Whatever opinion one may hold, one can not deny that the most significant event of the year just begun has been the introduction of a single currency into twelve European Union countries. The meaning of this long awaited event obviously goes well beyond the simple currency sharing. It represents a further step, not to be over emphasised but not to be underestimated, towards a closer cohesion among the peoples from the old continent with different cultures but one single and ancient root.
There is Europe again, facing key challenges for future changes. First of all, the duties deriving from the newly born Convention for the reform of treaties, then the future enlargement in a difficult international context which demands a more incisive role, institutional rules able to reaffirm shared values and more efficient and less bureaucratised decision making and working mechanisms.
As far as a common security policy is concerned, some way has already been covered. That is, the “third pillar” of the Maastricht Treaty (as the experts remember it) is today fertile ground for increased co-operation and, especially when considering the pressing threat posed by international terrorism and the disturbing recent events in the Middle East, expectations for its realisation are running high.
An update on the issue is offered to our Readers in the FORUM on European Union and a Common Security Policy by three extremely qualified experts like MAROTTA, POLITI and SALAZAR. From their field experiences we gain a realistic picture of some key problems and of possible future trends. Following an input by the Editorial Office, in the aftermath of September 11, attention is devoted to the project of a common European intelligence policy, although this is a subject we intend further to develop in the future.
As to the running of the European “machine”, we have asked Marco DE ANDREIS, author of an interesting volume titled Straneurocrate, to grant us a brief interview (in Part V) on his personal experience in Brussels and on the subject of his original book.
With reference to European security and the previously mentioned terrorist threat, in Part III the Reader will find an outline of legislation recently adopted in different European countries in response to the September attacks.
In number 21 of Per Aspera ad Veritatem we examined the various aspects of the threat, in the present volume we devote more room, and we could not do otherwise, to theoretical analysis. First of all with reference to the reappearance of domestic terrorism with the killing of Professor Marco BIAGI in Bologna on March 19. The long and well documented opening interview with Pio MARCONI focuses on the event and offers many inputs for further study. We also publish other important contributions on international terrorism by IPPOLITO, POPPI and by the special envoy of Stampa, Giuseppe ZACCARIA, who provides us with some observations and direct experiences on communication, propaganda and war. Gianni RIOTTA, co-director of the same newspaper, in an interesting interview published in Part V talks about his recent book on the September events.
In Part I, Sen. Giovanni AGNELLI, in a balanced and thorough article rich in references to history and history of economics goes back onto a theme we have frequently dealt with in recent months, globalisation.
Two more contributions complete Part I, an article by CALAMO on some aspects of Europol and one by Marco VALENTINI, Chief Editor of Per Aspera ad Veritatem, on current legal references for the concept of national security.
An intelligence magazine can not but deal with the Intelligence Services and their functioning, therefore in Part II we publish some documents on the subject: the half-yearly report submitted by the Government to Parliament; the report by the Parliamentary Committee for the Intelligence and Security Services and for State Secrecy on the reform projects of the Italian intelligence system; the report from last December hearing of Minister Claudio SCAJOLA before the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies - a detailed document on the main aspects of security policy and on the modern and incisive role the Ministry for Internal Affairs intends to play in the coming months. As usual we also pay special attention to any reform bills on intelligence presented to Parliament. In the present volume we look at foreign countries and present to the Reader the recent reform of the intelligence system in Spain, with a New National Intelligence Centre replacing CESID (in Part III).
In Part IV an outline of the intelligence system in NATO member Turkey, currently facing difficult problems and still trying to join the European Union.
The Section devoted to the reviews and bibliographic recommendations, opened by the two mentioned interviews with Marco DE ANDREIS and Gianni RIOTTA, is full of interesting indications on intelligence issues. The work by KEPEL on the rise and fall of the Jihad and the one by CARDINI and LERNER, Martiri e assassini, are only two examples in an endless bibliography on Islamic radicalism and terrorism recently filling the shelves in bookstores. We also propose to our readers an indirect comparison between the disturbing perspective of new wars, outlined by RAPETTO and DI NUNZIO, and espionage the way it was not so long ago (MARANZANA). In the meantime the intelligence community and the experts keep on wondering what future intelligence activities will be like (TREVERTON, GERMANI). To general political issues is instead dedicated the work by VENEZIANI and, with an eye to economy and development, the volume Sulla nostra pelle by Noam CHOMSKY.
Finally, in the historical curios, the journalist and writer Stefano MALATESTA allowed us to publish a chapter from his recent work Un grande mare di sabbia, storie del deserto. Many will recognise the main character of a successful film, however his story is here beautifully told from a different perspective, with a wealth of environmental details and psychological insights.