Politics, more practically, less philosophically, oratorically and rhetorically

International peacekeeping and crisis management: summary of comparative approaches This page provides a comparative overview of how various countries-Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, and Central European-organize and coordinate resources for international peacekeeping operations and crisis management. It covers organizational frameworks, staffing, coordination mechanisms, and trends, offering insights for policymakers, researchers, and the general public. 1. Requirements, Challenges, and Trends in Modern Peacekeeping Requirements:   Well-trained forces, comprehensive mandates, political support, accountability, gender balance, flexibility. Challenges:   Intra-state conflict, targeting of peacekeepers, complex mandates, political stalemates, movement restrictions, disinformation, funding constraints, geopolitical fragmentation. Trends:   Regionalization, militarization, decline in large UN missions, flexible deployments, SDG integration, erosion of universal norms. ...

Table 1: Personnel numbers for regular Military and Gendarmerie‐type forces in Western European countries, 1980–2010 Country Force Type 1980 1990 2000 2010 Austria Armed forces 50,300 42,500 35,500 34,900 Gendarmerie 11,000 11,794 15,751 Disbanded Belgium Armed forces 87,900 92,000 39,250 38,844 Gendarmerie 16,300 16,800 Disbanded Disbanded France Armed forces 494,730 461,250 294,430 238,591...

Lately I have not infrequently come across articles such as this one  ( here the original article), which emphasize, from the tones of the same it would seem almost unidirectionally and more out of pride than for any other reason, the strong affirmation of the borders of one's own nation, and I wanted to make some remarks on this topic with historical-anthropological implications, characterized by its ebbs, flows and reflections. Do borders save peoples and civilizations? Short answer: borders are not a necessary condition for saving peoples and civilizations, and one would have to strike a balance, moreover subjective, between advantages and disadvantages as appropriate. The existence of borders essentially depends upon whom or what, peoples and civilizations would be saved, based on the relations between neighboring countries, assessing whether one is the subject of a realistic threat of some kind to the other, such as war threat, invasive imposition of other's cultures, cus...

Last update Dec/11/2024 Note: I am not a hacker, but an ex-software programmer passionate about technology, but equally interested in understanding the 'two sides of the coin' that concerns it. In some interviews, a well-known italian magistrate stated that, unfortunately, criminal organizations are one step ahead of investigative bodies as regards to technology; thus, I deduce that it's a constant battle between the two. And since as we know, nowadays technologies are moving forward at an incessant pace more than ever, I therefore wanted to bring to attention one of the recent technologies that have made a 'qualitative leap' in money laundering from the proceeds of illegal activities: the so-called blockchains.  Blockchains and Money Laundering The blockchain technology emerged as a software technology with the advent of the Bitcoin crypto-'currency', followed by the subsequent appearance of an ever-increasing number of virtual cryptocurrencies. Many of the...

Postmodernism: A Brief Overview An era of breaking certainties Postmodernism is a cultural and philosophical movement that emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction to modernism. It challenges traditional ideas like progress, universal truth, and reason. Key aspects of postmodernism: Rejection of grand narratives: Postmodernism questions the idea of a single, overarching story about history or society. It suggests multiple, often conflicting, interpretations of reality. Relativism : This viewpoint argues that there's no absolute truth and that knowledge is shaped by individual perspectives and cultural backgrounds. Irony and parody : Postmodern works often use humor and satire to critique and challenge established norms and values. Focus on language : Postmodern thinkers emphasize how language shapes our understanding of the world, suggesting reality is constructed through words. Fragmentation and pluralism: Postmodernism celebrates diversity and multiplicity. It rejects the ...

"Si vis pacem para bellum" ("If you want peace, prepare war") Vegetius (seeing history, this seems to be a characteristic of human beings in general, like it or not) A more pacifist but not entirely so, version of Vegetius' words might read:  "If you want peace, prepare defense". Far be it from me to criticize profound pacifists (a famous example of such a person is former Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters); on the contrary, I admire them, but my version is realistic in spirit: while it would be ideal to live in a world where we are all brothers, living in harmony and peace with one another, I cannot ignore the fact that human nature is well different . Therefore, I hope that the defense I am referring to would  never be utilized in practice. As someone familiar with the military world, I would like to share another 'updated' version of the aforementioned quote: "If you want peace, prepare deterrence"; its translation into Latin would...

Last updated Jun 9, 2026 Here  is the original, from which this is updated. Table of Contents Hide “Freedom must not be inherited, it must be built, every day, by those who refuse to be ruled by the shadows of history” Introduction The genesis of this article took its cue from the fact that, starting also from my own knowledge, I observed that in the countries in this respect most developed, there is only a police force with national or federal coverage . It also happens that in these countries, their armies, navies, and air forces are responsible for defending their territory, but exceptionally they also retain extraordinary tasks of assisting with the public security of the civilian population. Then maturing over time this awareness, I began to do more in-depth re...