Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Proof: How Small Drones Can Find Buried Landmines In The Desert Using Airborne Ir Thermography, John Fardoulis, Xavier Depreytere, Pierre Gallien, Kheria Djouhri, Ba Abdourhmane, Emmanuel Sauvage

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Hypotheses and speculation have circulated for at least three decades regarding how IR thermography could be viable as a technique for locating buried landmines in arid environments. However, there has been a lack of proof under actual field conditions. Addressing many overall questions regarding small drones in HMA, the Odyssey2025 Project—led by HI and Mobility Robotics— closely collaborated with the national mine action center in Chad, the Haut Commissariat National au Déminage (HCND), to complete activities and objectives. As part of a holistic approach, the primary objective was to determine how small drones could add value in HMA field operations …

A Note From The Interim Director, Suzanne Fiederlein Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Landmines In America's Backyard, Ken Rutherford Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Few realize the world’s first widespread deployment of landmines took place during the American Civil War (1860–1865). At the start of the war, the disparity in military manpower, materiel, and weaponry between the North and South was significant. The gap widened in the Union’s favor as the war progressed, forcing the Confederate war industry to innovate and improvise. As the conflict progressed, landmine warfare advanced commensurately, and both tactics and technology evolved to include innovative types of design and deployment. During the war’s later years, Confederate soldiers used both command-detonated and victim-activated landmines more frequently to defend and to protect …

Time To Stem Lightweight Approaches And Focus On Real Minefield Data?, John Fardoulis, Xavier Depreytere

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

While preparing for airborne IR thermography fieldwork as part of the Odyssey2025 Project between Humanity & Inclusion and Mobility Robotics in Chad, a comprehensive literature study was conducted by the authors From the literature reviewed, the authors identified a disconnect between thermography-related research projects and practical, real-world HMA operations. The importance of real fieldwork, the significance of undergoing a literature review before starting your own research, and the need for researchers to work in conjunction with HMA operators are all essential, not only to those working in HMA, but more importantly, to the post-conflict communities the sector strives to help.

Mine Action In The Time Of Covid-19: A Donor's Perspective, Wolfgang Bindseil, Ian Mansfield

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since the beginning of humanitarian mine action (HMA) in the late 1980s, the sector has relied heavily on donor support. The funding is provided through various channels and covers the full range of HMA activities, including risk education, survey and clearance, stockpile destruction, victim assistance, advocacy, capacity building, and coordination. Over the years, donors have also influenced the HMA sector in more ways than by just providing money. For example, MASG members have called for the development of common sector-wide standards (e.g., International Mine Action Standards), hosted technical workshops and training activities, and actively participated in international and national level …

Operationalized Management Information Systems In Iraq's Dma, Mark Steyn, Arie Claassens

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The perception of management information systems (MIS) often conjures up images of highly-technical tools requiring arcane development practices and data preparation rituals, but a simple solution providing easy access to the relevant data delivers a bigger impact than a highly technical tool gathering dust. The Iraq National Mine Action Authority has implemented an MIS application for use in the office and field to improve decision-making processes’ speed and quality.

On-The-Ground Information Management Tools In Northeast Syria, Suleiman Nyamwaya, Joel Ndegwa

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Beginning in early 2017, clearance activities in northeast Syria have been carried out primarily by NGOs. Initially, clearance was focused on agricultural land, but other critical infrastructure such as education, shelter, and electricity followed suit over time. Toward the end of 2017, iMMAP began providing coordination support to humanitarian mine action actors through the application of the Information Management System for Mine Action.

