Digital Commons Network^™

Lessons Learned: Overcoming Obstacles To Inference And Synthesis In Atrocity Prevention Research, Tallan Donine, Daniel Solomon, Lawrence Woocher

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In this paper, we argue that atrocity prevention (AP) researchers face obstacles to inference and knowledge synthesis in the study of AP strategies and tools. We argue that researchers can begin to address obstacles to inference by using rigorous social-science methods and can address obstacles to knowledge synthesis through greater coordination and transparency about concepts, methods, and data. Our argument proceeds in four parts. First, drawing on a systematic review of three decades of research about AP tools, we survey key analytic obstacles to drawing conclusions about the effects of AP policy. Second, we survey four separate methods that researchers …

Leveraging A Multi-Method Approach To Improve Mass Atrocity Forecasting, Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira, Trey Billing, Eric W. Schoon

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Forecasting mass atrocities is a central concern for academics, policymakers, and practitioners, but determining where and when mass atrocities will occur is far from straightforward. Over the last few decades, researchers around the world have developed several forecasting models. Some of these models—like the Political Instability Task Force model or the Australia Forecasting Project model—have emphasized quantitative assessments of the risk of mass atrocity. Others—like the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes—have focused on how case-specific factors coalesce to impact the onset of mass atrocity. In this article, we suggest that a multi-methods framework that capitalizes on the strengths …

Contextualized Transitional Justice Policy Development In Uganda: Differentiating Between Normativity Types In Evidence-Based Problem Analysis, Saghar Shahidi Birjandian

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article discusses the fundamental impact of normativity on producing evidence-based guidance for context-sensitive transitional justice policy. It draws on lessons learned from Uganda’s complex transitional justice context and extensive fieldwork to demonstrate the necessity and the means to differentiate between belief-based normativity and evidence-based normativity in conducting problem analysis as a crucial site that determines the integrity of evidence-based guidance. It also establishes that evidence-based normativity guiding problem analysis must include empirical evidence of societal dynamics and views of affected communities or there is a significantly higher risk of belief-based normativity decontextualizing strategy development. Findings establish significant substantive differences …

Multimodal Strategies For Mitigating Congestion From Urban Parcel Delivery, Mark Hansen, Pei-Sung Lin, Zhenyu Wang, Yu Zhang, Ang Li

Research Reports

The explosive growth in e-commerce, the increasing urgency of de-carbonization, the rapid advances in UAV technology, and the continuous disruptive development of the gig economy create needs and opportunities for dramatic improvements in urban package delivery. E-commerce may greatly increase the demand for such deliveries, traditionally made by truck and van, as urban residents substitute purchases made over the Internet for those acquired in brick-and-mortar stores. To mitigate the congestion impact of truck and van traffic, as well as reduce costs and travel times, last-mile delivery should in many cases be shifted toward non-motorized modes (e.g., walkers and bicyclists) and …

Mapping Co-Benefits And Cultural Values For Nature-Based Solutions: Caye Caulker, Belize (Report No. 8), J. M.S. Delevaux, R. K. Zarger, C. Dario, K. Hinds, N. Batista, J. Olaya-Restrepo, M. Webb, W. A. Mcdougall, D. Vernon, N. Gibson, M. A. Trotz

Strong Coasts Collection

On October 21st and 22nd, 2024, 58 persons gathered in Caye Caulker for a collaborative workshop, sharing knowledge on priority areas for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and co-benefits pertaining to mangroves and coral reefs. They also helped map and value fisheries supply chains, and identify socio-cultural values pertaining to NbS.

This two-part workshop was part of the Large-Scale Coastlines and People (CoPE): Strong Coasts project which studies the co-benefits of Nature-based Solutions in terms of contributions to Habitat Extent & Health, Carbon Sequestration, Education, Erosion, Fisheries, Flood Reduction, Heritage, Recreation, Tourism, and Water Quality. The workshop was organized by project partners …

Forum, Volume 48, No. 3, Fall 2024, Florida Humanities, Pam Daniel

FORUM: The Magazine of Florida Humanities

Contents: Letter from the Executive Director -- From the Secretary of State -- From the Editor -- Humanities Live -- Treasure -- Oral History -- The School Masters -- Nowhereland -- They Tell our Story -- Places in Our Hearts -- Local Color -- Florida Seen -- Taste of Florida -- Environmental Humanities -- The Quiz

Revisiting The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis: Strategic Lessons For Today, Kendall Carll

Journal of Strategic Security

As the inhabitants of the Quemoy Islands sat down for dinner on August 23, 1958, three years of relative peace in the Taiwan Strait came to an abrupt end. In the weeks that followed, the Eisenhower administration deployed ships to the strait, worked to understand the Communists’ intent, and considered nuclear first use. Though Washington ultimately prevailed in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, a critical review of the decision-making process enabled by newly leaked materials suggests catastrophe was closer than previously assumed. This article investigates the successes, the failures, and the nearly avoided contingencies that permitted a non-nuclear resolution to …

Understanding Russian Hybrid Warfare Against Europe In The Energy Sector And In The Future ‘Energy-Resources-Climate’ Security Nexus., Maurizio Geri

Journal of Strategic Security

To avoid escalations to full kinetic (military) wars is imperative to win the non-kinetic part of the so-called “hybrid warfare”, which use both kinetic and non-kinetic methods. The goal of the non-kinetic methods of hybrid warfare, or as others call it “grey zone” activities, or “subthreshold” tactics, is to defeat hearts and minds, as well as pockets, of adversaries, with social, political, and economic tools. This article focuses on energy as the crucial sector of the economic tools, and specifically uses an innovative approach, what the author calls the ‘energy-resources-climate security nexus’, as a new battleground for future strategic competition …

