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The Journal Of Mine Action Issue 9.2 (2006), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Asia and the Pacific | Social and Economic Development Strategies | Research and Development

Lebanon, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Observations On Recent Changes In The Northwest Cambodia’S Mine/Uxo Situation, Michael Simmons, Mao Vanna, Soun Chea, Noum Chay Roum

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Based on recently acquired data from selected areas in Battambang province in northwestern Cambodia, the authors offer a preliminary report on what appear to be very significant shifts in the nature of the mine/unexploded ordnance situation. The new data is used to make comparisons between the situation in 2000 and the current situation. Next, they offer evidence of how locally based initiatives appear to have become the predominant driving force of mine action in the selected areas.

Developing Alternatives: The Locality Demining Model In Cambodia, Rupert Leighton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mines Advisory Group has developed a new demining model that trains local citizens to clear mines in their own villages. After using the model for almost 12 months, MAG shows this method is as thorough as Mine Action Team units and requires fewer resources.

Becoming Part Of The Hope, Tracey Begley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Visiting Laos and Cambodia can be a bit frightening for anyone— especially a 14-year-old girl. “Why are we going there?” I whined on the plane to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I had just been reading an article about Asia’s most dangerous countries, and it featured Cambodia. Why would my parents take me there?

Learning Takes Many Forms During Mine Action Mangers' Course, Nicole Neitzey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In the summer of 2005, 19 senior-level managers from mine action programs worldwide descended on James Madison University in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to develop and improve their toolbox of management skills at a course sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme. Five weeks later, they left with a wealth of new knowledge, new friends and fond memories of their learning experience.

Taking Learning To The Field: Fort A.P. Hill Demining Equipment Demonstration, Sarah Sensamaust

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As part of the Senior Managers Course con- ducted by the Mine Action Information Center during the summer of 2005, representatives from international mine action organizations had the opportunity to see the latest demining equipment demonstrations at Virginia’s Fort A.P. Hill. Watching from the bleachers in the mid-summer heat, the participants saw demonstrations high- lighting over a dozen pieces of demining equipment ranging from detection to neutralization technologies. Their visit was hosted by the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Research, Development and Engineering Center, Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate at Fort Belvoir, VA., as part of the Department …

From Interventions To Integration: Mine Risk Education And Community Liaison, Jo Durham

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mine risk education has become an integral part of humanitarian mine action, as emphasised by the recent adoption of the International Mine Action Standards on MRE. This article explores the development of MRE from the perspective of one HMA agency: the Mines Advisory Group. As with many other HMA operators, in MAG programmes, MRE and community liaison—alongside Technical Survey, explosive ordnance disposal and area clearance—have been part of MAG’s overall strategy to reduce risk in communities affected by the explosive remnants of war. This article looks at how MAG’s approach to MRE has developed and shifted in focus from MRE …

Iraq, Country Profile

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Qr Hits A Homerun: Landmine-Detection Systems Based On Quadrupole Resonance Technology Show Progress, Peter Turner, Caroleen L. Williams

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This study explains how quadrupole resonance technology in mine-detection systems improves with use and drastically reduces false alarms and deminer fatigue.

Rats To The Rescue: Results Of The First Tests On A Real Minefield, Ron Verhagen, Frank Weetjens, Christophe Cox, Bart Weetjens, Mic Billet

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The study in this article showed that using rats to evaluate mine risk is a very promising mine-detection method. When three rats were used to evaluate a contaminated area, the success rate was 95 percent, showing that rats can be a speedy and cost-effective means of mine detection.

Claiming The Future, Bounpheng Sisavath

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Lao National Unexploded Ordnance Programme (UXO Lao) has established a regional office and field offices in nine heavily impacted provinces in Laos. In 2003, the government announced a national strategic plan to deal with the UXO problem, introducing major reforms in the sector and defining clear objectives for clearance operations. UXO Lao productivity has greatly increased since then and is on track to more than double its annual output by the end of 2008.

Examining The Declining Utility Of Military Force, Ali Wyne

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War by Andrew J. Bacevich. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. 270pp.

Human Rights In El Salvador, Tait Robinson

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Between 1979 and 1991 El Salvador was embroiled in a civil war that claimed over 70,000 lives. Longstanding socio-economic inequality between the rich and poor led to government-backed human rights abuses dispensed by the military. These ranged from denials of freedom and civil liberties to village massacres.

International Monetary Fund, Kris Kirby

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Just as the United Nations (U.N.) was created in direct response to the human atrocities and international conflict of World War II, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was created to help repair the decimation that was experienced by the developed nations that became involved in the war. While both organizations have seemingly similar objectives (i. e. , post-war reconstruction and creation of an environment for lasting peace), the Articles of Agreement of the IMF, however, contains no explicit mention of human rights.

Polemics In The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Jerome Slater

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The Case for Israel by Alan Dershowitz. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. 264pp.

and

Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History by Norman G. Finkelstein. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. 332pp.

Contending Interventions: Coming To Terms With The Practice And Process Of Enforcing Compliance, Emilian Kavalski

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

The Purpose of Intervention: Changing Beliefs about the Use of Force by Martha Finnemore. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2004. 174pp.

and

International Intervention in the Post-Cold War World: Moral Responsibility and Power Politics edited by Michael C. Davis, Wolfgang Dietrich, Bettina Scholdan, and Dieter Sepp. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 2004. 332pp.

The African Union, Makaria Green

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The African Union (AU) was established on July 8, 2001. Its predecessor was the Organization for African Unity (OAU)—established in 1963. The charter that created the OAU was the result of several multinational African conferences held in the 1950s and 1960s aimed at supporting Africans who were still under colonial rule to incite change through non-violent means. The OAU had just four organs: the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, the Council of Ministers, the General Secretariat and the Commission of Mediation, and Conciliation and Arbitration. On September 9, 1999, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government issued …