27 Sodobni vojaški izzivi, junij 2014 – 16/št. 2
Contemporary Military Challenges, June 2014 – 16/No. 2
VARNOSTNE	ŠTUDIJE	–	SINTEZA	AKADEMSKEGA
ZNANJA	IN	PRAKSE
Darko Trifunović
SECURITY	STUDIES	–	SYNTHESIS	BETWEEN
ACADEMY	AND	PRACTICE
Sodoben varnostni študij, ki se sooča z vedno novimi izzivi, potrebuje učne načrte, ki 
diplomantom zagotavljajo znanje in veščine, na podlagi katerih se lahko odlikujejo 
pri opravljanju svojega poklica. Vsi, ki pripravljajo učne načrte za varnostni študij 
ali imajo vpliv na njihovo pripravo, se morajo zavedati resničnih potreb študentov, 
ki morajo pridobljeno znanje uporabiti v praksi. Ustvarjalci učnih načrtov bi se 
najprej morali postaviti v položaj strokovnjakov in znotraj učnega načrta odgovoriti 
na vprašanje, kateri predmeti in znanje so najbolj koristni ob večjih varnostnih 
krizah, kot so vojne, konflikti različnih intenzivnosti in množični upori, zlasti tisti, 
ki vključujejo notranjo in zunanjo narodnostno komponento ali notranjo nacionalno 
razsežnost v okviru vsenacionalnega skupnega političnega gibanja, kot je tako 
imenovana arabska pomlad. Njeno razumevanje zahteva poznavanje področja 
varnosti, diskurz o mednarodnem humanitarnem pravu, zlasti o pravu oboroženih 
spopadov in pravilih delovanja, ter o izredno občutljivih vprašanjih vere, prepričanja 
in jezika (posamično in skupaj v širšem sociološkem kontekstu), predvsem pa je treba 
arabsko pomlad obravnavati kot družbeni in varnostni pojav, ki zaradi geopolitičnih 
trendov v zadnjih dveh desetletjih predstavlja enkraten primer za varnostne študije 
tako na globalni kot na regionalni ravni.
Varnostno izobraževanje, novi izzivi, usposabljanje, akademsko znanje, praksa.
Modern security studies, facing new challenges, should have a curriculum that 
provides graduates with the knowledge and skills on the basis of which they can 
excel in their professional activities. Anyone who influences and/or prepares the 
security education curriculum should be aware of the true needs of students, so they 
can apply the acquired knowledge in practice. First of all, the curriculum creators 
should put themselves in the position of professionals and, in the content of the 
curriculum, provide answers as to which courses and knowledge would be most 
Povzetek
Ključne 
besede
Abstract
DOI:10.33179/BSV.99.SVI.11.CMC.16.2.2
28 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
Darko Trifunović
useful in the case of major security crises such as wars, various intensity conflicts and 
massive rebellions, particularly those that have an inner or extra ethnic component or 
an inner national dimension in a pan-national joint political movement, such as the 
so-called Arab Spring. The latter encompasses the area of security, discourse in the 
international humanitarian law, particularly the Law of Armed Conflict and Rules 
of Engagement, but also the extremely delicate matters of religion, belief, faith, 
language (separately and all together in a wider sociological context), and above all, 
the Arab Spring as a social and security phenomenon presenting a unique sample for 
security studies both at the global and regional level due to the geopolitical trends in 
past two decades.
Security education, new challenges, training, academy, practice.
When analysing the existing curricula, it is reasonable to question whether teaching 
in the field of security in contemporary conditions can meet the required quality 
and existing needs. Also, one of the concerns is the effect of education on what is 
called the final product – trained and qualified staff. If the main goal of teaching in 
the field of security is to achieve, enhance and maintain the quality of security, it is 
important to consider all aspects of the teaching process. Basically, a prerequisite 
for teaching in the field of security is a high quality curriculum and its continuous 
improvement so as to follow the practical requirements and application (Committee 
on Educational Paradigms for Homeland Security, Policy and Global Affairs, 2005). 
