Christian Kaunert

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This highly topical book investigates the EU’s role in promoting democracy and human rights in post-Mubarak Egypt, with a focus on the EU funded Civil Society Facility (CSF) instrument. Bassant Hassib and Christian Kaunert assess projects under the 2011-13 CSF in terms of their structure, funding, complementarity, focus areas and implementation. Hassib and Kaunert argue that challenges within both EU and Egyptian frameworks have reinforced a gap between the CSF’s objectives and its implementation in Egypt. They examine the ways in which the effectiveness of CSF projects are impacted by the complex interplay between the EU and Egypt’s institutional dynamics, as well as the Egyptian socio-political environment. Providing a comprehensive overview of EU democracy advocacy in a critical geographical area, the book ultimately emphasises the need for favourable conditions to ensure the success of democratization efforts supported by external actors. Scholars and students of European politics and policy, international relations, Middle Eastern politics and political Islam will greatly benefit from this compelling book. Timely and engaging, it is also an essential resource for policymakers, practitioners and civil society organisations working in human rights and regulation, governance and security.

This book examines the use of communications efforts in preventing and challenging extremist narratives online. These efforts are part of the expansive and well-resourced sector of preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE). They leverage technology tools (algorithms, direct messaging, and audience targeting) to communicate counter-extremist messaging across various digital platforms. The research and discussion focus on the role of strategic communications in deradicalizing and changing the behavioral features of ‘vulnerable’ and ‘at-risk’ audiences susceptible to extremist messaging. This approach views radicalization pathways toward violence as a key issue to tackle within online P/CVE communication efforts. This book investigates this problem and seeks to understand and assess the role, efficacy, and implications of such efforts within the broader counter-terrorism (CT) landscape, using UK counter-terrorism efforts (via the Prevent Strategy) as its primary contextual source. This analysis applies the theory of socialization, referred to in this study as ‘socialization and reasoned action strategic communication’ (SoRaSCo). The authors identify strategic communications deficiencies and offer insights for developing a roadmap for strategic communications in P/CVE in the UK and globally. Drawing on extensive research, the book provides crucial insights for policymakers, researchers, and the public interested in new trends in P/CVE, counter-terrorism, strategic communications, and policing interventions.

Nigeria has become one of the hotbeds of cybercrime since the liberalization of the telecommunication industry began in 1996. The scale and magnitude have been quite disturbing, not just for Nigeria but also for the international community, given the limitless boundaries of cybercrime. Like any other type of fraud, Internet fraud is primarily driven by financial gains. This book investigates the extent of the lack of digital forensic resources in Nigeria’s financial crime agencies. It is vital to have a proper resource inventory and capabilities to successfully confront the growing threat of financial crimes. While a few studies have suggested the lack of forensic capabilities in Nigerian cybercrime investigative agencies and the justice system, none have examined this in great detail, particularly in relation to specific skills gaps and resources needed in Nigeria’s financial crime agencies. This book contributes to the growing body of knowledge and clarifies the scope of the lack of digital forensic resources. Understanding the extent of the deficiency and its impact on caseloads could be crucial for developing a roadmap toward building forensic readiness and capability maturity for the agencies. This book presents the deficiencies in forensic readiness and recommends measures to fill this gap. This book also examines the specifics of the cybercrime caseloads and conviction records in Nigeria, identifying trends and patterns. The book explores other cybercrime complexities in Nigeria, such as common cybercrime taxonomies, prosecution, and conviction dynamics, juxtaposing it with select case studies in other jurisdictions. Drawing on extensive research, the book offers crucial insights for policymakers, researchers, and the public interested in new trends in cybercrime, digital forensic readiness, Nigerian financial crime agencies, and cybercrime investigations.

This topical book investigates the breadth of visual broadcasts and performances of the Islamic State (IS). Moign Khawaja and Christian Kaunert present a rigorous examination of how and why IS visually projected its abilities and strength as a modern state, and provide insights to the purposes behind their propaganda. Examining hundreds of official propaganda video releases, Khawaja and Kaunert provide a visual longitudinal analysis of IS’ portrayal of its population, territory, governance, and foreign policy, which they term as the ‘Visual Caliphate’. They demonstrate that while IS published its state-like performances in multiple formats such as audios and magazines, videos were their medium of choice as they narrate stories at length and with more clarity, offering audiences deeper context to garner their support. Contributing to a growing body of research on IS visual propaganda and its state-building project, this comprehensive book will prove beneficial for future research on contemporary terrorist organisations, de-facto jihadi states, and deradicalisation as well as conflict studies. Islamic State, Media, and Propaganda is an indispensable resource for scholars, researchers and students in international politics, Islamic studies, terrorism and security, digital and political sociology, and communications. It is also a valuable reference for policymakers and non-governmental and civil society organizations concerned with international security.