An Overview Of The Activities Of Different Actors In The Reconstruction Efforts In Borno, Nigeria: 2016 - 2023, Wazeer Murtala

Journal of Strategic Security

Nigeria-Boko Haram’s competition for dominance has been the subject of many scholarly works and commentaries. Evidence shows that Nigeria is emerging victorious in the military struggle and the country is building on this relative success by engaging in infrastructural reconstruction that is akin to post-war rebuilding. With Borno State as the focal point, this article summarizes the activities of different actors (local and international) in the reconstruction efforts. Through a qualitative survey of different primary documents such as reports, news articles, videos, and other relevant materials, this study finds that the reconstruction efforts in Borno State between the years 2016 …

Crimen En La Frontera: Exploring Texas-Mexico Border Crimes Using A Geospatial Analysis, Carlos Alvarez, Jascha Wagner

Journal of Strategic Security

Border crimes threaten public safety and security in the United States and the US-Mexico border region. Several evaluations support that data-driven, place-based crime prevention approaches can complement current public safety strategies and help reduce crime. Accordingly, place-based crime prevention may successfully prevent border crimes since these are inherently spatial. However, few studies have analyzed the geographies of Texas-Mexico border crimes, and assessments of data-driven, place-based crime prevention strategies of border crimes still lack a solid empirical foundation – especially in more rural border communities. To address this issue, this study builds police report data (Border Incident Assessment Report (BIAR)), used …

Regulating Deepfakes: An Indian Perspective, Shinu Vig

Journal of Strategic Security

Deepfakes are a growing concern throughout the world including India. Deepfakes can be used for several purposes, both innocuous or malicious. In India, several problems related to regulation of deepfakes have emerged. This paper makes an examination of current legal challenges posed by deepfakes as well as solutions in India that can be repurposed to address these challenges, including intellectual property laws, criminal laws, and the right to privacy. While these existing laws can be used to address certain aspects of the deep fake problem, there is an increasing recognition that specific legislations and regulations addressing deep fakes and synthetic …

Suicide Bombing In Afghanistan: A Multilevel Analysis, Kaneshka Nawabi

Journal of Strategic Security

In August 2021, an insurgency spearheaded by violent suicide campaigns saw the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan. A claimed four thousand suicide bombers remain a strategic asset at the hands of the Taliban and other extremist groups with extensive technical and logistical capabilities and a strong deterrence against their rivals. Despite this emanating threat, the majority of suicide terrorism research continues to rely on data from the Middle East, where social status, financial gains, and collective honour are cited as key factors. Using a multilevel framework and analysis, this article is based on field interviews with victims, …

The War Came To Us: Life And Death In Ukraine. By Christopher Miller. London: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2023., Amos C. Fox Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

A World Safe For Commerce: American Foreign Policy From The Revolution To The Rise Of China. Dale C. Copeland. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2024., Michael Hampson Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Developmental Program Evaluation For State Continued Approval In Educator Preparation, Suzanne L. Roberts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Working as a teacher educator today means working under an ever-present regulatory gaze. Accountability mechanisms, including state program approval processes, have been layered resulting in complexity. External assessments have failed to provide the data needed to support continuous improvement. There have been calls for combining external and internal evaluation processes to better drive continuous improvement. Developmental Program Evaluation (DPE) is an approach that claims to support program development in the middle space between top-down and bottom-up forces. This study examines the use of DPE in the middle space between mandated state approval processes and a small educator preparation program’s effort …

Full Issue, Maryland Birdlife

Maryland Birdlife

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Maryland Birdlife

Maryland Birdlife

No abstract provided.

Article, St. Pete’S Little Bayou, Mangroves, And The ‘Howdy Doody’ Roots Of Our Current Catastrophe, Thomas Hallock

Creekshed: City Wilds

An article by Thomas Hallock about Little Bayou Preserve and the importance of mangroves in St. Petersburg, Florida.

A School Leader’S Experiences With Ableism In An Educational System, Scottie Basham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current organizational autoethnographic study aims to problematize ableism as an ideology that permeates and contributes to the inequities students with disabilities face in education. I share how I came to see ableism as an ideology that permeates and contributes to recursive practices in special education and share experiences that illustrate to school leaders ableist assumptions that are ingrained in leading a Special Education Center. Using organizational autoethnography, I share my experience as a first-year principal to provide a first-hand account of recursive practices within the educational organization, rooted in ableism, and discuss how those practices affected both myself, as …

Full Issue, Maryland Birdlife

Maryland Birdlife

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Maryland Birdlife

Maryland Birdlife

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Maryland Birdlife

Maryland Birdlife

No abstract provided.

Back Matter, Mississippi Kite

Mississippi Kite

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Mississippi Kite

Mississippi Kite

No abstract provided.

Thank You To The 2019 Reviewers Of The Mississippi Kite, Nicholas A. Winstead

Mississippi Kite

No abstract provided.

Cattle Egret Foraging Behind White-Tailed Deer, Steve Peterson

Mississippi Kite

No abstract provided.

Confirmation Of Mississippi Barn Owls Breeding In October, Natasha Murphy, Scott A. Rush

Mississippi Kite

No abstract provided.

Birds Around The State: Spring-Summer 2019, Nicholas A. Winstead

Mississippi Kite

No abstract provided.

Back Matter, Mississippi Kite

Mississippi Kite

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Mississippi Kite

Mississippi Kite

No abstract provided.