A curriculum must include and identify all the areas essential to the education process, 
especially with the university education as the general platform for acquiring the 
necessary knowledge and skills in the field of security. Within the study of many 
university-level social science schools, a range of social science disciplines deal 
with the problem of security, with other scientific disciplines dealing with security 
threats. Each of these disciplines establishes its own methods within the framework 
of science, the object of which is studying security problems, starting with some 
general principles of acquiring the knowledge of social reality and cause-and-effect 
connections of the established social relations. However, despite the relatively large 
number of scientific disciplines that deal with this matter, it is safe to say that the area 
of  security in the past has not been enough scientifically and theoretically studied 
(Gaćinović, 2008: 8). If we talk about the current situation, it is necessary to note 
that the concept of security changes in the theoretical sense because the modern 
society, governments, businesses and individuals are faced with new security 
challenges. Only thirty years ago, few people could anticipate that the world would 
change so much, especially in the security sphere. The end of the Soviet era marks 
not only a new division of zones of interest, but also a completely different security 
architecture. Russia emerges as a loser from the Cold War, its position, although this 
is very difficult for many to understand, being similar to that of any state losing the 
Great War. After the end of the Cold War and the bipolar superpower competition, 
in this day and age, the world looks a lot more complex and far more confusing. 
The deceptive simplicity of the Cold War period, which roughly stretches from the 
Key words
Introduction
29 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
SECURITY STUDIES – SYNTHESIS BETWEEN ACADEMY AND PRACTICE
end of World War II in 1945 until the disappearance of the Soviet Union in 1991, is 
replaced by a new world that defies easy explanation or understanding. This world 
is exposed to unprecedented security threats and troubled with global terrorism 
and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (Kolodziej, 2005, p. 18). Can 
teaching and learning programmes in the field of security follow the processes 
that affect security? Is there a generally accepted definition of the term? Does the 
concept of security have the same meaning from one state to another, from nation 
to nation, and from continent to continent? What is the impact of globalization 
on the state of matters when some of the security issues and challenges become 
a general problem of humanity, as is the case with international terrorism and the 
ever-present threat of weapons of mass destruction? As already pointed out, the 
very concept of security is in the focus of attention of man, state and society, but 
also in different organizations that use various types of violence to achieve their 
goals. It is interesting to note that fear is one of the key components of the sense 
of security (Hildebrandt et al., 2009). Is this concept paid sufficient attention to in 
the field of security teaching? What is the real meaning of fear? Imagine, if you 
can, a man running down the street, being chased by another man with a gun in his 
hand pointed at the first one. Is it a rational fear, real and justified? Of course it is. 
Imagine a different situation. A man is running down the street, followed by another 
man with his hand in the pocket of his jacket. We do not know why the other man 
put his hand in the jacket. Perhaps he is searching for his wallet, a cell phone or 
something else. This is obviously a case of irrational fear. It is these two categories 
of fear that are important for what we call a sense of security. 
Rational and irrational fear. According to a scientific study, the fear of a nuclear war 
increases the risk of mental disorientation among young adults (Poikolainen et al., 
2004). Each day, millions of our human companions succumb to the weariness of 
age or the ravages of illness. Yet we feel no terror at this. Nature is at work. Each day, 
thousands die from automobile crashes, gun shots, industrial accidents, earthquakes 
and floods. Yet we feel no terror. A bomb explodes with savage unexpectedness in a 
city street with which we are familiar, killing one or two, or even a few unfortunates. 
And terror gnaws at our entrails. But rarely do we pause to ponder the incongruously 
disproportionate nature of our response. Both responses, however, are explicable. 
What matters is how we discipline ourselves to respond to these stimuli.
What we see today as terrorism is very much an expression of the fear and frustration 
of traditional societies, the existence of which has been threatened by the modern, 
essentially urban societies. The seemingly implacable juggernaut of the modern, 
urban societies threatens the viability, the identity, and ultimately the very genetic 
existence and line of traditional societies (Copley, 2012, p. 80). Hence, this paper 
discusses and offers a further insight into the field of security studies with a goal 
of identifying whether the security studies trend is to become emerged in the field 
of other sciences and disciplines as a separate element, or presented as a concept in 
each and every segment of society to see if there is a possibility of introducing and 
implementing more security to the security study curriculum itself. 
30 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
1 SECURITY STUDIES – NEW CHALLENGES
The issue of security studies has been continuously discussed especially afterward 
the Cold War period. Once we entered the post-Cold War era, the idea to expand 
the area of security studies in both practical and theoretical ways was growing 
fast. However, in order to accomplish that, it was of utmost importance to “rethink 
security”, which was done in debates between the neorealist and critical academics 
in the field (Krause and Williams, 1996, pp. 229-254). 
