In recent months the ongoing situation of tension and conflict in the Middle East has progressively worsened.
The problem in its general terms is well known, as are the many fruitless initiatives attempted by governments, international organizations and diplomats to devise viable peace solutions.
Besides, terrorism in the form of suicide attacks has played and is still playing a dramatic role and is hindering the efforts to find a solution to old and new political problems, internal and external to the struggling parties.
The crucial impact the Middle Eastern conflict has on the region, but also on the whole world, which goes well beyond the territorial dimension of the fight, has led to the publication in the present issue of Per Aspera ad Veritatem of two important interviews on the subject.
The first, opening the volume, with Prof. Ernesto GALLI DELLA LOGGIA, who recently has often dealt with the problem in his articles on the Corriere della Sera. The second, published in Part V, with Prof. Giovanni CODOVINI, author of a significant book on the story of the Arab-Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We asked both of them to look beyond the current situation and to adopt a historical approach. This is essential to interpret impartially the various aspects of a conflict heavily influenced by old and newer prejudices, historical revenge feelings, nationalistic and religious elements, inner tensions within the warring parties and interferences by other countries. The picture which emerges favours an objective view of the reality, but at the same time poses many questions in relation to possible solutions. The fear is that as GALLI DELLA LOGGIA declares in his interview “this no war no peace situation” might continue.
Part I of the present volume has been conceived as a 'whole'. The idea came from a document presented by John GANNON in n. 20 of Per Aspera ad Veritatem, referring to the publication of the report Global trends 2015, by the USA National Intelligence Council. The matter is to identify and analyse, through the work of experts, some key factors of the global development in the next fifteen years, focusing on security and, for as much as one can foresee, on the role of the Intelligence Services.
It seemed to us the product of a brilliant intuition as it provided a starting point to debate and foresee future scenarios. In a similar way we have considered those key areas and have asked some outstanding experts, not only from the academic world, to grant our Magazine their precious collaboration. Natural and environmental resources (DE CASTRO), science and technology (OVI), conflicts and international governance (PICCO), extremism and fundamentalism (PISANO), globalisation and future scenarios (SACCO), migration flows and crime (VITALI), these are the component parts of this 'whole' which we believe will be of great interest.
As to Part II, Readers keen on national intelligence issues surely know that a bill to reform the Italian Intelligence and Security Services is being discussed in Parliament. This long awaited reform has certainly been accelerated (as in other countries, even outside Europe), by the September 11 events.
In n. 22 of Per Aspera ad Veritatem we presented the new Centro Nacional de Inteligencia of the Kingdom of Spain. In the present volume we further publish a recently approved law, which regulates ex novo the Intelligence and Security system in the Netherlands.
It is with great pleasure that we present, in the same section, the new website of the Italian intelligence, on-line since the beginning of May at the address www.serviziinformazionesicurezza.gov.it. The site, together with that of our Magazine (on-line since 1999), as a channel of institutional communication, will be a key element of the reform process.
As usual, Per Aspera ad Veritatem, keeps a window open onto anything significant which happens in Europe and concerns our country. We publish in Part II the proposal for a framework decision on attacks against information systems and the Conclusions of the European Council meeting held in Sevilla last June, containing some significant innovations as to illegal immigration.
The section devoted to foreign intelligence is in the present volume dedicated to the intelligence system in Ukraine. Former member of the Soviet Union, the country has been going through a decade of transition with the security intelligence playing a primary role.
As to Part V, we have already mentioned the valuable work by CODOVINI, but the Readers will be able to roam among several texts all on the main subjects connected with intelligence. Among them we would like to signal in particular the volume by Silvia B. CUCOVAZ, on proliferation, also because offers us the opportunity to introduce the Magazine Nueva Inteligencia, published by the Escuela Nacional de la Secretaría de Inteligencia of the Republic of Argentina, with a wealth of interesting information on that country's problems, international politics, geopolitics and intelligence.
The section on Historical Curios is in the present volume dedicated to the book The spy on the roof of the world.
Sidney WIGNALL, an English mountaineer and member of the Royal Geographical Society, tells of his trip to Tibet in 1955 to climb the Gurla Mandata which turned into an intelligence operation aimed at supplying part of the Indian establishment with much information on the Chinese expansion into the region of the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan question continues to be an open issue interfering with international relations. Starting from WIGNALL's work and in order to better inform to our Readers we deemed useful to insert into Part II a recent 'white paper' by the Chinese Government on Tibet's Modernization, to be read in parallel with a Report by the Tibetan Centre for human right and democracy which raises many crucial questions (like the freedom of worship).