This book analyses the securitization of ethnic identities and social groups by the state in Afghanistan in the post-2001 context. Securitization is arguably the most successful theoretical framework to analyse security beyond the military confines. Yet, despite its broadening agenda, the securitization framework has been accused of a Western bias. This book analyses the extent and the modalities and practices of the securitization of ethnic identities and social groups (e.g. women) by the state in Afghanistan post-2001, which is especially relevant following the takeover by the Taliban in August 2021. It puts forward a more nuanced argument by analytically distinguishing and empirically testing state policies, practices, and perspectives on ethnic and social groups that are largely informed by the fear and legacies of civil war (1978–2001). The work argues that the traditional lack of a stable state identity that could function as a basis for ontological security in Afghanistan has resulted in a persistent state of fragility exacerbated by the legacies and fears of civil war that have had a direct impact on the development of the state’s perspectives on ethnic and social groups. Whilst the state does not necessarily indulge in explicit securitization practices and discourses, securitization often takes place through implicit activities to undermine ethnic and social groups’ ability to enter political, economic, and socio-cultural competitions fairly and equitably, which would, in turn, enable these groups to challenge the state. The securitization process, therefore, has had an impact on the ability of these groups to benefit from opportunities fairly and equitably. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, statebuilding, Asian politics, and International Relations in general.

This book is the first comprehensive, book-length analysis of Israel and securitization processes. It develops an original analytical framework to ameliorate the theoretical understanding of the audience component during the securitization process, drawing upon insights from both securitization theory, political psychology, and IR theory. This gives us significant new insights into why some audiences are essential to be persuaded for securitization to occur, while others are not. This book also examines the role of the United States in defining what matters in Israeli National Security. In essence, since the United States is Israel's most significant ally, it is essential for the Israeli leadership to gain the American government's support (or its lack of resistance) for almost any securitization acts. The book analyses a highly original set of interviews with prominent figures in Israel who were at the top level of the Israeli decision-making process, including members of the political and military echelons. "Through unparalleled access to Israel's political and security echelons, Israel: National Security and Securitization provides a unique overview of Israel’s decision-maker's political perception over the years". Ehud Olmert- Prime Minister of Israel 2006-2009"Israel: National Security and Securitization provides a powerful analysis of how the State of Israel confronted security threats, and what was the American involvement in the Israeli decision-making process". Amos Yadlin, IDF Military Intelligence Directorate Chief 2006-2010"This book makes us understand securitization in a novel and enlightening way, thus making a substantial contribution to our understanding of national security in general and Israeli security in particular". Gabriel Ben-Dor, University of Haifa "Wertman and Kaunert's book makes an important and unique contribution to the existing and developing literature on securitization". Kobi Michael, Institute for National Security Studies

Nigeria has become one of the hotbeds of cybercrime since the liberalization of the telecommunication industry began in 1996. The scale and magnitude have been quite disturbing, not just for Nigeria but also for the international community, given the limitless boundaries of cybercrime. Like any other type of fraud, Internet fraud is primarily driven by financial gains. This book investigates the extent of the lack of digital forensic resources in Nigeria’s financial crime agencies. It is vital to have a proper resource inventory and capabilities to successfully confront the growing threat of financial crimes. While a few studies have suggested the lack of forensic capabilities in Nigerian cybercrime investigative agencies and the justice system, none have examined this in great detail, particularly in relation to specific skills gaps and resources needed in Nigeria’s financial crime agencies. This book contributes to the growing body of knowledge and clarifies the scope of the lack of digital forensic resources. Understanding the extent of the deficiency and its impact on caseloads could be crucial for developing a roadmap toward building forensic readiness and capability maturity for the agencies. This book presents the deficiencies in forensic readiness and recommends measures to fill this gap. This book also examines the specifics of the cybercrime caseloads and conviction records in Nigeria, identifying trends and patterns. The book explores other cybercrime complexities in Nigeria, such as common cybercrime taxonomies, prosecution, and conviction dynamics, juxtaposing it with select case studies in other jurisdictions. Drawing on extensive research, the book offers crucial insights for policymakers, researchers, and the public interested in new trends in cybercrime, digital forensic readiness, Nigerian financial crime agencies, and cybercrime investigations.