The neorealist conception. As Walt has defined in his paper (Walt, 1991, pp. 211-239), 
the security studies should examine the “threat, use and control of military force…” 
This definition, however, has been refuted, discussed and criticized. Kolodziej’s 
response (Kolodziej, 2005) to Walt’s perception of the security studies depicts, in 
perhaps the best possible way, the discourse between the two main directions of the 
security studies, saying that the idea in the article includes some serious issues to be 
discussed further: “Analytically, it limits the objects of study and ipso facto, constricts 
the scope of relevant theory needed to understand and explain what security is and 
what security problems are. Normatively, it focuses almost exclusively on American 
national security rather than on international security or security per se: and, in 
the name of relevance, delegates too much of the agenda of security studies to 
policymakers. Methodologically, it restricts security studies to a highly selective 
and largely traditional array of disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches. As a 
consequence of those flaws, the essay is inevitably incomplete in its survey of security 
studies, in its assignation of worth and priority to different theoretical approaches 
and specific works, and in its sketch of a research agenda”.
It is clear that the era after the Cold War was open to new security challenges; 
moreover, it brought the urge to construct a new concept of security studies. The 
thought of taking the security studies to another level was not taken lightly despite 
the ever changing political scene, the emergence of organized terrorism all over the 
world, and despite , to put it simply, the new reality. Here we come to the core of the 
debate – the subject and/or object of security studies. The above mentioned Kolodziej, 
who wrote extensively about security studies in his “Renaissance in security studies? 
Caveat lector!” (Kolodziej, 2005), has concluded that “In this vein, given the criteria 
directing the essay’s conception of security studies, the threats posed by military and 
police bureaucracies, military-industrial complexes, and standing armies to open 
societies are addressed primarily as incidental to interstate conflicts. Disciplining 
organized and institutionalized violence to civil purposes is tolerated in the survey, 
as a subfield of study, but only as function of violent national conflicts, and not as 
an independent security issue in its own right. This exclusionary approach to theory 
and policy would then have to dismiss the normative and empirical questions posed 
by the Federalist writers in defining their security problems.”
Clearly, the debate concerning security studies is still undergoing and, much to the 
academic pleasure, expanding. However, despite all the concepts and ideas, we are 
still taking slow steps in adapting the social and human disciplines to the needs 
Darko Trifunović
31 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
of security (studies). Students engaged in security studies learn about psychology 
and the basics of sociology, international relations and so on, but what they get is 
a general knowledge that is not modified to fit the security studies curriculum or a 
further professional appointment in the field of security.
Even if we wanted to ignore terrorism or fear as being just one in a series of significant 
terms of security, in a situation when we already have in mind the model of action 
of security services, the question is whether the current education process actually 
recognizes the basic security activities, and is able to scientifically identify and define 
them and present them as such to the end users. Can the mentioned activities be 
covered by a single teaching course or are they present in several different areas such 
as analytics, decision-making processes, and methods of gathering information (open 
and selected sources)? These activities cannot be studied without prior theoretical 
knowledge in several key areas, such as the Fundamentals of Security, Security 
Management, National Security and International Security, and without fundamentals 
in psychology, methodology, sociology, geography, anthropology etc. The question is 
whether the security studies should include and be aided by other mentioned sciences. 
Would this marriage of social sciences and security that reflects improvement in the 
academic world, as some authors say (see Walt, 1991, pp. 211-239), provide more for 
the understanding of security in a social sense or would it result in (academic) experts 
who could actually perform efficiently in this field? Security studies, which include 
the study of numerous scientific disciplines, have a great weakness that eventually 
results in a deficient amount of knowledge that is transferred to the students. The 
theoretical and practical problem is that almost all courses without the prefix "security" 
in their names are actually not adapted to the security studies curriculum, which is 
quite unacceptable. Due to this situation, there is no fusion of knowledge acquired 
during the learning process in one corpus. For instance, there are several faculties 
and colleges in Serbia that contain the word “Security” in their respective titles. 
