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Melodramatic Joy In Ibrahim Nasrallah’S Trilogy Of The Bells, Adam V. Spanos

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

This essay argues that absurdist humor, so often theorized as a challenge to metaphysical and identitarian claims, in fact supports such claims within the context of anticolonial nationalist melodrama. In his Trilogy of the Bells [2019], Palestinian writer Ibrahim Nasrallah uses the conventions of melodrama to make an epistemological claim specific to Palestinian experience. Confronting a regime that has been largely successful in determining the internationally accepted common sense about the conflict, Nasrallah aims to present the external world with a narrative of Palestinian history, experience, and aspirations. The Manichean distinctions, spectacular displays of pathos, and manifestations of suppressed secrets …

Bold New Bioweapons: Part 1 — The Burdens Of Detection And Attribution, James Giordano

Strategic Insights

This commentary, Pt. 1 of the Bold New Bioweapons series, examines how advances in gene editing, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence are reshaping the biological weapons threat landscape and challenging the effectiveness of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Dr. Giordano argues that decentralized research ecosystems, AI-enabled pathogen design, and dual-use biotechnology complicate detection, attribution, and deterrence. Emerging techniques can produce synthetic or modified biological agents that evade traditional surveillance systems and blur distinctions between legitimate research and weaponization. The absence of clear adjudication mechanisms within the BWC creates governance gaps exploitable by state and non-state actors. The article emphasizes that …

The Blurry Line: Examining The Balance Between Feminism And Nationalism For Women In Early 20th Century Ireland, Seamus M. Clune

History Summer Fellows

The early 20th century in Ireland was a complex and confusing period. Between British Imperialism, The Gaelic Revival, World War I, the suffrage movement, and the Irish War of Independence, the period was fast and turbulent. Above the shifting ground, Irish women activists balanced two key political causes: feminism and Irish nationalism. Past scholarship has examined the coexistence of these two ideals. At times, one suppressed the other. At other times, they worked in tandem. This project offers a new interpretation of Irish women's political activity through a close reading of the letters and memoirs of three people: Constance Markievicz …

Reviews: Conservation Of Marine Birds (Young, L. & Vanderwerf, E.); Science, Secrecy And The Smithsonian: The Strange History Of The Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program (Regis, E.); New(Ish) And Noteworthy: Seabirds Count: A Census Of Breeding Seabirds In Britain And Ireland (Burnell, D., Perkins, A.J., Newton, S.F., Bolton, M., Tierney, T.D., Dunn, T.E.); Sea Change: An Atlas Of Islands In A Rising Ocean (Gerhardt, C.); Bird Day: A Story Of 24 Hours And 24 Avian Lives (Hauber, M.E.); Journeys With Emperors: Tracking The World’S Most Extreme Penguin (Kooyman, G.L. & Mastro, J.), Mark J. Rauzon, Eric Wagner

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

The Bond Of Peace: Restoring Souls In Worship Amid Culture War And Moral Suffering, Steve Yeagley

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

Jeremiah’s critique of war as false worship challenges popular Christianity’s support of American war culture. While primarily expressed as American militarism, war culture also manifests in the rhetoric of culture wars. Adding to the division and violence that the nation’s culture wars can fuel is their potential to inflict moral suffering. Emerging discourses of moral distress and injury suggest that, like wartime environments, culture wars may exact a spiritual toll. Unlike the militant liturgies of war culture, Christian worship can address this moral suffering. When acknowledged in worship through witness and lamentation, moral distress and injury offer a prophetic critique, …

The Literary Unity Of Luke-Acts And Authorial Intent In Acts, Boubakar Sanou

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

While some scholars have suggested that any investigation of the Gospel of Luke and Acts must include the question of their literary unity, others have focused on the purpose for which Acts was written. Since authorial intent should greatly inform the interpretation of a written work, the quest for the authorial and literary unity of Luke and Acts is inseparable from the quest for the author’s intent in writing Acts. This article argues that while the various proposals for the purpose of Acts should be considered as complementary rather than mutually exclusive, Acts 1:8 clearly appears as the interpretative key …

Re-Assessment Of The Urban History Of Azerbaijan From Ancient Times To The Present In The Context Of General Turkic Culture, Telman Nusretoglu Quliyev, Nurlan Pashaoglu Nasirov

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

While the Turks have often been depicted as a nomadic people in Western and former Soviet historiographies, recent archaeological evidence and research reveals that they were instrumental in the development of settled urban civilizations, particularly during ancient and medieval times. This is particularly evident in Azerbaijan, a region historically inhabited by Turks, where they significantly contributed to the establishment of urban centers. These cities, along with their infrastructure and architectural features, have been well-documented in Greco-Roman, Arabic, Persian, and other primary sources from the period. Azerbaijan, located at the crossroads of East-West trade routes, has a long history of urbanization, …

Report Of The Special Rapporteur On The Implications For Human Rights Of The Environmentally Sound Management And Disposal Of Hazardous Substances And Wastes, Marcos Orellana - Military Activities And Toxics, Marcos Orellana

PEEL Faculty Scholarship

Implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes

Note by the Secretary-General

The Secretary-General has the honour to transmit to the General Assembly the report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, Marcos Orellana, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 54/10.