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Issue 24.2 (2020), Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

• Editorial: HMA and COVID-19: A Donor's Perspective
• Editorial: Time To Focus on Real Minefield Data
• Mine Action Information Management in Iraq and Northeast Syria
• IMAS 10.60 Update: Investigation and Reporting of Accidents and Incidents
• The Mine Free Sarajevo Project
• SALW in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the DRC
• Gender and Diversity in Mine Action
• Victim Assistance in Ukraine
• Landmines in the American Civil War
• Risk Education in Colombia
• R&D: The Odyssey2025 Project

International Mine Action Standard 10.60 Safety & Occupational Health - Investigation And Reporting Of Accidents And Incidents: Notes On The Revised Second Edition, Roly Evans

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In 2019, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) received permission from the International Mine Action Standard (IMAS) Review Board (RB) to update IMAS 10.60, Safety & occupational health – Investigation and reporting of accidents and incidents. The first edition of the document, originally drafted in October 2001, was last amended in June 2013. The second edition was published in 2020. This article covers some of the key improvements made in the second edition, such as a new emphasis on evidence, a simplified reporting sequence, the introduction of causal analysis, revised independence of investigation levels, introduction of near miss …

Weapons Marking And Registration In Bosnia And Herzegovina: A Model For A Regional Approach To Salw Life-Cycle Management In The Western Balkans, Mike Newton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the Western Balkans and their diversion from state-owned stockpiles is a driver of armed violence. The HALO Trust has been working in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2017 in support of the Franco-German Initiative for the Western Balkans. By collaborating with the Bosnian armed forces, the European Force in Bosnia and the UK-based marking company, Pryor Marking, HALO has found a sustainable and cost-effective solution to the problem of illicit SALW in the Western Balkans.

Improving Security In The Drc Through Weapons And Ammunition Management, Beamie-Moses Seiwoh, Aurelie Fabry, Edison Pineda, Grégoire De Nantes

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The resurgence of armed conflict since 1996 has displaced thousands across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and resulted in proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SA/LW), which remains a serious concern. The diversion of SA/LW and ammunition from state-owned stockpiles is linked to poor or insufficient weapons and ammunition management (WAM) capacity, practices, and procedures, and has been identified as a major cause of illicit arms and ammunition proliferation in the DRC. The trafficking, accumulation, and misuse of SA/LW and related ammunition pose a systemic and pervasive threat to peacebuilding and hampers long-term socioeconomic development. …

Assessing Ukraine's Victim Assistance Capacities, Kateryna Mashchenko, Tetiana Shymanchuk, Oleh Stoiev, Nick Vovk

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Six years into the protracted crisis, explosive ordnance (EO) contamination continues to affect Ukrainian communities. Consequent to the conflict between the government of Ukraine and the so-called de facto authorities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, EO affects an estimated 7,000 square kilometers of land in government-controlled areas (GCAs). Even without complete data from the non-government-controlled areas (NGCAs), Ukraine ranks among the five most affected places in the world for EO casualties. But for EO victims the path forward remains fraught with difficulties. According to the International Mine Action Standards, victim assistance (VA) requires a long-term commitment, a responsibility that …

Explosive Ordnance Victims And Risk Education: Lessons Learned From Colombia 2012-2019, Salomé Valencia, Angela Desantis, Matt Wilson, Sebastián Tovar Jaramillo, Angela Patricia Cortés Sánchez, Ana Jaquelin Jaimes Alfonso

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In Colombia, the use of anti-personnel mines is the result of more than sixty years of armed conflict. The Office of the High Commissioner for Peace - Descontamina Colombia (OACP-DC), the current national mine action authority in Colombia, recorded 11,828 explosive ordnance (EO) victims between 1985 and 2019. Furthermore, Colombia is one of nine countries where new anti-personnel mines are still being emplaced by non-state armed groups, which presents a challenge for the mine action sector. The aim of explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) is to reduce the risk of accidents by raising awareness and promoting safe behavior among EO-affected …

The Mine Free Sarajevo Project, Marija Trlin, Elise Becker, Nataša Uršič

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mine Free Sarajevo is a US-funded project aiming to clear more than six million square meters of mine-suspected and mine-contaminated land in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and surrounding municipalities. The project utilizes land release methodology, a cost-effective and safe way to release large areas by combining technical and non-technical survey methods. Upon completion of the project, the Sarajevo region will finally become mine-free and safe for the local population. This will enable social and economic growth and the development of many infrastructure projects that have been on hold for years.

