Bosnia-Herzegovina and Republic of Croatia share 931km of border (494km land and 425km riverine), which has been contentious for the greater part of the modern European history and represented one of the hardest and most-militarized border demarcating the frontiers of the major empires. Nowadays, it is in the process of becoming another hard-border between the Schengen-Zone EU and non-EU Western Balkans. In this study we are considering several strategic elements required for planning of effective and constructive border security, while countering variety of pseudo-hybrid warfare operations as well as tactical considerations when responding to crisis, communications and overall control of the fluid frontier. Strategic elements taken into consideration are:  a) overall contiguity of the border, b) communications network / trafficability at border-crossing and c) geospatial support in the intelligence preparation of the area. Tactical elements considered are a) real-time geospatial support during operations b) alternative communications and vetting of alternative communications c) defensive operations (e.g. drone defense, jamming defense, incursion prevention). We are considering lessons-learned from the hostilities and frozen-conflicts in Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Yemen and potential future conflagrations in Trans-Dnistria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo* and the Baltics. We are using several criteria in understanding the required geospatial preparations required to undertake or defend against mass-migrations and potential hybrid threats such as unresolved territorial issues, population density information, infrastructure condition, land-use and overall completeness and availability of geospatial data. * Designation without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence

Bosnia-Herzegovina and southern-coastal/hinterland-region of Dalmatia, Republic of Croatia are a part of the same seismo-tectonic province and share a considerable and real threat of high-magnitude earthquakes. Numerous Magnitude 6 (Richter) and above earthquakes have been recorded in the past 500 years and some of them have resulted in a considerable loss of life, material and even prestige or geopolitical significance (e.g. the demise of Ragusa in the earthquake of 1667). Given the propensity of the region for destructive earthquakes, complex geomorphological framework and challenging infrastructure, still recovering in parts from the Yugoslav civil wars of the 1990s., the region may yield a “perfect” crisis in the aftermath of a major earthquake event. Taking into consideration unchecked development of several metropolitan areas, lack of oversight and permitting, decaying infrastructure as well as unresolved political ambiguities and territorial disputes, a potential destructive earthquake may create several cascading crises, especially if it coincides with some other challenging events (e.g. winter storms). This study is taking into consideration several scenarios, their possible effects and resulting conditions upon which cascading crises may arise in the aftermath of a magnitude 7+ earthquake affecting several major urban areas in southern and central Bosnia-Herzegovina and the southern Dalmatian region of Croatia. These scenarios are intended to provide training aids and risk assessments in countering the destructive forces after the earthquake, expected to test the current crisis-management models.

Every year Bosnia-Herzegovina is affected by the various incidents of inclement weather, floods or other natural disasters requiring helicopter support and evacuation. Besides BH Armed Forces, the availability of multirole search-and-rescue helicopters is almost non-existent. Coupled with the aging of current communication systems and lack of integrated communications and other support systems, Bosnia- Herzegovina should seriously consider allocating the necessary resources to create a dedicated helicopter rescue force and improve the state and interoperability of its communications systems.

The Penal-Correctional Institution of the Enclosed Type in Zenica (Kazneno-popravni zavod zatvorenog tipa Zenica), Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been in continuous operation for over 130 years and is currently the largest and most-diverse penal institution in the country. With 714 inmates serving lengthy sentences (up to 40 years) for the variety of serious offenses (including terrorism), the issue of narcotics use, traffic and trade has been encountered and countered, particularly in the last decade. The types of drugs encountered in the institution range from prescription drugs (i.e. buprenorphine, methadone), to “heavy” narcotics (i.e. heroin, morphine, speed. The type, quantity and frequency of drug use and seizure shows certain seasonal and temporal effects and is associated with the inmate-furlough periods, awarded for good behavior. Many inmates use this privilege to bring narcotics into the facility. Some of the encountered substances have been seized from the facility visitors and even from the prison staff, in the past five years, but the charges have been generally dismissed by the prosecutors for the lack of evidence. An average seizure is about ten grams per incident, and the number of seizures has been continuous, suggesting considerable financial interest and gain for the drugs to enter the institution. There are various measures proposed to counter the traffic and limit the purchases, however the inmate population is very apt in using the current legal regulations and EU-mandates to circumvent the proposed countermeasures. This study is presenting some of the findings, directions and recommendations for combating the drug-traffic within the correctional institution.

The paper explores the nature and trend of migration during 2018, on the example of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The politicization of migrants' issues as well as a number of other factors contributed to the attitude of criminalization and securitization of migrants. Most authors and researchers dealing with the issue of migrants as well as the security representatives themselves argue that migrants are not a security threat to Bosnia and Herzegovina and that the state should treat them humanely and treat them according to international standards. In this paper we have determined that it is necessary to work on building additional capacities to accommodate migrants who have not found any accommodation or are on routes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that is important to undertake activities on technical, material and financial support for migration management in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have used a qualitative research approach with the use of interview techniques and desk analysis for the purpose of collecting and processing primary and secondary data.

When and how does the ultra-right-wing terrorism period close as their mean in politics with the goal of deterrence and the destruction of the capitalist order? Why does the “Arabian jihad” shift its priorities from the “close enemy” to the “far enemy”? Why did terrorist violence appear more often, in the last couple of decades, in the countries where Muslims are the majority, or why are the perpetrators, in terms of terrorist acts, mostly Muslims? These are the questions which are in the academic discussion centre and analysis of our paper. The paper identifies the causes and discusses the “us” and “them” polarization. The goal is to explain what is behind these paroles through the analysis of world’s authors: “War against terrorism”, “Unity of a nation”, and “The just war”. From a theoretical and empirical point of view, emphasizing of the Islamic component in terrorism is unfair at least. We used qualitative research methods, including the desk research, to obtain necessary data to give answers on our research questions.

In Croatia, the mission, set of goals and general issues of crisis management are still not completely, and to a sufficient extent, defined by appropriate legal solutions, regulations and strategic documents. Therefore, access to this vital area of safety issues is still divided to certain areas depending on the type of crisis or threat. The necessity of establishing a comprehensive and unified system to manage crises was recognized over fifteen years ago, and a series of discussions has been held on the issue, as well as the issue of developing the concept of a crisis management system. Despite these efforts, there have been no significant results. The issue was approached in 2004. by passing the Law on Protection and Rescue and the establishment of the State Protection and Rescue Administration (DUZS), and again in 2005. by passing a new Civil Protection Law. However, the civil protection system covers only a part of an integrated crisis management system at the national level, such as protection and rescue, disaster and major accident management. The normative framework of the Republic of Croatia, even after Croatia entered the EU and adopted it's acquis communautaire, is marked by the lack of comprehensive solutions regarding the definition of national crises and the establishment of a crisis management system. Therefore, this paper analyzes the existing normative framework of crisis management in the Republic of Croatia, as well as its functionality with a focus on the system of civil protection.