Title page -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- General survey -- The Notion of Security -- Defining security -- The sociophysics of terrorism: a passive supporter percolation effect -- Introduction -- The passive supporter attitude -- Percolation theory: from physics to social properties -- "Terrorists must be like fishes in water. But they must find that water" -- From individual shifts to global properties -- From the model to some universal features of terrorism -- What is novel in current global terrorism? -- There exists no military solution -- From no feasible military solution to novel social perspectives -- Neutralizing flags to curb global terror -- Conclusion -- References -- The 'What', 'Who' and 'How' of contemporary security -- Introduction -- Perception and reality -- The 'What' of security analysis-the domain of security from core to periphery -- The 'Who' of security analysis -- Management: the 'How' of security -- Conclusion -- References -- What is Complexity? -- An introduction to complexity -- The relation of complexity to systems theory -- Frustration -- Regulation -- Directive correlation -- Delayed feedback -- Implications of complexity -- Emergence -- Innovation -- Complexity, stability and crises -- Introduction -- Complexity and crises -- Urban and regional complexity -- Anticipating crises -- The drivers of change -- The output -- Analysing the structure -- Scenarios -- Implications -- References -- The representation of complexity -- Types of complexity -- Intuitive notions of complexity -- Intrinsic complexity -- Encoding an object -- Regularity and randomness -- Information -- Algorithmic information content (AIC) -- Effective complexity (EC) -- Physical complexity (PC) -- Bibliography -- Soil as a paradigm of a complex system -- Context: soil and security -- Soils and complexity -- Soils as complex systems.

Nonlinearity -- Indeterminacy -- Emergent behaviour -- Self-organization -- References -- Complexity in materials science and semiconductor physics -- Controlled disorders, nanoscience, nanotechnology and spintronics -- Travelling electrical domains on localized states-disorder of semiconductor electronic structures -- Diluted magnetic semiconductors -- Novel polymer nanocomposites for microsensors -- Spin-polarized transport in semiconductors -- Modelling of quantum systems-the way of quantum device design -- Conclusion -- References -- Climate and Energy -- Introduction to global warming -- The measurement of temperature and solar output -- The Earth's energy balance -- Industrial activity -- Variations in contributors to the energy balance -- Solar flux -- Albedo -- Variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide -- Biogenic factors -- Volcanoes -- Anthropogenic factors -- The carbon cycle -- The nitrogen cycle -- The sulfur cycle -- Consequences of global warming -- Conclusions -- List of the most common symbols -- Climate change and the complexity of the energy global security supply solutions: the global energy (r)evolution -- Climate change -- Primary energy resources -- The fossil fuels -- Oil production -- The chaos of the reserves -- Natural gas -- Coal -- Carbon dioxide capture and storage and clean coal technologies -- Uranium resources and nuclear energy -- Contribution of all fossil and nuclear fuels -- What is the solution for saving the planet?-the global energy (r)evolution -- The hydrogen economy -- Conclusions -- Complexity in environmental and meteorological research -- "Natural disasters" as a dynamic category of environmental phenomena-climate change -- The 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58 -- from IGY (1957-58) to IPY (2007-2008) -- The 2007 IPCC report -- Global carbon cycle and climate.

Sources of and sinks for carbon dioxide in the biosphere -- Anthropogenic sources of carbon -- Conclusions -- References -- Global warming: a social phenomenon -- Introduction -- No present scientific certainty about human guilt -- Social warming worse than global warming! -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- The Technology of Security -- Complex technology: a promoter of security and insecurity -- The problems of protecting people in underground structures from terrorist explosions -- Introduction -- Structure of a protective system -- Parameters of influence -- External impact parameters -- Main parameters of the protective system -- Energy absorption parameters of the system -- Methods of identification of blasts in underground openings -- Hydraulic shock energy absorber with a pyrotechnic element -- Conclusions -- References -- Degradation of anthropogenic contaminants by higher plants -- Introduction -- Plants and remediation pathways -- The role of enzymes -- Degradation processes -- Plant ultrastructure dynamics due to xenobiotics -- Plants as remediators -- References -- Modern trends in integrated information systems development -- Introduction -- Service-oriented architecture -- The synthesis of information protection systems with optimal properties -- The problems of information security in modern information and communication systems -- The methodology of synthesis of information security systems in information and communication systems -- Typical problems of the synthesis of information security systems with optimal properties -- The problem of structural synthesis of the information security system with an optimal level of information protection -- The problem of parametric synthesis of an information security system with an optimal level of information protection -- Summary -- References.

Complexity and security of coupled critical infrastructures -- Introduction -- Characteristics of critical infrastructures -- Risk-shaping factors -- Assessment matrix -- Risk governance strategies -- Step by step -- Identification and prediction -- New technologies -- Standards -- Towards an integrative approach -- References -- The formation of a global information society, digital divide and trends in the Georgian telecommunications market -- Development dynamics of the Georgian telecommunications market, 2000-2006 -- Mobile telecommunication services -- Fixed line telecommunication services -- International/long-distance telecommunication services -- Internet services -- Conclusion -- References -- Psychological, Social, Political, Economic and Ethical Aspects of Security -- Psychological, social, economic and political aspects of security -- Why governments and companies invest in science and technology -- Introduction -- Science and technology payoff -- Global trends in S&T -- Global investments in R&D are large -- The role of governments in R&D funding is decreasing -- Increased company R&D reflects the technology-intensive global economy -- Technology output is reflected in technology trade -- Greater importance of science and engineering education -- Increasing globalization of the R&D enterprise -- Complexity in the global context -- Communicating the value of science -- Social entropy, synergy and security -- The actuality of the problem -- Society as a system -- Neural model -- Social behaviour -- Hierarchic model -- The complexity of civilization -- Some reflexions on NATO and Georgia -- Conclusions -- References -- An abstract model of political relationships: modeling interstate relations -- The complexity of the economic transition in Eastern Europe -- Introduction -- The transition history.

Fifteen years to promote economic transition -- The major achievements -- Does the transition make you happy? -- Sources consulted -- Children and security: "A child has the right to be defended from birth" -- Subject Index -- Author Index.