Seeking security in times of crisis

The book is structured into three chapters. The first describes the Security that has changed, starting from the scientific shift on the axis of widening and deepening, the new perception of security policy, as well as the new security architecture at the EU level, and finally the security environment as it is shaped after the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. The second chapter highlights 23 and 1 reasons that make the change in security policy and the new Social Contract necessary. The reasons are divided into five sectors: a) the new security, b) today’s society, c) the challenges, d) the threats, and finally e) the security policy followed by Greece. The third chapter proposes the necessary reforms so that Greece can become a Modern State of National Security and describes the basic principles of a Social Contract for security that can meet today’s needs as well as its possibilities.

Security policy in Greece is fragmented, piecemeal, and often ineffective. The Social Contract for security itself is questioned even by parties represented in Parliament. Greece is a country where in 2024 we are discussing the democratization of the Security Forces and not the reform of the internal security sector. How then can Greece evolve into a modern State of National Security? What should the new Social Contract for Security include? These are the two central questions the book attempts to answer. What is the main scientific argument of the book? The book focuses on the reasons why, in the 21st century, we are discussing in Greece the democratization and not the reform of the Police and, more broadly, of security policy, and tries to explain how the perception of security and the role of the Security Forces influence the framework of changes that parties want to promote. In addition, it highlights the need to emphasize the issue of reform, which becomes imperative due to a series of significant changes: a) emerging technologies, b) change in the nature of crime and violence, c) expansion of the risk framework, d) the role of the Security Forces in crisis and disaster management, and e) societies of diversity. In this context, the problems and challenges of changes will be included in two axes: a) in the broader scheme of Security Sector Reform, and b) in a new Social Contract.

The book highlights that the basic prerequisite for changes is cross-party agreement and consensus and the strengthening of citizens’ trust in the Security Forces. Without these two conditions, a Social Contract cannot function and security policy will remain trapped, incomplete, fragmented, and opportunistic.

An analytical presentation of why security is not a second-class policy. It has no color, party, or ideology. It is a fundamental right of citizens and the foundation of organized societies and the rule of law. If we agree on these basics, we can see a different policy, with continuity and long-term development. This is the main contribution the book seeks to highlight.