EDITORIAL

Vasileios Valasakis
(Chairman of a financial Institution in the United Kingdom and holds an MA from Georgetown University in International Relations and National Security. He has also earned a Certificate in Terrorism and Counterterrorism from the University of St Andrews, UK)

Copyright: @ 2022 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 17 April 2022

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS)

The Russian invasion in Ukraine provides Greece and Turkey with a unique opportunity to resolve their longstanding differences. A resolution that is to bring about benefits to the western alliance and promote stability in the Aegean and the Mediterranean. It is equally an opportunity for Greece to ferret out Turkey’s true willingness for a compromise solution. Turkey in turn, by compromising her maximalist position in the Aegean, soothes out further her turbulent relationship with the superpower .
The negative climate against the use of military force may prompt Turkey to take a step back from her maximalist claims in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. This is an unexpected bestowal for Greece, who has limited options to exercise to counter Turkish claims . Greece’s two extreme policy options comprise Israelification, or compromise. Israelification implies militarisation of the Greek society to counter the Turkish threat. Militarisation entails creating and sustaining a society in arms. A society in arms provides negotiating chips to the political leadership to take a strong stance when confronting Turkey’s increasing demands. ... Read more

By Dr. Ajay Kumar (PhD)
(Chairman & Managing Director, Fox Petroleum Group of Companies)

Copyright: @ 2022 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 17 April 2022

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS)

Outrageous pictures from the Ukrainian town of Bucha and accusations of war crimes levelled at Russia are building pressure for more sanctions against Moscow especially no on its oil & gas business. NATO losing knot on Russian Gas – a threat to EU Economy; whereas Berlin disagrees. Berlin has publicly warned of mass unemployment and poverty in Europe's biggest economy if its industries and households must forgo Russian gas. The German government has set out plans to end its need for Russian oil imports by the end of this year and to stop Russian gas imports by 2024.

Before going into deep, let’s be familiar with how much oil and gas EU buy from Russia. Russia supplies a momentous volume of fossil fuels to other European countries. In 2021 it was the largest exporter of oil and natural gas to the European Union, and 40% of gas consumed in the EU came from Russia. In 2017, energy products accounted for around 60% of the EU's total imports from Russia. The data shows from 2017 to 2021 European Union already cut down imports by 20%. Let me simplify it - A key potential target of United States is Russian oil and natural gas because $850 million (€775 million) approx that European importers pay for those supplies every day. But it's not so easy, given Europe's dependence on Russian energy.... Read more

Shaul Shay
(Senior research fellow at the International Institute for Counterterrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council)

Copyright: @ 2022 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 31 March 2022

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS)

The Houthi militia is escalating its hostile attacks to target energy sources in Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea region. The escalation comes on the seventh anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen’s war.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced on March 25, 2022, that the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen had carried out 16 attacks against the Kingdom. The coalition said that Saudi defenses shot down 12 armed drones and a ballistic missile fired at the southern and southwestern regions of the Kingdom.

The Saudi led coalition also has destroyed two explosive-laden Houthi boats on March 23, 2022, in the Yemeni ports of Saleef and Hodeidah . The coalition said that the militia was planning to use the boats in attacks on oil tankers crossing the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.... Read more

Prof Joseph Fitsanakis 
(Senior Editor, IntelNews.org)

Joseph Fitsanakis
(Professor, Intelligence and Security Studies, Director, Intelligence Operations Command Center, President, American Association of University Professors, Coastal Carolina University, USA)

Copyright@2022, European Intelligence Academy (EIA)
(www.euintelligenceacademy.eu) Published at RIEAS on 6 March 2022

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS)

Amidst the unfolding Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Intelligence Academy (EIA), an initiative of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS), has launched its latest project, the EIA Global Watch. The EIA Global Watch is a collaboration between the EIA and the Intelligence Operations Command Center (IOCC) at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) in the United States.

This new project brings together 30 analysts in the IOCC’s Applied Intelligence internship. The internship provides training in analytical tradecraft through the real-time monitoring of current events. The project consists of six Critical Mission Centers (CMCs), each managed by a director, who supervises a support staff of senior analysts. CMCs are tasked with monitoring a developing topic on a real-time basis. They also issue periodic written and oral intelligence products, which contain current- and estimative-analysis assessments of their topics.

Currently, all CMCs have been assigned to follow the fast-changing war in Ukraine. Prior to the onset of the war, they produced current-intelligence products and trend analyses on a variety of topics, to include the civil unrest in Sudan and Kazakhstan, economic trends in Turkey and China, as well as the latest COVID-19 trends in the United States.

The EIA Global Watch project is supervised by EIA Director, Dr. John Nomikos, and managed by EIA Deputy Director for North America, Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis. RIEAS wishes to thank the IOCC and CCU for their contribution to the work of the EIA. Click on to read more

Copyright@ 2022 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Posted on 26 February 2022.

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS)

RIEAS and the Embassies of Poland and Lithuania in Athens, Greece, organize a webinar on “NATO vs Hybrid Threats in the Contemporary World – the perspectives of the Eastern Flank.” Listen to webinar discussions.