First, there is the Faculty of Security Studies of the University of Belgrade (www.
fb.bg.ac.rs) as the leading institution in the field. Also, there are higher studies in the 
field of security within the School of National Defence, conducted by the National 
Military Academy. The Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade has 
an undergraduate academic module called the “Security Studies”. Then there is the 
Faculty for Diplomacy and Security that is privately owned and, similarly, the College 
for Professional Studies of Entrepreneurship within which there is the Academy for 
Economy and Security. So far, everything seems alright. But a further insight into the 
study programmes reveals that the actual, practical and, above all, applicable skills 
needed for comprehending the purpose and mechanism of the security concept are 
missing. The only state faculty in the field of security, The Faculty of Security Studies, 
offers an academic curriculum in BA, MA and PhD studies. The BA curriculum offers 
the basics of security, the economic grounds of security, the system of security, and 
security management as obligatory courses. According to his/her interest, a student 
has the possibility to choose between eight additional courses, among which there are 
five courses that contain the word security in their title. The rest are of more or less 
general corpus of social sciences and humanities.
SECURITY STUDIES – SYNTHESIS BETWEEN ACADEMY AND PRACTICE
32 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
We have already mentioned that a curriculum is extremely important for teaching 
security. So the main question is who is responsible for the content of the curriculum, 
who designs the learning cycle and according to what criteria? There is a lack of 
topics such as the contemporary theories and practice in the field of security, the 
aspects and range of work of international organizations dealing with security, the 
state system of security and the relations within and with foreign elements. The 
knowledge and skills that the students will need in their professional activities are 
absolutely essential to all future professionals in the field of security, especially those 
who will deal with intelligence and/or counter-intelligence (see Figure 1). Regardless 
of whether it falls within the basic academic studies or specialized studies in the 
field of security, the main objective is the training of personnel who will actively 
participate in the protection of the state. However, political, security and economic 
changes in the world, changes in the world of science, and the application of cutting-
edge technology require a new approach to teaching security, especially in view of 
the fact that the most sophisticated operations carried out by the security services 
are in the domain of psychological operations (in the US military they are marked 
FM 3-05.30) and civil affair operations. It is necessary that anyone who makes the 
Security Studies curriculum masters this knowledge in order to incorporate quality 
new trends in the education processes. New trends in the field of security have their 
historical background (see Figure 2 presenting a traditional model of the decision-
making process - OODA Loop). It is embodied in the work of an author who presents 
his war knowledge and experience in a book titled The Art of War (Kaufman, 2001). 
Sun Tzu states, “Superiority of the one side in all battles is not decisive for fighting 
and conquering, the main superiority lies in breaking the enemy's resistance without 
fighting" (Kaufman, 2001). Translated into the language of today this means that, 
almost two thousand years ago, the Chinese expert realized the importance of 
psychological operations and the possibility of an intelligent attack on an enemy by 
creating an espionage network that would affect the four vital functions of a system 
(surveillance, identification, decision-making and action).
Figure	1:	
 Simple 
model of a 
secret service 
functioning
Figure 2:
 Model of a
decision-making
process - OODA
Loop developed
by J. Boyd1
DECISION
GATHERING OF 
INFORMATION
SELECTION OF 
INFORMATION
EXECUTION OF 
OPERATION
ANALYTICS
Darko Trifunović
 33 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
For example, the curriculum of the Faculty of Security Studies, University of Belgrade 
(http://www.fb.bg.ac.rs/), does not contain as a separate course the intelligence and 
counterintelligence services and their methods of operation. This, however, is not 
just the case in the mentioned educational institution; incomplete programmes and 
the lack of highly qualified staff with extensive experience is a problem of almost all 
educational institutions dealing with education in the field of security.
