare hemligstämplade dokument och mycket berättas för första gången. Vad var det egentligen som hände under det kalla kriget och åren därefter? Vad gjorde landets politiska ledning, öppet och i hemlighet? – Hur gick det egentligen till när spionen Stig Wennerström avslöjades, […]
Policy makers tend to pick and choose among conclusions presented to them. This can result in politicization, which ultimately might result in intelligence being blamed for policy failures. This has a negative impact on intelligence analysis, transforming it in an ever more cautious direction which negates its utility in the policy process. Swedish intelligence learnt […]
In 1946, Sweden had not yet chosen sides in the emerging Cold War. Leading members of the Swedish Social Democrat government, primarily the powerful Foreign Minister Östen Undén, distrusted the Western democracies and regarded the Soviet Union as a viable protector. Swedish intelligence had cooperated with its Western counterparts during the Second World War. After […]
This is the first book to scrutinize the root causes of problems today with Afghan reconstruction. It begins in 1880 with the coming to power of Emir Abdur Rahman and departure of an occupying British army. On the northern border, Russian forces were also poised. Determined to preserve Afghan independence, Abdur Rahman devised a nation-building […]
The book describes and analyses the emergence of the early modern Russian army, before the military reforms introduced by Tsar Peter the Great brought it in line with developments in Western Europe. It will be shown that Tsar Peter’s reforms, although decisive, rested on a legacy of previous reforms. Yet, the origin of the early […]
This chapter will describe the implications for security forces of the convergence between nanotechnology and materials science and engineering. It will aim to investigate what can be expected in the medium term, until 2025, by examining U.S. and Russian efforts in nanomaterials, with a focus on security forces applications. It will also suggest a few […]
This book describes and analyzes the convergence of transnational organized crime and jihadist terrorism that has taken place within Russian-speaking social networks in Western Europe. Studies have shown that while under certain circumstances links between criminal organizations and terrorist groups appear, these are usually opportunistic and temporary in nature. Only rarely do they develop into […]
Rightly or wrongly, many observers who discuss present national security threats emanating from Russia will refer to the so-called Gerasimov Doctrine as essential reading. The Gerasimov Doctrine, as it is explained in most media reports, purports to be a new Russian military doctrine that combines military, technological, information, diplomatic, economic, cultural, and other tactics, which […]
Doku Umarov (1964-2013), also known as Dokka Umarov and later Abu Usman, was the founder and leader of the Caucasus Emirate. An ethnic Chechen, he, like many North Caucasian jihadis, experienced an ideological slide from secularism and separatism to jihadism. Umarov personally described how he took up jihad, with the help of a relative, from […]
By late 2005, Sweden suddenly faced what it perceived as a hard security threat, in the unexpected form of a Russian pipeline project across the Baltic Sea which, it was suspected, could be used as a sensor platform for Russian military intelligence. The pipeline would be ideally located for use as a tripwire sensor chain […]
What role did religious beliefs play in early modern warfare? Or, to rephrase the question, what was the role of religious beliefs in early modern society? That religiosity played a role seems clear, but exactly how important was religion among other motivational factors, such as the desire for survival, personal gain, or even love – […]
During the Great Northern War (1700-1721), the most renowned officer in the Danish navy was a Norwegian, Peter Tordenskiold – a living legend. Get Full text in PDF
During the Great Northern War (1700-1721), the most renowned officer in the Danish navy was a Norwegian, Peter Tordenskiold – a living legend. Get Full text in PDF
Few topics are more susceptible to heated public debate than the risks associated with the energy sector and energy security. Public debate on energy issues is often made yet more convoluted by the fact that political scientists from government and think-tanks not only have a different outlook and employ different analytical methods than industry analysts, […]
Few topics are more susceptible to heated public debate than the risks associated with the energy sector and energy security. Public debate on energy issues is often made yet more convoluted by the fact that political scientists from government and think-tanks not only have a different outlook and employ different analytical methods than industry analysts, […]
Современный джихадист часто живет на Западе, возможно вторым поколением эмигрантов или как обращенный, или в другой светской общине где-нибудь в постсоветской Средней Азии. Чаще всего он не знаком с арабским и не является мусульманином. Для него религия и идеология – скорее оправдание задним числом легитимности агрессивных действий и эффект джихадизма, а не его причина. Для […]
