Grey Zones - Contemporary Challenges and Security Dilemma

Abstract

The processes developed worldwide in recent years have significantly changed the security environment. Under globalization, the world has faced a new phenomenon from transnational threats, which are unpredictable and pose a threat to all states and their citizens. The increase and variability of threats in the modern world has led to the so-called It led to the formation of "grey zones", which represent a new challenge in the world foreign policy of the 21st century from the point of view of international security and security. Against the background of modern challenges and the formation of the security architecture, the phenomenon of the so-called "gray zone" appears, which implies the use of a wide range of social, political, economic, and military tools to achieve the maximum result in the conditions of non-recognition of aggression. The primary source of transnational threats is the creation of places of concentration, called "gray zones," which represent the territories of individual states or regions where traditional security approaches and tactics do not work well, and international law and national legislative norms do not apply. There is no actual political government and full-fledged socio-economic relations in the mentioned territory, therefore, in the so-called "grey zones" the struggle is between state structures and transnational organized criminal structures, whose sphere of activity is not limited by the sovereignly recognized borders of the state. From the international legal point of view, there is no definition of the concept mentioned above; however, in the Western military and political society, the term "gray zone" is actively used, the space the adversary uses to gain local or regional advantages. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that they occupy the space between ordinary diplomacy and military conflict. Such a description indicates that the "gray zone" is a new space between the traditional concepts of war and peace, one version of the strategy of coercive deterrence of hybrid war built on modern technologies. Our report aims to introduce you to one of the modern challenges, the phenomenon of the so-called "grey zone," its determining factor, essence, and nature, destabilizing the world. To study the issue in depth, we used a sociological survey, and the analysis of documents and secondary sources was determined as the research method; accordingly, two research questions were developed: 1) What is the "gray zone" phenomenon in modern international security conditions? 2) What is the security dilemma of "gray zones" as a variety of contemporary challenges? Based on the above, the presentation and analysis of the so-called "gray zone" phenomenon are essential in modern political science and interdisciplinary fields, as well as the specificity of the topic, which is an exciting factor in how the "gray zones" are formed and the solution of the contemporary international security problem in regional and at the local level. The contemporary international security environment in the world is complex and ambiguous. The methods and actions in the so-called "gray zone" do not correspond to traditional models of military conflicts, which make it difficult for the opponent to choose between action and inaction, therefore it is designed to confuse the opponent and achieve the goal by combining non-traditional military and non-military means. The non-linear nature of conflict development is an essential factor that contributes to obtaining strategic advantages at the expense of relatively small impacts. The critical task of the existence of the so-called "gray zone" is not the achievement of separate operational-tactical goals but the growing formation of relatively small-scale events, the combination of which serves to form a new strategic reality. In the 21st century, the world is facing new challenges in the conditions of global competition, and the level of international security is significantly decreasing. Maintaining peace around the world is still an actual issue. In the face of the increased threats and challenges, maintaining security and implementing the right policies are vital for an individual country or region. In the current situation, security and defense in modern international challenges require a different approach, such as developing informational, physical, and technological security tools. Attempts to privatize the security sector, fight with hybrid methods, and the emergence of "gray zones" are determining factors at the international level regarding conducting wars.