This book constitutes the first major study showing (1) when transnational organized crime is likely to use corruption and violence tactics, (2) when transnational criminal activities most affect individual and state security, and (3) when the negative consequences of these tactics and activities can be most successfully combated.
Transnational Threats and Human Security
The book delves into the pervasive illusion of citizen protection worldwide, examining how this concept is often misleading. It critically analyzes the mechanisms and policies that claim to safeguard citizens, revealing the gaps and failures in these systems. Through a thorough exploration of various case studies, the author highlights the complexities and contradictions inherent in the notion of safety, prompting readers to reconsider their understanding of protection in contemporary society.
"Analyzing twelve recent case studies of violence between native citizens and foreign migrants, Mandel analyzes the conditions inflaming hate-based violence and provides policy recommendations for managing it in an interdependent, globalizing world"--
Intelligence and security communities have access to an overwhelming amount of information. More data is better in an information-hungry world, but too much data paralyzes individual and institutional abilities to process and use information effectively. Robert Mandel calls this phenomenon "global data shock." He investigates how information overload affects strategic ambiguity, deception, and surprise, as well as the larger consequences for international security. This book provides not only an accessible framework for understanding global data shock and its consequences, but also a strategy to prepare for and respond to information overload. Global Data Shock explores how information overload facilitates deception, eroding international trust and cooperation in the post-Cold War era. A sweeping array of case studies illustrates the role of data shock in shaping global events from the 1990 Iraqi attack on Kuwait to Brexit. When strategists try to use an overabundance of data to their advantage, Mandel reveals, it often results in unanticipated and undesirable consequences. Too much information can lead to foreign intelligence failures, security policy incoherence, mass public frustrations, curtailment of democratic freedoms, and even international political anarchy. Global Data Shock addresses the pressing need for improved management of information and its strategic deployment.