This volume presents the key informational, communication, and socio-political drivers of the Ukrainian state's national security. Since the beginning of the third millennium, there has been an aggravation of global inter-civilizational confrontations, which in 2022 has already resulted in an open military aggression against Ukraine. The hybrid wars against the world of democracy have put ensuring the national security of states on the front pages of world and national agendas. Using the example of Ukraine, the book demonstrates how, in order to achieve their geopolitical interests, authoritarian regimes incite information wars as a prerequisite for the transition to an armed "hot" war. It further shows how these processes actualize the formation of a fundamentally new state policy to ensure information and, more broadly, national security. The book identifies the main threats to national security in modern states and identifies ways of protecting Ukraine's national interests. The book will appeal to scholars, students, and researchers of political science, international relations, social sciences, and neighboring disciplines, as well as practitioners and policy-makers interested in a better understanding of national security drivers and protecting national interests.

This volume seeks to address the security interest of independent Ukraine comprehensively in the light of international security cooperation options, including NATO membership. The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces has cooperated with the Ukrainian parliament and defence ministry since 2000. Current cooperation focuses on defence management reform.

The Maidan Revolution in Ukraine created an opportunity for change and reforms in a system that had resisted them for 25 years. This report examines Ukraine’s security sector—assessing what different institutions need to do and where gaps exist—and offers recommendations for the reform of Ukraine’s security and defense institutions that meet Ukraine’s security needs and align with Euro-Atlantic standards and approaches.

The thesis examines the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) and its role in the political decision-making process. The paper analyzes the influence of the NSDC on political process in the Ukraine during the 8 years it has been in existence, all post-Soviet years. In particular, the thesis analyzes the influence of the NSDC and of its Secretaries on the Ukrainian Government. The paper also examines the experiences of leading East- European countries and the United States in resolving issues of national security policy and how these experiences can be applied to the Ukrainian situation. Following an introductory chapter is a chapter that analyzes the experiences of Poland, Russia, and the United States in the institutionalization of their national security policies. Chapter 3 highlights the role that the NSDC assumed during the time of its first Secretary, Volodymyr Gorbulin, during the period 1994 to 1999. During this time the NSDC evolved from a structural component of the President's administration into an organization officially recognized by the Constitution. Chapter 4 analyzes the new role of the NSDC after the Presidential election of 1999, when Yevhen Marchuk was offered the position of Secretary of the NSDC in exchange for his backing of Leonid Kuchma, the new President. The final chapter presents some conclusions by the author, among them that the significance of the NSDC in the Ukranian political system is declining. This change seems to be caused primarily by the political strengthening of the President's power at the expense of other governmental entities. The decline of NSDC's influence also may be attributed to the personal relations between Secretary Marchuk and President Kuchma. (46 refs.)

"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.