24.2 Endnotes, Cisr Jmu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

Strengthening A Sustainable National Capacity For Gender And Diversity Mainstreaming In Mine Action, Laura Biscaglia, Ros Sophal, Khun Sochenda

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

There have been many positive developments in recent years in relation to promoting gender equality and inclusion in mine action. At the same time, some challenges remain, such as the lack of a gender and diversity mainstreaming capacity with clear roles and responsibilities in some mine action institutions and organizations. To reinforce positive achievements and strengthen gender and diversity mainstreaming capacity among national mine action authorities/centers (NMAA/Cs) and operators around the world, in 2019 the GICHD developed the flagship Gender Focal Point Capacity Development Programme. Through the achievements of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) and Norwegian …

Exploring The Typologies Of Terrorism In The United States: Using Cluster Analysis To Group Terrorists Based On Their Individual Characteristics, Michael Alaimo

International Journal of Peace Studies

In this study two-step cluster analysis was used in an exploratory effort to try and determine what the primary typologies of terrorism are in the United States based on the profiles of individual terrorist who operated in the United States from 1948 – 2016. From this, it was discovered that terrorists in the United States can be classified into two overarching typologies. The first one can most appropriately be called political extremism and the second typology may be titled religious extremism. These findings suggest that terrorists have varying characteristics in accordance with which typology they are classified by. Moreover, this …

Mine Action 2020: Book Of Papers, Centre For Testing, Development And Training Development And Training

Global CWD Repository

Book of papers that was to be presented at the 2020 Mine Action Symposium in Croatia. The Symposium canceled due to COVID-19.

Table Of Contents

International Journal of Peace Studies

No abstract provided.

International Journal Of Peace Studies Volume 25, Number 2, Winter 2020

International Journal of Peace Studies

No abstract provided.

From International Borders To The Honeycombing Of Internal Borders: Response To Covid-19 Pandemic, David E. Toohey

International Journal of Peace Studies

This article looks at borders during the Covid-19 crisis. In particular, it looks at how internal borders have arisen following xenophobic and national responses to Covid-19. This rise of internal borders is referred to as the honeycombing of borders. This article takes a genealogical approach to understand how borders have arisen—despite not always favorable opinions about them. Therefore, this looks at Rancière’s (1999; 2004) concept of the “police order” in the imposition of the sensible through Foucault’s genealogical approach, both to show the temporary, haphazard nature of these borders and how they revert to less desirable things. This is situated …

An Ecosystemic Approach To Facilitating Reconciliation: We Are All In This Together, Stan Amaladas

International Journal of Peace Studies

Informed by the disciplines of Leadership Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies, the authors offer an ecosystemic understanding of the relationship between peace, protests, and sustainable reconciliation. While the recent Covid-19 pandemic has prompted multiple reassurances that ‘we are all in this together,’ this paper focuses on conditions that must be present and conditions that opposes the quest for reconciliation from that reassuring perspective. Polarization of dualistic thinking (who is right/wrong), attitudes of superiority, and being driven by ‘negative visions,’ the authors argue, deny efforts for sustainable reconciliation. Aimed at building trust, sustainable reconciliation depends on the willingness of all …

Habermas’S Deontological Models And Core Principles Of Conflict Management, Gavin John Bradshaw, Casper Lötter, Richard Haines

International Journal of Peace Studies

In this contribution, we attempt to make a case for the fruitful potential of a prospective coordination between the principles of conflict management (particularly Burton’s views) and Habermas’s two deontological models., the latter being the “ideal speech community” and communicative ethics. Firstly, we will enumerate the similarities between Habermas’s observations and those generated from the body of conflict management (CM) scholarship generally. We will secondly analyse the dissimilarities between those of Habermas and Burton in particular. Building on this foundation, we will thirdly assess a number of CM tools in light of Habermas’s two models, and will subsequently conclude that …

Information About The Authors

International Journal of Peace Studies

No abstract provided.