This book analyses securitization processes outside of the West, with a focus on Africa. The aim of the volume is to develop an original analytical framework to explain the securitization-neo-patrimonialism dynamics in West Africa, drawing upon insights from securitization theory, sociology and psychology. Among critical voices, securitization has become the gold standard for analysing emerging challenges, such as migration, terrorism, and human security. Yet, despite its broadening agenda, the framework has also been accused of bias, with a Western political context and democratic governance structure at its heart. This book aims to re-conceptualise the framework in a way that suits non-Western contexts better, notably by re-conceptualising the securitization-neopatrimonialism nexus in Africa, which gives us significant new insights into non-Western political contexts. It analyses the securitization processes among the political elites under neo-patrimonial statehood, and further stretches the conceptualisation of securitization into African statehood, which is characterised by a blurred line between the leader and the state. The volume explores the processes of securitizing threats in Liberia, Sierra Leone and wider West Africa, as well as the neo-patrimonial regimes of these states. In doing so, it explores the influence these states’ neo-patrimonial regimes have on the processes of threat securitization. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, African politics and International Relations. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

This book explains Europol’s online sharing platforms efforts in three major cybercrime areas: ransomware, money laundering with cryptocurrencies, and online child sexual exploitation that Europol has already pushed private and public actors to cooperate. Since the global financial crisis, online sharing economy platforms have made a significant impact on use of under-utilized resources. People who have a car (Uber) or a spare room (Airbnb) began to share their under-used assets with others for extra income. The success achieved by these online platforms that enable efficient use of limited resources raised a new discussion on whether a similar governance model can be implemented by public administrations where public resources are insufficient. Cybercrime is one of these fields where most law enforcement agencies have not got enough resources to tackle these crimes. They need the human and technical resources of the private sector for a safer society. This book, for the first time, seeks the answers to this question. It examines the feasibility of online sharing economy platforms to enhance public-private partnerships to tackle cybercrime. The European Union Policing Agency, Europol, is the first police organization to adopt a similar model to interact with policing agencies and private industry. Drawing on extensive research, the book offers crucial insights for policymakers, researchers, and the public interested in new trends in sharing economy, innovative governance models, public-private partnerships, and cybercrime investigations.

This book is the first comprehensive, book-length analysis of Israel and securitization processes. It develops an original analytical framework to ameliorate the theoretical understanding of the audience component during the securitization process, drawing upon insights from both securitization theory, political psychology, and IR theory. This gives us significant new insights into why some audiences are essential to be persuaded for securitization to occur, while others are not. This book also examines the role of the United States in defining what matters in Israeli National Security. In essence, since the United States is Israel's most significant ally, it is essential for the Israeli leadership to gain the American government's support (or its lack of resistance) for almost any securitization acts. The book analyses a highly original set of interviews with prominent figures in Israel who were at the top level of the Israeli decision-making process, including members of the political and military echelons. "Through unparalleled access to Israel's political and security echelons, Israel: National Security and Securitization provides a unique overview of Israel’s decision-maker's political perception over the years". Ehud Olmert- Prime Minister of Israel 2006-2009"Israel: National Security and Securitization provides a powerful analysis of how the State of Israel confronted security threats, and what was the American involvement in the Israeli decision-making process". Amos Yadlin, IDF Military Intelligence Directorate Chief 2006-2010"This book makes us understand securitization in a novel and enlightening way, thus making a substantial contribution to our understanding of national security in general and Israeli security in particular". Gabriel Ben-Dor, University of Haifa "Wertman and Kaunert's book makes an important and unique contribution to the existing and developing literature on securitization". Kobi Michael, Institute for National Security Studies

This book explains Europol’s online sharing platforms efforts in three major cybercrime areas: ransomware, money laundering with cryptocurrencies, and online child sexual exploitation that Europol has already pushed private and public actors to cooperate. Since the global financial crisis, online sharing economy platforms have made a significant impact on use of under-utilized resources. People who have a car (Uber) or a spare room (Airbnb) began to share their under-used assets with others for extra income. The success achieved by these online platforms that enable efficient use of limited resources raised a new discussion on whether a similar governance model can be implemented by public administrations where public resources are insufficient. Cybercrime is one of these fields where most law enforcement agencies have not got enough resources to tackle these crimes. They need the human and technical resources of the private sector for a safer society. This book, for the first time, seeks the answers to this question. It examines the feasibility of online sharing economy platforms to enhance public-private partnerships to tackle cybercrime. The European Union Policing Agency, Europol, is the first police organization to adopt a similar model to interact with policing agencies and private industry. Drawing on extensive research, the book offers crucial insights for policymakers, researchers, and the public interested in new trends in sharing economy, innovative governance models, public-private partnerships, and cybercrime investigations.

This significant book provides a comprehensive analysis of the global dimension of European Union (EU) counter-terrorism. It focuses on the growth of the EU as a global counter-terrorism actor, from it having almost no role in 2001 to becoming a significantly greater force in recent years. Analysing one of the most important policy areas of European integration, authors Christian Kaunert, Alex MacKenzie and Sarah Léonard consider the key question of why the EU may have become a global actor in counter-terrorism. The authors then develop a unique theoretical approach in the form of actorness and collective securitization, which analyses the EU’s evolution as a counter-terrorism actor in different case studies, such as counter-terrorism in the transatlantic relationship, North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Overall, this book highlights that the EU is, in fact, becoming a counter-terrorism actor of growing importance and with an ever-diversifying number of policy options available. Addressing topical matters, this book will be a key resource for scholars, researchers and students in fields such as European studies, international relations, political science and governance. It will also attract the attention of practitioners, politicians, non-governmental and civil society organisations.