The contemporary jihadist often lives in the West, perhaps as a second-generation immigrant or convert, or in another fairly secular environment such as post-Soviet Central Asia. He likely knows little or no Arabic, and is not an Islamic scholar. For him, religion and ideology are primarily used as an after-the-fact justification and legitimization for violent […]
First study to properly treat a key regional grouping in Asia. Explores both security and energy issues across the region. Considers geopolitical obstacles to the SCO’s long-term viability. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has developed into a key regional security group in Asia, its member states representing no less than “half of humanity”. Alarmists believe […]
The two-decade-long reign of President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan has witnessed remarkable achievements. Where there at first was no real country, only a vast expanse inhabited by a majority of Slavic settlers, a minority of native Kazakhs (no more than 20% according to the 1959 census) and a large population of disparate nationalities exiled there […]
Globalization has brought new vulnerabilities and opportunities in Eurasia’s energy sector. The effects of globalization particularly concern Russia’s energy relationships with Europe, Central Asia, and China. In the transition from the command economy of the Soviet period to the market economy of the present, the Russian energy industry gradually changed its strategy. Central Asia is […]
In these days of recurring cutbacks in government military spending, outsourcing, and the privatization of warfare with private-sector military firms involved in naval affairs, it may be worthwhile to remember that it was not always a foregone conclusion that, from an organizational point of view, a modern navy would have to be responsible for its […]
Uzbek proponents of Islamic extremism have played an important role as foreign participants in the civil wars of Tajikistan and Afghanistan and the present conflict between Pakistani Taliban and security forces in the tribal areas of Pakistan. Their close links to international jihadist networks such as the Al-Qaida and, at times, considerable income from sources […]
In 1995, Sunni Islamic extremism – of the type usually referred to as Wahhabism – emerged as a disruptive political force in Chechnya. The dynamics of this are well understood. So is the fact that spillover from this conflict has touched the Gulf region, in the form of terrorism as well as unasked-for problems in […]
Something odd seems to have happened when the modern Danish and Swedish navies emerged in the sixteenth century. Not only did they grow in size and strength very rapidly, they also experimented with unexpected types of armaments such as pyrotechnics. Most curious might have been the experiments with naval rockets… Get Full text in […]
The geopolitical significance of Turkey is analyzed in the perspective of the last decades of the history of Turkey and the region. The paper is in Swedish. Get Full text in PDF
1. Since independence, Ukraine’s dependence on cheap natural gas, either from Russia or at least transited through Russia, in combination with Russia’s need to export natural gas to western Europe, has consistently caused disturbances in the relations between the two countries. 2. Russia depends on Ukraine, for the transiting of natural gas primarily aimed for […]
1. Central Asia is beginning to see a genuine move away from barter deals towards commercial deals in accordance with market forces. 2. Contrary to much perceived wisdom, in Central Asia it is Gazprom, Russia’s natural gas export monopoly, that is leading the way in the movement towards market forces. 3. Central Asian natural gas […]
What Makes Central Asian Islam Central Asian? In March 2005, an Afghan deputy minister of the interior (who out of mercy will remain unnamed) was touring Europe. At one stop, he suddenly found himself faced with a question that obviously took him by surprise. How long, an innocent but assuredly well-meaning European asked, had Afghanistan […]
Russia remains the key guarantor of security in Central Asia, but the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), of which Russia and China are the leading members, may have the potential eventually to assume this role. However, a number of serious issues will hamper continued cooperation. First, there is a lack of common values among the SCO member states. In […]
I dessa dagar, då EU ständigt förefaller ställa nya krav på Turkiet för att landet till sist ska beviljas medlemskap i unionen, kan det vara på sin plats att påminna om den tid då Turkiet, i form av Osmanska riket, var den superstat till vilken förföljda européer kunde fly när det ryska hotet blev alltför påträngande […]
The People of the North Caucasus at War The steep mountains of the Caucasus range always served as a barrier between the steppes of the north and the more fertile, agricultural areas to the south. Although jagged and bare, and with few real passes from north to south, many narrow and forested, fertile valleys cut through […]
