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Full-Text Articles in Defense and Security Studies
From The Director, Cisr Journal
From The Director, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Welcome to our 20th edition of The Journal! This is an exciting year for us as we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) as well as The Journal. Since our founding in 1996, CISR’s mission, programs and publications have continuously evolved with the ever-changing face of mine action, reflecting the training, informational and program needs of the field. As mine action is absorbed into the broader scope of conventional weapons destruction, CISR and The Journal are prepared to be the information leader for this community of practice. With great anticipation we begin this …
Explosive Hazards In The Aftermath Of Natural Disasters: Lessons Learned, Nicole Neitzey, Paula S. Daly
Explosive Hazards In The Aftermath Of Natural Disasters: Lessons Learned, Nicole Neitzey, Paula S. Daly
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Natural disasters have posed problems for demining operations in the past; the heavy flooding in Bosnia and Herzegovina was one recent example of many. Over the past 20 years, natural disasters have impacted countries affected by landmines or other explosive remnants of war (ERW), causing renewed danger. Despite reoccurring in recent years, these events continue catching the international CWD community by surprise, while experience and lessons learned from previous disasters in one country must be relearned in other regions.
An Overview Of Mozambique’S Mine-Free District Process, Antonio Belchior Vaz Martíns, Hans Risser
An Overview Of Mozambique’S Mine-Free District Process, Antonio Belchior Vaz Martíns, Hans Risser
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
In the 1990s, Mozambique ranked among countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, and Iraq as one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world. At the time, experts estimated that clearing all landmines in Mozambique would take 50 to 100 years. Landmines were widely used by all sides during the conflicts that ravaged Mozambique from the mid-1960s until 1992. These nuisance minefields usually consisted of small numbers of mines in seemingly random or undefined areas mostly around paths, wells and rural infrastructure. Large-pattern minefields tended to be the exception rather than the norm in Mozambique. Given the …
Endnotes Issue 20.1, Cisr Journal
Endnotes Issue 20.1, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction 20.1 Endnotes
Unsung Hero: Vanja Jokic Raznjevic, Cisr Journal
Unsung Hero: Vanja Jokic Raznjevic, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
As a single mother, Vanja Raznjevic felt that she had no other choice than to apply for a demining position with Norwegian People’s Aid. “I needed a job,” says Raznjevic, “and this job seemed really normal for me because I spent time [in Croatia] during the war and became accustomed to danger.”
The Mine-Action Process In Iraqi Kurdistan, Jamal Jalal Hussein
The Mine-Action Process In Iraqi Kurdistan, Jamal Jalal Hussein
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The Iraqi Kurdistan Mine Action Agency has been working to clear Kurdistan of landmines and unexploded ordnance that were placed by the former Iraqi government over the past 40 years and the Iranian Army during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980–1988. The Agency is overcoming many challenges and has cleared a vast number of minefields so the land can be handed back to the owners. Casualties from explosive remnants of war are extremely high but a new mine-risk-education program will inform people who live in dangerous areas how to minimize the threat of explosive remnants of war.
Serbia And Montenegro, Country Profile
Serbia And Montenegro, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro has faced many political and social difficulties since the dissolution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On 18 September 2003, the then-unified country of Serbia and Montenegro acceded to the Ottawa Convention, becoming a State Party on 1 March 2004. In June 2006, Montenegro declared independence from Serbia. Montenegro subsequently acceded to the Convention as a separate country; Serbia remained bound by the original agreement. Both Serbia and Montenegro are party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, having assumed the obligation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Though a ratification bill was …
Humanitarian Landmine Action In China And The Role Of The Ngo, Zhai Dequan
Humanitarian Landmine Action In China And The Role Of The Ngo, Zhai Dequan
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Though China is not a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, the country has long been involved in humanitarian efforts to alleviate the landmine problem. Nationally, China has launched mine clearance campaigns, and has become a State Party to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Two organizations have also been established to alleviate the landmine problem. Internationally, China has sponsored several mine-clearance workshops, and has promoted international partnerships to work toward mine clearance.
Book Review: Angola—The Hope Of A People, Cisr Journal
Book Review: Angola—The Hope Of A People, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Brazilian photographers Vinicius Souza and Maria Eugênia Sá provide a glimpse of hope through their camera lenses in Angola—The Hope of a People. After many years of tumultuous civil war, these 48 powerful black-and-white and color images capture both the “new face of Angola” and the hope of the people to create a new identity.