This book analyses securitization processes outside of the West, with a focus on Africa. The aim of the volume is to develop an original analytical framework to explain the securitization-neo-patrimonialism dynamics in West Africa, drawing upon insights from securitization theory, sociology and psychology. Among critical voices, securitization has become the gold standard for analysing emerging challenges, such as migration, terrorism, and human security. Yet, despite its broadening agenda, the framework has also been accused of bias, with a Western political context and democratic governance structure at its heart. This book aims to re-conceptualise the framework in a way that suits non-Western contexts better, notably by re-conceptualising the securitization-neopatrimonialism nexus in Africa, which gives us significant new insights into non-Western political contexts. It analyses the securitization processes among the political elites under neo-patrimonial statehood, and further stretches the conceptualisation of securitization into African statehood, which is characterised by a blurred line between the leader and the state. The volume explores the processes of securitizing threats in Liberia, Sierra Leone and wider West Africa, as well as the neo-patrimonial regimes of these states. In doing so, it explores the influence these states’ neo-patrimonial regimes have on the processes of threat securitization. This book will be of much interest to students of critical security studies, African politics and International Relations. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

This perceptive analysis examines the effect of the EU on Turkish counter-terrorism polices towards the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Islamic State (ISIL), and aims to investigate the extent to which the EU has developed the capacity to play a role in Turkish counter-terrorism policy through promoting democratisation. The book analyses the EU's normative role in Turkey during four distinct periods: the inertia (1984-1999), the conditional transformation (1999-2004), the social transformation (2004-2015), and the backsliding periods (2015-2020). Ethem Ilbiz and Christian Kaunert consider how the paradigm shifts in Turkish counter-terrorism policies that occurred during these periods have their basis in different domestic and EU-level factors. Exploring the EU's relations with candidate countries, the book highlights how its influence on Turkey is connected to the viable prospect of Turkey's membership. Examining one of the most important policy areas of European integration, this book will be critical reading for academics and students of European politics and policy, international relations, terrorism and security, and regional studies. It will also be beneficial for practitioners, politicians, and non-governmental and civil society organizations.

This book analyses the extent and the modalities of the securitization of asylum-seekers and refugees in the EU. It argues that the development of the EU asylum policy, far from 'securitizing' asylum-seekers and refugees, has led to the strengthening and codification of several rights for these two categories of persons. However, the securitization of terrorism and the links that have been constructed between asylum, irregular migration and terrorism in the wake of the various terrorist attacks that have taken place in Europe in the last few years have had a significant impact on the ability of asylum-seekers to gain access to asylum systems in the EU. From a theoretical point of view, the book develops an original analytical framework that draws upon and further develops security studies – more precisely securitization theory – by connecting it to the literature on policy venues and venue-shopping. It therefore makes a significant contribution to the debates on both securitization and migration. Empirically examining the entire development of the EU’s policy towards asylum-seekers and refugees, from its origins in 1993, this book will be of great interest to students of European and EU politics, refugees, migration, security, terrorism and counter-terrorism, security studies and International Relations.

This book analyses the extent and the modalities of the securitization of asylum-seekers and refugees in the EU. It argues that the development of the EU asylum policy, far from 'securitizing' asylum-seekers and refugees, has led to the strengthening and codification of several rights for these two categories of persons. However, the securitization of terrorism and the links that have been constructed between asylum, irregular migration and terrorism in the wake of the various terrorist attacks that have taken place in Europe in the last few years have had a significant impact on the ability of asylum-seekers to gain access to asylum systems in the EU. From a theoretical point of view, the book develops an original analytical framework that draws upon and further develops security studies – more precisely securitization theory – by connecting it to the literature on policy venues and venue-shopping. It therefore makes a significant contribution to the debates on both securitization and migration. Empirically examining the entire development of the EU’s policy towards asylum-seekers and refugees, from its origins in 1993, this book will be of great interest to students of European and EU politics, refugees, migration, security, terrorism and counter-terrorism, security studies and International Relations.

European institutions are either loathed or underestimated. This book analyses the role of EU institutions in the area of European internal security. From Justice and Home Affairs, this area has become more like a European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. In this process, the European Commission has demonstrably played the role of an `engine of integration' in areas such a counter-terrorism, policing, asylum, migration and border management. This book uses the framework of supranational policy entrepeuners (SPE), those who stand at the policy window in order to propose, lobby for and sell `their' policy proposal, and synthesises it with insights from the literature on norm entrepreneurship. This book will be of great interest to scholars and practitioners interested in European internal security, European integration, terrorism, security studies and international relations.