Through a simple overview of the internet and the websites of teaching institutions 
around the world that provide their students with programmes in the fields of security, 
it can be concluded that the majority of such institutions rely on programmes that 
have nothing to do with political science, strategy, geopolitics etc. The famous US 
university MIT offers students a programme called the Security Studies Programme 
(http://web.mit.edu/ssp/index.html) that is fully oriented on the perception of 
security problems through the prism of political science. A similar situation exists in 
the Fletcher School, Tufts University. Within its education programmes in the field 
of International Security, this educational institution provides only a small fraction 
of what we now call International Security (http://fletcher.tufts.edu/Academic/
Courses/Fields-of-Study/International-Security-Studies). As in the previous case, 
the curriculum in the field of International Security is based on political science, 
conflictology, management, military science and computer science, but not the 
science of security. Programmes offered without some of the key items such as energy 
security, international relations and international security, national and international 
security, analytics etc. do not provide a full picture of the contents of a course, 
much less the entire major International Security. The Johns Hopkins MA in Global 
1  John Boyd (1927 – 1997), colonel and military strategist
Figure	2:	
 Model of a 
decision-making 
process - OODA 
Loop developed 
by J. Boyd1
SECURITY STUDIES – SYNTHESIS BETWEEN ACADEMY AND PRACTICE
John BOyd's OODA Loop
Observe Orient Decide Act
Unfolding 
circumstances
Outside 
information
Feed
Forward
Feed
Forward
Feed
Forward
Observations
Decision 
(Hypothesis)
Action 
(Test)
Unfolding 
interaction 
with 
environment
Unfolding 
interaction 
with 
environment
Feedback
Feedback
Feedback
Implicit 
Guidance & 
Control
Implicit 
Guidance & 
Control
Cultural 
Traditions
Genetic 
heritage
Analysis & 
Synthesis
Previous 
Experience
New 
Information
34 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
Security Studies (http://advanced.jhu.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/
global-security-studies/) provides a framework for students to analyze military 
challenges, explore the intricacies of economic interdependence, and recognize the 
security implications of energy dependence and resource scarcity. Like the rest of the 
education programmes, this one also does not offer what is considered to be the basic 
knowledge in the field of security, but by way of other courses provides an overview 
of the field of security and international security.
Where precisely should the limit for studying security be set? What should be 
included or excluded from the curriculum? It all depends on the profile that the 
students are educated to fit.
2 NECESSITY OF NEW SECURITY STUDIES PROGRAMMES
Faced with new challenges, modern security studies should have a curriculum that 
can provide such knowledge and skills to graduates on the basis of which they can 
better perform their professional duties. People who prepare or have any influence on 
the preparation of educational programmes in the field of security would have to offer 
solutions that best meet the needs of the pre-specified profile so that their graduates 
could practically apply the knowledge gained. Also, creators of the curriculum in 
the field of security need to anticipate each and every possible situation in which 
a graduate may find themselves when performing their professional activities, and 
provide appropriate solutions and answers in terms of what would be most effective 
(what knowledge and skills), for instance in the case of major security crises such 
as wars, conflicts of various intensities and/or national rebellions, as is the case with 
the so-called Arab Spring. In this context, we should not neglect the ethical issues; it 
often happens that a person engaged in the business of security is faced with different 
situations in their professional life that are not defined by principles of the profession 
or law, and yet human lives often depend on their decision to proceed. Members 
of security services in the countries in which the Arab Spring has taken place have 
found themselves facing a big ethical and professional dilemma. On the one hand, 
they have a professional obligation to defend the regime in power and the institutions 
of the state, but on the other, they are to confront their own rebellious people. Their 
education encompasses all situations in which a country is under the attack of an 
exterior enemy. This, however, is not the case of a foreign enemy attacking. Also, 
they are educated and trained to suppress mass demonstrations of some of the rebel 
groups and/or movements. Here, however, the entire population is involved. The 
newly evolved situation finds members of security services completely unprepared, 
and instigates all those involved in security education to think about the position of 
a professional in such situations. In fact, no one has yet offered an adequate solution 
for the position of security service members in situations of chaos. Recent events in 
the Ukraine only confirm such state of affairs. The basic dilemma is how to explain 
or define the position of security service members. Are they the ultimate victims in 
this situation? Imagine what would happen in the case of a similar scenario in Serbia 
or Slovenia. Are there any laws by which members of security services would act in 
Darko Trifunović
35 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
such cases? In what position would members of security services be (regardless of 
whether they are police, military or state security), as was the case with the security 
services of the Ukraine, Tunisia and Egypt? Do science and teaching processes 
anticipate such situations and offer proper solutions that would protect members of 
security services?
3 IMPROVED MODEL OF SECURITY STUDIES
In order to improve the security teaching model it is necessary to introduce cyclical 
assessments and evaluations. In other words, it is necessary to introduce new models 
of testing and evaluation, which would be carried out at regular intervals. These 
checks and assessments, i.e. adjustments to the characteristics of profiles that the 
personnel are educated for, would be carried out together with joint committees 
which would consist of educators and professionals in the field. In this way, new 
challenges, potential risks and possible situations in which members of security 
services may find themselves would be analyzed. In fact, the teaching process would 
adjust to the real needs of practical applications.
