Strategic Impact

ZIONISM AND ANTI-SEMITISM: A CRITICAL STUDY ON EARLY PUBLICATIONS

Bianca BRANDEA — 2026-01-22

Political matters in which religion is used as an instrument have led, throughout history, to some of the most remarkable geopolitical consequences that conjointly involve military and paramilitary interventions, as well as casualties and violent reactions among civilians. The present paper examines various motivations that influenced the emergence of Zionism, where the use of the Jewish religion – along with the reported oppressions of the Jews in Europe – became a key justification for establishing Jewish settlements within the Palestinian borders. The colonization plans that had been debated since the end of the 19th century not only exceeded the initial agreements, but have been also escalating into extreme attacks against the indigenous Palestinian population. Also, Israeli armed incursions, ongoing at the time of the present paper’s publication, have been publicly compared to a genocide and the Holocaust.

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR “Lessons identified from the conflict in Ukraine”

Otilia LEHACI — 2026-01-22

The Centre for Defence and Security Strategic Studies (CDSSS) within “Carol I” National Defence University (NDU) was the host of the third edition of the
International Seminar on “Lessons identified from the conflict in Ukraine”, which took place on 16 May 2025.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Florian CIRCIUMARU — 2026-01-22

COGNITIVE WARFARE AND METAPHORS: FRAMING CONFLICT IN THE MIND

Veronica PĂSTAE — 2026-01-22

Metaphors are not merely linguistic flourishes; they shape cognition, frame conflicts, and can influence perception at scale. Within the emerging arena of cognitive warfare – where the human mind is the primary battlefield – metaphors are “deployed” strategically to reframe reality, distort perception, and manipulate social consensus. The present narrative review explores the literature on metaphor theory and cognitive linguistics to understand how metaphors are weaponized in cognitive warfare. Furthermore, the implications for defense policy, the development of counter-metaphor strategies, as well as the ethical and legal considerations involved in this form of non-kinetic conflict are also discussed.

GUIDE FOR AUTHORS

Iulia Cojocaru — 2026-01-22

THE VOLATILE SECURITY ENVIRONMENT AFTER THE WAR IN UKRAINE: ʻLESSONS LEARNEDʼ FROM HISTORY AND HOW WE PREPARE

Matei BLĂNARU — 2026-01-22

One of the fundamental reasons why history is so important is that it essentially provides access to a vast collection of “lessons learned” accessible to those willing to study and understand them. In the realm of international relations, national defense, homeland security, regional geopolitics, strategic foresight, and societal resilience, history becomes essential. This article undertakes a brief literature review in order to understand whether professionals continue to regard “lessons learned” as a valuable tool. Furthermore, it includes a comparative analysis of recent wars and their aftermath, in order to address a central question – which are the challenges we can expect to face and how will the world look like once the war in Ukraine reaches its conclusion? Historical evidence suggests that, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine, we will be looking at a much more volatile security environment throughout the world. This will be due, especially, to the proliferation of emerging technologies, new military equipment and the new expertise developed in the war in Ukraine, which will be exported worldwide.

THE TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE GENERAL STAFF IN THE PERIOD 1944-1948 – A NECESSARY ELEMENT IN THE CREATION OF THE NEW “ROMANIAN PEOPLE’S ARMY”

Andi-Mihail BĂNCILĂ — 2026-01-22

The change of a political regime can occur only as the result of a convergence of multiple factors. The end of World War II found Romania under Soviet military occupation. This situation, combined with the lack of interest shown by the Western powers regarding Romania’s fate, sealed the destiny of our country for nearly 50 years. The most challenging task for the Soviet occupiers, supported by opportunists who quickly emerged, was to establish a climate of public order that would make any mass uprising impossible. To this end, the communists who had seized power devised a comprehensive plan to take control of the most important institution capable of maintaining order within the state – the Romanian Army.

THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN NUCLEAR DETERRENCE. HISTORY, APPLICATIONS AND THE FUTURE STRATEGIC BALANCE

Mario MARINOV — 2026-01-22

Artificial Intelligence is garnering an increasing interest for application within the complex and dynamic state of nuclear deterrence between major global powers. The latent implications of increased incorporation of fully or semi-autonomous functions into key sets of systems within nuclear deterrence capabilities hold the potential for both reinforcing and undermining strategic stability. The paper explores the role of the broad set of solutions falling under the auspices of the general andpopularly adopted term of AI in the nuclear deterrence equilibrium with a baseline focus on the largest nuclear powers of the U.S.A., Russia, and China. The historical evolution of automation around the creation of effective deterrence during the Cold War is the first point of analysis in a process of historical deconstruction and extrapolation of key trends, historical understandings and the definition of vital layers of deterrence provision, which can be a subject of improvement through automation. Subsequently, the paper provides for the three general types of AI automation – rule-based AI systems, machine/deep learning and foundation models, and how each relates to specific elements or layers, such as early warning, tracking, response calculation, and targeting, as well as some of the associated challenges. Finally, the paper provides an analysis of the consequences for nuclear deterrence in the sense of probable areas of incorporation, a shifting centre of gravity in nuclear capabilities, and some prospective scenarios of AI integration in both offensive and defensive systems.

FEMALE CONTRIBUTION TO INTELLIGENCE IN CORRELATION WITH THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER EQUALITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Alida Monica Doriana BARBU — 2026-01-22

The female contribution to the world of espionage and Intelligence had to struggle for acknowledgement in an environment traditionally dominated by men. Today, integrating women into the Intelligence agencies and creating mixt groups of operatives and analysts is an ideological imperative, in line with the principle of gender equality, equity, and equal opportunities, as part of the human dimension of security. The motivation for choosing the topic lies in the fact that ignoring female agents’ warnings has caused wars and humanitarian catastrophes.
This article entails three research questions: “Is there a difference between the professional quality of women in the field of Intelligence compared to that of men?”; “What features make women working in the world of espionage unique and irreplaceable?”; “How does the Intelligence Community treat female employees from the gender equality and equal opportunities point of view?” The purpose of these questions is not only to raise the issue of gender (in)equality in Intelligence services, but, above all, to raise awareness among security institutions of the need to have both men and women employed in Intelligence.
The main objective of this research work is to provide an analysis of the application of the principle of gender equality and equal opportunities to women working in the world of espionage. The second objective is to present the perception of civil society, the media, and Intelligence institutions, such as OSS, CIA, NKGB, MI5, MOSSAD, and the former Romanian security service (‘Securitate’ from the Communist times) of female contribution to espionage from a gender perspective. This research offers not only a general perspective on equality between women and men, but also a specific one, oriented towards the presence of women in Romanian, American, Soviet, Israeli, and British Intelligence operations and towards the way in which the integration of women is an indicator of the level of equality achieved within military institutions and alike.
In order to achieve the established objectives, the research employs the qualitative research method of discourse and content analysis, as well as the case study method. The sources of documentation are specialized works in the field of Intelligence that discuss gender equality and equal opportunities.