News Briefs, News Brief
Issue 10.2 Endnotes, Cisr Journal
Issue 10.2 Endnotes, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Issue 10.2 Endnotes
Egypt, Country Profile
Egypt, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Egypt is one of the most heavily mined nations in the world, with estimates ranging from 16.7 to 22 million landmines/pieces of unexploded ordnance, or an estimated one-tenth of the world’s 200 million landmines. Seventeen million landmines and pieces of UXO are estimated to be located in the Western Desert, a result of intense fighting during World War II between Allied and Axis forces at the El- Alamein perimeter. Approximately five million additional landmines were spread across the Sinai Peninsula and Red Sea coasts, largely from the Arabian-Israeli conflicts of 1956, 1957 and 1973. The Egyptian military estimates 19.7 million …
Angola, Country Profile
Angola, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
No abstract provided.
Tied Campaigns: Cluster Munitions, Explosive Remnants Of War And Anti-Personnel Landmines, Robin Collins
Tied Campaigns: Cluster Munitions, Explosive Remnants Of War And Anti-Personnel Landmines, Robin Collins
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The cluster munitions campaign, following the precedent of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, is beginning to make an impact on state views of banning or restricting cluster munitions. This article examines the history behind the fight to ban or restrict cluster munitions and its ties to the ICBL. The author also discusses the most recent developments in the process to ban or restrict cluster bombs.
Book Reviews, Cisr Journal
Book Reviews, Cisr Journal
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Book Review: Vanna’s Dance, Maria Almudevar-van Santen
Assisting Landmine Accident Survivors In The Thai-Burmese Border Region, Imbert Matthee
Assisting Landmine Accident Survivors In The Thai-Burmese Border Region, Imbert Matthee
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
No abstract provided.
Demining In Iran, Eddie Banks
Demining In Iran, Eddie Banks
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The United Nations classification of mine-affected countries names the Islamic Republic of Iran as one of the world’s most affected countries. Historically Iran has been called the “cradle of civilization,” and it contains a number of important historical sites, including the ancient city of Persepolis (or Takht-e-Jamshid), which was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 322 B.C.
Afghanistan, Country Profile
Afghanistan, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
No abstract provided.
Steel Wheels In Mozambique, Johan Van Zyl
Steel Wheels In Mozambique, Johan Van Zyl
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
This down-in-the-trenches story about using a Casspir fitted with steel wheels to demine in Mozambique in the early 1990s makes you feel like you are right there. Getting rid of the mines was not the only problem the deminers had; sometimes getting past the insurgents was more challenging.
Cambodia, Country Profile
Cambodia, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
No abstract provided.
Jordan, Country Profile
Jordan, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
No abstract provided.
The Road To Mine Action And Development: The Life-Cycle Perspective Of Mine Action, Ted Paterson, Eric Filippino
The Road To Mine Action And Development: The Life-Cycle Perspective Of Mine Action, Ted Paterson, Eric Filippino
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
There are four main steps to completing the life cycle of mine action, and demining is just a small part. Without development, citizens continue to live in poverty and under oppression. The authors outline the four-step life cycle of mine action.
From Interventions To Integration: Mine Risk Education And Community Liaison, Jo Durham
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
Iraq, Country Profile
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
No abstract provided.
Letter From The Editor, Lois Carter Fay
Letter From The Editor, Lois Carter Fay
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
No abstract provided.
A Regional Approach: Mine And Uxo Risk Reduction In Vietnam, Laos And Cambodia, Andrew Wells-Dang
A Regional Approach: Mine And Uxo Risk Reduction In Vietnam, Laos And Cambodia, Andrew Wells-Dang
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Since Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have similar mine and unexploded ordnance risk problems, a regional approach may contribute to finding solutions for these three. Understanding common features and challenges is a first step toward reducing the number of casualties in the region.
Claiming The Future, Bounpheng Sisavath
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.
Coming Home, Edward Pennington-Ridge
Coming Home, Edward Pennington-Ridge
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Adopt-A-Minefield Survivor Assistance Consultant Ed Pennington-Ridge visited Afghanistan from May 1 through May 20, 2005. Despite the challenging security environment and anti-Western riots that began while he was there, his trip reinforced the importance of the work that AAM and other mine action organizations are doing in this country.
Integrated Mine Action: A Rights-Based Approach In Cambodia, Sally Campbell
Integrated Mine Action: A Rights-Based Approach In Cambodia, Sally Campbell
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
The lives of some of the most impoverished Cambodians are beginning to improve as a result of new governmental programmes and nonprofit assistance that award land, provide training and offer other opportunities. Integrating mine action with other development programmes is building a sustainable economic community in Cambodia.
Humanitarian Demining As A Precursor To Economic Development, John Lundberg
Humanitarian Demining As A Precursor To Economic Development, John Lundberg
The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
Using three specific examples—Mozambique, Eritrea and Iraq—the author shows clearly how demining and development go hand-in-hand. He shows how clearing mines to restore power lines, rail service and agricultural land helps communities become economically viable again.