The process of teaching security, as shown in Figure 3, is a cyclic process of planning, 
implementation and assessment. Another component of a qualitative evaluation done 
by professionals is introduced in order to achieve maximum quality.
Figure	3:	
 Security studies, 
assessments and 
evaluation
SECURITY STUDIES – SYNTHESIS BETWEEN ACADEMY AND PRACTICE
Joint 
Assesments
Security 
Studies
Security 
Professionals
36 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
4 PROBLEMS OF COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION
There are still doubts about the quality of educators and the quality, i.e. the achieved 
level of training, of professionals in the field. The countries in transition are 
particularly problematic when it comes to the quality and credibility, particularly 
of the professionals in the field. The very process of education in the field of 
security is of national importance for the stability of a country and reflects the 
state of the economy, politics and security. It is precisely these three areas that are 
targeted by the political mafia that is particularly present in the former Yugoslavia. 
Serbia and Croatia, i.e. the citizens of the two countries, may be hostages of the 
so-called political mafia. Due to the actions of political mafia, which is present 
in all parts of the Serbian society, the state and its citizens are brutally robbed 
in a number of ways. The Serbian banking system has been destroyed, and the 
political mafia has created the  El Dorado of Serbia in which billions of Euros 
have been stolen from the citizens. The banks in Serbia charge the highest interest 
margin in the world, and pay the lowest effective income tax. The global economic 
crisis has somehow bypassed Serbia. But the fact that the Serbian banks built 
their margins at the time when the global interest rates fell shows that there is no 
miracle happening here, but a downright state looting of the Serbian citizens by 
the political mafia. In other words, while the interest rates of the world’s currencies 
are in steady decline, a completely different process is happening in Serbia. Huge 
sums of money, measured in billions of Euros, are drawn from Serbia in this way, 
all at the expense and the additional debt of the citizens of Serbia. By comparison, 
the interest rates in Serbia are, on average, twice as high as those in Croatia and 
Hungary. According to the latest available data, the average interest rate reaches 
the level of a whopping 21% per year. The average interest rate on short-term loans 
to households has grown to 57%. Information on the interest rate, which you can 
get at any bank in Serbia, is yet another clear evidence of a blatant robbery of the 
citizens of Serbia, which continues to this day. In times of the internet and rapid 
communication it is possible to quickly and easily compare the situation in Serbia 
with the situation in the EU and the neighbouring countries. Doing that, one comes 
to the same conclusion as the author of this paper: the political mafia of Serbia 
continues to plunder the citizens of Serbia. 
A big problem arises if the architects of organized crime are present in the 
government, i.e. among the actors of political life of a country. Is it appropriate 
then to call such a phenomenon a "political mafia" that flourishes in spite of the 
obligation of security services to stand up against it, or is it a perfect coupling of 
the security services and the exponents of political mafia? The real challenge then 
is to select a professional in the field of security to assess the security teaching 
models. Reasons for the author’s concern are numerous. Is it possible to establish 
a functional model of education if the entire society and the state are hostages 
to political mafia? Is, in such circumstances, the state itself that is a problem for 
the region and the wider international community? What lies at the bottom of all 
this? The political mafia is a phenomenon that appears in the former Yugoslavia, 
Darko Trifunović
37 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
especially in the process of the dissolution of the state union. The vast public 
or state-owned property, as well as commercial entities that pass into private 
ownership in the process of "privatization", is attractive to members of organized 
crime. Unfortunately, this process is still visible today (Trifunović, 2013). The 
Anti-Corruption Council of the Republic of Serbia has for years been warning of 
the irregularities and crimes related to the abuse of the state and social economic 
holders, as well as of the fact that such actions involve actors of the political life 
of Serbia (Government of the Republic of Serbia, 2013). Criminal structures in 
the territory of Serbia and the entire region are in conjunction with the political 
elites that openly offer their support. This was apparent during the civil wars in the 
1990s. With the dissolution of the SFRY, an all-encompassing security system that 
effectively controls and suppresses the work of various criminal groups disbanded. 
