Lecturer

Florina Cristiana (Cris) Matei joined the Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR) at the United States Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in 2003. Cris has researched, published and lectured on a wide range of issues concerning civil-military relations, democratization, Security Sector Reform (SSR), intelligence, countering/combating terrorism, organized crime, and street gangs, for CCMR’s resident and non-resident programs, NPS National Security Affairs (NSA) M.A. courses, as well as international conferences. Cris has also reviewed potential articles for and has been on the editorial board of academic journals. During the last four years, Cris has been actively involved in the International Studies Association (ISA) section on intelligence, by contributing papers and successfully proposing three panels.

Her most recent publications include:

Articles: “Toward A New Conceptualization of Civil-Military Relations” (with Thomas Bruneau) in Democratization Journal, December 2008; “Challenges of Intelligence Sharing in Romania” in Intelligence and National Security, August 2009; “National Security Councils: Their Potential Functions in Democratic Civil-Military Relations” (with Thomas Bruneau and Sak Sakoda) in Defense and Security Analysis, September 2009; “The Legal Framework for Intelligence in Post-Communist Romania” in International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, September 2009.

Book chapters: “Romania’s Transition to democracy: the Role of the Press in Intelligence Reform” – chapter in Reforming Intelligence: Obstacles to Democratic Control and Effectiveness, University of Texas Press, June 2007; “Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States” – chapter in Romania in Europa si in Lume, 1990-2007 (“Romania in Europe and in the World, 1990-2007”), Military Publishing House, Romania; “Combating Terrorism And Organized Crime: South Eastern Europe Collective Approaches” - chapter in BIlten Slovenske Vojske (SLOVENIA), September 2008; “Romania’s Intelligence Reform: The Importance of the Legal Framework” - chapter in “Two Decades of Change: Romania 1989-2009”, Difin, Poland, April 2009; “Intelligence in the Developing Democracies: The “Quest” for Transparency and Effectiveness” (with Thomas Bruneau) in the edited Oxford Handbook for Intelligence, February 2010; “Romania’s Anti-Terrorism Capabilities: Transformation, Cooperation, Effectiveness”- chapter in BIlten Slovenske Vojske (SLOVENIA), March 2010;” “Pledoarie pentru un intelligence eficient intr-o democratie: perspectiva unui outsider” (“A Plea for Effective Intelligence in a Democracy: the View of an Outsider”), chapter in Un Razboi al Mintii. Intelligence, servicii de informatii si cunoastere strategica in secolul XXI (A War of Mind. Intelligence, intelligence services and strategic knowledge in the 21st Century), RAO Publishing, Romania, November 2010.

Her current research and writing deal with the fundamental issues of democratic civil – military relations, including defense institution building, private security contractors, intelligence, combating terrorism and organized crime. She has just completed a book chapter on anti-gang initiatives and policies which are going to be published in the United States in 2011.

Cris earned a M.A. in International Security Affairs and Civil-Military Relations from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2001 and a B.S. in Physics (Nuclear Interactions and Elementary Particles) from the University of Bucharest, Romania, in 1996. Before coming to NPS Cris worked for the Romanian Ministry of Defense as a civilian subject matter expert. Cris is fluent in Romanian, English, French, and Spanish, and can understand and read Italian.