Nation and Security – Security Policy Review

The Aftermath of the Elections in Iraq, or the One Year Long Process of Building a Governing Coalition

Kemény János — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The 2022 Iraqi elections have provided very important lessons for the evolution of the Iraqi political system. From the framework provided by the political system to the use of political violence, an extremely complex series of events took place over the course of a short year, the detailed understanding of which will help to reveal the attitudes and motivations of the country’s political elite towards the existing political system. The paper outlines the initial situation, describes the main actors and their background, and then describes the results of the elections and the main events of the political crisis that followed their announcement. It also provides context to the issue of foreign influence where relevant. The paper concludes that the Iraqi political system is unstable, but that it was not in the interests of any of the actors to break the framework and that, as a result, there was no prolonged use of violence.

Türkiye’s NATO Membership: Geostrategic and Intelligence Dynamics

Melek Adsiz — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Security has always been a central issue for societies, and in the post-Cold War period the international security environment has changed dramatically. NATO, as the main defence organisation, has evolved with these changes while providing security to its member states. This paper discusses Türkiye’s position within NATO, highlighting its geostrategic importance and its contribution to NATO’s security and intelligence system. Türkiye’s geostrategic location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East offers a unique opportunity as a vital NATO asset. As the southern flank of the Alliance, Türkiye’s strategic location enables it to counter threats from the Middle East. The present research addresses how Türkiye’s geostrategic position has shaped its defence policy and its contribution to NATO’s collective defence. It also examines the intelligence sharing mechanisms between Türkiye and NATO, with a particular focus on their role in countering contemporary security threats such as terrorism and regional instability. In this study a qualitative data analysis methodology was used. Also, the study analyses historical documents, secondary sources and NATO publications to assess Türkiye’s changing contributions. The findings highlight Türkiye’s continued importance in NATO.

The Development of Polish–German Relations and the Prospects for Cooperation (2005–2025) I

Korcsik Kristóf Máté — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The aim of the study is to describe the evolution of Polish–German relations and the main turning points of these relations since 2005, and to examine German and Polish strategic and political communication in the fields of Russia, energy, migration and European Union policy. In addition to describing the turning points and strategic discourse, it highlights the common points of Polish and German political communication in the mentioned policy areas under study.

The Modernisation of Vietnamese Armed Forces in the Last Decade – Achievements and Challenges

Béla Dr. Háda — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Vietnam is one of the regional powers of Southeast Asia, with unique foreign and security policy aspirations. However, after the Cold War, its armed forces were characterised by outdated military-technology, while the country had permanent territorial disputes with its neighbours over certain archipelagos in the South China Sea. In the last decade however, the development of the People’s Army of Vietnam has accelerated, and in several cases, significant modernisation has been achieved through the acquisition of new equipment. This paper examines the military modernisation trends of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the last decade, based on the Military Balance+ database and other sources.

North Korean Soldiers on the Russian–Ukrainian Front

Csoma Mózes — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

North Korea (DPRK) has been demonstratively siding with Russia since the outbreak of the Russian–Ukrainian war. It recognised the independent statehood of puppet states established in the breakaway Ukrainian territories, and then supported the aggression against Ukraine with artillery ammunition and ballistic missiles. This trend escalated further in the fall of 2024 when the DPRK sent regular military units to the Kursk region of Russia, where they immediately joined the fighting. The article presents the information that has become available about the combat value of North Korean troops; as well as the information that comes from Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine. Furthermore, the article outlines the motivations of the Pyongyang regime, in the interests of which their decision-makers undertook to support the ongoing and uncertain military operations in the Eastern European region.

Trends in Asian Defence Expenditure and Background Information for Major Military Powers between 2008 and 2023

Csoma Mózes, Farkas Domonkos, Felméry Zoltán, Háda Béla, Márton Richárd — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The paper describes the evolution of defence expenditure trends in Asia between 2008 and 2023. In this context, we make an attempt to present spending trends at continental level, and pay particular attention to the factors that have developed the defence budget of major military powers.

Miért ne fegyverkezzünk közös hitelből?

Deák András György — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Aiming at 5%? NATO’s Defence Spending on the Agenda of the Hague Summit

Tamás Dr. Csiki Varga — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0200

After his inauguration, Donald Trump and the members of the new U.S. administration clearly communicated to their European allies: the era of transactionalism has returned, and European defence ‘outsourced’ to the United States is unsustainable. In this spirit, they expect greater spending and a dynamic increase in defence spending from NATO member states – up to 5% of gross national product (GDP). While a commitment of this proportion seemed unlikely at the beginning of the year, approaching the NATO summit in the Hague on 24–26 June 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of several European member states have taken up the support of this objective, while the European Commission’s ReArm Europe 2030 programme is also trying to promote an increase in resources for defence. Since the debate on the necessary increase in defence spending is not a political-economic issue related to Donald Trump, but a necessary confrontation with the fact that after thirty years of enjoying the ‘peace dividend’ that has affected the most fundamental elements of European defence capabilities, the continent is militarily vulnerable. This paper reviews the constraints and opportunities associated with the 5% objective and what such defence spending level could mean in practice.