The former Yugoslavia had the opportunity, resources and political will to fight 
organized crime. Due to a series of civil wars and the rise of nationalism and 
extremism of all forms, new states that formed after the dissolution of Yugoslavia 
were no longer able to control regional and now also transnational organized 
crime groups. Large property and material gain fall in the sphere of interest of 
the criminal groups that find an easy way to get them. The traditional interest of 
organized criminal groups in drug and arms trafficking and other activities that 
bring large profits has spread to new areas and opened up new opportunities for 
earning an income. This primarily relates to the controversial privatization of state 
or public property such as factories and farming land, as well as to complex multi-
million transactions of the so-called “construction mafia”. Although the traditional 
organized crime groups show their efficiency and sophistication by creating 
associations such as Cosa Nostra, i.e. certain forms of clan structure, some authors 
argue that Mafia does not interfere arbitrarily in political activities (Della Porta and 
Mény, 1997, p. 50). Political problems are generally not of particular interest to 
the Mafia, unless they jeopardize its sources of power or profit. It is essential to the 
Mafia to ensure the political choice of "friendly" holders of power or politicians. 
However, the same article states that the Mafia sometimes puts its members to 
political offices (Della Porta and Mény, 1997, p. 50).
As for the former Yugoslavia, a specific process is taking place in which the political 
parties are becoming suitable platforms for organized crime activities. Officials are 
becoming main actors of organized crime and using criminal groups and their 
violence to carry out their economic activities related to crime against property. 
Could such perception of the problem be the future definition of “political mafia" 
with all the specifics of this phenomenon in the former Yugoslavia? At the same 
time, the question arises whether the same or similar processes are detected in 
other areas, especially in the territories of the so-called former socialist countries? 
Is it the political mafia itself that slows down or paralyzes the system of teaching 
and training of personnel in the field of security due to the fact that the very same 
political mafia would become the subject of operation and processing of the 
professionals should they be properly educated and trained? The author of this 
article is of the opinion that the answer is positive. Possible solutions should be 
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38 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
sought in fundamental reforms, Serbia's accession to the EU, acceptance of rules 
and harmonization of its legislation with the EU, and changing the awareness of 
the need to fight against all those segments that are detrimental to the security of 
the state in which education in the field of security is an indispensable component.
Every study curriculum is a process that expands and adapts as questions arise. 
Security Studies are no exception; they are an important process, especially for 
the security of a state. If the security of a state is in any way threatened, either by 
external or internal security risks, the normal functioning of the state is in jeopardy. 
Traditional approach to the planning and realization of security studies is outdated and 
cannot meet the needs of the education of professionals in contemporary conditions. 
It is not only the security picture of the world that has changed, the security risks, 
i.e. the threats to national and international security, have changed considerably as
well. Moreover, some of the models of security studies may only be considered an
adjustment to the increasing needs of the existing teaching staff, with the security
science itself not being the main area of their expertise. This often leads to absurd
situations in which the curriculum includes striking titles, while the teaching process
and teaching programmes themselves provide very little of what is expected. Hence,
we who are engaged in the security studies agenda must work not only at the local,
but also at the international and regional level, with a goal to improve these processes
by producing new set of skills and knowledge to be introduced to the students of
security courses. It is of great importance not only to present students with mere
theories and facts, but to utilize these matters in order to assist the students in gaining
a wider perception of security at whole and of specific security issues. Thus, security
studies should encompass the above mentioned disciplines; however, the teaching
and learning of those disciplines that belong either to humanities, social or exact
science must be adapted to the security studies curriculum. Therefore, anthropology,
history, ethnology, ethics et cetera should bare the prefix security in the title which
would essentially indicate that research done in these subjects is conducted for and
within security and not the other way around. Only in this fashion may we be able
to respond to risks and threats, and moreover, in such a fashion, the security studies
may build a capacity and potential to contribute to other sciences. This means that
other disciplines that are not directly derived from the security opus should become
auxiliary units, available for the needs of the security studies.
1. Committee on Educational Paradigms for Homeland Security, Policy and Global Affairs,
2005. National Research Council, Frameworks for Higher Education in Homeland
Security, National Academies Press, Washington D.C.
2. Copley, G., 2012. UnCivilization: Urban Geopolitics in a Time of Chaos, International
Strategic Studies Association, Alexandria, VA, p. 80.
3. Della Porta, D., Mény, Y., 1997. Democracy and Corruption in Europe, Pinter, London,
UK.
4. Gaćinović, R., 2008. Bezbednost kao naučna disciplina, Bezbednost, Republic of Serbia,
Ministry of the Interior, Belgrade, 1-2, p. 8.
Conclusion
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39 Sodobni vojaški izzivi/Contemporary Military Challenges
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