Standardising Beneficiary Definitions In Humanitarian Mine Action (2nd Ed.), Danchurchaid, Danish Demining Group, The Halo Trust, Humanity And Inclusion, Mines Advisory Group, Norwegian People's Aid, Swiss Foundation For Demining

Global CWD Repository

This document lays out standard definitions and guidelines for measuring recording and reporting beneficiary numbers for EORE, land release, victim assistance and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) spot tasks. The guidelines do not include beneficiary definitions for the two remaining mine action pillars: advocacy and stockpile destruction.

It is hoped that this document can be used as a guide for other mine action operators donors and national authorities, to share best practice and contribute to international standards for the sector in beneficiary reporting.

Clearing Cluster Munition Remnants 2020, Mine Action Review

Global CWD Repository

Key Findings:

• In the 10 years since the entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in 2020, a total of more than 766 square kilometres of cluster munition-contaminated area has been cleared. During survey, clearance, and spot task operations nearly one million unexploded submunitions have been destroyed. Countless lives and limbs have undoubtedly been saved as a direct result, as well as the broader contribution to development.
• In 2019 alone, a global total of more than 130 square kilometres was cleared of cluster munition remnants (CMR), a new record, beating the previous high (in 2018) by nearly …

A Guide To The Oslo Action Plan And Provisional Results Of 2020 Monitoring: Survey And Clearance, Mine Action Review

Global CWD Repository

This Guide and provisional results of 2020 monitoring by Mine Action Review aim to support the measurable and accountable implementation of Article 5 of the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. They do so by focusing on the Oslo Action Plan, adopted at the Fourth Review Conference in November 2019, describing how the Action Plan addresses survey and clearance, and explaining how progress in implementing those commitments in the Action Plan will be assessed. This Guide follows the Oslo Action Plan’s approach by detailing commitments that apply specifically to survey and clearance operations in all affected States Parties, as well …

Clearing The Mines 2020: A Report By Mine Action Review For The Eighteenth Meeting Of States Parties To The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, Mine Action Review

Global CWD Repository

Key Findings:

• In 2019, a global total of more than 131 square kilometers was cleared of anti-personnel mines, with more than 96% of recorded clearance occurring in States Parties to the APMBC. However, this total is a marked decrease on output in 2018 of more than 155 square kilometers, and was the lowest recorded clearance globally for more than ten years. The true total area of clearance is probably considerably greater, but data recording and reporting problems prevent accurate reporting of a higher figure, in addition to a lack of transparency by several States not party.
• In total, almost 164,000 …

Review Of New Technologies And Methodologies For Eore In Challenging Contexts, Gichd

Global CWD Repository

This review examines promising new technologies and methodologies used for the delivery and monitoring of risk education interventions in response to three key challenges: risk education for improvised explosive devices, in urban complex environments, and in areas with limited to no accessibility. It highlights examples, good practices and emerging solutions in facing these challenges, both from within and outside the EORE sector, and builds on recent initiatives developed to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The publication was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Switzerland.

Disposal Of Explosive Ordnance And Environmental Risk Mitigation, Roly Evans, Andy Duncan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Humanitarian mine action (HMA) survey and clearance operations have always focused on the contamination that can be seen. Whether it is anti-personnel (AP) mines, anti-vehicles (AV) mines, or explosive remnants of war (ERW), our efforts focus on removing items that pose an immediate blast and fragmentation hazard to humans. However, in certain circumstances, explosive ordnance (EO) also poses a significant environmental hazard, not least from the toxicity of its components, such as heavy metals and explosives. The understanding of contamination from EO in air, soil, and water has developed significantly in recent decades.[i] ^{[ii] [iii] [iv]} This has mainly …