Security and Society Summer School is a program run by Collegium Civitas in cooperation with SRAS (USA). The 2021 edition of the program will be conducted in online format, combining the two-weeks intensive course Central Europe & Security Issues with a four-week research internship with the Terrorism Research Center. The program will be held between June 7 and July 16. The application deadline is: June 1.

The course will begin with a brief history of security of Central Europe from 1989 to the present day. The collapse of the Soviet Union saw a number of countries in the region detach themselves from the Russian sphere of influence and join Western institutions including NATO and the EU. Whereas the West saw this as the fulfilment of the right of self-determination, the Russians tended to view it as a threatening move, which challenged their own defense and security interests.

This course will examine the complex historical roots of these events with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe, and will look at various possible future scenarios between Russia, the EU, and NATO. These contemporary conflicts and disputes have increased global awareness of the importance of intelligence gathering in this region. We will explore the links between information and security in a time of hybrid war. We will learn about the importance of energy security with a focus on oil and gas, nuclear, coal, and alternative energy sources.

There will also be an emphasis on the challenges of cybersecurity, terrorism, and war, including cyberwar and net-centric warfare. We will look at the challenges of rising fundamentalism and migration and how it affects the region. We will also discuss the evolution of threats relating to terrorism – psychology of terrorism, risk assessment and analysis, as well as issues related to mass media. We will also take a look at newly emerging challenges to security, such us the outbreak of coronavirus.

Participants will leave this course with an in-depth knowledge of some of the most challenging security issues in contemporary Central Europe, and the world, and will gain a sense of the importance of the region in international affairs. During the research internship the participants will be working on their own research projects and in result a book will be published containing papers written by the participants.

For enrollment and details please see: SRAS website.