Putin and Energy Policy Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has never made a secret of his views on energy security, and the policy documents issued by the Kremlin for obvious reasons correspond to his views. Most important among these documents is the Russian energy strategy, approved on 23 May 2003 and confirmed by the Russian government […]
Islam in Central Asia does not constitute a uniform religious, social, or political force. While all titular Central Asian ethnic groups, i.e., the nations that states were named after, eventually embraced Islam, the religion did not penetrate the traditional cultures and social systems of these groups to an equal extent. While the sedentary groups generally […]
The forceful suppression of revolt in Andijan shocked but also alarmed most international observers and seasoned politicians: the loss of hundreds of innocent lives was appalling but the involvement of Islamist networks was worrisome indeed. Moscow, in contrast, expressed unambiguous support to the ‘friendly Uzbek government’ and added more criticism to Western NGOs that were […]
Russia remains the key guarantor of security in Central Asia, despite often heard claims that the United States has assumed this position. However, Russia regards Central Asia as of far less priority than her relations with the United States, Europe, and China. By the end of the Soviet era, Central Asia was considered an economic […]
Most academics working on the military revolution have focused their attention on Western Europe. This Eurocentric view is perhaps understandable, since many indeed seem to be more interested in the Rise of the West than in purely military affairs elsewhere. However, while the European strategists of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, being chiefly concerned with […]
Most history was always written from the perspective of great empires such as Rome, Persia, and China. For them, and their historians, the nomads of the Eurasian steppes were little more than savage troublemakers. Nomads of different tribes and lineages were also hard to distinguish from one another. Few imperial commentators went farther than merely […]
The energy needs of the world are growing fast, and competition for energy is on the rise. Not only hydrocarbon (crude oil and natural gas) resources are at stake, but also the means of electricity production and indeed most other sources of energy. China and India may both need to double their oil requirements in […]
Around 1800, three great powers faced each other in Inner Asia: Britain, Russia, and the Manchu empire. The West referred to the latter as China, given that China since the seventeenth century formed the economically most important part of the Manchu empire. The Manchus were in decline, but they remained sufficiently strong to control the […]
I dessa dagar talar man ofta om hot och framförallt hotbilder. Det kan vara personliga hotbilder, till exempel riktade mot en viss minister. Eller det kan vara nationella hotbilder, riktade mot hela landet. Under det kalla kriget såg svenska myndigheter en tydlig hotbild i form av Sovjetunionen. Under tidigare århundraden upplevdes på samma sätt det […]
Female Chechen suicide bombers have recently developed into a new and increasingly serious threat to Russia. Previous Chechen acts of violence were primarily aimed at military targets and took place in the Northern Caucasus, and did not aim to kill large numbers of Russian civilians. The attacks by female suicide bombers have reversed these patterns. While […]
A Great Game with New Rules Central Asia is no longer the contested territory in a great geopolitical game fought among great powers. Few borders are seriously contested, unlike the situation in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Despite regional problems involving the exploitation of water resources, inter-ethnic distrust, economic reform, and the development […]
The Swedish Way of Warfare – with Privateers and Pirates In the 1700s, the Swedish way of warfare was regarded as highly effective. It was also, not infrequently, highly anachronistic. The Swedish army’s persisting – and convincing – use of pikes against enemies armed with muskets is well known. Less noted perhaps, is the fact […]
The Army of Muscovite Russia – From the Middle Ages to Imperial Russia Medieval Russia was divided into a number of independent princepalities and republics. In the fourteenth century Moscow, ruled by a Grand Duke or Prince (velikiy knyaz’), gained a leading rle among them, a feat achieved chiefly by accepting tributary status to the […]
The failure of the Chechen separatist movement has made it imperative to find a working policy for the volatile Russian North Caucasus. There is a risk of extremist retaliation against the West, which would mean that the present terrorist threat in Russia becomes a transnational threat. The paper describes the prospects for Russia in dealing […]
Är leksaker föremål, som har tillverkats endast för barnens lekar? Eller är leksaker vardagsföremål, som barn hittar eller lånar för att leka med? Och är alla de kottar, stenar och träpinnarsom barn använder i leken även de att betrakta som leksaker? Föreliggande artikel behandlar trähästar och andra träföremål som påträffats i Novgorod. The article describes […]