China Maritime Report #48: Great Inspectations: Prc Maritime Law Enforcement Operations In The Taiwan Strait, Julia Famularo

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Main Findings

• People’s Republic of China (PRC) law enforcement operations function as forms of cognitive and legal warfare. They represent a clear effort to undermine international maritime law as well as Taiwan’s sovereignty.
• The PRC asserts that the Taiwan Strait comprises multiple “zones,” to include “internal waters, territorial sea, [the] contiguous zone, and the Exclusive Economic Zone.” While China does not explicitly claim that the waters of the Taiwan Strait wholly constitute PRC sovereign territory, it clearly implies that it has the self-defined right to exercise distinct forms of control over different zones of the Strait.
• While stressing that China …

Combat Motivation And Swift Trust In Canada’S Battle Of Hong Kong, 1941, Robert C. Engen, Maxwell Putnam

Canadian Military History

Abstract: In December 1941, the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong was the site of a doomed last stand, when the Imperial Japanese Army assaulted the British enclave near-simultaneously with the strike on Pearl Harbor. Among Hong Kong’s multinational defenders were two battalions of Canadian infantry, designated “C Force.” They held out for a significant period and inflicted heavy casualties upon the Japanese, despite the fact that the Canadians were under-trained, under-equipped and fighting a battle that could not be won. This article is the first major study of combat motivation in the Battle of Hong Kong, taking the Canadian …

The Urgent Need For Global Nuclear Disarmament: An Occupational Therapy Perspective, Ryan Thomure, Leon Kirschner, Robert Croonquist

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The risk of nuclear war, exacerbated by recent global conflict, poses an existential threat to humanity and undermines the ability of individuals and communities to engage in meaningful occupation. This article argues that occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants have a role to play in supporting global nuclear disarmament and that such efforts align with both our ethical responsibilities and scope of practice. It explores the profound impact of nuclear weapons on health and well-being, emphasizing the relevance of this issue to occupational therapy. The article outlines practical strategies for occupational therapists to engage in advocacy, including public education campaigns, …

Integrating Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Technologies Into Common Operating Picture And Course Of Action Development, C. Anthony Pfaff, Christopher John Hickey

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

C. Anthony Pfaff and Christopher John Hickey, Principal Investigators

©2025 C. Anthony Pfaff. All rights reserved.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technologies into Common Operating Picture and Course of Action Development explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to revolutionize military planning processes by enhancing situational awareness and expediting course of action development within the Joint planning process. The study delves into technical, organizational, and resource considerations that are critical for AI integration. In addition, the study highlights the importance of clean, structured data in training AI systems, addresses challenges in data collection across varying formats …

Ethnicizing Europe: Hate And Violence After Versailles, Éva Kovács, Raul Cârstocea, Gábor Egry

Central European Studies

Ethnicizing Europe focuses on the dynamics of interethnic violence in Europe between the two world wars. The new international system that was enshrined by the Versailles peace treaties after World War I did not bring stability to East-Central Europe. Rather, it resulted in a host of conditions like self-determination, international oversight, revolutionary political ideas, and democratic processes, which eventually gave new meaning to already established conflicts, as well as igniting new conflicts in the region. This book opens with a discussion of the theoretical scholarship on ethnicity before proceeding to specific case studies investigating the different ways in which ethnicity …

The Insurgent’S Dilemma: A Struggle To Prevail, David E. Spencer

Joint Force Quarterly

David E. Spencer’s review of The Insurgent’s Dilemma highlights David Ucko’s nuanced analysis of the strategic challenges insurgent movements face in balancing military efficacy with political legitimacy. Drawing on his expertise in Latin American insurgency, particularly the FARC, Spencer uses Ucko’s framework to explain why some insurgent groups, like the FARC, failed to adapt to post-Cold War conditions, while others, like the Zapatistas, successfully evolved ideologically, locally, and institutionally. Ucko argues that modern insurgencies must navigate complex trade-offs between violence and popular support, especially as traditional strategies become obsolete. The book offers critical insights into how both insurgents and counterinsurgents …

Space Warfare: Strategy, Principles And Policy, 2nd Ed., Todd W. Pennington, Emmy Kanarowski

Joint Force Quarterly

The second edition of Space Warfare by John J. Klein offers a timely and comprehensive update to a foundational text in spacepower strategy. Reviewed by Pennington and Kanarowski, this expanded volume deepens Klein’s signature analogies between maritime and space domains while addressing the significant geopolitical, doctrinal, and legal changes that have reshaped military space operations since the book’s original release in 2006. Notable additions include new chapters on space-based offensive and defensive platforms, “Guardian Angels” and “Celestial Demons,” and a thought-provoking call for a future Space National Guard. While some proposals are forward-looking, Klein’s work remains grounded in strategic theory, …